Although Wang Lun didn't know the goat was prey of the big cat, he knew it was a case of snatching food from a tiger's mouth. Having gotten a bargain, he knew he had to leave quickly. And that's exactly what Wang Lun did. Despite carrying the goat and wild vegetables, he walked very fast, without stopping, returning directly to the camp.
Once inside the camp gate, Wang Lun finally felt relieved. With the help of Li Ling and Liu Ruoling, he put down his basket. Liu Ruoxi helped Wang Lun back to the house to drink water and rest. Li Ling and Liu Ruoling placed the basket in a shady spot and then emptied it.
Li Ling and Liu Ruoling first noticed the goat on their backs and assumed it was dead. However, the moment it was placed in the basket, the goat started moving, startling them. Then they realized it was a live goat. Li Ling and Liu Ruoling quickly lifted the goat off the basket, where it was still struggling. Liu Ruoling tried to help by untying the vines, but Li Ling immediately stopped her. After all, it was a wild goat. Not only could it run, but it could also hurt people. Even Wang Lun, with his strong physique, would be in pain for days if hit, let alone the three women, Li Ling and Liu Ruoling.
However, Liu Ruoling still helped untie the vines from the goat's mouth. Li Ling didn't stop her, as long as the goat didn't run away. Unexpectedly, as soon as they were untied, the goat started bleating, "Baa, baa, baa," incessantly. Li Ling and Liu Ruoling exchanged a glance, then immediately stepped forward, first pressing down on the goat's head, then closing its mouth, and finally re-tying it with the vines. Finally, they could no longer hear the goat bleating and breathed a sigh of relief.
The two of them stopped collecting their other spoils and went straight into the house to ask Wang Lun what to do with the goat. They had actually wanted to keep it, but its constant barking was a real nuisance.
Wang Lun drank a bowl of water, then ate the dried fruit Liu Ruoxi had brought him, resting as he did so. Liu Ruoxi simply kept adding water and bringing dried fruit for Wang Lun without saying anything. Although Liu Ruoxi wanted to say something, she knew very well that Wang Lun needed to rest.
Turning her head, she heard a goat bleating outside. Liu Ruoxi's expression changed at first; she hadn't realized Wang Lun needed to rest. Then she thought, even if Liu Ruoling was being noisy, Li Ling wouldn't let her disturb Wang Lun's rest like that. Besides, the goat's bleating sounded so real; it didn't seem like it was imitated. Suddenly, Liu Ruoxi seemed to remember something and turned to look at Wang Lun.
Wang Lun saw the question in Liu Ruoxi's eyes, nodded, and said, "That's right, I caught a goat, alive." Liu Ruoxi was shocked. A goat, which was already badly dead, and now they had caught one alive. Liu Ruoxi heard the goat still bleating outside and wondered if they had released it, so she turned and walked outside.
Wang Lun had initially intended to call her back, but then he reconsidered. What if Li Ling and the other woman, overcome by compassion, released the goat? Although the possibility was slim, it was better to be safe than sorry. So he also got up and headed outside.
The two men watched from the doorway as Li Ling and her companion restrained the goat and muzzled it. After witnessing this farce, they went back inside, sat at the table, and waited for Li Ling and her companion to come in, acting as if nothing had happened.
Li Ling and Liu Ruoling sat down, and Liu Ruoling said, "Wang Lun, how did you catch this goat?" Wang Lun said, "That's a long story." He then recounted how he encountered the goat and how the big cat hunted it. The events leading up to this were the same as before. Later, Wang Lun changed it to say that he had his eye on this goat, the largest one in the flock, but the big cat also had its eye on it.
Wang Lun captured the goat before the big cat could. Then, with one foot on the goat, spear in hand, and a loud roar, Wang Lun frightened the big cat away. The big cat, not daring to contend with Wang Lun for the goat, turned to grab another goat much smaller than the first. Seeing the big cat gone, Wang Lun then carried the goat back.
Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi were quite worried about Wang Lun after hearing the beginning. But when they heard the later part—Wang Lun fighting with the big cat over a goat and even scaring the cat away—neither of them believed it. Li Ling had known Wang Lun for a long time and knew that while he claimed to be steady, he was actually cowardly. To imagine him fighting with the big cat over a goat was less plausible than for the big cat to give him one; that would be more believable. Liu Ruoxi, however, noticed the inconsistencies in Wang Lun's story. Having paid close attention to him and knowing his personality, she knew he was just teasing them. So she listened along with Wang Lun, occasionally even interacting with him in a way that Liu Ruoling did.
Ten minutes later, Wang Lun finished his report. Just then, Liu Ruoling's stomach rumbled, followed by Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi. Wang Lun looked at them in surprise and said, "None of you have lunch?" The three nodded. Li Ling said, "Didn't you say you were coming back to eat? We'll wait a little while." Wang Lun said, "A little while is fine. Who told you to wait so long? Hurry up and get the food ready, honestly." With that, Wang Lun got up and walked towards the stove. Li Ling and the other two followed.
Liu Ruoxi took the pot from Wang Lun's hands and let him sit down to rest. She handed the pot to Liu Ruoling, asking her to fetch water. Seeing someone fetching water, Li Ling turned around and went to the roof to bring down five fish. Wang Lun sat back down at the table and asked Liu Ruoxi to pick some wild vegetables from her basket, wash them, and cook them together. Liu Ruoxi then turned and went out. The three women busied themselves cooking, while Wang Lun sat alone at the table to rest.
Wang Lun suddenly remembered the pottery jar he had fired the night before, so he asked, "How did the pottery jar from yesterday go? Was it fired successfully?" Liu Ruoxi replied, "It's alright, but there's a crack in it. I don't know if it leaks or not. It's on the shelf next to me." Wang Lun got up to check the pottery jar.
The ceramic pot that Wang Lun made yesterday didn't turn out as nice as the one Li Ling made. But Wang Lun didn't care about that; he only cared about whether it was usable. Looking down, he saw that the pot was a bit damp around the edges, and Wang Lun knew immediately that it was leaking. He just didn't know how serious the leak was.
Upon closer inspection, the water level in the earthenware jar had dropped, indicating significant seepage. However, it would still be fine for storing dry goods. So I turned to check the other jar. The other jar was fine; the water level was slightly lower, but it didn't affect its use. Given the hot weather, it's possible the water had evaporated.
So Wang Lun carried the two jars outside, poured out the water, and then turned the jars upside down. Once the water had evaporated, they could be used for storage. He planned to use the good jar to store pickled houttuynia cordata, since it had been pickling for a day or two and was ready to be put into a jar. He intended to use the other jar to store dried seafood, as it was the only type of seafood he had, and it was all quite small and difficult to handle. Although he also considered using it to store tapioca flour, he didn't have much left, so storing it in bamboo tubes would be just right, and he wouldn't waste a jar.
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