From Robinson Crusoe

To be honest, Chen Zhou had thought of countless possibilities before solving the puzzle.

He thought that the cube might contain a piece of chewing gum, a condom, a button battery, or a high-end imitation Yuan Datou.

I also thought that it contained precious medicines such as an amoxicillin capsule, quick-acting heart-saving pills, Angong Niuhuang pills, etc.

I also thought that there were a few seeds, precious metal pieces, and gems inside.

I even thought that there was a magic capsule inside, which could increase strength, speed, or prolong life after taking it.

The only thing he never imagined was that the cube that took him nearly half a month to solve actually contained only ten short words.

If these ten words were a cliché on the Internet, a sarcastic remark, or even another complicated formula, he could accept it calmly.

But when he saw the words "Cheating using time and space cutting is allowed", Chen Zhou really felt a chill crawling up his scalp from his back, stimulating him so much that his hair stood up.

Using the power of the reward to cut wood and stone has always been a great innovation that he is proud of.

This huge cutting machine, which takes effect once every fifteen days, can save him countless physical strength and time during the challenge.

If it weren't for this "BUG", he would not have been able to build such a neat wooden house before the earthquake, let alone lay wooden floors in the cave, make wheelbarrows, earthen rice husks and foot-operated pestles, and make so many wooden models for experiments.

It can be said that since arriving on the island, the effect of all the rewards combined may not be comparable to this "cutter".

Not to mention anything else, just cutting the steel plate inside the safe into a steel pickaxe head, without taking advantage of this "BUG", using a rope saw to grind the steel plate or using a rough stone to slowly scratch the steel plate, Chen Zhou would work eight hours a day and might not be able to complete the task even after ten years.

Since discovering and making practical use of this "BUG", Chen Zhou has always been cutting wood boards and stones with peace of mind, saving his time and energy and improving his quality of life.

Perhaps because he was subconsciously worried about losing this powerful aid, he almost never thought about what would happen if the cutting machine could not be used one day.

Even if this thought arises by chance, it will be quickly suppressed and never mentioned again.

But escaping is not the solution to the problem after all. In fact, he knew very well that this power did not belong to him but was stolen.

So the last time the safe came, he could have just left it on the beach and waited fifteen days for it to be cut, but he didn't do that.

He was very worried that the Space-Time Administration would discover that he was exploiting the bug, so he moved the safe away and did not choose an easier way, but dismantled it violently.

After opening the safe and receiving the reward, he still held on to a fluke mentality, thinking that the subsequent cutting was not affected because the Space-Time Administration did not notice or did not care about his behavior.

Until this moment, when he saw the clear words reflected on the table, all his fantasies and hopes were shattered.

These brief words were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, dragging him back to reality.

The fact is, as a participant in this "large-scale reality show across time and space", his every move is exposed.

If cheating by exploiting "BUGs" is not punished, it may just be because someone wants to enjoy the joy of his "cleverness" succeeding.

But this happiness will suddenly disappear and turn into fear and panic the moment you see these words on the table.

Chen Zhou wondered what would have happened if he had not dismantled the safe himself last time, but had been lazy and used time and space cutting.

Fifteen days after leaving the safe on the beach, he might be surprised to find that the wooden and stone walls and the safe were completely intact. The invisible cutting force generated when the reward came might completely disappear from that reward.

Silently, he stared at the writing on the table until it slowly disappeared.

The dreamy blue in the cave was dyed by the dim light of the oil lamp. Captain Chen Zhou let out a breath and sat on the chair.

From this moment on, all past self-deception and complacency have become a thing of the past.

This line of words has no weight and cannot even leave any mark in this world. It seems more nonsensical and useless than all previous rewards, but it is the most important one of all rewards.

It represents the "organizer's" permission for Chen Zhou to exploit loopholes to cheat.

This means that from now on, Chen Zhou no longer has to use time and space cutting with a fluke mentality or a state of constant fear, nor does he have to avoid thinking about losing this "convenient cutting method".

Huh~
With a slight smile, Chen Zhou brushed his hand across the empty table, scratched his messy hair, and talked to himself.

“This reward is really…

I wonder if it’s a prank, a trick, a patch, or a real reward that will give me peace of mind?”

"If I fail to solve this puzzle and give up halfway, what will happen to me in the future?

Should we directly cancel the ability to cut through time and space, or impose penalties, or even more extreme, forcibly terminate the challenge?"

……

On September 9, after solving the complicated puzzle, Chen Zhou sat at the table for a long time.

There were thousands of thoughts in his mind, sometimes he was thinking about why he participated in the challenge;

Sometimes I worry whether there will be such special rewards in the future;
Sometimes it seems like I am back to the moment when I flipped the block, reviewing how those 117 steps should have been completed.

