Startled by the rolling pin, Wang Lun stood up, muttering, "I'm not going back! I said I'm not going back, and I mean it!"

Hearing this, Li Ling turned ashen with anger. She flung her hand, and the rolling pin in her hand, as if it had eyes, landed accurately on Wang Lun.

"Smack!"

A crisp sound echoed in the air.

Wang Lun's eyes widened in astonishment; he never imagined that Li Ling would actually hit him.

Liu Ruoxi, who was standing to the side, was also stunned. She subconsciously covered her mouth, afraid that she would make a sound.

Li Ling ignored all of that. As she hit him, she cursed, "Ruoxi didn't say anything, and you're acting all wronged? She came to call you out of kindness, and you're putting on airs. What, do you really think I wouldn't dare hit you?"

Her words came out of her mouth in rapid succession, like a machine gun.

However, despite her strong words, only the first and second blows actually hit Wang Lun.

The first blow was because Li Ling attacked suddenly, catching Wang Lun completely off guard and causing him to be hit.

As for the second blow, it was because Wang Lun was stunned and did not dodge in time that he was hit again.

"Smack!"

With another sharp crack, Wang Lun finally snapped out of his daze and quickly dodged backward.

Seeing that Wang Lun had dodged, Li Ling became even angrier and chased after him, wanting to continue hitting him.

Seeing this, Wang Lun quickly went behind the table to keep his distance from Li Ling. The shelter was cramped, and unable to dodge, Wang Lun could only run outside. Liu Ruoxi was right at the door. Inevitably, the two bumped into each other.

Seeing this, Li Ling was furious. She shouted, "How dare you bully Ruoxi! Have you lost your mind? How dare you bully Ruoxi in front of me!" With that, Li Ling grabbed a rolling pin and strode forward, grabbing Wang Lun's ear with her left hand.

Wang Lun winced in pain, but dared not retaliate, and could only beg for mercy: "Stop hitting me, I didn't mean to, I know I was wrong..."

At this moment, Liu Ruoxi finally came to her senses and quickly called out to Li Ling, "Sister Li Ling, please let him off this time. He's still sick."

Upon hearing this, Wang Lun quickly added, "Yes, yes, I still have a fever and I'm still dizzy."

Li Ling glared at Wang Lun and said irritably, "He deserves it. Who told him to act recklessly? He didn't want to go back when we told him to. Really, he's gotten too bold, hasn't he?" Li Ling said the last two words while staring at Wang Lun.

Wang Lun shook his head helplessly, secretly lamenting his misfortune. He could only pray that the old lady would calm down soon, at which point his ears could be saved.

Seeing that Li Ling was still angry, Liu Ruoxi quickly continued to plead, saying, "Why don't we ask one more time? Maybe Brother Wang Lun will see the light and be willing to go back?"

Before Li Ling could speak, Wang Lun nodded vigorously and said, "Yes, yes, I'm willing to go back."

Seeing Wang Lun like this, Li Ling was both annoyed and amused. In the end, she let go of his hand, allowing Wang Lun to escape temporarily.

Li Ling looked at Wang Lun in front of her and said, "This is the first and the last time. Next time, I won't call you. I'll just let you warm up for a bit, then burn down your shelter and see where you sleep." Her tone was firm and cold, as if she had made up her mind to teach them a lesson.

Wang Lun gave a wry smile. He knew Li Ling was a woman of her word, and he dared not easily cross her line. He shook his head helplessly and said, "Okay, I understand. I won't do it again next time." His voice carried a hint of pleading, hoping to gain Li Ling's forgiveness.

Seeing that the two still didn't move, Li Ling frowned even more and said, "What, aren't you going back? Do you want to get beaten again?" Her eyes revealed a kind of authority that made people feel intimidated.

Wang Lun quickly turned around, pushed Liu Ruoxi, and said, "Let's go, let's go right away." His movements were swift and tense, as if he was afraid of angering Li Ling.

Li Ling left the shelter and casually closed the door, but it creaked loudly and wouldn't close properly. Looking back, she saw the door was crooked, one corner sticking up. She tried to close it twice, but the door wouldn't come back to normal. She complained, "Fix it when you're done. Seriously, it's so flimsy." With that, she left the shelter.

What could Wang Lun say? He was helpless too! He could only nod and say, "Okay, okay." But in his heart, he was thinking: This door could hold up even a wolf, but it couldn't withstand your kick, and you blame the door for not being sturdy enough? That's really bullying! However, he only dared to think these words in his heart and never dared to say them out loud, for fear of getting a beating.

After the three returned to the earthen house, Li Ling said to Liu Ruoxi, "Go check the shelves to see if there are any of the herbs we prepared earlier." Liu Ruoxi nodded, went to the shelves, and began searching for herbs. Most of these herbs were picked before winter and had been dried and processed to preserve them until now. Moreover, because they were worried that insects would damage the herbs, they specially packed them into bamboo tubes and sealed them. Each bamboo tube was specifically used to store a particular type of herb, making it easy to categorize and use.

Before long, Liu Ruoxi had selected enough herbs for one person and placed them in a small earthenware pot. Next, she poured in some cold water and placed the pot on the fire pit to boil. Only after completing this did she turn to help Li Ling prepare breakfast.

Li Ling had previously told Wang Lun to lie down on the kang (a heated brick bed) and cover him up properly to help him sweat, which would help his cold symptoms get better faster.

While the rice was cooking in the pot, Li Ling sat by the fire pit and began to massage her feet. Liu Ruoxi asked what was wrong and learned that she had kicked the door too hard, causing some soft tissue contusion. It had been hurting before, but Li Ling had insisted on finishing cooking before starting to treat it. Her method was simple: just massage it.

Liu Ruoxi quickly interrupted Li Ling's actions, saying, "Soft tissue contusions cannot be rubbed; they require cold compresses and minimal activity."

Upon hearing this, Li Ling asked in surprise, "Why? I've always done it this way!"

Liu Ruoxi explained, "After a soft tissue contusion, the local tissue will swell and become painful. If you rub or knead it at this time, it will only aggravate the injury and pain, and may even cause the inflammation to spread. The correct approach is to apply a cold compress, which can relieve pain and swelling. At the same time, you should try to avoid moving the injured area and let it get plenty of rest."

Upon hearing this, Li Ling suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. It seems I've been doing things wrong all this time. What should I do now?"

Liu Ruoxi comforted her, "Don't worry, don't move it for now, just keep it cold. If the pain persists or worsens, I suggest we give up. You need treatment, and we don't want to cause any aftereffects." Li Ling was definitely unwilling to give up after hearing that they had to. She had persevered this far, how could she possibly give up?