Seeing Wang Lun leave the house, Li Ling went over and took Liu Ruoling's clothes, telling her to change and not to wear her own clothes instead of the coat. She also helped Liu Ruoling put on her underwear. Liu Ruoling took the clothes and glanced at the doorway. Li Ling said, "Don't worry, he won't see you. Besides, I'll keep an eye on things for you." Then she turned and walked towards the door. Seeing Li Ling standing at the door, Liu Ruoling quickly put on her clothes. Just as she was about to get off the kang (heated brick bed), she realized she had no shoes. Li Ling saw this at the door and said, "Wait, I'll get you a pair of shoes." Then she called out, "You can come in now." Wang Lun then pushed open the door and came in, going straight to sit by the hearth. First, he moved a stone, sat on it, and placed a stool beside him.

Li Ling handed Liu Ruoling a pair of straw sandals. Liu Ruoling put them on and followed Li Ling to sit down by the fire pit. Wang Lun placed his hand on the table and said, "Put your hand out on the table." Liu Ruoling looked at Li Ling after hearing Wang Lun's words. Li Ling said, "He's taking your pulse." After saying that, she went to the stove to get food for Liu Ruoling, following Wang Lun's instructions, and first gave her a small bowl.

Seeing Li Ling's response, Liu Ruoling assumed it was true, though she wasn't sure if Wang Lun would. She placed her hands on the table anyway. Wang Lun stared at Liu Ruoling's hands and said, "The left hand is fine." Liu Ruoling quickly withdrew her right hand. Only then did Wang Lun place his hand on Liu Ruoling's wrist, carefully feeling it for a while. He released her hand and said, "It's nothing serious. Take some medicine tomorrow morning, and you'll be basically fine." Liu Ruoling cautiously asked, "Am I sick?" Wang Lun and Li Ling exchanged a glance. Wang Lun thought, "No way, a fever wouldn't turn someone stupid." Li Ling thought, "Poor girl, Wang Lun is going to make her stupid."

Liu Ruoling sensed something was wrong and said, "I don't think I'm anything wrong, but my sister has a pretty high fever." Wang Lun said, "Oh, it's okay, Liu Ruoxi just has a fever, there's hope, don't worry, be good." Li Ling chimed in, "Sweetie, come eat, I'll feed you, come on." As she spoke, she scooped up a spoonful and handed it to Liu Ruoling. Liu Ruoling, for some reason, opened her mouth, and the two of them felt even more strongly that the child might have lost her mind.

After Li Ling fed Liu Ruoling the medicine, Liu Ruoling smacked her lips twice and said, "Is there water? It's a bit salty." Wang Lun and Li Ling were somewhat shocked. Could she not be mentally unstable? Wang Lun held up two fingers and asked, "How many is this?" Liu Ruoling replied, "Two." Li Ling looked at Wang Lun, thinking his answer was too basic, and asked, "What is nine plus nine?" Liu Ruoling looked puzzled but still replied, "Eighteen." Wang Lun and Li Ling exchanged a glance, a glance that conveyed a lot of information. Wang Lun: Could I have made a mistake? No way, after all, normal people know whether they're sick or not. Li Ling: Fortunately, it wasn't your medicine that made her mentally unstable. Wang Lun: Strange, how could a normal person not know whether they're sick or not? That doesn't make sense. Li Ling: Could it be intermittent? Wang Lun: How could that be? I've never heard of mentally unstable people having intermittent episodes. Li Ling: Then there's only one possibility: you made a mistake. Wang Lun: No way, could she be abnormal? Li Ling: We'll find out by asking.

So Li Ling spoke up, "Liu Ruoling, do you know you have a fever?" Liu Ruoling replied, "Fever? I don't know. I just remember walking around and didn't feel any fever, but my sister really does have a fever, and it's quite serious." Wang Lun asked, "Did you feel unwell before?" Liu Ruoling looked at the two of them and said, "Getting rained on and being tired, does that count?" Hearing Liu Ruoling say this, Wang Lun thought for a moment and said, "Your physical condition should be very good, right?" Liu Ruoling said, "It's alright. I'm on the school team." Wang Lun clapped his hands and said, "That's settled. She's physically fit, and with the rain and low temperature, plus being tired, she just ignored the fever." Li Ling also breathed a long sigh of relief and said, "It's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright." She then handed the bowl to Liu Ruoling and said, "Eat first, we'll talk after you eat." Liu Ruoling was also a little hungry, so she picked up the bowl and started eating, finishing the whole bowl in a few bites. Li Ling took the bowl and filled another bowl for her. Only then did Liu Ruoling ask, "Do you want to eat some more?" Li Ling said, "We've already eaten. This is all for you." Upon hearing this, Liu Ruoling continued to shovel rice into her bowl.

A short while later, Liu Ruoling finished her rice and asked, "Is there any water? The rice is a bit salty." Li Ling led her to the earthenware pot and poured a bowl of warm water. Liu Ruoling drank it all in one gulp and then poured herself another bowl. Only then did Liu Ruoling take the bowl back to the hearth. As soon as she sat down, Wang Lun said, "Can you tell me how you got here? Where did you come from?" Liu Ruoling put down her bowl and began to tell her story, starting with the rain, and continuing until she found the waterway, followed it, and met Wang Lun.

After listening to Liu Ruoling's story, Wang Lun and the other man couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration. After all, not everyone could make such a choice in that situation, especially when they could choose to give up, they still chose to take the risk.

After Liu Ruoling finished speaking, she took a sip of water and asked, "How is my sister?" Wang Lun said, "I've given her medicine. The rest depends on her. It would be best if her fever could break tonight. If not, I advise you to withdraw." Liu Ruoling asked, "Is my sister's condition that serious? It's just a fever, isn't it?" Wang Lun said, "A fever is a minor issue. The bigger problem is a deficiency of both qi and blood." Liu Ruoling asked, "What is a deficiency of both qi and blood?" Wang Lun explained it simply: she had bled and then engaged in strenuous physical labor, and hadn't recovered. If she went out and rested for a while, she would recover, but she would also need to take tonics in between. Liu Ruoling understood and asked, "Can you cure my sister?" Wang Lun said, "It's very difficult. There aren't suitable medicinal herbs, and I don't have a medical license." Liu Ruoling said, "Difficult? That means it's possible, right?" Wang Lun didn't want to lie to her and said, "Yes, but it will take a long time." Liu Ruoling suddenly grabbed Wang Lun's hand and said, "Then can we team up with you? We can split the final prize money in half. We'll listen to you while we're in the team, as long as you can cure my sister." Wang Lun looked at Liu Ruoling and said, "You should wait until your sister wakes up before discussing teaming up. We also need to consider it further. As for curing your sister, I can only say I'll do my best, but it would be best to go outside for treatment, where the medicinal herbs are more readily available." Liu Ruoling said, "I know, but we don't have money at home, and I'm afraid we can't afford those medicinal herbs." Now Wang Lun couldn't say anything, after all, he was also a poor man, otherwise he wouldn't have come here.