Liu Ruoling brought in a large rock and two smaller rocks. She placed the large rock next to where she and Wang Lun were sitting, then handed him a small rock. Wang Lun looked at the rock and said, "What's this for? You're the one who ground the crab shells into powder, not me." Liu Ruoling laughed and said, "I couldn't finish it all by myself." Wang Lun said, "So you're just messing with me." Liu Ruoling said, "It's just the two of us with nothing to do." Wang Lun stood up and said, "I have something to do." But Liu Ruoling grabbed him as soon as he stood up, saying, "Help me! If you don't help me, I'll start acting all cutesy again." Wang Lun said, "If you dare to act cute, I'll beat you up." Liu Ruoling said, "Then I won't act cute. You grind it into powder for me." Wang Lun took the rock and said, "That's more like it."
Seeing Wang Lun sit down, Liu Ruoling handed him the crab shell. Wang Lun looked at it and said, "Don't go too far, I can't possibly grind it all down." Liu Ruoling said, "How could that be? I'm not that kind of person. I just wanted you to smash it." Wang Lun said, "Then why don't you smash it yourself?" Liu Ruoling laughed and said, "I'm afraid of hurting my hand." Wang Lun said, "If you're afraid, then I'm not." Liu Ruoling said, "You're not impotent, are you?" She then looked at Wang Lun mockingly. Wang Lun didn't speak, but simply picked up a stone and smashed the crab shell with one blow, then looked at Liu Ruoling. Liu Ruoling pretended to say, "Wow, that's amazing! I'm sure you can finish grinding the crab shells, brother." Wang Lun laughed and said, "Keep going, let's see if I can grind the crab shells for you." Seeing Wang Lun's reaction, Liu Ruoling knew that he had tricked her again, and said, "You, you, you." Wang Lun said, "I knew you had ulterior motives from the beginning. Little girl, I've seen all kinds of storms, how could you possibly outsmart me?" Liu Ruoxi patted Liu Ruoling and said, "Hurry up and grind them. It was originally Wang Lun's job, but you insisted on getting involved." Hearing this, Liu Ruoling pointed at Wang Lun and said, "You tricked me?" Wang Lun said, "I didn't, you were the one who wanted to make the bet with me." Liu Ruoling said, "Then you framed me."
Liu Ruoxi patted Liu Ruoling again and said, "Hurry up and grind it, stop fooling around." Liu Ruoling glared at Wang Lun, picked up a few pieces of broken crab shells, and started hammering them with a stone, as if she were hammering Wang Lun, getting more and more enthusiastic as she hammered. Seeing that Liu Ruoling was doing something, Wang Lun also started grinding crab shells.
Liu Ruoxi was right. Wang Lun had originally planned to grind the crab shells into powder, but he hadn't had the time until today. He suddenly remembered it and had the time, so he decided to grind the crab shells. In the end, he even found a free laborer.
However, it doesn't seem like Liu Ruoling is at a disadvantage. On the contrary, Liu Ruoling still really wants to work with Wang Lun, and now they can continue working together, even if it's just the two of them doing one thing. But among the four people, Wang Lun isn't at a loss, Liu Ruoling feels she's not at a loss, and Liu Ruoxi hasn't suffered any loss, so who is at a loss? Only Li Ling, standing expressionless to the side, remains. It seems a storm is brewing.
It took Wang Lun and Liu Ruoling over an hour to grind all the crab shells into powder. Wang Lun put the crab shell powder in an empty bamboo tube so they could add some to their cooking to enhance the flavor. Liu Ruoxi and Li Ling had already finished weaving the door curtain and were now weaving straw sandals.
Seeing that it was getting late, Wang Lun told everyone to go to bed on the kang (heated brick bed). Tonight would be another night of sleeping together under the same quilt—well, it seems there weren't any blankets.
The next morning, breakfast was still wild vegetables stewed with fish. After breakfast, Wang Lun and Liu Ruoling carried baskets on their backs, took a spear and a knife, and went to cut dry grass.
After they left, Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi tidied up the pots and pans together and took them to the sink to wash. Liu Ruoxi looked at Li Ling, hesitating, unsure whether to speak up, especially since it was a sensitive topic. She kept thinking about it, which slowed her down considerably; by the time Li Ling had finished washing all the pots and pans, Liu Ruoxi was still not done.
Li Ling said, "What are you thinking about? You've even forgotten to wash the dishes." She then reached for the dishes and began washing them. Liu Ruoxi looked at Li Ling, thought for a moment, and finally decided to speak up. After all, they were all together now, and keeping it a secret would affect all four of them. Liu Ruoxi asked, "What happened between you and him?" Li Ling paused, then said, "Nothing, why do you ask?" Liu Ruoxi said, "Do I really need to explain what happened these past few days?" Li Ling stopped washing the dishes. Liu Ruoxi continued, "If there's a problem, solve it. Don't keep it all hidden; that will only make things worse." Li Ling suddenly looked up and said, "There are some things you don't know." Liu Ruoxi continued, "Don't know? Yes, there are indeed some things I don't know, but I do know that he's always liked you." Li Ling said, "So what? That's his freedom." Liu Ruoxi stared at Li Ling and said, "And what about you?" Li Ling lowered her head under Liu Ruoxi's gaze and said, "I... I don't know either." Liu Ruoxi said, "Don't know? I think you want to raise fish." Li Ling quickly said, "No, I don't. I just feel it's not suitable." Liu Ruoxi... Xi said, "Inappropriate? What's inappropriate about it?" Li Ling said, "I don't know, it's just that feeling. It's been there for a while, but we were separated for several years, and I thought I would forget about it. Who knew that when the contestant list came out, I heard that name again. Later, when I got to Shanghai, I stayed in my room all day, afraid of running into him. But I still ran into him, and we were even assigned to the same group. You know what? I didn't know how to express myself at that time. Excitement? Joy? Calmness? Disgust? I didn't know what words could express my feelings at that time." Liu Ruoxi looked at her quietly, waiting for her to continue.
When he spoke his first words, I could feel a mix of excitement and complicated emotions within me. So many years had passed without contact; in this vast sea of people, we had unexpectedly run into each other. I didn't know how to express myself, so I could only offer a curt "Oh." Later, as he became increasingly admirable on the island, I slowly tried to convince myself to accept him. But there was still a lingering sense of unease.
Seeing Li Ling's somewhat sad expression, Liu Ruoxi showed no sympathy. Instead, she said, "Is this your reason for continuing to use him?" Li Ling retorted, "No, I didn't intend to use him." Liu Ruoxi nodded and said, "Yes, it's just that he offered himself up, and you didn't refuse." Li Ling paused, wanting to say something but unsure how. Liu Ruoxi leaned closer and whispered, "Actually, I still hope you don't like him, then we'll have a chance." With that, Liu Ruoxi patted Li Ling's shoulder, then picked up the washed pots and pans and walked into the house. After Liu Ruoxi had taken a few steps, Li Ling called out from behind, "I won't let you succeed!" Liu Ruoxi heard this, waved her hand, and continued walking into the house.
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