After leaving the camp, Wang Lun planned to find the spot where he had previously discovered the cassava and continue searching the surrounding area. It would be great if he could find a few more cassava plants. So he headed towards the nearby woods.
On this side of the hill, the two sisters have been digging for wild vegetables in the mornings and carrying stones and wood back to camp in the afternoons for the past few days. They finally finished yesterday. With all the materials ready, all that's left is to start building the fence.
This morning, the two sisters first filled the water pit. Over the past few days, Liu Ruoxi had made a bucket out of tree bark, so both of them could go to fill it—one carrying the bucket, the other holding the pot and bamboo tube. After that, they went to the hillside to dig for wild vegetables. Liu Ruoling also brought her bow and arrows with her while digging, just in case they encountered birds or other prey; hitting them would improve their diet, since they had been eating the meat they had stored up for the past few days.
The two dug for wild vegetables on the mountaintop until the sun was high in the sky. They finally reached the summit, where the vegetables were almost plentiful. Liu Ruoling sat down to rest, gazing at the sea, when she noticed smoke rising from behind the opposite mountain. She quickly called Liu Ruoxi to come and look. Looking at the smoke, Liu Ruoling said, "Sister, can we go take a look if we have time? Hopefully, it's Wu Jing and Wang Lun's teams." Liu Ruoxi said, "Go if you have time, but the chances aren't very high. Besides, Wu Jing and his team are probably out of the question. Wang Lun and his team might team up with us, but we're doing quite well right now. What if they're not as good as us?" Liu Ruoling clearly hadn't considered this possibility and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Sister, why can't Wu Jing's team do it?" Liu Ruoxi said, "They're both capable and experienced. If we go, we'll just be adding two burdens. Do you think they'd be willing?" Liu Ruoling was speechless again. She wanted to say that she could hunt, but then she thought of her sister and didn't say it. The two women stared at the smoke rising in the distance, remaining silent for a moment. Liu Ruoxi said, "Let's go back. After we eat, we need to reinforce the wall." She then reached out and pulled Liu Ruoling up, and the two of them, carrying their baskets, headed towards the camp. However, they seemed to have grown somewhat, and had regained some hope. Regarding growth, barring unforeseen circumstances, they would likely have survived as a single team. Even if they formed a team, they would face even more challenges. The hope lay in the smoke in the distance, signifying that there were other people there, meaning they wouldn't be the only two on this deserted island, in this endless forest. This led Liu Ruoling to frequently climb to the mountaintop to look into the distance, to gaze at the place where the smoke was rising.
Wang Lun searched for a long time around the spot where he had dug up cassava the day before, and finally found three cassava plants in another location. He quickly took out his knife, cut a stick, and started digging. It took him almost an hour to dig out all three cassava plants. He put the edible parts into his basket, and also put the stalks in the basket. He sat down, drank some water, rested for a while, and then continued his search.
Wang Lun picked all the mushrooms and wild vegetables he encountered along the way, leaving nothing edible except for the small ones. After searching for another hour or two without any success, Wang Lun decided to head back. He set up traps near the campsite, hoping for a good catch, but not necessarily a bad one. So he chose an unfamiliar path and headed towards the campsite.
About half an hour later, Wang Lun came across a Sichuan pepper tree. When he saw it, he felt a surge of excitement; another seasoning would surely make life much better. Wang Lun had originally planned to dig up the entire tree, but it was quite large, making it inconvenient to traverse the forest. So, he decided to pick some peppercorns instead. Perhaps not "just some," but Wang Lun spent a full half hour picking under the tree, gathering everything he could see and easily accessible, even those that had recently fallen to the ground, filling his basket to the brim. Only after doing this did Wang Lun leave, satisfied. The only regret was not having dug up the entire tree, but with so many peppercorns, it would be enough to last for a while.
After walking for another half hour, Wang Lun came across a tree laden with fruit. He quickened his pace and walked over. It turned out to be a peach tree, though most of the fruit was not yet ripe; they should be ready in a few days. Wang Lun picked the ripe ones from the tree—fifteen in total, just slightly reddish—and picked them as well. He noted the location, planning to return in a couple of days to pick more. He would dry the rest and eat them in the winter.
After harvesting the peaches, Wang Lun headed towards the camp. Along the way, he found nothing but mushrooms and wild vegetables. However, these filled his basket to the brim, and even the three cassava seedlings were placed on top of it.
When Wang Lun arrived at the campsite entrance, he asked Li Ling to open the gate. Li Ling walked down from the lawn, reached the gate, and pushed it open. Wang Lun was first surprised, then felt a pang of sympathy. He said, "You went to work on the fence?" Li Ling nodded and said, "I didn't have much to do in the campsite, so I went to finish the fence. It's not too tiring anyway." Wang Lun wanted to say something, but didn't know how. He wanted to tell her not to do it, that it was too tiring, but then he thought about how on this deserted island, if she didn't do it, he would have to go out and find food, and the fence would never be finished. If he did it himself, then the food problem might become a problem for both of them. Wang Lun could only say, "Rest more, take care of yourself, don't rush." Li Ling replied, "Okay, I know." Wang Lun put down his basket, looked at the fire in the pottery kiln, and said, "Just add one more firewood and you're done. Once it's finished burning and cooled, you can take it out." Li Ling said, "Okay, have you had lunch yet?" Hearing this, Wang Lun realized he hadn't eaten yet. No wonder he felt like he'd forgotten something. He said, "Not yet, I don't feel hungry..." But before he could finish, his stomach rumbled. Li Ling chuckled and said, "I'll go cook you something to eat." She went back inside, got a pot, and fetched water to cook rice. Seeing Li Ling go to cook, Wang Lun went to plant the three cassava seedlings, since they had been dug up for quite some time.
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