Li Ling couldn't hold back any longer and asked Wang Lun, "What are you doing? What's going on today? What did you find that made us do these things?" Wang Lun turned to look at the three of them and said, "We'll find out tomorrow." Hearing Wang Lun say the same thing again, Li Ling immediately threw the mud in her hand into the iron pot and said, "Then you do it yourself. I'll do it when I find out tomorrow." After saying that, she went to the sink to wash her hands and went back inside.

Wang Lun, Liu Ruoxi, and Liu Ruoling were all looking at her, wondering what was wrong with Li Ling today. Liu Ruoxi tried to pull Li Ling back to offer some words of comfort, but Li Ling pushed her away. Liu Ruoxi almost lost her balance and fell to the ground, but luckily Liu Ruoling was there to catch her.

The three watched as Li Ling went inside. Liu Ruoxi then turned around and, together with Liu Ruoling, walked to Wang Lun's side, asking with concern, "What's wrong with her?" Wang Lun was still surprised, saying, "How would I know?" Liu Ruoling said, "Then what did you discover today? You're so happy." Wang Lun said, "Foxtail grass." Liu Ruoxi was secretly delighted, having guessed correctly, and then asked, "Foxtail grass wouldn't make you this happy, would it? Is there something about foxtail grass that we don't know?" Wang Lun smiled mysteriously and said, "With foxtail grass, we can cook porridge." Hearing Wang Lun's words, Liu Ruoxi and Liu Ruoling were even more puzzled. How could foxtail grass be used to cook porridge? They weren't at the point where they needed to eat grass, were they?

Wang Lun then told Liu Ruoxi and the other woman that foxtail grass was the ancestor of millet. It turns out that in ancient times, human ancestors preserved the seeds of foxtail grass, which were plump and large, and through generations of domestication, they eventually cultivated the millet that we eat today.

When Wang Lun discovered the foxtail grass, he immediately thought that after picking it and processing it to remove the fuzz, it would be edible. While it wouldn't taste as good as millet, it was still food. And with so much foxtail grass, it could surely feed the four of them for several meals. Moreover, it was a source of carbohydrates—a resource that required immense luck to find on this deserted island.

Hearing Wang Lun's explanation, Liu Ruoxi and Liu Ruoling finally understood why he was so happy. Liu Ruoxi asked, "Then why didn't you tell us?" Wang Lun replied, "Although foxtail grass is edible, it doesn't taste very good, and as far as I know, most people only eat it in small quantities. We don't know how to handle such a large amount. If I let you know so early, and then didn't think of a way to deal with it, you'd be disappointed." Liu Ruoxi finally understood Wang Lun's thinking. Liu Ruoling asked, "Then what are you having us do all this for?" Wang Lun said, "The foxtail grass needs to be dried. If we don't use straw mats, what will we use? Your clothes." Without waiting for Liu Ruoling's reply, Wang Lun continued, "After drying, we need to remove the fuzz. There's so much; we can't keep using a pot. Let's make two earthenware basins to soak the foxtail grass, which will help remove the fuzz better. We can also use them for foot baths and face washing later—a win-win situation."

When Liu Ruoling and Liu Ruoxi heard that Wang Lun planned to use two earthenware basins for soaking their feet and washing their faces, they immediately said, "You can't use them together, you must use them separately." Wang Lun said, "So what? They're both clean." But seeing that the two of them were looking at him with puffs of anger, he said, "Fine, use them separately. We can just make more later." Liu Ruoxi asked, "Then what are you doing?" Wang Lun said, "I'm making a mortar and pestle, the kind used in ancient times for pounding rice. It will be used later to process foxtail grass. Actually, I don't know if it will work, but we have to try." Only then did Liu Ruoxi and Liu Ruoling realize that everything Wang Lun did was for the benefit of their entire team. Liu Ruoxi said, "Then what do we do now? Why don't you go and comfort her?" Wang Lun said, "I don't have time, I still have things to do. You two shouldn't go either, you have a lot of things to do. Liu Ruoling, you go and weave a straw mat later, Liu Ruoxi, you go and make the ceramic basin. It's been so long, you should be able to do it by now." Seeing that Wang Lun had put it this way, and considering that Li Ling was indeed acting strangely, the two women followed Wang Lun's instructions and continued to do their work.

Liu Ruoxi painstakingly finished a clay pottery piece, but felt it was still lacking, so she destroyed it and started over. After more than twenty minutes, she finally made one that she felt was acceptable. She then gave it to Wang Lun for his approval. Wang Lun took the clay pottery, examined it carefully, and found no major problems. He then told Liu Ruoxi to place it in the corner, rest for a while, and then she could start cooking.

Meanwhile, Liu Ruoling seemed to realize that the wind was shifting, and instead of being as lively as usual, she focused intently on weaving straw mats. Wang Lun and Liu Ruoxi were also busy with their own tasks, and neither of them spoke a word.

Li Ling returned to the room and lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed), bursting into tears of grievance. This was the first time she had cried in so long. She hadn't cried before, not when she was exhausted. She hadn't cried when she encountered the hyenas. Only once, when Wang Lun hadn't returned home for a long time after dark, had she cried. And now, to be honest, Li Ling didn't know why she was crying today. She didn't know the reason. Was it because Wang Lun was ignoring her? No, it wasn't; Wang Lun just wanted to keep things mysterious. So why? Li Ling didn't know. And Wang Lun knew even less.

In short, it got dark. Wang Lun and Liu Ruoling could no longer work outside. So they carried their things inside and continued working. Liu Ruoling continued weaving straw mats, only occasionally glancing up at Wang Lun and Li Ling. As for Wang Lun, he was even more focused, constantly polishing the long, thin stone in his hand. It seemed that nothing else existed in his eyes, only the stone in his hand.

This situation continued until Liu Ruoxi told Wang Lun and the other man to stop fighting, clear the table, and prepare for dinner. Of course, Liu Ruoxi also called Li Ling.

Li Ling was angry, but she still had to eat. However, she didn't sit in her usual spot; instead, she sat opposite Wang Lun in Liu Ruoxi's former seat. Liu Ruoxi brought over her food, and seeing Li Ling sit down, she didn't say anything. On the contrary, Liu Ruoxi seemed quite pleased.

After the three—no, the four—finished their meal, they remained silent throughout. Even Wang Lun, who usually made plans for the next day during meals, didn't say a word. He simply put down his bowl and returned to the hearth to continue grinding the stone. Seeing this, Liu Ruoling quickly finished the last of her food and then continued weaving the straw mat.