Wang Lun had considered this situation beforehand, so he and the others prepared various recreational activities, such as mahjong and playing cards. These were games he enjoyed playing, and they were perfect for passing the time and helping everyone relax.

Seeing that the three of them were silent, Liu Ruoling realized that she might have gone too far with her words and felt a pang of regret. She felt she should be more understanding of them, after all, they were also trying to make a living. So she sat down and said softly, "I'm sorry."

Wang Lun looked at Liu Ruoling, who sat there with a wronged expression, like a child who had done something wrong. He couldn't help but laugh, gently patted his head, and comforted her, "Alright, don't be sad! Let's play mahjong. Whoever wins gets to catch the chicken."

Hearing this, Li Ling and the other two agreed. After all, they didn't want to continue the awkward conversation, so they decided to go along with Wang Lun's suggestion. Liu Ruoling, in particular, secretly resolved to play well and win the game so she could catch the chicken herself. She knew this would make up for her earlier slip of the tongue. Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi, however, understood that Wang Lun was deliberately changing the subject to ease the tension. They thought that if they didn't comply, things might escalate very differently.

Liu Ruoling quickly fetched the mahjong tiles, while Liu Ruoxi helped Li Ling up and seated her against the wall. Wang Lun sat cross-legged to the side, and Liu Ruoxi sat cross-legged opposite him. The four of them sat around the kang (a heated brick bed), ready to start playing cards.

Liu Ruoling brought out the mahjong set, placed it on the table, and quickly took off her shoes and climbed onto the kang (heated brick bed). Suddenly remembering something, she put her shoes back on, which she had only half-taken off. She walked quickly to the shelf, picked up a small basket, and filled it with dried fruit and other snacks. She took the basket back to the kang, placed it in the middle of the table, and said with a smile, "Let's play cards and have something to eat at the same time."

After Liu Ruoling brought the snacks over, Wang Lun and the others had already set out the mahjong set and were just waiting for Liu Ruoling.

Liu Ruoling handed the snacks to Liu Ruoxi, who grabbed some and placed them on the corner of the table. Then she handed the basket to Li Ling, who placed it between herself and Wang Lun. Only then did the four of them begin playing mahjong.

The four of them played mahjong without eating lunch, only snacking. They continued until the afternoon, when their snacks ran out. Li Ling felt a little hungry and said, "Are you hungry? I am. How about we stop here, eat, and then come back?"

Liu Ruoxi said, "Okay, I'm starving." Wang Lun nodded and said, "Alright, let's cook first, then we can play." He then pushed his mahjong tiles into the middle. Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi did the same, pushing their own mahjong tiles into the middle as well.

Only Liu Ruoling said unhappily, "Hey, what's going on? Can't you guys just finish this round? I'm about to get a pure suit and win!"

Wang Lun's face showed a hint of helplessness, and he explained with a dry laugh, "Well... I was just worried that your sister and the others would go hungry, wasn't I?" Actually, what he was thinking was that he would never tell her how bad his hand was! Halfway through the game, he hadn't even finished discarding all the missing cards. His luck today was just too bad; all he was getting were missing cards, and he couldn't keep any of them, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and play them.

Liu Ruoling pouted and muttered, "But, in such a short time, it shouldn't be enough to make everyone starve." At this moment, Liu Ruoxi glared at her sister and said seriously, "Alright, stop nagging and hurry up and catch the chicken. We're going to have chicken stew with mushrooms later. I'll clean up the mahjong tiles and prepare the mushrooms while I'm at it."

After her sister said that, Liu Ruoling had no choice but to obediently push over the mahjong tiles in front of her. She couldn't help but feel a little regretful. She had finally gotten a good hand of pure suit, and she was just a little short of winning. If she had a little more time, she might have won big.

Liu Ruoling went out empty-handed to catch chickens. Wang Lun and Li Ling put away the mahjong tiles. Li Ling's foot wasn't fully healed yet, but Wang Lun, though a little weak, could still walk, so he went downstairs to help prepare the mushrooms.

The mushrooms were soaked by Liu Ruoxi during the mahjong game, and they were already rehydrated. All Wang Lun and Liu Ruoxi needed to do was tear them apart. A short while later, Liu Ruoling caught the chicken and brought it into the earthen house.

Seeing this, Liu Ruoxi had Liu Ruoling carry a pheasant and a large earthenware pot, while she carried a pot of hot water. The two went to the eaves, where Liu Ruoling used a knife to kill the chicken, and Liu Ruoxi brought out an earthenware bowl from inside the house, with some salt sprinkled in it to catch the chicken blood.

With practiced ease, Liu Ruoling made a cut in the chicken's neck, and blood immediately gushed out, falling into the earthenware bowl. After the blood had drained, Liu Ruoling placed the chicken into an earthenware pot filled with hot water to scald it. She gently rubbed the chicken feathers with her hands, making sure every single one was clean.

Liu Ruoxi was in charge of preparing the other ingredients. She tore the washed mushrooms into small pieces and set them aside. At the same time, she also prepared some wild onions, ginger, and other seasonings for use during cooking.

With their seamless teamwork, the ingredients were quickly prepared. Next, they would begin cooking this delicious dish—chicken stew with mushrooms.

Liu Ruoling cut the chicken into small pieces and stir-fried it in a pot until golden brown. Then, she added an appropriate amount of water and seasonings, followed by mushrooms, and simmered them together. As time went on, the pot emitted an enticing aroma.

As night gradually fell with everyone's combined efforts, an enticing aroma wafted from the earthenware pot. The rich smell of chicken, mixed with the savory flavor of mushrooms and the subtle scent of acorn cake, was mouthwatering. All four couldn't help but move closer to the pot, deeply inhaling the wonderful aroma. Only when Liu Ruoxi gently lifted the lid and lightly poked the acorn cake stuck to the pot's side with her chopsticks, feeling that it had slightly hardened, did she finally announce that dinner was ready.

The three of them were already impatient. Even the usually composed Li Ling couldn't contain her excitement and tiptoed to the dining table by the fire pit, anxiously waiting for the meal to be served. Not to mention Wang Lun and Liu Ruoling, who were already seated at the table, their eyes fixed on the food, just waiting for the order to begin their feast.

Liu Ruoxi carefully reduced the flames in the fire pit, leaving only a faint residual heat. This way, the temperature in the fire pit wouldn't be too high, but it would be enough to keep the food in the earthenware pot warm and prevent it from cooling down too quickly.