Each of them ate three kudzu root cakes, plus a pot of wild vegetable stewed fish. They ate very quickly, especially the kudzu root cakes, which they devoured in just two or three bites. When they got to the last cake, they realized, "Oh no, there's only one left!" They then slowly ate it with the fish soup. Even if they ate slowly, they would eventually finish it, and besides, the cakes were only so big, so it would be gone quickly. In the end, they both seemed to be gulping down the fish soup.
After dinner, neither of them wanted to wash the pot, wanting to reminisce first. Li Ling asked, "Is this the kudzu root from yesterday?" Wang Lun replied, "Yes, it is." Li Ling said, "It's quite tasty, though a bit astringent and rough." Wang Lun said, "Well, it's made from the residue after filtering kudzu root powder, so it's bound to have some flaws." Li Ling said, "But it's still pretty good, just a little bit." Wang Lun said, "There's not much kudzu root powder, but the lower-quality ones come with two bamboo tubes, which should be enough for a few meals." Li Ling said, "That's more like it; it wasn't for nothing that you stayed up so late yesterday." Speaking of yesterday, Wang Lun... Fearing Li Ling would bring up coming back late yesterday, he quickly changed the subject, saying, "Let's try lighting the stove and kang (heated brick bed) later. If there's no smoke, we can move in this afternoon." Hearing that they could move into the earthen house, Li Ling excitedly asked, "Really?" Wang Lun smiled and said, "It should be possible, but you'd better hurry up and weave a straw mat, since you'll be sleeping on the kang with a mat on." Li Ling said, "Okay, I'll weave a straw mat right away." Wang Lun said, "Wait, wash the pots first. I still need to level the ground in the earthen house, light the kang and stove, and dig a hearth. There's a lot to do." Only then did Li Ling put away the pots and bowls to wash them.
Wang Lun first carried firewood from the shed into the house, then came out and took a burning piece of wood from the campfire to light a fire inside. Soon the stove was lit. He blocked the hole for the pot with a stone and waited a while; no smoke leaked out. He then went outside and saw smoke coming from the chimney, confirming the stove was working. He then started heating the kang (a heated brick bed). After a while, there was still no smoke, and the chimney was emitting smoke. He waited a little longer, then tested the kang with his hand and could clearly feel its heat, further confirming it was also working. Wang Lun added more firewood to both the stove and the kang, letting them burn longer to allow some moisture to evaporate.
Then Wang Lun went outside the camp and broke off a branch with leaves. He returned to the house and swept away the dust, quickly cleaning it. He then added some more firewood to the earthen bed, retrieved his trowel, and dug a pit in the center of the house to make a fire pit. He finished digging it quickly, then went to the stream to collect some stones and placed them around the edge of the pit. Instead of laying stones at the bottom, he filled the bottom with wood ash, and that was it.
It was still some time before noon, so Wang Lun told Li Ling, then took his knife and basket and went to the place where he had cut grass before to cut some more hay.
Li Ling finally finished weaving the straw mat when the sun was high in the sky. While they were resting, Wang Lun returned carrying a basket of hay. He put the hay in the shed and sat down by the campfire. Li Ling handed him a bowl of water, which he drank. Li Ling said, "Now that I've finished weaving the straw mat, when will we move into the earthen house?" Wang Lun put down his bowl and said, "After we eat, time is a bit tight." Li Ling said, "Okay." Then she went to get a pot to fetch water and cook rice.
After lunch, Li Ling eagerly pulled Wang Lun to move into the earthen house. Wang Lun had no choice but to pick up the straw mat he had just woven that morning and go into the house with Li Ling. Together, they spread the mat on the kang (a heated brick bed), and it fit perfectly—Li Ling had specifically measured it. They even climbed onto the kang, lay down, and tried it out. It felt much better; flatter and larger. After all, a kang that was 2.2 meters wide and 4 meters long was bound to be big.
Then the two of them went and brought over the other things, put the pot on the stove, and put the other things on the ground. Wang Lun and Li Ling looked at the messy pile on the ground, exchanged a glance, and Wang Lun said, "Let's leave it like this for now. Tonight I'll make some shelves to put things on. I'll also hang the fish and meat on the roof, so we can just choose what we want to eat from below." Li Ling nodded and said, "It would be best to make two more stools and a table. If we could make a small table for the kang (heated brick bed), that would be even better." Wang Lun nodded and said, "We'll do these things slowly tonight. Now we need to go collect some firewood; I checked the shed and there's not much left. Later, I'm thinking of firing a batch of pottery; we don't have enough tools right now." Li Ling said, "Great! I've felt we didn't have enough, but I've been busy building the earthen house, so I haven't said anything. We can make a few more earthenware pots to store things and cook rice." Wang Lun said, "Yes, that's fine, but let's use an earthenware pot for cooking rice; the meat stewed that way should taste much better." The two chatted for a while longer.
Wang Lun felt they had rested enough, so he suggested going out to gather firewood. The two of them then came out of the house. They carried baskets on their backs, took spears and knives, closed the camp gate, and headed towards the woods. This time, they went in an unfamiliar direction, since gathering firewood couldn't be done in just one place, and besides, they could also explore the surrounding environment.
The two spent most of the day gathering firewood, tying it into ten bundles. They bundled the thick branches together, the thin branches together, and separated the dry ones. They worked like this all afternoon and gathered ten bundles of firewood, which would be enough to burn for a while. However, Wang Lun still planned to gather firewood for another day tomorrow, since firing pottery consumes a lot of firewood. In addition, in order to maintain the fire source, the campfire had to be kept burning, which would consume even more firewood.
While gathering firewood, the two discovered a termite nest. Wang Lun initially planned to take it back, but seeing that it was getting dark and considering they would need to gather firewood again the next day, he decided to leave it for tomorrow. Also, it was their first day in the mud house, and he didn't want to work too hard. Plus, Li Ling was with them, and it wouldn't be good to go back too late. So, they decided to leave it for tomorrow.
The two packed up their tools. Wang Lun carried two bundles of firewood, while Li Ling carried one bundle on her back. They also put some wild fruits and vegetables they had gathered along the way into their baskets, planning to cook them into a hearty dinner when they got back—their first meal in their new home. Filled with anticipation, the two made their way back to camp.
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