After Wang Lun finished drying the jars, he went inside. Soon after, the three women brought out a large pot of stewed fish with wild vegetables. Fresh wild vegetables tasted much better. The three of them quickly selected their vegetables and then began to eat the fish.
Soon, all four of them were full, and not a drop of soup remained in the pot. Liu Ruoxi and Li Ling took the pot and bowls to wash them. Wang Lun led Liu Ruoling to build a sheep pen nearby. Food was still plentiful for now, so they would raise the goats for the time being. When food became scarce, the goats would be their last resort.
Wang Lun led Liu Ruoling to the shed on the right. First, they gathered up some firewood near the backyard and piled it under the shed outside. Then, near the earthen house, Wang Lun dug two pits to place pillars, leaving space for a door. He then dug another pit near the center to serve as a central support pillar. In this way, a sheep pen only needed one wall; the other three sides were protected by the surrounding wall, the earthen cliff, and the earthen house—simple and quick.
Along the way, Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi finished washing the pots and pans and were about to help. But Wang Lun refused, telling them to sort the wild vegetables out of the basket. Those with roots should be set aside and planted in the evening. Those without roots or with damaged stems should be kept for the next few days.
After Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi finished sorting the wild vegetables and clearing the land for planting, Wang Lun and Liu Ruoling had already completed the sheepfold. Of course, it was just one wall, and all the materials were readily available, which allowed Wang Lun and Liu Ruoling to finish it so quickly.
Wang Lun instructed Liu Ruoling to fetch some hay for the goats and place it under the shed to serve as their den. He also brought half a float to use as a water bowl for the goats. Once the goat pen was set up...
Then, together with Liu Ruoling, they carried the goat into the sheepfold. Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi also came over, wanting to watch the goat go in as well.
Wang Lun and Liu Ruoling put the goats into the sheepfold. Wang Lun then told Liu Ruoling to go out first. After Liu Ruoling went out, she and Li Ling stood at the door, watching Wang Lun untangle the vines from the goats.
Wang Lun first untied the vine binding the goat's mouth. As soon as he did, the goat started bleating loudly. Wang Lun could only endure it, while Li Ling and the other two covered their ears with their hands, clearly annoyed by the goat's incessant bleating.
While enduring the goats' noise, Wang Lun pressed them down and untied the vines. Just as he was about to finish, he prepared himself, ripped the vines off, and quickly stood up, running towards the edge of the pen. At the same time, the goats also immediately got up and ran to the corner furthest away from Wang Lun and the others, bleating loudly.
Seeing that the goats hadn't attacked him, Wang Lun breathed a sigh of relief. He then led the three of them, closed the goat pen gate, and returned inside. Although Li Ling and the others wanted to continue watching the goats, Wang Lun refused. The goats had just arrived in a new place; it was best not to disturb them too much. Let them get used to their surroundings first before going to see them.
Wang Lun grabbed a handful of grass from the pheasant and rabbit enclosure and threw it into the sheepfold. When he first threw it in, the goats were bleating loudly in alarm. After Wang Lun left, they bleated for a while, then stopped.
At this moment, Wang Lun, Li Ling, and Liu Ruoling were loosening the soil in the plot of land they had prepared for planting wild vegetables. After they finished digging, Wang Lun told Li Ling and the others to go back and rest. Wang Lun then inspected the shed they had built and the stones they had laid. Everything was fine, so he returned to the house.
After resting for a while, the heat subsided. So Wang Lun led the other three to plant all the wild vegetables they had brought back.
Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi were very meticulous in their work, even separating each type of wild vegetable into its own group. This saved Wang Lun a lot of trouble; he had thought he would have to plant all the wild vegetables haphazardly together, but now he didn't need to, as each type was grouped together, making them much easier to manage.
Wang Lun planted five perilla plants next to the waterway. This was to ensure the perilla's growing habits, make the waterway more aesthetically pleasing, and also because perilla has a scent that Wang Lun thought could be used to repel mosquitoes.
Then he planted a row of other wild vegetables, some in one or two rows, and some in less than a row. Wang Lun didn't plan to plant anything else, so he left them empty and would fill them in later when they were available.
Soon, a bunch of wild vegetables were planted, and a whole plot of land in the yard was also planted with them. From now on, if you want to grow wild vegetables, you'll have to clear land at the campsite entrance or on the two lawns.
After planting the wild vegetables, Wang Lun led Li Ling and the other two to water them, and then watered the houttuynia cordata by the door. After watering, the four of them went back inside to rest. On the way, they took turns showering; since there was nothing else to do and it was getting dark, they decided to shower first and then prepare dinner.
After taking a shower, the four of them weren't very hungry, so they decided to play cards for a while and then cook dinner when they got hungry.
They played until the moon was high in the sky before the four of them started to feel hungry. They used the earthenware pot they had previously used to pickle the houttuynia cordata to fill it with water and boil a pot of wild vegetables and fish stew. The result was incredibly salty, almost cloyingly so. The four of them pinched their noses, ate a little, and then couldn't eat anymore. So Wang Lun told them to go to sleep while he continued firing the earthenware pot from the previous day, also keeping watch at the same time.
Of course, tonight's duties are essentially a night watch, and also include pottery making. Since it's the goats' first day at the camp, their calls might attract other predators. Therefore, tonight's watch is necessary, and both Li Ling and Liu Ruoling need to be on watch. There's a possibility they might need to go out and scout, and having two people together will provide backup. As for Wang Lun, he can manage alone. Liu Ruoxi, on the other hand, should go back to sleep to ensure she'll be energetic enough for knitting and logistical support tomorrow.
Wang Lun placed the pottery on top, then took out the fine clay that Li Ling and the others had prepared that morning and continued making pottery blanks. Of course, he was still making pottery jars. Once the jars could hold most of the food in the camp, they could be used to make other things, which was something Wang Lun had been thinking about.
After nearly an hour, Wang Lun's pottery blanks were noticeably more refined than before. He placed the blanks in a corner, then went outside for a walk around the camp, stopping by the waterway to wash his hands and face to refresh himself. Only then did he return to the house, pick up a few sticks, and make a tabletop.
But this tabletop was a bit strange; there were no pre-installed joints for connecting the legs, it was completely flat. However, no one asked, and Wang Lun didn't intend to say anything. So, for the time being, no one except Wang Lun knew what he was planning to do. But they would definitely find out later.
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