Wang Lun thought for a while, then decided to give up. He figured things would work themselves out, so he left it at that. He said, "It's alright, we'll just keep an eye on things. When we have time, we'll go check and see if anyone's still there." Of course, Wang Lun had another meaning: if someone was there, they'd decide what to do. If the other person was friendly, they'd try to talk to them; if they were difficult, they'd just observe from a distance. If no one was there, they'd inherit their supplies and carry on their journey towards the grand prize. Simply put, if no one was there, they'd ransack their place, see what they could use, and take it all back.

Of course, Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi both understood Wang Lun's meaning. Although Liu Ruoling was a little confused, she knew that they would go to the treehouse campsite on the hillside when they had time, and said, "When you go, remember to bring a few more baskets. We collected a lot of dried wild vegetables before, but we haven't had time to eat them yet." Wang Lun said, "We'll definitely bring them back, and you can carry them back then." Liu Ruoling's eyes darted around, and she said, "Sure, you can hunt a goat and carry it back." Wang Lun said, "I won't carry it. We'll all just watch you carry it; we won't carry anything." Liu Ruoling and Wang Lun played around for a while.

Seeing this, Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi didn't want to stop them. So they went to cook lunch. After all, the four of them had just arrived home and definitely hadn't eaten lunch yet, so now it was a good time to eat together.

Wang Lun and Liu Ruoling played around for a while, then stopped. After all, Li Ling and the other woman were cooking, so they figured they could help out as much as they could. Liu Ruoling went to help start the fire, while Wang Lun, having nothing else to do, went to feed the pheasants and rabbits.

Nothing much happened when I fed the pheasants. I just felt that the pheasants seemed to have grown a bit, but I didn't weigh them and I'm not sure.

While feeding the rabbits, Wang Lun noticed that the four rabbits he had brought back earlier weren't being kept with the others. So he moved the two male rabbits here so they could live together. The other four pregnant female rabbits were now over ten days along and their pregnancy was quite obvious. These four rabbits needed to be taken good care of; their food for the coming winter would depend on them.

After feeding the pheasants and rabbits, Wang Lun circled the camp again. Finding nothing amiss, he returned to the house and waited for dinner.

Before long, the three women brought two pots of food and a plate of flatbread to the table. One pot was a stew of mushrooms and meat, with a variety of meats including venison, wild boar, and squirrel meat. The other pot was a stew of wild vegetables and fish, a classic main dish. The four of them began to eat. And I must say, the mushroom and meat stew was quite delicious. Although it was hard to identify the exact types of meat, it had a pleasant combination of flavors.

After lunch, Wang Lun suggested they rest for a while. If there was nothing else to do, they could take a nap. It was so hot outside, there wasn't much else to do. The three women thought about it and agreed; they had done most of what needed to be done. They could finish the rest after their nap. So the four of them went to sleep on the kang (heated brick bed).

Wang Lun and Liu Ruoling fell asleep soon after they lay down. Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi also fell asleep shortly afterward.

More than an hour later, Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi were the first to wake up. Seeing that Wang Lun and Liu Ruoling were still asleep, they quietly got up. After getting off the kang (heated brick bed), they sat down at the table and began twisting straw rope. It's unclear how long they woke up, but they seemed to be doing other things besides expanding the pool.

After rubbing together for more than half an hour, Liu Ruoling woke up. Still groggy, she got off the kang (heated brick bed) and sat down next to Liu Ruoxi, asking, "Sister, where's Wang Lun? Where did he go again?" Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi were somewhat confused; Wang Lun was right there on the kang. Where could he have gone? They looked back; Wang Lun was still lying on the bed. Only then did Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi feel relieved.

Liu Ruoxi said, "He's still sleeping, but I think you'd better go wash your face first." Liu Ruoling was somewhat shocked to hear that Wang Lun was still on the kang (heated brick bed). After all, Wang Lun was always the first to wake up; how could he still be sleeping?

Rubbing her eyes, she turned her head and saw that Wang Lun was indeed sleeping. Seeing that Wang Lun was still asleep, Liu Ruoling figured there was nothing else to do, so she went to the pool to wash her face.

Back inside, Liu Ruoling sat down next to Liu Ruoxi and asked, "Sister, what are you making so much straw rope for?" Li Ling replied, "We're just making some for a bit, nothing much for now." Liu Ruoling suggested, "Then let's play cards. There are three of us." Hearing this, both Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi were intrigued. They hadn't played cards for several days, and now that they had some free time, playing for a while wouldn't hurt.

While the two were still struggling with their thoughts, Liu Ruoling had already found the cards and placed them on the table. Liu Ruoxi said, "Not here, Wang Lun is still sleeping." Liu Ruoling said, "Then where should we go? It's so hot outside. We can just keep our voices down." Li Ling said, "Let's go to the shower room, it's cool there, and we can sit on the floor." Liu Ruoling immediately agreed, picked up the cards, and left.

Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi exchanged a glance and shook their heads. They first tidied up the straw rope and hay, then Li Ling, carrying a stool, went with Liu Ruoxi to find Liu Ruoling.

When Liu Ruoling arrived at the shower room, she first found a handful of dry grass and used it to scrub the stone. In reality, the stone was quite clean, since people showered on it every day.

When Li Ling and Liu Ruoling arrived, Liu Ruoling was already sitting on the ground, waiting for them.

The two went forward and found a place to sit. Liu Ruoling set out the chairs and placed the cards on them. The three of them began to play cards. They still used acorns as chips, but there were no penalties.

Wang Lun slept for more than three hours, until after four in the afternoon. He got off the kang (heated brick bed) and found no one in the room. Stepping outside, he heard three people talking in the shower, along with the sounds of them playing cards. Knowing they were playing cards, Wang Lun ignored them and went straight to the sink to wash his face. After all, having slept, washing his face was necessary to refresh himself.

Wang Lun washed his face before walking up the steps to the shower room and calling out, "Go back inside to play, don't scare the rabbit." Liu Ruoling's voice came from below, "Okay, I'll go back after this round."

Seeing that they knew, Wang Lun ignored them and went back inside. Just as he reached the door, he seemed to remember something, so he turned back and walked towards the back of the house.

Walking into the backyard, Wang Lun found the banana leaves he had placed under the eaves earlier. He rubbed them with his hands and found they were just right now. The banana leaves were wilted, but not completely dry, so Wang Lun picked them up and carried them back inside.