Wang Lun and Li Ling returned to the house together. Wang Lun began to prepare the fish, making several cuts on two of them, then sprinkling some salt to marinate them for a while. Then, together with Li Ling, they hung the remaining fish on a rack next to the fire pit to dry slightly before moving them to the roof.
After hanging all the fish on the rack, Wang Lun went to start a fire to cook. He lit the stove, put the fish in a pot of cold water, added some peppercorns, and once the water boiled, he added some edible innards, cooked for a while longer, then added some chopped wild vegetables, and cooked it for a little longer before it was ready to eat.
After a while, the aroma of fish wafted out. Wang Lun ladled out a large bowl and asked Li Ling to take it away. Since there was only one large bowl, Li Ling took it, while Wang Lun used the smaller one, making a few more trips. The two sat by the fire pit, and Li Ling placed the bowl on the table. The freshly cooked fish was still a bit hot. Wang Lun simply ate it; he felt fine, though a little hot, it was bearable.
More than half an hour passed before the two finished eating. Wang Lun went to wash the dishes, while Li Ling cleaned up the leftover food scraps. A short while later, Wang Lun returned carrying a half-full pot of water.
Since it was still raining outside and the two couldn't go out, they decided to continue weaving straw sandals. So each of them took a handful of dry grass and began twisting rope before weaving the sandals.
They worked on it until noon. The two put away the straw ropes and rested for a while; they had been weaving all morning without stopping, and it was time to take a break. Wang Lun asked Li Ling, "What do you want to eat for lunch?" Li Ling said, "I'm still full, I don't want to eat." Wang Lun said, "Okay, start cooking when you want to eat, okay? I'm going to take a nap, I'm feeling a bit sleepy." Li Ling said, "Okay, go ahead." So Wang Lun went to the kang (heated brick bed) and lay down for a while.
Wang Lun slept for more than two hours. When he woke up, he found Li Ling still weaving straw sandals and asked, "Why aren't you resting? Don't work so hard." Li Ling didn't look up and said, "The food is in the pot. I was hungry, so I cooked it first. I saw you weren't awake yet, so I left it in the pot for you. It's still warm." Wang Lun was also a little hungry at this point, so he went to bring out the food and sat by the fire pit to eat attentively. Li Ling watched Wang Lun eat while weaving straw sandals, and a smile involuntarily appeared on her face.
Soon, Wang Lun finished his meal and said, "You don't need to leave me so much meat. You should eat more." He then went to take the pot upstairs to wash the dishes. Li Ling said, "No, I just don't want to eat meat." Wang Lun, who had just left, overheard this. But what could he do if she didn't want to eat? Of course, Wang Lun knew Li Ling was just saying that; no matter how unpalatable fish was, it was still much better than those bitter wild vegetables.
After washing the pot, Wang Lun returned to the house and told Li Ling to stop and rest for a while before continuing her work. The two then resumed playing chess. Wang Lun had originally planned to make a chess set, but Li Ling said she didn't know how to play, so there was nothing he could do but continue playing as is.
After resting for more than an hour, the two started weaving straw sandals again. After all, they hadn't finished their task for the day, and besides, they couldn't keep playing like that forever, or they would get bored.
The two worked on the cassava for several more hours. As dusk fell, Wang Lun retrieved the cassava from the pool. Li Ling asked how to process it, and Wang Lun said, "First, boil it once, then drain the water, boil it again, and once it's cooked, you can eat it. You can also shape it into a ball, dry it, grind it into powder, and store it. You can eat it whenever you want; the method is similar to making flour, as it's all carbohydrates." Li Ling said, "Shall we boil some and eat it later?" Wang Lun said, "Sure. We brought it back to eat anyway." So the two started boiling the cassava. They boiled it in two pots together, twice each. Although the last time they only filled half a pot, it was still three pots of cassava, enough to last a long time—much longer than kudzu root powder.
Wang Lun poured the re-cooked cassava onto the table, letting it dry slightly before placing it over the fire to dry completely. Since it was raining and there was no sun to dry it, drying it by baking was the only option. He also instructed Li Ling to turn the cassava pieces over periodically to prevent the top from cooling while the bottom remained warm.
Wang Lun started cooking dinner. He began by cooking a fish, but instead of stewing it, he removed the cooked fish, filleted it, and placed the fillets in a large bowl. He then added the cooked cassava chunks and kneaded the fish and cassava together with his hands, before tearing the mixture into thin sheets. He then brought the fish broth to a boil again, added the sheets, and cooked them for a while before serving. The cassava noodle soup was now ready.
The two sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), with a pot beside them. Each of them held a bowl and began to eat. It must be said that the noodle soup was indeed delicious. The cassava had a slightly sweet taste, as well as a hint of bitterness. The fish had a slightly fishy taste, along with the saltiness of the salt and the numbing sensation of the Sichuan peppercorns. These flavors, cooked together in one pot, made the taste even richer and more complex. It was very tasty, and the two of them ate with great enjoyment. Li Ling even ate an extra bowl, after all, it was very delicious.
After dinner, Li Ling sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) and rested against the wall. Wang Lun took the pot to the sink to wash the dishes.
Not far away, the Liu sisters reached the stream before nightfall. The sharp-eyed Liu Ruoling spotted a waterway by the stream and immediately became excited, saying in a hoarse voice to Liu Ruoxi, "Sister, we've found traces of people! Just hang in there, we'll be there soon." Liu Ruoxi perked up a bit, but still needed Liu Ruoling's support to walk; after all, she had a fever and felt weak all over, and it was already quite an achievement that she had managed to keep going this far. The two of them barely stopped along the way, stopping briefly when tired before continuing. When hungry, they took out some dried meat, ate a couple of slices, and when thirsty, collected a handful of rainwater, drank some, and then had to keep going.
However, they finally found traces of someone. Liu Ruoling helped Liu Ruoxi and walked along, calling out, "Is anyone there?"
It wasn't until Wang Lun came out to wash the dishes that he heard a sound, but in the jungle, there were sounds everywhere—rain pattering on leaves, the nearby stream, the wind rustling through the treetops—everything made some noise. Wang Lun ignored it and continued washing the dishes. However, the sound seemed to be getting closer. Wang Lun went to the camp gate and listened carefully. It was a human voice, so he shouted, "Who's there? What do you want?" After a while, two figures approached from a distance. They seemed to have spotted the wall and shouted, "We're contestants in a wilderness survival competition. My sister has a fever. Can you help us?" Wang Lun looked at Li Ling beside him, and Li Ling nodded. So Wang Lun opened the camp gate, leaving Li Ling there, and went to meet them. Unexpectedly, the two women collapsed as soon as they saw Wang Lun. Luckily, Wang Lun reacted quickly, grabbing them one in each hand and dragging them back to camp. Seeing Wang Lun like this, Li Ling quickly opened the door a little wider. After Wang Lun came in, she closed and locked the door, then followed behind him with pots and pans.
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