Island Survival: Starts by chopping a tree-Chapter 51 Do you need help?

The girls, seeing his defeated look, were still annoyed but not entirely uncomfortable since they wanted to be looked at too.

Emma, however, wasn’t angry at all. Instead, she seemed shy, her face a little red, but was secretly happy.

Ariana, now understanding what was happening, stared at Jeff with a sharp, thoughtful gaze.

Jessica crouched down, her eyes on the ground. She wasn’t sure why she felt uneasy seeing Jeff like this.

Maybe it was guilt like guilty about what? or maybe something else. She’d started to notice him more lately.

He wasn’t just skilled and manly; he was handsome and had a gentlemanly way about him. Especially when he touched her breast.

But then her gaze flicked to Emma, and a wave of insecurity hit. Emma had ’bigger guns,’ and Jessica couldn’t help but feel like she was already losing a fight even though it hadn’t even started.

She had heard countless times that man, especially the young captain who’s a young man the same age as her. Is fond of woman with big weapons since who wouldn’t be right?

Charlotte can already saw his answer in his face, making her stood straight up with cold eyes. Looking at Jeff with an uncomfortable feeling not knowing why that is.

Her heart felt a little heavy, so she was just silent since she does not know what to do.

Jeff, sensing the awkward atmosphere, decided to change the topic before the tension got worse.

"Uh, I’ll head to the river to clean the fur. It’s dried now and needs washing," he said, coughing as he made an excuse to leave.

The girls didn’t respond, seemingly ignoring him. "Make sure the rabbits don’t escape," he added, grabbing the dried fur from the tree branches before walking away.

He hadn’t followed the proper drying process when he left it there, but cleaning the fur now was a convenient excuse to escape the situation.

As Jeff climbed down from the tree and prepared to leave, he noticed Emma approaching him. She hesitated for a moment, her cheeks red as her gaze fluttered.

"Uh, can I come with you?" she asked, shaking her head briefly before regaining her composure.

Jeff inclined his head slightly in agreement, and the two left the camp together. The other girls, lost in their own thoughts, paid them no attention.

Once they were far enough from the camp, Jeff glanced back at Emma. She walked silently beside him, occasionally looked at him but diverts her gaze to the surroundings avoiding looking directly at him.

Emma seemed like she had something to say but hesitated. Jeff, assuming it was because of what happened earlier, chose to stay quiet and focus on the task ahead.

When they arrived at the river, Jeff turned to her. "Miss Emma, you can sit here for a moment. This won’t take long," he said.

Emma nodded simply and sat on the ground, her expression thoughtful as she watched him with a serious gaze.

Feeling her eyes on him, Jeff decided to ignore it and get to work. Holding the dried fur in his hands, he knew the next step would be to rehydrate it.

Since the hide had started to stiffen after a day of drying, Jeff knew he needed to rehydrate it to make it pliable again.

Rehydrating softens the fibers, restoring flexibility, which is essential for stretching the hide evenly. Proper stretching ensures the hide dries without cracking or shrinking.

If left untreated, the stiff hide would become too brittle to work with, it will be prone to cracking or breaking when used.

Determined to avoid this, Jeff submerged the hide in the river for about an hour, letting the water do its work.

Sitting nearby, close to Emma, he couldn’t help but notice her glancing at him. She opened her mouth as if to say something but quickly bit her lip, too shy to speak.

Jeff felt a nervous tingle at the back of his neck, her hesitation leaving him both conflicted and uneasy.

"Is she really angry? Should I explain that they got it wrong? But it already happened—who would believe me now?" Jeff muttered under his breath.

Emma, still hesitating, clenched her fists tightly. Her trembling hands rested above her thighs as she looked down, her eyes filled with uncertainty.

After about an hour had passed, Jeff moved on to the next step. Taking out his stone knife, he carefully checked the hide for any remaining flesh or fat. This step was crucial to ensure the hide dried evenly after stretching.

While inspecting, he found some leftover tissue and began scraping it away again. He knew this was necessary to prevent the hide from rotting or attracting insects or bacteria, which would cause it to smell and degrade over time.

Scraping was essential to ensure the hide dried properly and became durable enough for crafting.

If any fat, flesh, or membrane were left behind, it could rot, rendering the hide unusable. Uneven drying caused by such remnants could also result in a warped or misshapen hide, ruining all his efforts.

