Why Li Ling and her friends? Like Wang Lun, Li Ling was simply looking for something to enjoy. Liu Ruoxi and the others weren't sure if they should eat it, but houttuynia cordata is a traditional Chinese medicine with anti-inflammatory, diuretic, and fever-reducing effects. This was undoubtedly good news for the four of them.

Wang Lun returned to the camp and, before even reaching the gate, began calling for someone to open it. At that moment, Li Ling and Liu Ruoling were still cleaning up the droppings in the chicken and rabbit pens. Liu Ruoxi, who was inside, heard this and came out to open the door for Wang Lun.

Liu Ruoxi took the houttuynia cordata from Wang Lun, who then asked, "Where are Li Ling and the others?" Liu Ruoxi replied, "They're in the chicken coop and rabbit pen, cleaning up their droppings." Wang Lun was relieved and carried the tree to the pond.

Wang Lun then went back into the house with Liu Ruoxi. Of course, before going back, he called Li Ling and the others back. When Li Ling and Liu Ruoling heard that Wang Lun had returned, they ignored the rabbit and chicken coops they were cleaning, went to the sink, washed their hands and faces, and ran back into the house.

The moment Li Ling saw Wang Lun, her suppressed emotions completely overwhelmed her. She rushed over and hugged him tightly, saying, "Why did you only come back now? Didn't you know I was worried about you?" Wang Lun hugged Li Ling back and said, "I'm back now, aren't I? Don't cry, okay?" But hearing Wang Lun's words only made her cry even harder.

Wang Lun released his grip on Li Ling, gently wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes. He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "They're still watching, aren't they?" Li Ling finally let go, but still stubbornly said, "So what if they're watching?" Wang Lun said, "Okay, stop crying. I brought you some snacks." Li Ling asked, "What are they?"

Wang Lun turned and called over Liu Ruoxi and the other two, and the four of them sat down around the table. Wang Lun took out some small, purplish-red berries from his pocket, picked one up, and put it in his mouth, saying as he ate, "So sweet, just like before." Seeing Wang Lun eat one, the other three also took one and put it in their mouths. It was indeed very sweet. Li Ling asked, "What is this?" Wang Lun said, "Raspberries, we call them 'yangpao' where I'm from. I used to eat them, but I haven't eaten them since I started school." While they were talking, Liu Ruoling actually tried to sneak a bite, but Wang Lun slapped her away, laughing and saying, "They haven't even been washed yet, what's the rush?" Liu Ruoling quickly went to get a large bowl, put all the raspberries in it, washed them at the sink, and then brought them back.

However, there was only slightly less food. The four of them each ate some, listening to Wang Lun recount how they encountered and removed the edible seedlings.

As Wang Lun was walking along the road, he saw a patch of thorny vines with fruit on them. He went over to take a look; if they were edible, he would pick some and eat some fresh wild fruit. If they weren't, he would leave them alone, since it wasn't far away anyway.

Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a rice seedling. But why would there be any at this time? Wang Lun didn't care; as long as it was edible, that was fine. However, being as cautious as ever, Wang Lun first observed it, finding signs that it had been eaten by birds. He then picked one, put it in his mouth, and, feeling no other sensation, swallowed it. He continued picking while waiting for his body's reaction.

More than ten minutes passed, and his body showed no other reaction. His already hungry stomach grew even hungrier, and his thirst intensified. But all Wang Lun had left, besides the unwashed houttuynia cordata, was the water lily in front of him.

Wang Lun quickened his pace. It took him almost half an hour to pick all the seedlings from a patch of thorny vines. Although the vines were large, there weren't actually many seedlings. Wang Lun only ate a few more, then stopped, as there were only so many, and several people in the camp hadn't eaten yet. He needed to save some for them. He then hurried back to the camp.

After hearing Wang Lun's story, Liu Ruoling asked, "Are there any more over there? These are delicious, let's go pick some more." Wang Lun replied, "No, we picked them all." Liu Ruoxi then asked, "Were they easy to pick?" Wang Lun smiled and said, "They were alright, but we had to be careful of the thorns." Liu Ruoxi didn't say anything more. If Wang Lun didn't want to talk about it, then so be it. After all, he was the one who was injured. She only needed to remember that this man, despite his injury, hadn't eaten much of the fruit he picked; he'd given most of it to them.

Liu Ruoling asked, "Why aren't you eating?" Wang Lun replied, "No, I ate a lot over there. This is all for you. By the way, have you eaten yet?" Li Ling shook her head and said, "We've been waiting for you to come back, so we haven't eaten." Wang Lun said, "Then you guys eat first, I'll go cook." He stood up and went to the stove to get a clay pot to fetch water. Liu Ruoxi wanted to help, but Wang Lun stopped her. There wasn't much food to begin with; if Liu Ruoxi helped, how much would she eat?

Liu Ruoxi then continued sitting down, eating the pickled rice with Li Ling and the others. After Wang Lun had walked away, Liu Ruoxi said, "It's so hot, why did Wang Lun take his sleeves down? Isn't he hot?" Those who understood Liu Ruoxi's question naturally understood, while those who didn't truly didn't. For example, Liu Ruoling said, "I don't know, pickled rice is quite delicious. I'll go find some some the other day." And Li Ling said, "Yeah, that's right."

Just two words, "Yes." This made Liu Ruoxi understand that although Li Ling felt something was strange, she hadn't noticed anything wrong. Or perhaps she had noticed but just didn't show it, or didn't care? Liu Ruoxi suddenly felt that Li Ling was a bit incomprehensible and couldn't help but give Li Ling a deep look. But in an instant, she turned back and continued eating her pickled vegetables. However, at this moment, Liu Ruoxi was paying more attention to Li Ling.

Wang Lun returned, placed the earthenware pot on the stove, lit the fire, and prepared to cook lunch. Liu Ruoxi finished eating and came over to help Wang Lun cook. Li Ling and Liu Ruoling went to shower together, but not together; they took turns, since someone needed to keep the water running. Although they had just washed their hands and faces, they still had a slight odor, which they found somewhat unbearable. As for Wang Lun, how did he shower alone? Well, boys shower quickly, and leaving the water running wouldn't be a waste.

After Li Ling and Liu Ruoling left, Liu Ruoxi asked, "Hey, by the way, I haven't heard about what happened between you and Li Ling yet. Can you tell me about it?" Wang Lun said, "What's there to talk about? It's very mundane." Liu Ruoxi said, "Anyway, I'm just killing time. Tell me about it." Wang Lun couldn't stand Liu Ruoxi's attitude, so he began to tell her about their past.