Time passed, and soon a faint light appeared in the darkness, which relieved Li Ling and Liu Ruoling and made them feel much more relaxed.

After all, this was their first time spending the night here, so they were still a little worried. Although they had all grown a lot over the years, people always have some concerns when in unfamiliar places. This included Wang Lun.

More than an hour later, it was finally light enough to see. At this time, Li Ling and Liu Ruoling poured the cooled boiled water into the bamboo tube, and then poured in half a pot of water, preparing to cook breakfast.

Today we need to officially start cutting down banana trees. Eating breakfast early will allow us to get started sooner.

The two men placed the pot on the campfire, then carried a basket on their backs and went to the beach to set traps and check if they had any catch.

The two reached the seashore and began catching fish, shrimp, and crabs from the traps. Although there was still some seawater in the traps after the tide receded, the water wasn't very deep, and the bottom was visible. Only then did the two dare to grab them directly with their hands. If the water was deeper or the visibility was poor, the two would use a long spear to stir the water or use a branch to scoop them up from the water.

It took the two of them almost half an hour to check all three traps and gather some food. Li Ling and Liu Ruoling then parted ways. Liu Ruoling, carrying a basket on her back, continued to collect seafood and other catches brought ashore along the beach. Li Ling, on the other hand, carried four fish, prepared them on the beach, and then returned to the temporary camp to cook.

Li Ling returned to the camp, and Wang Lun and Liu Ruoxi also got up. Wang Lun gathered the scattered grass next to the goat into a pile. Whether the goat ate it or not was up to it; after all, the goat was going to be used to transport banana bark today.

Wang Lun greeted Li Ling when she returned. Li Ling then cooked breakfast, while Wang Lun went to the beach to collect seafood with Liu Ruoling.

A short while after Wang Lun left, Liu Ruoxi emerged from the woods behind the camp. Since they weren't at the camp with designated toilets, Liu Ruoxi and the others had to venture into the grove and find a bush to relieve themselves.

Wang Lun and Liu Ruoling spent quite a while collecting things on the beach, and their baskets were almost half full. When they heard Li Ling calling them back for dinner, the two of them returned to their temporary camp.

After the meal, Wang Lun led the three men, each with a goat, to the banana grove.

There was still a lot of dew in the morning, and by the time Wang Lun and his three companions reached the banana grove, their trouser legs were already soaked, but the four of them didn't care at all. Compared to what they had been going through for the past two months, this was nothing.

Wang Lun had Liu Ruoxi lead the goat to graze nearby; after all, the goat had been a major source of labor that day, and it needed to be well-fed. Liu Ruoling and Wang Lun worked together to cut down banana trees, with Wang Lun doing most of the chopping and Liu Ruoling bundling them up. Li Ling had nothing to do at the moment, so she carried a basket on her back and searched for edible bananas in the banana grove. Whether she found many or not, a harvest would be best, but if not, it wouldn't matter.

However, there should be some, since we picked some last time, and there are still many places we haven't looked for.

Sure enough, after searching all morning, Li Ling had searched the entire banana grove. She had filled two baskets to the brim with bananas, and these weren't the bunches, but individual ones. Li Ling thought the bunches took up too much space, so she had broken them all down to individual.

These two baskets of bananas were enough to feed the four of them for several days. But how to store so many bananas became another problem. However, on this deserted island, drying them seemed to be the only option.

It was almost noon, and the sun was very strong, so Wang Lun called Li Ling back. Liu Ruoxi and Liu Ruoling returned to the temporary camp earlier. They went back to cook, each carrying a basket of bananas, with two bundles of banana tree bark carried by goats. Wang Lun and Li Ling returned, also carrying two bundles of banana tree bark, and Wang Lun also brought a bundle of banana tree leaves. During their midday rest, they sliced ​​the bananas, placed them on the banana tree leaves, and laid them out to dry on the beach. Drying them for a few days would help preserve the bananas better.

When Wang Lun and Li Ling returned carrying banana tree bark, they saw Liu Ruoxi and the other woman processing the bananas.

When Liu Ruoxi and Wang Lun returned, they put down the bananas they were processing and went to help put down the two bundles of banana tree bark.

The two put down the tree bark and sat on a rock. Liu Ruoxi brought over two bowls of water and handed them to them. Wang Lun and the other man drank the water, while Liu Ruoling and Liu Ruoxi went to bring the warm pot to the side.

After Wang Lun and the other person finished drinking water, he served them rice, then filled his own bowl and the four of them began to eat. After a morning of work, the four of them didn't have much energy to talk and ate in silence.

Lunch was considered finished when Wang Lun finished the last drop of soup in his bowl. Liu Ruoxi carried the pot, which contained the bowls, to the seaside to wash them with seawater. After washing them clean, she rinsed them again with fresh water, and only then were the pots and bowls considered washed.

Of course, the bowls can be put back, but the pot cannot. The pot is still needed to boil water, let it cool to a boil, and then put it into bamboo tubes for the four of them to drink in the afternoon.

While boiling water, the four of them sliced ​​the bananas together and placed them on banana leaves to dry into banana chips. This would allow them to be preserved for a longer period of time and make them easier to transport.

However, there are also drawbacks. In the afternoon, there will be one less person who needs to stay on the beach to watch over the banana chips and prevent seabirds and insects from entering.

After more than half an hour, the bananas in the two baskets were finally cut and placed on banana leaves, ready to dry.

The weather outside was still quite hot, so Wang Lun decided to rest for a while and wait for the weather to cool down before cutting down banana trees and carrying banana bark.

Liu Ruoling, being more energetic, was assigned and volunteered to guard the banana chip area. She took the first shift and stayed until Wang Lun and the others had rested and the weather had cooled down. Then, Wang Lun took Li Ling, Liu Ruoxi, and the goat to the banana grove to continue cutting banana trees, while Liu Ruoling continued guarding the banana chip area. After a while, Li Ling would relieve her, and the two would take turns until dark.

As for why Liu Ruoxi wasn't chosen to guard the area, it's because there's still some danger there, and she wouldn't feel comfortable leaving her there alone. Li Ling and Liu Ruoling, on the other hand, both possess some self-defense capabilities and are physically capable enough to hold out until Wang Lun and the others arrive.

If Liu Ruoxi were in danger, she would probably already be injured by the time Wang Lun and the others arrived. Therefore, Li Ling and Liu Ruoling would take turns guarding the banana chips.