Wang Lun told everyone else to go to sleep first, as early to bed and early to rise makes for better work. Plus, there was no lunch break today, so everyone was quite sleepy.
Wang Lun told Liu Ruoling to be careful to add plenty of firewood, and also to be careful not to let the fire get too big, lest it burn down the roof. He also told her to keep an eye on things and not to fall asleep.
Liu Ruoling indicated that she understood. After all, this was for making ceramic bowls for them, so how could she not be careful? Seeing that Liu Ruoling understood, Wang Lun went to wash up and go to bed.
Nothing happened overnight. Li Ling cooked breakfast early in the morning, woke up the others, and prepared to eat. Actually, only Wang Lun needed to be woken up, as Li Ling was on the last shift and hadn't slept. Liu Ruoxi and the other girl woke up early because they were thinking about their ceramic bowls. But neither of them had opened them, so they could only wait for Wang Lun to wake up.
Li Ling woke Wang Lun, and Liu Ruoling was the happiest of all. She pulled Wang Lun over and asked him to take out the ceramic bowls. How could Wang Lun handle them when the fire was so hot? Finally, after being pestered so much, he broke up the fire and used two sticks to pry out the three ceramic bowls and one large bowl, then left them to cool naturally. Wang Lun told them not to touch the pottery directly with their hands, as it was still very hot. Only then did he go out to wash up.
Upon returning, Liu Ruoling pulled Wang Lun aside and asked, "Can we cool it with water?" Wang Lun was speechless. This wasn't blacksmithing; how could he quench it? However, he came up with a half-baked solution: blowing on it. The more air he blew, the faster the air circulated, and the faster it would cool. This was originally just a way for Wang Lun to fool Liu Ruoling, but she believed him and even found a piece of iron to use as a fan.
Sure enough, it seemed to cool down quite quickly. In less than half an hour, it was almost completely cooled. Wang Lun carefully examined it and found that one of the three small bowls had a crack, though he wasn't sure if that would affect its use. The large bowl had a large crack that let light through. It was definitely unsuitable for holding vegetables, but it would be fine for holding some fruits, so he kept it.
The Liu sisters washed the four pottery pieces clean, then filled the cracked bowl with water and placed it on a shelf to check for leaks. If it didn't leak, it could continue to be used; if it did leak, it was unusable and would have to be smashed. Next time, they would use refined clay to make the new pieces, which would likely have a higher success rate.
The four of them then began to eat breakfast. Now they were using earthenware bowls, so there wouldn't be any bamboo bowls.
After lunch, while the weather was still cool, Wang Lun took Li Ling and Liu Ruoling to the woods to carry back all the remaining branches from yesterday. Each person carried two bundles of branches or a bundle of thick branches per trip. Although they didn't stop to rest, they worked until after 1 p.m. before they finally brought all the branches back.
After lunch, Wang Lun and Li Ling began setting up the shed. Wang Lun first placed one end of the main beam on the wall, then Liu Ruoling draped it over the outside, leaving the main beam suspended in the air. Li Ling then guided the other end, trying to place the other end of the main beam into the groove that had been carved the day before. Wang Lun, meanwhile, moved the main beam along the wall.
It took the three of them almost half an hour to place the main beam. Then they moved on to erecting the four pillars. Next came the remaining two side beams. This time, however, both side beams were supported by pillars, and of course, they also needed reinforcement.
Last night, while on night watch, Wang Lun finished preparing the pillars and beams. One section of the pillar was carbonized to make it easier to insert into the ground and ensure it wouldn't break for a long time. The top surface was also sharpened. Similarly, a pit was chiseled at the two short beams, just enough for the sharp point to rest against the groove.
It took Wang Lun and his two companions more than two hours to erect the six pillars and place the crossbeams on them. By then it was almost noon, so Wang Lun told them to go back and rest, and to come back and continue after lunch.
Back inside, all three were exhausted and thirsty. Fortunately, Liu Ruoxi had boiled a lot of water and added some salt, which helped them regain some strength. Liu Ruoxi cooked rice, while Wang Lun helped tend the fire. She also mixed yesterday's houttuynia cordata in a large bowl with some wild fruit jam. Wang Lun tried it and found it quite delicious. It was sweet and sour with a hint of saltiness, and also had the distinctive flavor of houttuynia cordata.
Soon, a pot of wild vegetable stew with fish was ready. Today's lunch was again wild vegetable stew with fish, but with an additional dish of houttuynia cordata with jam. Wang Lun and Li Ling ate the houttuynia cordata with great enjoyment. Seeing them enjoying their meal, Liu Ruoling decided to try it too. She tried one sprig, and although she found the taste a little strange, she quite liked the sweet and sour jam, so she ate another. Finding the houttuynia cordata to be quite tasty, she continued eating.
Seeing this, Liu Ruoxi also tried one, but the taste was strange. Unable to stand it, she stopped eating. However, Wang Lun and the other two were too busy eating houttuynia cordata to pay attention to Liu Ruoxi. There wasn't much of it; the rest had been pickled by Wang Lun, and this was the only one they could use for a cold dish. After this meal, they didn't know when they would have another.
Liu Ruoxi ate some fish for a while, and seeing how happily they were eating, she resisted the urge and picked up another piece. After eating it, she thought, "How come the taste is acceptable?" Then she picked up another piece, and, "Hmm, the taste is not bad." And so she successfully joined the group eating houttuynia cordata.
There wasn't much houttuynia cordata to begin with, and with the four of them scrambling to eat it, it was gone in no time. Even the bowl was snatched away by the quick-witted Liu Ruoling, who ate it clean with pieces of fish. The other three didn't find Liu Ruoling's actions awkward; instead, they blamed themselves for being too slow. Especially Liu Ruoxi, who ate slowly and therefore inevitably had less. Now, who knows when they'll get another meal of houttuynia cordata.
After finishing the houttuynia cordata, the four continued with the stewed fish and wild vegetables. They were still somewhat unsatisfied after the meal. Since there was no more houttuynia cordata, they all went to bed one after another.
After waking up in the afternoon, Wang Lun began tying vertical branches to the top of the shed to secure it. Not long after, Li Ling and Liu Ruoling arrived. The three of them were already skilled at building sheds and knew exactly what to do without needing to be told.
So this time, although Wang Lun was quite tired from building the shed, it was only physically tiring; he didn't spend too much time and effort on it. Li Ling and her colleague, on the other hand, had improved a lot compared to before. At least after a day's work, they weren't as exhausted as before.
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