After the heavy mental work, facing the lines of text that made his heart tremble, his heart gradually became tired. He didn't know when, he lay down on the table, closed his eyes and fell asleep.

The oil lamp stayed on all night until the sun rose on the 25th. The kitten ran out of the cat nest and climbed up Chen Zhou's trouser legs onto his knees.

During the climbing process, the little one's sharp claws got caught in the fabric and couldn't be pulled out. He was so anxious that he kept meowing, and only then did he wake him up.

Chen Zhou's head ached slightly, as if he had just woken up from a hangover.

His back and waist were a little uncomfortable because he had been lying on the chair all night.

He forced himself to take the kitten off his body, and walked to the kitchen door with heavy and slow steps.

As the first anniversary of landing on the island approaches, the sky is still gloomy, it is drizzling outside, and the platform is wet.

Waves of cold air rushed into the kitchen. Lai Fu was lying at the kitchen door. When he heard Chen Zhou get up, he stood up and stretched, then walked to his master and wagged his tail rhythmically.

"A new day has begun."

Chen Zhou reminded himself that he felt as if he was dreaming and was caught in fear and worry about the entire challenge.

“What’s past is past.

There are still 9955 days left. There is no need to think too much. Just let go of the burden and live your life peacefully. "

I comforted myself, lit the stove and made a simple breakfast.

After feeding the cats, dogs and rats at home, he did not leave immediately. Instead, he returned to his desk, took out a piece of pineapple wood, and carved a dent in it with a dagger.

The entire surface of the wood block is now covered with special "scales" of similar size and different depths, which symbolize the passage of time.

365 days are now coming to an end.

The next calendar he prepared was made of a solid and heavy iron tree.

If the first year requires bright and vivid hope, the second year requires solidity and calmness.

The advice he gave himself was to not relax, not be careless, and not be lazy, but to continue completing work that was beneficial to life as planned.

……

It is easier said than done to keep a normal mind.

After packing his backpack, picking up a long-handled axe, putting on a straw raincoat and a hat, and taking Lai Fu down the mountain, Chen Zhou couldn't keep his heart calm when he thought about what happened last night.

Even so, there was still no change in his expression, like a poker, he stared at the forest shrouded in drizzle with indifference and seriousness. He came to the beach with ease.

Fortunately, the rain stopped and the wind died down on the way. By the time we were close to our destination, the sunlight had pierced a hole in the dark clouds in the sky.

Warm light streamed down from the rocky beach to the wooden and stone walls, and the wet gravel sparkled like jewels.

Lai Fu got rid of the kitten's harassment and ran freely on the beach, shaking his mane, jumping and barking happily.

With a smile on his face and taking off his wide-brimmed hat, Chen Zhou quickened his pace as he basked in the sunshine after the rain.

If December 12st according to the Gregorian calendar is New Year's Eve, then September 31th, the anniversary of landing on the island, is equivalent to the birthday of the challenge.

If you count it this way, this reward is a gift before your “birthday”.

After being tortured by the small cubes for half a month, Chen Zhou is still looking forward to the contents of the new blind box.

And now that he has the "official permission" from the Space-Time Administration, he no longer has to worry about this or that when building wooden and stone walls and using space-time cutting to benefit himself.

Although I suffered a lot, it was worth it when I really think about it.

The psychological pressure alone cannot be relieved by just any method.

Full of anticipation, I walked towards the deformed wood and stone wall.

The wall that had become shorter due to cutting could not completely block the view. From a distance, Chen Zhou saw an especially eye-catching cinnabar red in the center of the reward point.

Since coming to the island, Chen Zhou has rarely seen red except for blood and flowers, let alone this strong cinnabar red that represents the New Year and joy.

As a pure Chinese, Chen Zhou felt excited and happy when he caught a glimpse of the red color.

Tightening the shoulder strap of his backpack, he chased after Lai Fu, changing from a brisk walk to a jog.

The closer you get, the clearer the red object becomes.

The crude rain shelter had not yet been destroyed by the wind and rain, and it partially concealed the shape of the reward. Only when you got closer could you see it clearly.

The first thing that catches your eye is a carefully woven Chinese knot under the thick canvas.

It is woven with a red rope as thick as a little finger, with more than a dozen cinnabars and several turquoises strung on the rope, and a piece of white jade hanging at the end, on which are engraved the four immortals Fu Lu Shou Xi who are deeply loved by the people.

Under this exquisite Chinese knot is a cube box that is one meter square.

The entire outer layer of the box is wrapped in bright red waterproof paper, shaped like a gift box.

