Wang Lun was about to peek at her secretly when he suddenly remembered Li Ling. Memories of their time together flashed through his mind, each scene leaving a deep impression on him.
Finally, Wang Lun suppressed his inner turmoil. First, he couldn't betray Li Ling; second, he couldn't betray Liu Ruoling's trust. So he continued to sit there, motionless, his mind focused on how to make a raft.
Just as Wang Lun made his move, Liu Ruoling, who was facing him, saw it and slightly crouched down, reducing the amount of her exposed body surface. However, in an instant, Wang Lun returned to his previous posture, seemingly even more determined this time.
Liu Ruoling secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt a little resentful. She couldn't help but expose herself slightly and make the sound of the water louder. But Wang Lun still didn't react, so Liu Ruoling continued taking a bath.
On their way back, Liu Ruoling didn't want to talk to Wang Lun. After all, he didn't even turn his head. Was it because she wasn't good-looking? That didn't seem likely. Then it must be that Wang Lun had a health problem? Could he really have one? Thinking this, she secretly glanced at Wang Lun. Seeing his gait and based on what she knew of him before, it probably wasn't a health problem.
Back at the shelter, Wang Lun immediately slung his basket over his shoulder and went to collect seafood. Seeing that Wang Lun was going to the beach, Liu Ruoling, unwilling to stay in the shelter, insisted on going with him. Wang Lun couldn't refuse her, so he took her to the beach.
First, they put away the fish baskets, then searched the traps, and then picked up the sea snails, crabs, and other seafood that washed ashore, such as seaweed, on the beach.
The two worked for over an hour until the sun dipped below the horizon before returning to the shelter. As usual, they first cooked a pot of seafood for dinner.
After dinner, Liu Ruoling volunteered to keep watch for the rest of the night, and Wang Lun agreed after thinking about it. However, he still had to give her the necessary instructions, and he couldn't leave out any. The reason Wang Lun agreed was that Liu Ruoling had slept for a while in the afternoon, while Wang Lun hadn't had a proper rest since waking up in the morning and was now very tired.
After giving Liu Ruoling some instructions, Wang Lun returned to the shelter and lay down. Liu Ruoling moved the dried fish from the windbreak wall into the shelter, then sat by the door, keeping watch alone through the night.
Soon after lying down, Wang Lun fell asleep. Liu Ruoling could hear his loud snoring. At first, when Liu Ruoling and the others arrived, she was a little uneasy, as the snoring was quite loud, and with everyone in the same room, it was very disruptive. But now, Liu Ruoling felt safer sleeping only with Wang Lun's snoring. Even now, keeping watch alone still felt unsafe, but Wang Lun's snoring instantly gave her a greater sense of security.
Liu Ruoling felt that time was passing a little slowly, so she went to get some branches to weave another fish basket to put in the sea tomorrow for a better catch.
Back at the campsite, Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi had gathered two full baskets of grass that morning, enough to feed the pheasants and rabbits for two days. Returning to the camp, they found it was still early and they weren't hungry, so they rested for a while before continuing to weave fishing nets.
The two kept arranging food until they got hungry, and only then did they start cooking lunch, even though it was already past 2 PM. As usual, one person fed the pheasants and rabbits while the other cooked lunch.
After lunch, the two resumed weaving fishing nets. They continued until sunset, finishing their weaving of the vines before stopping. They then took a bath, fed the pheasants and rabbits, and prepared dinner.
After dinner, the two twisted straw ropes for a while. They stopped only after using up all the hay they had brought after dinner. They drank some water, rested for a while, and then washed up and rested.
Similarly, the Zheng brothers, Zheng Long and Zheng Hu, had only just rested after a long day. They had been working on repairing the wooden cabin, not only adding walls to the base but also planning to continue building it. It had been incredibly hot lately; resting downstairs was safer, but it was poorly ventilated and unbearably hot. The cabin's upper level was much better, allowing air to filter through the gaps and preventing it from getting too hot. Plus, the higher vantage point offered a better view and increased safety. Therefore, the two brothers decided to complete the cabin's construction to finish the campsite's setup.
Of course, all of this was thanks to the confidence given by the dried wild vegetables in the shelter. Without them, they might have had to go out to find food that very day. With so many dried vegetables, they felt they would be fine for the rest of the month.
At the beach, after finishing weaving a fish basket, Liu Ruoling stood up to relax her tired body. She added some firewood to the campfire and then went outside the windbreak to take care of personal matters.
Back by the campfire, Liu Ruoling first checked on Wang Lun, finding him still asleep. She then sat back down by the door, watching the fire and her surroundings. However, with nothing else to do and the night growing late, she grew tired. Finally, she leaned against the wall and dozed off.
That one little bit was nothing; I fell asleep instantly. When I woke up, it was already the next morning.
Liu Ruoling woke up to find herself lying on a pile of hay. She quickly got up and went outside the shelter. She saw that it was broad daylight outside, and Wang Lun was not by the campfire. Passing the windbreak, she saw Wang Lun on the beach. So Liu Ruoling went over to him.
Liu Ruoling squatted down next to Wang Lun and said, "I'm sorry, I only intended to take a nap last night, but I ended up falling asleep." Wang Lun smiled and said, "It's alright, besides, it's my turn to keep watch for the second half of the night." Liu Ruoling said, "You've had quite a haul today, you're really amazing. Let me help process these seafood." Wang Lun smiled and said, "No need, that's all we have. You go back and boil some water, I'll be right back, and then we can cook." Liu Ruoling nodded, then got up and went back to the campfire to boil water.
Liu Ruoling didn't mention that Wang Lun had carried her to the haystack, nor did she ask about what had happened to Wang Lun the previous night. She knew she was lucky; nothing had happened while she was asleep. If something had occurred, she would likely have been the first to be injured. Since she was unharmed, she assumed Wang Lun had woken up, found her asleep against the wall, and then carried her to the haystack.
But is things really as Liu Ruoling thought? The truth is pretty much the same, just with some changes.
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