We can't go out right now, and we don't know what's outside, but as long as we're careful, everything will be alright.

These footprints have lingered in front of our door for so long, yet none of them have come in, which is enough to show that this place is not one they can come to whenever they want.

So all we need to do now is wait, wait for them to come out of hiding, and then we can catch them in one fell swoop and find out who is behind all this trouble.

For the next few days, none of us went out. We stayed in the camp to pack up our things and repair the crooked storage warehouse.

In the past few days, my relationship with Wang Xiaoxiao has improved a lot. She no longer treats me coldly as before, and occasionally she will say a few words to me after seeing me, which makes me feel much more at ease.

But thinking about what happened between Wang Xiaoxiao and me that night still feels a little strange.

Xiao Qiang and the others haven't discovered anything else strange, so I think we should wait until the time is right before telling them about this.

The weather is getting colder at a visible rate. Even now, when we get up in the morning, we can see a thin layer of frost on the rock walls.

Yang Rui said that this deserted island should have a winter, but so far we do not know in which month its winter season will arrive.

However, as Liu Jiaojiao's belly grew bigger, we became extremely worried and gave her and her family almost all the usable wolf pelts and warm clothing we could find.

Also, Chen Jian and his group have been thinking about getting more jade ore from the jade mine to seal up all our windows.

At first, I thought this method might be a bit of a roundabout way, but now, after thinking it over, I think it might be the only effective method.

After observing for more than a week, those strange and mysterious footprints outside never reappeared, and we were all much more relieved.

In the afternoon, a few of us went to the jade mine. It was Yang Rui's first time there, and he was extremely excited when we entered, just like when we first met him.

However, Yang Rui clearly understood much more than we did, because after seeing these jade salt deposits, he took out a small flashlight from his pocket and kept shining it back and forth, making his excited expression even more genuine.

Wang Ping stood behind Yang Rui, watching him bustling around, and chuckled at him: "What's wrong, brother? You think this jade mine is very valuable? You're examining it so carefully."

Upon hearing Wang Ping's words, Yang Rui immediately nodded, very seriously: "Of course, don't you know that this jade mine is priceless? Look at the clarity, look at the color, and look at the texture. If this jade mine is developed, it will be much more valuable than a gold mine."

When I saw Yang Rui's appearance, I sneered inwardly. It seems that he and Xiao He are no different from each other.

As for why they made such a fuss, that remains unknown.

“Since you think these jade mines are very useful, after we finish processing the large ore deposits we need, you can take more of the rest back with you. After all, if we have the chance to return to the city, we can exchange these jades for some money, which can make up for the suffering we endured on this deserted island.”

Hearing my words, Yang Rui nodded, flattered, "Really? Can I really take a few pieces?"

I nodded: "Of course, this jade mine isn't ours alone. Since it's a product of nature, it can be shared equally by everyone."

Bai Wei, who was standing to the side, chuckled coldly upon hearing my words. He was holding a large hammer and his expression was one of resentment.

"Since you've said that this is a product of nature and should be shared equally by everyone, why didn't you agree when we wanted to come here to see it?"

Seeing that Bai Wei was about to cause trouble again, I quickly rolled my eyes and decided not to bother with him anymore.

In the afternoon, after much effort, we finally managed to get two large pieces of jade ore. These jade ore pieces were relatively flat, but the surface was still uneven. However, they were enough to keep them out of the cold wind by the window.

These two pieces of jade ore should be placed in Chen Jian's room for now.

Because Liu Jiaojiao is due to give birth in a little over a month, and this child represents the hope of all of us, we must protect it well.

Moreover, I consider Liu Jiaojiao as my own sister and Chen Jian as my own brother, so naturally I must prioritize them in everything I do.

Chen Jian was very grateful and quickly thanked me. I patted Chen Jian on the shoulder and said, "We've been stranded on this deserted island for so long. Do you remember when you first gave me the only lighter you had? That thing was so important to me. Although it was eventually stolen, I still appreciate your trust in me. Now that we're here, we can only stick together. You don't need to thank me. It's what an older brother should do."

Chen Jian looked at me, his eyes still reddening: "Brother Sihai, if it weren't for you, Jiaojiao and I wouldn't be where we are today, and we wouldn't have that lovely child. So naturally I will follow your lead."

After we got back, we placed the jade directly on Chen Jian's window. Who knew that a cold wind would suddenly rise outside that night.

Because there was no way to light a campfire inside the house, Liu Jiaojiao was still feeling cold and uncomfortable.

In the end, Xiao Qiang and Wang Xiaoxiao came up with a stove. After they built the stove in their treehouse, the temperature inside the house instantly rose significantly.

During this time, Wang Xiaoxiao and her team have been searching for bird feathers and rabbit fur, and other soft materials to make thicker bedding.

As the weather grew colder, my anxiety increased. If we couldn't leave this deserted island before it got completely cold, we would have to spend the winter here.

I simply cannot imagine how long this cold winter will last.

When everything decays, our food, drink, shelter, and transportation will all become problems.

Wang Ping and Chen Jian have been making some traps for the past two days, hoping to place them in the jungle so they can catch more animals.

Meanwhile, the female colleagues didn't stay put; they went to the beach with the male colleagues to collect various foods, and everything proceeded smoothly.

But everyone felt incredibly heavy-hearted, because we knew this winter wouldn't be easy to get through.