‘And on the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled.'
Jacob's initial success comes out in that Laban does not learn of his departure until ‘the third day'. The sheep shearing and what accompanied it had kept all his men busy. This may indicate a period of about one and a half days, or even longer. ‘On the third day' may be like ‘three days journey', not to be taken too literally but simply meaning a short period.