“Fuck, something’s wrong!
This time the reward seems a bit too luxurious.

Could it be that this is just a sham and is trying to trick me?"

Having suffered too much disappointment from unfulfilled expectations, Chen Zhou was very worried that the gift box might contain a few bottles of expensive liquor or costly mooncakes or candies.

Even though these things cannot be produced on the island, if you really count them, they are the most useless things, just like shoe horns.

There was already enough wine brought down from the boat, so there was no point in having a few more bottles - it was too lonely to drink alone.

As for mooncakes and candies, a whole box of them will not last long, and there is also the risk of them expiring and becoming moldy. They have no other use other than satisfying your appetite.

Suppressing the ominous premonition in his heart, Chen Zhou climbed over the wooden and stone wall and first moved the large gift box "full of New Year flavor" out from under the rain shelter.

The protection provided by the rain shelter was not perfect. Some water droplets remained on the waterproof paper on the outside of the gift box, and the bottom was stained with some moist sand.

It wasn't very heavy, but it weighed about ten pounds, which made Chen Zhou more excited about its contents.

The fillings inside mooncakes or dry food in gift boxes are mostly foam or cotton, and thin plastic molds.

The main feature of that thing is that it looks fancy, but it has a very low cost-effectiveness. Anyone who makes gift box packaged food with a little bit of common sense would not stuff more than ten kilograms of dry food into it. How can they make money then?

……

"Does it mean that there is a guaranteed reward for the first anniversary?"

Chen Zhou casually put his wide-brimmed hat on the wooden and stone wall, took off his backpack, took out a dagger, and carefully cut off the plastic ring of the Chinese knot.

He tried his best to ensure the integrity of the red waterproof paper. Apart from dealing with the glue, he basically did not use a knife, but slowly removed the outer packaging.

It didn't take him long to fold up the basically intact red waterproof paper and put it into his backpack.

Left on the sand was a square plastic box.

The plastic box is light red and not too thick. The surface is uneven and outlined with the word "Fu" of different sizes and written in different ways. It is the auspicious painting "Hundred Blessings" that is widely circulated among the people.

Seeing the exquisite plastic box, influenced by its color and meaning, Chen Zhou's mood became better and better.

Thinking that even if the things inside were useless, it would not be a loss to get the box, the waterproof cloth and the Chinese knot, he opened the lid and revealed the answer directly.

I thought the box would contain exquisite packaging, with a reward in the center.

Chen Zhouwan didn't expect that this box actually played the role of a box, with a bunch of different things placed messily inside.

The most conspicuous one among them was a thick book, which was placed on top of all the items. Chen Zhou took it out first.

This book weighs about three pounds, has a white cover and a simple design.

The title of the book is "An Overview of Intangible Cultural Heritage: A Complete Book of Bamboo Weaving, Rattan Weaving and Straw Weaving", and it is wrapped in a thin layer of transparent plastic film.

The moment he saw the title of the book, Chen Zhou couldn't believe his eyes. He even put the book down and rubbed his face hard to make sure this was not a dream.

Picking up the book again, he nervously tore open the plastic film—not using a knife because he was afraid of scratching the cover.

After opening the book, Chen Zhou first browsed the table of contents.

In addition to the preface and introduction to intangible cultural heritage, the entire book is divided into three main sections: bamboo weaving, rattan weaving and straw weaving.

Each section is divided into several small sections, including manufacturing process, material processing, techniques, weaving methods, finished product display, etc.

It includes basic and advanced techniques, as well as modeling information and weaving machine type explanations.

For example, for straw weaving, there are detailed steps for straw weaving goldfish, carp, cicadas, prawns, roses and other items, each step has illustrations and detailed descriptions.

Rattan weaving is even more practical. It includes small items such as lampshades, coasters, vases, storage baskets, and water cup holders, as well as large items such as shopping baskets, baskets, and backpacks.

In terms of techniques, in addition to tutorials on bamboo and rattan weaving, some techniques for palm weaving are also taught.

From the most basic lifting and pressing method, to the twill method, trapezoidal method to the hexagonal hole weaving method, it is very comprehensive.

All techniques and explanations are mostly accompanied by clear color illustrations.

The steps of making the utensils are from simple to difficult, step by step, and the design is very reasonable.

It can be said that as long as a mentally normal adult is willing to put in the effort to learn and practice, he or she will definitely be able to master most of the techniques in the book and make most weaving crafts.

For Chen Zhou, this is basically an encyclopedia of weaving techniques, which can train him from a beginner who knows nothing about weaving to a skilled craftsman.

The value of this thing can no longer be summarized by the simple word "useful".

On an isolated island with no access to information, it is simply a plug-in! (End of this chapter)