Upon closer inspection, the two realized that the camp was deserted and seemed to have been abandoned. The gate was open, and after observing for over an hour, they hadn't seen anyone enter or leave. Zheng Long, emboldened, approached the treehouse and called out twice. Seeing no one answer, he called Zheng Hu over, and the two entered the camp.

Upon entering the camp, the two first explored the nearby shelter. They found it filled with firewood and dried wild vegetables, filling the rest of the space. Just the amount of dried vegetables alone made the trip worthwhile. Zheng Long and Zheng Hu then went to a nearby shed and discovered a water reservoir. Seeing that the water was still clear, they assumed it was drinkable.

The two turned back to inspect the treehouse. Beneath it lay a jumble of items: bamboo tubes, charcoal, feathers, and even a pile of dry grass. Seeing so much and finding no one around, they decided to take over the treehouse and make it their campsite.

The two cooked some wild vegetables, and after eating their fill, they used the wood and stones that Liu Ruoxi and her friend had prepared to reinforce the fence to build walls around the base of the wooden house. They would mainly live there from now on. Some of the upper walls had been blown down by the wind, so they planned to store supplies underneath and sleep on top. Of course, that would be after the wooden house was repaired.

After working for a while longer, the two finally rested. During their rest, they took the time to wander around the camp and its surroundings, looking for any other good finds.

Sure enough, Zheng Hu found something good outside. In a patch of grass, he discovered a roof that had been blown away by the wind. Peeling it open, he found three birds hanging there. Zheng Hu hadn't eaten meat in a long time. So he picked up the three birds and ran back to camp.

When Zheng Long saw the three birds, he was quite envious. He immediately said that once the wooden house was finished, he would eat the three birds as a celebration feast. Zheng Hu had some objections to this; they could have eaten them immediately, but now they had to wait a few days. However, thinking about being able to eat meat after the wooden house was finished, the two of them stopped resting and immediately began to continue repairing the wooden house. It was clear that both of them were more enthusiastic than before.

At the beach, after a morning's work, Wang Lun and his companion had cut down eight trees, and Liu Ruoling had cleared six of them. Both were exhausted and hungry, so they carried a section of tree over five meters long back to the shelter.

They placed the tree trunk at the entrance and sat down to rest. Wang Lun went into the shelter and brought out two bowls of water, handing them to Liu Ruoling. He then went back in and brought out a pot, placing it on the campfire. Once the water boiled, they could cook the fish.

The pot was left to Liu Ruoling to watch over, while Wang Lun went to collect the fish baskets and check if there were any fish. After all, four baskets meant that even some catch was better than nothing.

Wang Lun went into the sea, collected the four fish baskets, and found some fish in each basket. He cleaned the fish, put the entrails back into the baskets, put the baskets back in the sea, and then carried his catch back to the shelter.

Back at the shelter, the fish in the pot was already cooked. Liu Ruoling took the pot off the stove and placed it aside to cool down before eating. Wang Lun had just returned; the fish wasn't too hot, nor too cold—just right. Too hot, and it would burn your mouth; too cold, and the fishy smell would be too strong, and it wouldn't be healthy. Right now, it was just the right temperature.

Wang Lun hung the harvest on the windbreak wall before having dinner with Liu Ruoling.

After the meal, Wang Lun told Liu Ruoling to rest, and he went to wash the pots and pans himself. After washing them, he fetched a pot of water, boiled it, and put it into a bamboo tube to drink when he went into the woods in the afternoon.

While boiling water, Wang Lun didn't sit idle; instead, he began processing the tree trunk he had brought back. He first cut a small notch about a meter in length, then placed red-hot charcoal on it, letting it burn through the wood. This completed one hole; it didn't require much effort, just a bit of time. However, time was precious to them now, especially since their bonuses would increase significantly in less than a month.

After finishing one hole, Wang Lun began working on the second and third. He thought it would be faster to work on both holes at the same time. He drilled the second hole in the middle of the log. The third hole was drilled at the last meter. With three holes in one log, there were three points of anchorage, which would essentially ensure that the raft wouldn't break apart at sea.

After Wang Lun finished making the remaining two holes, Liu Ruoling woke up from her nap. Seeing that Liu Ruoling was awake, Wang Lun and Liu Ruoling moved the log to the beach to let the sun dry it, so that it would lose more water and become lighter and more buoyant.

After doing all this, Wang Lun told Liu Ruoling to go to the stream to wash up first, while Wang Lun took the bamboo tube and other tools and followed.

While washing up, Liu Ruoling felt sticky all over and wanted to come back early in the afternoon to wash in the stream. She hadn't showered yesterday, and with all the sweat she'd produced today, she was afraid she'd stink if she didn't shower soon. Just as Liu Ruoling was thinking this, Wang Lun came from behind and called out, bringing her back to her senses.

Wang Lun asked, "What are you thinking about? I've been here for a while now." Liu Ruoling said, "Let's come back early this afternoon, I want to take a shower." Wang Lun said, "Okay, sure, let's go in now and cut down a couple more trees." Liu Ruoling nodded, and then Wang Lun led Liu Ruoling to cut down the trees.

After an afternoon of almost non-stop work, the two finally managed to cut down fifteen trees. They rested for a bit before carrying one tree back to the shelter. Once back at the shelter, Wang Lun told Liu Ruoling to go take a shower, while he stayed to continue processing the trees.

Liu Ruoling felt it wasn't safe for her to go alone, especially since something might happen while she was showering. So she asked Wang Lun to come along, but to keep watch. When Wang Lun heard that Liu Ruoling wanted him to come, he thought she wasn't afraid of him peeking—oh, openly peeking! Actually, Liu Ruoling wasn't afraid of Wang Lun watching, but rather that he wouldn't. If he did watch, she'd have an excuse to make Wang Lun take responsibility. Besides, given Wang Lun's character, he probably wouldn't even look. Seeing Liu Ruoling's firm attitude, Wang Lun had no choice but to agree.

Liu Ruoling went to bathe, and Wang Lun sat at a distance, listening to the sound of the water. The image of Liu Ruoling bathing in the water involuntarily appeared in his mind. Her fair skin, alluring body, and so on, stirred a slight stirring in Wang Lun's heart. "Just a quick glance, surely I won't be discovered?" "Definitely not. Maybe she brought you here because she wants something to happen between us?" "No way, but if something does happen, should I refuse?" "If I don't refuse, wouldn't that be letting Li Ling down? If I refuse, wouldn't that be less than a dog?"

Wang Lun was somewhat tempted.