Amidst the back-and-forth discussion, the broth had already been cooked.

The four of them each had a bowl and finished the whole pot of fish soup. Actually, the fish soup made from salted fish wasn't very tasty, but they still managed to finish it because they were genuinely hungry and didn't want to waste food.

The deserted island is now covered in snow, with only a few ancient, verdant trees standing tall amidst it. But these don't contain the food they need. Most of the available food is buried under the snow. To find food, they would need to dig through the thick snow, but even then, there might not be any food underneath. They might end up only digging up a few grass roots to make a grass root soup. But the food they replenish wouldn't even cover their consumption, making it a completely uneconomical endeavor.

After drinking the delicious fish soup, the four of them felt their energy greatly replenished, but it was still pitch black all around them, so they decided to sit on the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) and rest for a while. Then someone pulled a small table over, preparing to play a few rounds of mahjong to relax.

Time ticked by, and although playing mahjong could indeed help people forget their troubles and pass the time, everyone's minds remained preoccupied with the seven wolf carcasses outside. Just then, the sky gradually brightened, and Liu Ruoxi, sitting by the window, was the first to notice this change. She exclaimed in surprise, "It seems like we can see some things clearly outside!"

Before she finished speaking, the other three turned their heads and looked out the window in the direction Liu Ruoxi was pointing. Sure enough, the previously dim and blurry scene began to clear up, and they could vaguely see the gray sky outside.

Wang Lun couldn't wait any longer and went to the window, pushing it open to look outside. Although the sky was still dark and hazy, the reflection of the white snow on the ground made things around him quite visible.

As Wang Lun quickly closed the window, he said anxiously, "Alright, alright, stop playing! Hurry up and get ready, we need to deal with those wolves." There was a hint of urgency in his voice.

Upon hearing Wang Lun's words, Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi simultaneously pushed away the mahjong tiles in front of them without hesitation, preparing to get off the kang (heated brick bed).

However, unlike them, Liu Ruoling pleaded, "Can I finish this round? I'm about to win, I haven't won even once all night." She looked at the other three with pitiful eyes, full of expectation.

Before Wang Lun could respond, Liu Ruoxi, who had already gotten off the kang (heated brick bed), glanced at the mahjong table and immediately retorted, "You can't possibly win. You just played a three of bamboo, and I have three of them here." Liu Ruoling was instantly stunned, her eyes wide with disbelief. She reached out and flipped over Liu Ruoxi's hand, and sure enough, just as she said—three threes of bamboo, plus a two of bamboo and a four of bamboo, forming a complete straight.

Liu Ruoling's face turned extremely ugly. Disappointed, she pushed her cards forward and muttered to herself, "I haven't won a single game all night. It must be because the feng shui here is terrible." Despite her dissatisfaction, Liu Ruoling slowly got off the kang (a heated brick bed).

The four of them worked together to dig through the thick snow, finally revealing the seven wolf carcasses. Wang Lun and Liu Ruoling carefully lifted one of the wolf carcasses and placed it on the huge stone slab they usually used for washing clothes.

Holding a sharp knife, Wang Lun skillfully cut into the wolf's carcass through its wound, carefully and precisely peeling away the fur. He was completely focused, each cut precise, as if sculpting a work of art. As time passed, he gradually pried open the fur around the wound until a large gash ran through the entire wolf carcass. At this point, Wang Lun stopped, gesturing for Liu Ruoling to take the knife and continue skinning the wolf.

Meanwhile, Wang Lun didn't stop. He picked up another wolf and walked towards the stone platform that Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi had just built. Although the platform wasn't very flat, it was covered with stones of various sizes and raised the ground by about thirty or forty centimeters. Although he couldn't work standing up, crouching down was convenient enough.

And so, Wang Lun and the other three divided the work: Wang Lun and Liu Ruoling were responsible for dissecting the wolf carcass, while Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi focused on cleaning the internal organs and other tasks. Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi worked together to clean the internal organs thoroughly.

However, because it was the dead of winter, the stream was frozen solid, and the ground was covered with thick snow, making it impossible to obtain water directly. Left with no other option, they had to melt the snow, which would inevitably take a considerable amount of time. But that didn't matter; it didn't dampen Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi's enthusiasm at all. After all, having so much meat there was a very pleasing sight.

While Wang Lun and Liu Ruoling were dissecting the wolf carcass, they needed to constantly rotate their bodies around the corpse and occasionally flip it over. This was not only tedious and complex, but also extremely physically demanding. In comparison, Liu Ruoling was somewhat fortunate. Whenever she felt exhausted, she could ask Li Ling to take over and rest for a short while.

However, Wang Lun, being a grown man, could not escape as easily as Liu Ruoling. He could only grit his teeth and persevere. Although his body was utterly exhausted, his heart was filled with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. After all, the joy of completing this arduous task through his own efforts far outweighed the physical fatigue.

After Wang Lun and Liu Ruoling finished dissecting one wolf carcass each, they immediately began processing the next one. Meanwhile, Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi had already cleaned the internal organs and selected the edible parts, such as the heart, kidneys, and liver. Afterward, Liu Ruoxi went inside to prepare breakfast. She planned to use the fresh organs to make a delicious wolf offal soup, and also slice some of the organs thinly to make a delicate side dish.

As for why not make bone broth, Liu Ruoxi explained, "Most of the meat on the bones has been removed. Even the parts that are difficult to remove are almost gone. Making a pot of bone broth from those parts probably wouldn't have much of a meaty flavor. It's better to eat the offal first, and then make a big pot of delicious bone broth from the remaining bones after processing them properly, and enjoy it slowly. After all, food doesn't spoil easily in winter."

Just as Wang Lun and Liu Ruoling were finishing processing their second wolf carcass, Liu Ruoxi called out that everyone should get ready for breakfast. Wang Lun glanced at the wolf carcass Liu Ruoling was working on, estimated it would take some more time, and advised her to stop for now and continue after breakfast. The most important thing right now was to fill their stomachs, rest a bit, and then continue working after a hearty meal.