Chen Jian looked at me solicitously and placed the dry firewood beside his feet next to me: "Brother Zhao, I've tied it all up for you. Let me take it up the mountain for you."

I smiled slightly at Chen Jian and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you."

Wang Ping looked at me and pointed to the firewood: "I picked this up, do you want some too?"

"Of course, come on, let's go up into the cave and I'll get you the food."

Wang Ping's face lit up with joy, and he picked up several bundles of firewood and followed behind me.

The women were a little embarrassed, but the feeling of being hungry was unbearable. They followed behind me with flushed faces.

Upon entering the cave, Xu Wei and the others were clearing the space to store firewood. Hearing the noise and seeing me return with Wang Ping and the others following behind, their faces lit up with joy.

Wang Ping was a shrewd businessman; he quickly put the firewood in the innermost part and tidied it up.

Then he turned and looked at me earnestly.

"Xu Wei, go get two cans of meat and some dried fish."

Xu Wei agreed and ran to the makeshift "storage room" that we had set up with tree branches, and took out the things.

When Xu Wei placed the canned meat in Wang Ping's hand, I saw Wang Ping take a deep breath.

Several girls followed Wang Ping and Chen Jian and received dried fish, each with a smile on their face.

Just as Wang Ping turned to leave, I called out to him.

Wang Ping turned to look at me with a puzzled expression, and gripped the can of food in his hand with some wariness.

"What's wrong? Is there anything else?"

I subtly told Wang Ping that everyone stranded on this deserted island was having a tough time.

But if you look at it another way, this way of life on the deserted island is not much different from what I did in the company back then.

They all rely on their own abilities.

If you have the ability, you can eat your fill and earn a lot.

If you lack ability, then you will either be laid off or become a low-level laborer.

Wang Ping looked at the expression on my face, seemingly understanding but not quite.

However, I believe that with Wang Ping's intelligence, he will soon figure out what I want to say to him.

Xu Wei was quite happy that the firewood for the evening had been secured, and she and Liu Jiaojiao carefully searched the area where the firewood had been stored.

However, Xiao Qiang seemed somewhat unhappy.

During dinner that evening, Xiao Qiang finally couldn't hold back anymore.

"Zhao Sihai, have you lost your mind? Why should we give away the food we risked our lives to find? There are plenty of these bundles of firewood everywhere. Why would you trade our food for theirs?"

If this were any other time, Wang Xiaoxiao would have already started refuting Xiao Qiang, but this time Wang Xiaoxiao didn't say anything. Instead, she looked up at me, as if she also had some doubts.

I closed the cave door, which I had made from boat planks, perfectly, and turned to look at the women.

How long have we been stranded on this deserted island?

Xiao Qiang rolled her eyes, and her tone became very unfriendly.

"How come after just a few contacts with Lin Xubo, your brain has been infected by him and turned into a pig's head? It's been almost 20 days, and you've already forgotten that?"

I glanced at Xiao Qiang and couldn't help but roll my eyes. When Xiao Qiang is happy, she's fine with anything, but once she's unhappy, she becomes aggressive.

“We’ve been stranded on this deserted island for so long, but no one has come. During this time, we’ve even had arguments and fights, right?”

Although the group didn't understand what I was saying, they all nodded in agreement.

I continued looking at them and said, "If we put them on the opposite side of us, and have to be careful of them all the time, wouldn't that be exhausting?"

The women remained silent, so I continued.

The situation on the island is now clearly divided.

But if Bai Wei and his men really think that they can't survive on this island without killing us, then our lives will only become more difficult.

But now I can win them over with just some food. Not only do I make them feel that they have food to eat because I'm alive, but I also make them feel that there is still hope and something to look forward to.

Only in this way can we become relatively safe and the relationship relatively stable.

The best part is that we no longer need to go to the beach to collect seashells.

We don't need to worry about whether there's enough firewood every day. As long as Wang Ping and the others want to eat, they will do everything they can to meet our various needs.

This is the same principle as being paid a salary and having someone do your job at a company.

After I shared all my thoughts with a few people, Xiao Qiang fell silent.

Wang Xiaoxiao nodded, but still hesitated.

"But we don't have enough food either. The canned food, rice, flour, and strong liquor we retrieved from that ghost ship are all very precious in the current situation. If you use them to exchange for firewood, it would be a real waste."

I'm not stupid; of course I won't completely trade the food we have now for theirs.

The things Wang Ping and the others traded with me will probably make it hard for them to have enough to eat, but they won't starve. So once our current system for exchanging things is perfected, I'll take them out to find food.

With more people, we'll have more strength. If we really encounter a brown bear or a wolf, we won't be as disheveled as when I was with a few women before.

Moreover, I also want Wang Ping and the others to know that I am no longer the same person I used to be.

I have a gun!

If they want to live without offending me, I naturally won't do anything to them. We'll all live in peace and wait for rescue.

But if they still want to stab us in the back, well, we're on this deserted island anyway, with no laws or regulations. If they really push me too far, I'll just shoot them! Let's see who dares to be the first to stick their neck out then.

"In short, nothing can be accomplished without rules. Using food to restrain them is the only way at the moment, and only in this way can our current relationship remain peaceful."

Hsiao Chiang muttered that we have guns now, so we don't need to be afraid of them at all.

But I don't think so. Being stranded on this deserted island is already pitiful enough.

I really don't want to hurt anyone anymore, unless that person wants to kill me.

After I finished explaining my thoughts, the women didn't have any other opinions.

I stretched and felt sleepy. I was about to lie down on the straw bed to sleep when suddenly a loud shouting and cursing came from down the mountain.

I was taken aback. I put on my shoes and walked to the cave entrance. There I saw Bai Wei and Lin Xubo in the ghost ship down the mountain, arguing fiercely with several women and Wang Ping.

I couldn't help but curl the corners of my lips. You see, this is human nature!