Soon, the two finished the whole pot of wild vegetable and meat soup, both seeming a little unsatisfied. Li Ling said, "Should we cook some more?" Wang Lun said, "No, let's not. I won't be able to sleep if I eat too much tonight." Li Ling thought so too, so she cleared away the dishes and prepared to wash the pots and pans. Wang Lun said, "I'll wash the pots and pans." He reached for the pots and pans, but Li Ling slapped his hand, saying, "You just burned yourself. Rest for a while." Then she carried the cleaned-up pots and pans to the sink. Wang Lun was a little touched that Li Ling wouldn't let him wash the pots and pans. However, he still had to do his work; it was late, and he should go to sleep. Before going to bed, he still had to shovel the embers from the campfire into the fire pit in the shelter, leaving a spark so he wouldn't have to start a fire again later.
When Li Ling returned after washing the pots and pans, Wang Lun had already moved the fire to the hearth inside the shelter, with a few long pieces of firewood still burning outside. Of course, Wang Lun was also sitting at the door, waiting for Li Ling to come back.
After washing the dishes, Li Ling saw Wang Lun still outside and called him to come into the shelter together. Li Ling put down the dishes, sat down by the fire pit, and picked up the rope she had been twisting earlier to continue twisting it. Seeing this, Wang Lun also prepared to twist some dry grass into rope, but Li Ling stopped him, citing his recently burned hand. Wang Lun had no choice but to watch Li Ling twist the rope, though he wasn't just watching. He also had a stick in his hand, drawing something on the ground. Seeing that Wang Lun hadn't moved for a while, Li Ling looked up and saw him still drawing on the ground. Peeking over, she saw that he was considering the layout of the earthen house and the location of the chimney. Seeing that Wang Lun was focused on planning, Li Ling didn't disturb him. After all, the construction of the earthen house walls would begin tomorrow, and if the door and window openings and the chimney location weren't designed properly, it would be more troublesome to tear down the walls later. In addition, Wang Lun planned to build a kang (heated brick bed) to make it warmer in winter. This involves the heating of the kang (a heated brick bed). If the stove is too far away, the kang won't get very hot; if the stove is too close, the convenience of use needs to be considered. Therefore, it's essential to plan the location in advance so that you're prepared when building the wall and won't be caught off guard.
Half an hour later, the rope that Li Ling was twisting was deformed from all the twisting. Wang Lun, who had just finished, saw this and said, "Go to sleep first, you're almost asleep sitting up." When Li Ling didn't react, he nudged her. Li Ling then realized what he meant and said, "Why did you call me?" Wang Lun was speechless for a moment and said, "It's getting late, go to sleep early." Li Ling replied with an "Oh," and then got up and went to the sink to wash up.
When they returned to the shelter, they saw Wang Lun still drawing on the ground, so they said, "Aren't you going to sleep?" Wang Lun said, "I'm not sleepy yet, you go to sleep first." Li Ling didn't say anything more, after all, Wang Lun had already taken a nap before, and besides, she was sleepy too, so she went to bed first.
After Li Ling fell asleep, Wang Lun went over the size and construction of the doors and windows in his mind again. For anything unclear, he drew it on the ground and came up with a practical solution, especially one that could be resolved under the current circumstances. After doing this, he considered the timeline for building the mud house. He wanted to prepare anything that could be done ahead of time and refine the design as much as possible, since it would begin tomorrow. If all went well, the two of them could move into the mud house in a few days and no longer have to squeeze into this small bed. But then, just thinking about the bed made Wang Lun feel sleepy. He involuntarily yawned, got up to wash up, and went back to sleep. Soon, snoring began.
The next morning, Wang Lun got up early, lit a fire, then washed up, fetched water, and cooked. Li Ling got up around the time the food was almost ready, and after washing up, the two ate breakfast. After breakfast, they began the construction of the earthen house. It proceeded largely as Wang Lun had planned, and even faster. His enthusiasm was high on the first day, and he had intentionally reduced the workload, taking into account physical limitations. This resulted in the project being completed ahead of schedule. Of course, finishing early was good, allowing for sufficient rest and enabling them to move into the earthen house sooner.
Over at the cave, Wu Jing and Zhang Shengnan were still building a wall, but progress was much faster. Since they didn't need to fetch water, it saved them a lot of time, and they'd already completed more than half of it, probably finishing it today. Then tomorrow they'd have to go hunting and foraging for wild vegetables, since their food supplies were only enough for three meals a day for the next few days. If they were building their wall like Wang Lun, they'd probably finish it before their food supplies ran out. The conditions were different; Wang Lun was digging from the earthen cliff, which was relatively easy, while Wu Jing was digging from the ground, which was much more strenuous. Li Ling had all the necessary tools and materials nearby, while Zhang Shengnan only had mud and a wooden fence left; she had to do everything else herself. If it hadn't rained and solved the water problem, she probably would have spent even more time fetching water. However, the wall they have now is enough for them, since they both sleep in the cave at night, and there is a large gate blocking their way, so their safety is still guaranteed.
In terms of safety, Liu Ruoxi and her partner were the worst, especially compared to Wang Lun and Wu Jing's team. They were still better than other teams. Of course, some teams built better camps, but most were worse, since Liu Ruoxi and her partner had more food and therefore more time to build their camps.
The two sisters slept in late today, not coming down from their treehouse until the sun was up. After breakfast, they filled a water tank with water using a pot and bamboo tubes—enough to last them for several days. After filling the tank, Liu Ruoxi took Liu Ruoling to the stream to explore it. They packed the pot in their basket, intending to return in the evening and cook lunch at the stream. They also brought a bow and arrows, a knife, and a wooden spear. With everything prepared, they set off. Since Liu Ruoling needed to carry the bow and arrows, only Liu Ruoxi carried the basket.
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