Next, Jeff needed to secure the hide to a sturdy wooden frame or peg it to the ground. Using vines, bamboo stakes, or rope, by just pulling the edges tightly to remove wrinkles and keep the hide taut.

But that’s just the first method, since there are lots of methods in there.

Before continuing, he decided to clean his injuries again. The bandages wrapped around his arm were soaked and starting to smell from chasing the rabbits. Carefully removing them, he revealed the wound beneath, which was slowly starting to heal.

Jeff couldn’t help but feel amazed. Despite everything he had gone through, his ability to recover was the one who made him astonished.

At this rate, he estimated it would take just two or three more days for his arm to be as good as new.

Emma, watching him silently, felt her chest tighten at the sight of his injury. Her heart ached, but her gaze grew firm as a decision formed in her mind.

"I think... this isn’t such a bad thing, right?" she murmured softly, her eyes closing as if to steady her thoughts.

Meanwhile, Jeff concentrated on cleaning his wound thoroughly, ensuring all dirt and bacteria were removed to prevent infection.

His hands moved carefully, to keep the injury from not worsening.

He took the medicinal plant from his pocket, rinsing it in the river water before chewing it into pieces to release its juices.

As he worked, his mind drifted to the task ahead, choosing the best method to stretch the hide.

There were several options: the ground peg method, the leaning frame method, the staked-out frame method, and the suspended frame method.

The ground peg method was the easiest and fastest. It required minimal construction and materials, needing only stakes, vines, and the hide. Jeff figured he could set it up in minutes, making it a practical choice.

The staked-out frame method, while slightly more involved, provided better tension for more even drying. It struck a good balance between simplicity and efficiency, making it another solid option to consider.

But if he wants something that is more durable and efficient, he can move toward the leaning frame or the suspended frame method.

But the best choice for this since he needs it to be served as the clothes for the girls is the stake out frame method.

Since the ground peg method didn’t require extensive climbing, leaning, or finding specific tree arrangements, it was faster and less labor-intensive. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

While there were more reasons to choose this method, Jeff decided to focus on those later. For now, he finished his thoughts on the process and shifted his attention to other tasks.

He cleaned the soiled bandages, carefully washing them in the river to remove any impurities.

Once that was done, he took the smashed medicinal paste and applied it directly to his wound, ensuring the poultice seeped into the injury to aid healing.

[You just made a medicine. You have gained 10 experience points]

[60/300 exp. Remains to unlock a skill.]

Once he finished, Jeff wrapped his wound securely to protect it from any contamination.

"Omsimmm," he muttered in satisfaction.

He glanced at the progress bar on his system and nodded in appreciation, he was getting closer to his goal. Without wasting any more time, he decided to return and start his work.

However, as he turned, he froze. Emma was standing right in front of him, staring at him intently. Her unwavering gaze sent a shiver down his spine.

"Is she going to punish me for the misunderstanding?" Jeff wondered, his mind racing.

After what felt like an eternity, Emma finally broke the silence, "Do you... need help?" she asked, her voice soft as she glanced nervously from side to side, her cheeks flushed a deep red.

"Help? I’m already done, though," Jeff thought, immediately dismissing the idea.

"Um, no need. I’m already finished. Let’s head back to camp for now," he replied, brushing off her offer.

As he walked past her, Emma suddenly grabbed his arm tightly. Jeff stopped, glancing down at her flushed face.

"Not that kind of help... I meant your health," she said heavily, her voice trembling as if smoke was about to come out of her ears.

"Is she referring to my injuries?" Jeff wondered, piecing together her cryptic words.

After a moment, he responded calmly, "Don’t worry about my injuries. They’re already healing, so there’s nothing to be concerned about," he assured her with a smile.

Emma’s expression darkened. Trembling slightly, she thought angrily, "Is this young man still pretending?"

"I meant your hormones!" she suddenly shouted, her voice echoing loudly as her face turned as red as a tomato.

"Do you want me to help you... release it?" she added, her words spilling out before she squeezed her arms tightly around herself in embarrassment.

Jeff stood frozen as her words sunk in, staring at her in sheer disbelief. "Wait... what?" he muttered inwardly.

Finally, it clicked. The realization struck him like a bolt of lightning, and he couldn’t help but marvel at how far this misunderstanding had spiraled out of control.