Seeing the somber mood, Wang Lun said, "Although I'll be going out tomorrow, your tasks won't be easy either. Li Ling, you and Liu Ruoling need to finish fixing the roof of the shed and completing the stone paving. But don't put water in yet; wait a couple of days until the soil dries." Li Ling and Liu Ruoling both nodded, indicating they understood. Wang Lun looked up at Liu Ruoxi and said, "You should continue weaving and take charge of logistics. There's a lot to do, so I'll have to trouble you." Liu Ruoxi said, "There's so much to do; I'm very free." Wang Lun smiled and said, "You say you're free now? Tomorrow I'll find several kinds of wild vegetables that can be grown, and then you'll be busy." Hearing Wang Lun's words, Liu Ruoxi and Li Ling immediately became worried, truly fearing that something might happen to Wang Lun.
Seeing the three of them looking at him, Wang Lun realized he had said the wrong thing, so he changed his tune, saying, "Tomorrow I'll be nearby, digging up some wild vegetables, and maybe going a little upstream to see if there are any freshwater fish. We can go fishing together then." Liu Ruoling said, "Really? We've only caught crabs in the stream before, we haven't seen any fish yet." Wang Lun smiled and said, "Such a big island, there must be fish. We'll find some if we look around." Liu Ruoxi pulled Liu Ruoling back down, saying, "Let's eat quickly, stop asking questions, I still need to eat." Liu Ruoling then reluctantly lowered her head and continued eating.
Li Ling suddenly asked, "Are you coming back for lunch tomorrow?" Hearing this, Wang Lun, Liu Ruoxi, and Liu Ruoling were all stunned. Liu Ruoxi and Liu Ruoling didn't look up, but also stopped eating, listening to Wang Lun's answer. Wang Lun thought for a moment and said, "If everything goes smoothly, I'll be back for lunch. Don't worry, I'll definitely be back before tonight." Only then did Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi continue eating.
After dinner, Li Ling and the other two went to wash the dishes, while Wang Lun prepared things for their trip the next day.
Outside, Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi discussed it and decided that Wang Lun would sleep tonight while the three of them kept watch. This decision was agreed upon by all three. They also agreed to tell Wang Lun when they got back that he couldn't back down.
Sure enough, back inside, Li Ling and the others put down the pots and pans and went to find Wang Lun. The three of them stood before him, and Li Ling said, "You can sleep tonight. The three of us will keep watch." Wang Lun looked at them, wondering what they were up to. It turned out they were just talking about keeping watch, and he was about to refuse, but before he could speak, Li Ling said, "We've all decided. You get a good night's sleep tonight, no objections allowed." Wang Lun looked at the three women, staring at them. They were also staring back at him. He could see the determination in their eyes, and their concern for him. So he nodded and said, "Okay, then it's your turn tonight." He then got up and walked outside. Liu Ruoling asked, "Where are you going?" Wang Lun replied, "To the toilet."
Once Wang Lun left the house, the three of them finally relaxed. Although Wang Lun would always consult them on matters, his wishes were always the primary factor; aside from minor issues, he generally made the decisions. But this time, the three of them had successfully arranged things for Wang Lun. This was undoubtedly a significant improvement.
Wang Lun went back into the house and went straight to bed on the kang (a heated brick bed), ignoring the three people playing cards at the table.
Nothing happened overnight, and Wang Lun woke up in the morning. He got up to find Liu Ruoling fast asleep, slumped over the table. Wang Lun ignored her and went to wash up, fetch water, and feed the pheasants and rabbits. Only after finishing these tasks did he start a fire to prepare breakfast.
At this moment, Liu Ruoxi, who was on night watch, woke up groggily and saw Wang Lun busy at the stove. She quickly got up and saw Liu Ruoling sleeping on the table. She was about to go and wake Liu Ruoling when Wang Lun noticed and stopped her, saying, "Alright, let her sleep a little longer. Li Ling too." Liu Ruoxi said, "But I can't let you cook, I'll do it." Wang Lun said, "Alright, you've cooked before, I can help, just don't wake them." Seeing Wang Lun's response, Liu Ruoxi had no choice but to comply.
Soon, the two finished cooking the rice. Li Ling and Liu Ruoling were still asleep. Wang Lun invited Liu Ruoxi to eat with him, leaving some for them. Seeing Wang Lun's firm attitude, Liu Ruoxi agreed.
The two ate their meal outside, enjoying the morning breeze and fresh air. Wang Lun then shouldered the basket he had prepared beforehand, said goodbye to Liu Ruoxi, and walked out of the camp gate.
Liu Ruoxi waited at the door until Wang Lun's figure disappeared at the end of the road before closing the door and returning inside.
Inside, Liu Ruoling and Li Ling were still asleep. Liu Ruoxi didn't wake them up. Instead, she sighed, took the ball of yarn and the half-finished garment to the door, and sat down to knit.
About half an hour later, Liu Ruoling and Li Ling finally woke up. Li Ling was awake, but Liu Ruoling woke up in pain because of her sleeping position. Liu Ruoxi, who was standing at the door, heard the noise of the two waking up, but didn't go in. She just said, "The food is on the stove. Eat by yourselves."
Hearing this, the two women felt a little strange. Li Ling was the first to react, turning to look at the basket beside the shelf. Sure enough, one was missing. She quickly went outside and asked Liu Ruoxi, "Where's Wang Lun?" Liu Ruoxi didn't look up and said, "He left, it's been almost half an hour." Li Ling said, "Then why didn't you wake us up?" Only then did Liu Ruoxi look up, staring at Li Ling, and said, "If I could, I would too. But Wang Lun wouldn't allow it." After saying that, she continued to knit, her eyes welling up with tears.
After hearing Liu Ruoxi's words, Li Ling knew that even in her situation, she wouldn't have been allowed to do it. She also realized she had been a bit harsh, so she said to Liu Ruoxi, "I'm sorry, I acted impulsively just now." Liu Ruoxi waved her hand and said, "It's alright, the food is on the stove. Go eat after you wash up. I'll wash the dishes." After saying that, she continued knitting.
Seeing that Liu Ruoxi didn't say anything more, Li Ling turned and went to the sink to wash up. Liu Ruoling then walked over to Liu Ruoxi, sat down, and said, "Sister, my back hurts." Liu Ruoxi looked up at Liu Ruoling and said, "I told you to keep watch, but you were asleep at the table. Wang Lun woke up, the food was cooked, the pheasant and rabbit were fed, and you didn't even notice. And now you're telling me your back hurts? Go wash up." Liu Ruoling knew it was truly her fault. She was supposed to keep the last watch so she could cook for Wang Lun, but she just got sleepy. She only intended to lie down for a while, but she ended up falling asleep. However, at this point, Liu Ruoling didn't dare stay there any longer and quickly got up to wash up.
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