Seeing that they had no further questions, Wang Lun ended the post-dinner meeting. He then took a torch and went with Liu Ruoxi to wash the dishes. Li Ling and Liu Ruoling followed, first going to the restroom and then washing up. Finally, the four of them went back inside together.
Back inside, Li Ling and Liu Ruoling lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed) to rest. They were exhausted today. They shouldn't have followed Wang Lun and worked so hard; they should have taken a proper rest halfway through. Otherwise, how could they be so tired?
Seeing that the two women had gone to rest on the kang (heated brick bed), Wang Lun didn't pay them any attention. He and Liu Ruoxi simply put the pot back on the stove and the bowls and chopsticks on the rack. After doing this, they heard Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi snoring. They turned their heads to look, confirmed that it was Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi, then looked at each other and shook their heads with wry smiles. Wang Lun said, "Let's tidy up and go to sleep too." Liu Ruoxi nodded, but then suddenly remembered something, lowered her head, and whispered, "Um, will you come with me to the toilet? It's a bit dark, I'm scared." Luckily, Wang Lun's hearing was good, otherwise he wouldn't have heard her. Wang Lun didn't answer, but simply took a piece of firewood from the hearth and gestured for Liu Ruoxi to follow.
Wang Lun escorted Liu Ruoxi to the toilet entrance, then handed her the torch, leaving her to walk the rest of the way on her own. Wang Lun would wait for her in the courtyard.
Liu Ruoxi took the torch, lowered her head, and walked down the steps. Wang Lun was standing at the intersection, and Liu Ruoxi could see him whenever she turned around, which made her feel very at ease.
A little while later, Liu Ruoxi came up with a torch and said, "Let's go back." Wang Lun told her to go back first, as he also needed to use the restroom. Liu Ruoxi originally intended to hand the torch to Wang Lun, but he refused. Instead, he took out a very thin twig, lit it over the torch, and then took the twig to the restroom.
Wang Lun returned quickly. The two washed their hands in the waterway and went back to the house to sleep on the kang (a heated brick bed).
The next morning, after getting up, Wang Lun began clearing the open space in front of his house so he could start weaving fishing nets after breakfast. It took him over twenty minutes to clean the area. The main problem was the wood ash from the previous campfire, which was difficult to dispose of; everything else was fine. Wang Lun used an entrenching tool to shovel the wood ash into the area where the wild vegetable seedlings were planted, essentially fertilizing them. He then pulled out the remaining weeds, and that was about it.
After tidying up the ground, Wang Lun chopped grass to feed the pheasants and rabbits, and then went to wash up. Wang Lun wouldn't need to make breakfast today, because the three of them had gotten up early. Of course, this was also because Wang Lun had spent some time tidying up the ground; otherwise, he probably would have made breakfast again.
Breakfast was again wild vegetable stewed with fish. After breakfast, Wang Lun led the three to begin weaving fishing nets. First, they wove a circle to hold and secure the rope. After completing the circle, they began tying it with vines, tying it with nineteen vines before deeming it sufficient. Then they began weaving downwards, ensuring each mesh was roughly the same size to prevent large fish from escaping and to avoid catching small fish. After all, losing large fish would be a huge loss, and catching small fish meant they would have to eat many at once, but keeping them alive was too much work, as these were saltwater fish, not freshwater fish. Freshwater fish could be kept in a pond, since there were already several in the pond. They had caught many fish initially, but later discovered some were saltwater fish and had to be eaten with a heavy heart.
To prevent the net from shifting, they added a special layer, ensuring the vines on each mesh could pull against each other, preventing the mesh from deforming. Of course, since it's made of vines, it will eventually become fragile after a few uses. So, in the future, they'll use stronger, more durable plant fibers for the ropes and then weave the nets; that would surely last a long time. For now, they'll use it as is and see how well it works. If it's good, then they can invest more effort and resources.
Soon, the sun was overhead. Liu Ruoxi and Li Ling had already prepared lunch. Because Wang Lun and Liu Ruoling were going to the beach to cut timber and build rafts, lunch was served earlier than usual. Today's lunch was exceptionally lavish: a bowl of cold mung bean jelly, a pot of venison stew with wild vegetables, a low-budget version of braised pork, and a plate of cassava pancakes. Although the food was plentiful, almost no one had a very good appetite. Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi were worried about Wang Lun and Liu Ruoling's departure. After all, they would be cutting timber during the day and keeping watch at night; with so much to do, they were bound to be exhausted. What if something unexpected happened? Of course, these were just their thoughts; they didn't voice them, because Wang Lun and Liu Ruoling were working for the entire team, and they didn't want to be distracted.
Wang Lun was also worried about feeding the pheasants and rabbits. Li Ling and the others had to go out to cut grass every other day, and there was always the risk of unforeseen accidents while they were out. So, while eating, Wang Lun reminded them to always cut grass near the campsite and not stray too far. He also stressed the importance of remaining highly vigilant and extremely careful, especially around snakes in the grass. He gave them many instructions, but the gist was: if possible, stay away from the campsite; safety first.
Liu Ruoling was the only one enjoying the meal. So many dishes, and all so delicious—it was the best meal she'd had in a long time. For Liu Ruoling, any meal with good food was the best. However, Wang Lun and the other two didn't bother her; after all, she wanted to eat as much as she could, as it would be a long time before she could have such a meal again.
After the meal, Wang Lun slung his full basket over his shoulder, while Liu Ruoling carried an empty one. The two of them, spears in hand, set off. Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi saw them off at the campsite, and only after their figures disappeared at the end of the road did they close the gate. They were reluctant to leave, knowing they wouldn't be back for several days, but how could they stop them for the sake of survival?
After cleaning up the table and dishes, Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi continued weaving their fishing nets. They planned to use all the vines to make nets. Wang Lun had told them that this method had a fairly high success rate in catching fish; the only drawback was that vine nets wouldn't last long before breaking down and becoming unusable.
After trekking for two or three hours, Wang Lun and Liu Ruoling finally reached the seaside. They put down their baskets and tidied up the makeshift shelter they had built earlier. They now had a place to stay, but it wasn't enough. They needed to build a new, more protective shelter. Wang Lun had already planned it all out.
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