The group collected stones until sunset, when it was getting dark, before returning to camp. Wang Lun checked them over and felt they had enough. They could move on to the next task tomorrow.
Dinner was again wild vegetable stewed with fish. While eating, Wang Lun discussed tomorrow's plans. He intended to go to the woods in the morning to cut down some trees to build a shelter. Li Ling and Liu Ruoling dug the pit in the campsite first, and then, after the sun came out and the dew dried, they went to cut some grass. As for Liu Ruoxi, she continued weaving clothes, of course.
Li Ling and the other two understood their arrangements. However, Wang Lun forgot to mention one thing: the garbage in the pheasant and rabbit enclosures hadn't been cleaned up for a long time. Especially since they had fed the pheasants and rabbits a lot of grass when they went fishing, it was now rotting in the enclosures. Wang Lun had been wanting to find time to clean it up, but since returning, he only had some time around noon, and even then, he had other things to do, so he hadn't gotten around to it.
But he's been short on time lately, so Wang Lun plans to finish cutting down the trees tomorrow and then take some time to complete the task. Tomorrow is also his last night shift, so he can cook dinner earlier and leave earlier.
So Wang Lun ate dinner, then went to wash up and go to bed. Li Ling and the others could do whatever they wanted, since they were the ones keeping watch all night.
Nothing happened that night. Wang Lun cooked something for himself early in the morning and ate it. While it was still a little dark, he took his knife, spear, and a bamboo tube and went out.
When Li Ling and the other two woke up, the room was empty. Only a note left by Wang Lun beside the hearth read: "I've gone out to chop wood. Breakfast is on your own." The three looked at each other, bewildered. Who knew Wang Lun would leave so early today? They were still asleep when he was already gone.
Their suspicions weren't entirely wrong. Wang Lun was already in the woods, chopping down his third tree. He arrived early and worked quickly, so it wasn't surprising that he was already cutting down a third tree. What was strange, however, was that he had even stripped off the branches and bundled them up. How long did that take? This gave you an idea of just how early Wang Lun had left home.
Although Li Ling and the other two were somewhat speechless, they still finished washing up and started making breakfast. Li Ling cooked breakfast while Liu Ruoxi continued knitting, not wanting to waste a moment, since cooking breakfast would take some time. Liu Ruoling went to feed the pheasants and rabbits.
After Liu Ruoling fed the pheasants and rabbits and returned, she said, "It's too ugly in there. Shall we clean up the chicken coop and rabbit pen today?" Li Ling said, "Okay, then we won't rest at noon. We'll each clean one. You choose first." Liu Ruoling naturally chose the chicken coop, since there were only two chickens, and they would produce less droppings. Li Ling agreed, since Liu Ruoling was younger than her and should be taken better care of.
After the three of them had breakfast, Li Ling and Liu Ruoling started digging the holes. Wang Lun had already reserved the spots, and even dug two holes himself, leaving only four holes. Two holes each, it was easy to allocate.
Although there were only a few pits, it still took the two of them nearly two hours to dig them. While there weren't many, the pits were quite deep, almost a meter deep. As Liu Ruoling dug, she kept saying that Wang Lun was digging this deep to protect against a typhoon; otherwise, why would he have dug it so deep?
However, Liu Ruoling was right. Wang Lun did indeed dig so deep partly to protect against strong winds. Of course, there was also the nearby pond, to prevent water seepage and ground subsidence. Otherwise, why would he have dug so deep?
After digging two holes, the two returned to the house, drank some water, rested for a while, and then shouldered their baskets to go outside the camp to cut grass. To be honest, Li Ling and Liu Ruoling were still a little worried at this point. After all, the hyena pack had only left recently; what if those hyenas were still nearby? What if they suddenly attacked while they were cutting grass?
With these concerns in mind, the two men cut grass while keeping a close eye on their surroundings. Soon, they had cut two baskets full of grass, enough to feed the camp's animals for a while. They then carried the baskets on their backs and practically ran back to the camp. Only after closing the gate did they feel at ease.
It was almost noon, and Wang Lun still hadn't returned. This worried the three of them. Finally, Li Ling calmed them down. Suppressing her anxiety, Li Ling told Liu Ruoxi to boil a pot of water, let it cool, and bring it back to drink. Liu Ruoling and she started cleaning the two areas. If Wang Lun still hadn't returned after they were cleaned, they wouldn't wait for him; the three of them would cook dinner.
The three of them then began to work according to Li Ling's instructions. Once they were busy, they didn't have much time to think about anything else. Actually, this only applied to Liu Ruoling; although Liu Ruoxi was knitting, she couldn't help but worry about Wang Lun's current situation. As for Li Ling, there was another part of her plan she hadn't mentioned: if he hadn't returned after dinner, she would wait a while, until it wasn't too hot, and if he still hadn't returned, then Li Ling would go looking for him.
Whether Liu Ruoxi and the others go or not is none of Li Ling's business; she's going to find Wang Lun on her own.
So what was Wang Lun doing at this moment? After cutting down the tree and tidying up the branches, he went to relieve himself and smelled a familiar scent. After finishing, he followed the smell.
Before long, they saw a patch of houttuynia cordata. Wang Lun was immediately excited when he saw it. For a Sichuanese to encounter houttuynia cordata on this deserted island was incredibly lucky.
Wang Lun quickly stepped forward and began digging up one sapling after another. When he couldn't dig with his hands, he used a knife. When the knife marks were too narrow, he chopped off a stick and started digging again.
Although Wang Lun felt very tired, he felt full of energy when he encountered houttuynia cordata. If he weren't worried about its cleanliness, he would have even wanted to eat one first.
He dug up a large bundle, drank all the water in the bamboo tube, and the sun was already high overhead. Wang Lun reluctantly left the houttuynia cordata field. However, he had already memorized this place; that afternoon, he would definitely take his entrenching tool and dig up all the remaining houttuynia cordata. The uneaten roots would be used to plant houttuynia cordata in a plot of land near the camp entrance. Next year, or even before next year, he could enjoy the houttuynia cordata he had planted.
Wang Lun felt a surge of happiness. Suddenly, the tree on his shoulder seemed lighter, and even his dry, cracked lips felt moist again. He quickened his pace, eager to return to camp and tell Li Ling and the others the good news.
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