Wang Lun instructed Liu Ruoling to continue working on the fishing traps they had prepared. For the foreseeable future, the two of them would have to rely on the sea for sustenance, as the food they had brought wouldn't last long and they would need to replenish it. Liu Ruoling went to dig the fishing traps, while Wang Lun went into the woods to cut down some thicker tree trunks to build a similar circular shelter—simple yet sturdy, enough for the two of them.
When Liu Ruoling arrived at the fishing trap she had dug earlier, she found that the trap was basically intact except for the opening. It only needed some minor repairs. Therefore, Liu Ruoling didn't have much work to do.
Liu Ruoling first plugged the gap, then repaired the rest of the traps. Next, she repaired the other two traps. After Liu Ruoling finished repairing all three traps, she saw Wang Lun carrying a bundle of long tree trunks out of the woods.
Liu Ruoling quickly stepped forward to help Wang Lun catch the tree trunks. Wang Lun put down the bundle of trunks and sat on it, with Liu Ruoling sitting beside him. Wang Lun picked up a water bottle from his basket, took a sip, and then asked Liu Ruoling, "How's the trap coming along?" Liu Ruoling replied, "It's almost done. We just need to plug up the gap from before." Wang Lun nodded and said, "Then you'll light a fire later, and then dig a pit at the spot I've designated. Dig it as deep as possible, deep enough to prevent it from being blown over by the wind." Liu Ruoling nodded.
So he went over and took the hay and firewood from before to the front of the shelter to start a fire. Wang Lun stood next to the shelter and measured a circle about five meters in diameter with his feet. He then marked twelve o'clock on the circle so Liu Ruoling would know when to start digging the pit. Then Wang Lun turned and went into the woods to collect more branches. He also cut some thinner branches, enough to build the wall and windbreak.
After Liu Ruoling started the campfire and waited for it to burn brightly, she went to get a pot to fetch water from the stream and boil some. After all, the water she had been drinking was brought from the campsite, so it was best not to drink untreated water.
After placing the pot on the campfire, Liu Ruoling picked up her shovel and began digging holes. Seeing twelve holes, she realized it would take a very long time to finish. Although somewhat discouraged, she persevered and started digging.
Little did she know, the shovel went quite a distance with each shovel stroke. Turning the shovel over, Liu Ruoling saw that the surface was loose sand, easy to dig. No wonder Wang Lun had told her to dig as deep as possible to prevent it from being blown over by the wind. So Liu Ruoling put all her effort into digging the hole.
When Liu Ruoling had dug five holes and was starting on the sixth, Wang Lun returned carrying two bundles of branches. He put down the branches, inspected the holes Liu Ruoling had dug, and was quite satisfied, encouraging her. He then told her to rest for a bit, and that she would go with him to collect more branches later. There were still six bundles left; Liu Ruoling would carry two bundles, and Wang Lun would carry four at a time, so he wouldn't need to come back.
The two rested for a while and took the pot of boiling water down with them. Then they went into the grove together.
Half an hour later, Wang Lun and Liu Ruoling emerged carrying bundles of tree branches. Liu Ruoling walked ahead, intending to go back and put down two bundles of branches before coming to meet Wang Lun. However, despite carrying four heavy bundles of branches, Wang Lun still followed closely behind Liu Ruoling.
Basically, Wang Lun and Liu Ruoling were almost touching; as soon as Liu Ruoling put down her branch, Wang Lun followed suit. The only difference was that Liu Ruoling put hers down first, and Wang Lun put his last.
After putting the branches down, Wang Lun sat down by the campfire, poured himself a bowl of water, and rested for a while; he was exhausted. Liu Ruoling was also a little tired, so she sat down beside him. After resting for a while, Wang Lun saw that it was getting late, so he told Liu Ruoling to go beachcombing alone and catch all the fish on the nearby shore, especially those in the traps and fish baskets. He left the fish on the other shore for the time being. Liu Ruoling then went off with a basket on her back.
Wang Lun started digging the hole by himself. Sure enough, it was much faster; he could dig one in just a few minutes.
Before long, Liu Ruoling returned carrying half a basket of harvest. Wang Lun only had one pit left to dig, so he told Liu Ruoling to bury the long tree trunks in the soil first, reminding her to tie the top end with straw rope beforehand so she could tie the other trunks together later. Liu Ruoling had heard Li Ling explain this before, so she knew it clearly, especially since Wang Lun had reminded her again.
With one person digging and the other filling in the holes, it was quite quick. A few minutes later, Wang Lun finished digging the last hole. Liu Ruoling had already buried four tree trunks and was burying the fifth. So Wang Lun put down his shovel and began burying tree trunks as well.
Ten minutes later, the two had buried all the tree trunks. But they didn't stop. The sun was about to set, and there was still a lot to do, so they couldn't afford to stop. Wang Lun turned the basket upside down on the ground, then stood on it. Liu Ruoling handed him the straw rope, and Wang Lun tied the top with the rope, one strand at a time.
Then the two began tying horizontal branches to the shelter, weaving them in first and then securing them with vines or bark. When they had tied about two meters high, Wang Lun had Liu Ruoling begin weaving the vertical walls, while he tied the rest himself. Actually, the remaining sections were quite high; one person could manage, as two people would be inconvenient and prone to bumping into each other.
Liu Ruoling began weaving the vertical walls together with other branches. After Wang Lun had tied all the horizontal branches, the sun began to set. So Wang Lun told Liu Ruoling to use the remaining sunlight to fetch water and cook, while he continued building the shelter.
Liu Ruoling poured the cooled boiled water into the bamboo tube, then went to the stream to fetch water for the pots. Upon returning, she tidied up the remaining dry grass and set it aside, mainly to shake off any insects to prevent bites. Then she processed the seafood and put it in the pot to cook. The pot contained octopus, crabs, and lobsters; the fish she had caught were still in her basket, as she hadn't had time to prepare them yet.
By the time the meal was ready, Wang Lun had finished about half of the wall he was building, though it was only a little over a meter high, which was enough for now. They decided to eat first and finish the rest later.
Meanwhile, back at the camp, Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi had just finished work, but they hadn't started cooking yet. Taking advantage of the remaining sunlight, they took turns showering; whoever showered first cooked, and the one who showered later washed the dishes, while also feeding the pheasants and rabbits. Li Ling let Liu Ruoxi shower first, since the water in the reservoir, after a day of sunshine, was still quite warm, and would be a bit cool afterward. Li Ling was physically stronger than Liu Ruoxi, so she let her shower first.
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