Who knew that after Wang Lun and the other man fell asleep, the two of them exchanged a glance, then took a torch to the stream and fetched half a pot of water, which they then used to cook half a pot of seafood.
While waiting for the seafood, the two of them weren't embarrassed at all. They just felt they hadn't eaten well that night and were determined to eat slowly and properly this time.
After the seafood was ready, the two of them ate it one after another, thoroughly enjoying themselves. Of course, it would have been even better if Wang Lun and the others hadn't been there, so they wouldn't have had to be so quiet while eating. If there had been ice-cold beer or cola, that would have been even better. Of course, neither of those were available.
After they finished eating, they burned all the scraps so no one would notice they had stolen some. Of course, even if they were discovered, no one would say anything; after all, it was seafood, and they were right by the sea. They could eat as much as they wanted by spending more time collecting more.
After cleaning up the mess, the two continued to stay up all night weaving the chessboard, playing a game of chess when they got tired. When they got bored of playing, they went back to weaving the chessboard.
Finally, the sky began to lighten. Seeing some light, the two couldn't stay still, so they checked the fish basket and processed the fish inside. With nothing else to do, they could only sit by the campfire, bored.
But as time passed, the sun slowly rose. The two witnessed the sun rising from the sea, a truly beautiful and magnificent sight that aweed the soul.
This resulted in the two of them still standing there in a daze after Wang Lun got up. Wang Lun didn't pay attention to them, but first went to check the salt that was boiling in the pot. He found that there was still some water, so he went to the stream to wash up.
When they returned, the water in the pot was gone, and the two went back to the campfire to stir-fry salt. Liu Ruoxi also got up. What Wang Lun didn't know was that when Liu Ruoxi got up, the two were still sitting nearby, ignoring the salt boiling in the pot. It was only when Liu Ruoxi noticed the water was gone that she called them back; otherwise, the salt would probably have burned in the pot.
After Liu Ruoxi and the other woman filled the bamboo tubes with salt from the pot, they took a pot and went with Liu Ruoling to wash it and fetch water to cook breakfast. Wang Lun and Li Ling, on the other hand, first checked the three traps to see if there were any fish before continuing their beachcombing.
When Liu Ruoxi and the other girl returned, they found that Wang Lun and the others had gone to the beach. So they put down their pots, picked up their baskets, and ran to the beach as well.
That morning, all four of their baskets were full, brimming with shellfish, seaweed, fish, crabs, and more. But this time, no one complained of being tired; instead, their faces were beaming with smiles. After all, so much food would last a long time. If they added some wild vegetables, it would last even longer.
Back at the shelter, after putting down their baskets, Liu Ruoxi started cooking, while Wang Lun and the other two processed the freshly harvested seafood. They had prepared racks the night before, so the processed food was placed directly on them. Once full, they laid them out on the beach to dry in the sun, allowing them to be stored for longer periods.
After breakfast, Wang Lun asked Liu Ruoxi for her opinion. Although Liu Ruoxi really wanted to explore the beach with them, the shelter needed someone to watch over it, and she was also not as physically strong as the others, so she chose to stay at the shelter. Wang Lun agreed, but told her not to go into the water by herself, to cook her own lunch at lunchtime, and to take precautions against heatstroke, among other things.
Only then did he leave the shelter with Li Ling and the others. However, Li Ling and Liu Ruoling went in one direction, while Wang Lun went in another by himself. Each of them carried a basket on their back, which contained a bamboo tube of fresh water and a dried fish. The dried fish was their lunch, and also served as emergency food.
It was agreed that if we encountered a place we couldn't get over, we would turn back. Around three or four in the afternoon, we would also turn back, and we had to be back before nightfall.
The three walked further and further away, gradually disappearing from the beach, leaving only Liu Ruoxi alone on the sand. The surroundings were desolate and deserted, but Liu Ruoxi was not afraid. After all, she had many things to do, such as boiling salt and weaving fish baskets; it seemed there was nothing else to do.
But Liu Ruoxi didn't care. There was no one else around, so she could build sandcastles. She'd always watched others build sandcastles before, never tried it herself. Now the whole beach was hers—how wonderful!
Wang Lun walked along the beach, first quickly traversing the area he had already explored the day before slowing down. Though slow, he was still walking normally. He only stopped to examine anything unusual if he encountered a potential find. For example, reflective surfaces were likely metal or glass, which could be useful. Bubbly surfaces might indicate seafood beneath the sand. Of course, some things were simply exposed, such as tattered fishing nets hanging on the rocks, plastic bottles floating ashore, and driftwood. Wang Lun picked out the useful items, discarded the useless ones, and placed anything useful but large or heavy in a designated spot to retrieve on the return journey.
Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi walked along the coastline, finding little of value along the way. They soon reached the bay they had visited before. Near the bay, Liu Ruoxi found a hemp rope about three meters long and tested it; it was quite sturdy. The two put the rope in their baskets and continued their search along the bay.
After searching for another ten or twenty minutes, covering the entire area, they still hadn't found much. At this point, both of them looked at the stone wall simultaneously, wanting to climb up and see what was on the other side. Perhaps it was richer. They exchanged a glance, both understanding each other's thoughts, and Liu Ruoling said, "Why don't we climb over and take a look?" Li Ling said, "Climbing over is too dangerous. Let's walk along the stone wall further in; maybe we can find a way around." Liu Ruoling said, "We don't even know how long it will take, let alone whether we can even find a way around." Li Ling said, "Anyway, I don't agree to climb over. Either we take a detour, or we go back. We can help collect the fish baskets." Liu Ruoling thought going back was definitely out of the question. They hadn't even filled their baskets yet; could they really go back? Of course not, so she reluctantly agreed to Li Ling's plan.
So the two of them shouldered their baskets and walked along the rock face towards the island. Along the way, they encountered wild vegetables and fruits, and Li Ling insisted on picking them all, leaving nothing behind. Even if they couldn't avoid them, at least their baskets would have some contents; otherwise, they'd feel embarrassed, especially if the two of them combined didn't gather as much as Wang Lun alone.
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