In the somber atmosphere, things were done much faster, and time seemed to pass more quickly. Soon it grew dark, and Wang Lun called Li Ling and the other woman back to camp. They figured they could collect the rest tomorrow, which should be enough.
Back at camp, Wang Lun gathered the other three together and explained his decision from the afternoon. Li Ling and the other two nodded in agreement. Of course, this was merely an announcement, not a formal discussion. Normally, Wang Lun would consult with them on matters, but today, it was just an announcement. Li Ling, who had known Wang Lun the longest, understood that he was genuinely angry today; otherwise, he wouldn't have told Liu Ruoxi to break up the group.
As for Liu Ruoxi and the other woman, they had no objections and wouldn't have any. So the matter was settled. Wang Lun then had Li Ling and Liu Ruoling cook dinner, Liu Ruoxi rest, and Wang Lun went to feed the pheasants and rabbits. Everyone went about their own business.
After dinner, Li Ling said, "How about we play some cards?" Liu Ruoling immediately nodded upon hearing this, then turned to look at Liu Ruoxi, who also nodded slightly. All three of them stared at Wang Lun, who said, "Why are you looking at me? Get the cards." He then sat down at the table. Liu Ruoling quickly went to the shelf to find the basket containing the cards, while Li Ling went with her and brought over the bamboo tube containing acorns.
Each person received some acorns and then started playing cards. Li Ling said, "How long will it take to get those acorns? It's been a long time since we got them." Wang Lun said, "Let's wait a while. When new acorns come out, we'll collect more and make acorn flour together." Li Ling asked, "How long will it take?" Wang Lun thought for a moment and said, "It should be next month, or the month after next. Anyway, if we keep searching in the woods, we'll definitely find some." Liu Ruoling asked, "Is acorn flour tasty?" Wang Lun said, "It's alright, a little bitter, but otherwise it's fine." Although Liu Ruoling heard Wang Lun say it was a little bitter, she still fantasized about eating acorn flour. After all, in the camp, the only flour left was a little bit of kudzu root powder and enough cassava flour for one meal; everything else had been eaten recently.
Wang Lun was helpless in this situation, as finding edible starchy plants was quite difficult. And if you were unlucky, it would be even more difficult.
However, they were all doing quite well, as they had plenty of meat and dried fruit. Compared to the other contestants, they were living quite well. But Wang Lun and the others still wanted to live even better; if they had rice available, Wang Lun would have even wanted to cook rice for themselves.
Thinking about it this way, Wang Lun craved rice even more. He hadn't had it in a long time and missed it terribly. But it wasn't just Wang Lun who missed it; Li Ling and the others missed it even more, perhaps even more than Wang Lun. Wang Lun, at least because of past circumstances, had eaten noodles for a long time and had some resistance to rice, but Li Ling and the others couldn't; they had basically eaten rice since childhood. However, since they didn't have the means now, this was their only option; having anything to eat was already a blessing. Li Ling and the others understood this and didn't say anything.
After a while, Wang Lun lost all his chips and told them to stop playing and go to sleep. Although they all knew Wang Lun was doing it for their own good, they still joked, "You're done playing? You won't let us play anymore?" Wang Lun joked back, "Of course." The four of them laughed and joked as they walked towards the pool. Li Ling and the others washed up, while Wang Lun went to check the gate.
Back in the room, Li Ling and the other two lay down to sleep, while Wang Lun kept watch alone. However, tonight, Wang Lun's watch lasted much longer; in fact, he kept watch for the first half of the night. Li Ling woke up in the middle of the night and relieved Wang Lun, letting him go to sleep.
Wang Lun stayed on duty for so long for two reasons. First, he wanted to take care of Li Ling as much as possible within reasonable limits. Second, he was quite worried because Li Ling was on the middle shift. That's why he stayed on duty a little longer.
Nothing happened overnight, and the next morning, they went out early again to collect stones. They returned early as well. However, yesterday, apart from Liu Ruoxi, none of them had much to do after returning; they could only play in the mud. And today, they played in the mud again.
Wang Lun brought in the pot; the clay inside was completely dry. He crushed the clay lumps into powder, then added some water to make a paste. Only then did Wang Lun realize he didn't know what tools were missing. So he turned to ask the three men.
Li Ling said, "We're missing two ceramic bowls; Liu Ruoxi and Liu Ruoling are still using bamboo bowls." Liu Ruoxi thought they should make a few more large ceramic jars for storage. Liu Ruoling, on the other hand, thought they should make a few large basins so they wouldn't have to bring pots to the table every time they eat.
After listening to the opinions of Li Ling and the other two, Wang Lun decided to make three small bowls first. If it weren't for the shortage of materials, he would have liked to make them all at once. The remaining clay would then be used to make a large bowl. As for the earthenware jar, that would have to wait until later. For now, they needed to solve the immediate problem.
So Wang Lun and Li Ling started making ceramic bowls. Even Liu Ruoxi, who was weaving clothes nearby, wanted to join in, since it was making bowls for herself. So Wang Lun invited her over and told her to make her own ceramic bowls. Liu Ruoxi immediately dropped what she was weaving and started making ceramic bowls.
Liu Ruoling also wanted to make her own. For the remaining two pottery pieces, Wang Lun made the small bowl, and Li Ling made the large one. Soon, the four of them finished their pottery blanks, then placed them in the corner to dry slightly before firing.
Then, Wang Lun and the other two went to the pool to wash some fine clay, hoping to make another large pottery jar the next day. Making one each day would eventually be enough. After filling the pot with fine clay, the three of them went to take a nap on the kang (heated brick bed), while Liu Ruoxi continued weaving.
In the afternoon, Wang Lun woke up early and started digging pits at the four corners of the expanded pool, about one meter away from the pool.
Wang Lun plans to finish the shed during the midday hours so that the ground can be laid throughout the day, saving time.
However, there were no materials in the camp except for digging a few holes. They could only dig the holes first and wait until they had enough materials before starting the next step.
Just as Wang Lun finished digging one hole and was digging the second, Li Ling and the other person came out. So the three of them continued to the stream and started collecting stones.
The weather was still quite hot, and the stones were still scalding, so all three of them went into the water to collect stones. Even Wang Lun was still sitting in the pond. Li Ling and Liu Ruoling would have done the same if it weren't for their periods.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com