After resting for a while, Li Ling got up and added some firewood to the campfire. She went into the shelter to get a pot, filled it with water, and placed it on the fire. Then she went inside to get two fish and a bunch of wild vegetables. She washed the vegetables and put them in a basket, then quickly cleaned the fish and chopped them into pieces before going to check on the pot. After getting and washing the fish, the water in the pot boiled. Li Ling first put the fish in, and after the fish had cooked for a minute, she added the wild vegetables. Then she just waited patiently, stirring occasionally to prevent them from sticking to the pot. Because she hadn't eaten enough that morning and had done so much physical labor, Li Ling cooked a relatively large amount for lunch. Both fish were quite large, and there was more water in the pot than usual. After a few minutes, Li Ling tested the water with chopsticks and found that they were cooked. She then took the pot off the heat and set it aside, waiting for Wang Lun to return so they could eat.
Not long after, about ten minutes later, Wang Lun returned carrying two bundles of branches. Li Ling saw Wang Lun through the gap in the fence, so she went ahead and opened the gate. Perhaps because he saw Li Ling, Wang Lun quickened his pace. He quickly walked to the fence, placed the branches outside, and went into the campsite alone. Li Ling asked, "Would you like to rest first, or eat first?" Wang Lun said, "Let's eat first, I'm hungry. I'll go wash my hands." Li Ling said, "Don't wash your face, you've just sweated." Wang Lun said, "Okay." Wang Lun squatted by the pool, washed his hands, and wiped his face with his clothes as he walked. When he reached the campfire, he found that Li Ling had already prepared food for him and was waiting for him to come and eat.
While eating, Wang Lun said, "After you finish eating, you should rest more, you can even take a nap." Hearing this, Li Ling asked doubtfully, "Aren't we going to work harder?" Wang Lun said, "It's okay, I've calculated it, there's enough time. Besides, I'm here." Li Ling said, "That won't do. I'll be the only one resting while you're working, that won't do." Wang Lun said, "No, I need to rest for a while too." Only then did Li Ling agree.
The two quickly finished lunch. Li Ling went to wash the pots, while Wang Lun sat on a rock to rest. After Li Ling finished washing the pots, Wang Lun told her to go and rest, to take a nap. As for himself, he said he would sit outside for a while to digest his food, and then take a shower, so he would be back in a little while. Li Ling thought he would really rest, so she went into the shelter and lay down on the bed for a nap. Little did she know, Wang Lun, after she fell asleep, quietly left the camp and went to carry the trees.
When Li Ling woke up from her afternoon nap, Wang Lun had just finished carrying the last load and was resting on a rock by the campfire. Seeing Wang Lun covered in sweat, Li Ling asked, "What have you been doing? You're sweating so much." Wang Lun replied, "It's hot by the campfire." Li Ling looked at him suspiciously and asked, "Are you sure?" Wang Lun chuckled and said, "I got up early and went to carry back some more trees." Li Ling asked again, "Really?" Seeing that he couldn't lie any longer, Wang Lun had to confess that he hadn't rested and had run back and forth several times, carrying all the saplings back. Annoyed, Li Ling punched Wang Lun lightly, her eyes welling up with tears. "Don't work so hard! Don't you take care of yourself? Besides, couldn't you have asked me to come with you?" For some reason, seeing Li Ling's tears, Wang Lun pulled her into a hug and whispered, "I don't want you to get tired; it would break my heart." Li Ling's face flushed, and she secretly resolved to take Wang Lun with her during lunch break tomorrow. No, that's not safe enough; she'd have to hold his hand before bed, she absolutely had to. Li Ling thought about something. Wang Lun let go of Li Ling, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and said, "In this wilderness, I have no other choice but to do more so you can do less and won't be too tired." Li Ling said, "No, what if you collapse from exhaustion after doing so much?" Wang Lun said, "I know my body." Li Ling said, "You don't know anything! From now on, listen to me. If I say rest, then rest." Wang Lun smiled and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you from now on." Li Ling said, "Then rest for a while. I'll go get you a bowl of water." After saying that, she ran back to the shelter, poured a bowl of water, and brought it out. Wang Lun took the water and drank it. He then rested for about ten or twenty minutes under Li Ling's supervision before starting the afternoon's work. Now that the basic materials were ready, the digging work began. Wang Lun mainly dug, while Li Ling carried the soil that Wang Lun had dug from the earthen cliff where the earthen house was being built to the front and back walls. In their spare time, Wang Lun also arranged for them to chop up wild grass and mix it into the soil.
Meanwhile, Wu Jing and Zhang Shengnan had a good day. In the jungle, they encountered several pheasants, successfully hunting down two and capturing three chicks. After examining them, Wu Jing discovered two were hens and one was a rooster. Hearing about the hens, the two decided to immediately return to their camp, build a coop, and raise the three pheasants. They could then have eggs to eat or wait for the chicks to hatch. If all else failed, they could use them as a reserve food source. Thus, their camp now had two types of domesticated animals: rabbits and pheasants. Back at camp, Wu Jing tied the pheasants' legs and went to the forest to cut some trees and branches to build the coop. Zhang Shengnan, on the other hand, gathered some grass around the camp; the rabbits needed some, and the pheasants also needed some.
Soon, Wu Jing returned, followed closely by Zhang Shengnan, who had cut a large bundle of grass, enough to feed the pheasants and rabbits for two or three days. The two decided to postpone making lunch and instead focus on building the chicken coop. They planned to build an elevated coop, with space on top to store firewood. Wu Jing began by digging four holes for pillars, while Zhang Shengnan helped erect them. After setting up the pillars, they found four thick branches and tied them to the pillars, then added a layer of thinner branches crisscrossing the perimeter. To prevent the pheasants from escaping, the perimeter was made longer, reaching directly to the ground. One side of the coop could be opened for cleaning chicken droppings. An additional layer was added to the top, which could be opened to add grass or water, or to catch chickens. Finally, a single-sided sloping roof was built on top, covered with large leaves and dry grass, and weighed down with several thick branches to prevent it from being blown away by the wind. The two completed the chicken coop in nearly two hours. The chicken coop was about 20 centimeters off the ground, with the top about 1.2 meters above the ground. Several horizontal branches were tied about 20 centimeters above the top to act as a frame; firewood would be placed on top later to prevent it from getting wet in the rain. The top was about 2 meters high, and the lowest point was about 1.8 meters. The coop was about 2 meters long and 1.5 meters wide. It was spacious enough to fit three pheasants inside. Only then did Wu Jing and her companion begin preparing lunch.
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