From Robinson Crusoe

Being familiar with human relationships and social customs seems to be an innate talent.

Among the many natives, Zebra was particularly adept at building relationships and winning people over, which was the fundamental reason why he was the first to "join" the new leader's side but was never disliked by his companions.

If it were anyone else, upon leaving the interrogation room with the chocolate reward they received in exchange for information, they would never share it with their comrades.

But zebras can do it.

On the evening of August 2, he repeated this unusual "generosity." After opening the can, he ate only a small piece himself and then cut the rest of the peaches into small pieces and shared them with his indigenous companions.

Not only that, he also carefully saved the two largest pieces of yellow peach and half a can of soup, and bravely went to the front of the cabin to share them with Saturday and Sunday.

……

His bold move broke down the barriers between superiors and subordinates.

Whether it was Saturday or Sunday, they all enthusiastically accepted his gift and took the zebra into a cabin he had never been to before, introducing him to many new things.

What is a calendar? What is a pinyin chart?
What is an agricultural knowledge map? It shows how plants are grown, how they grow, how they flower and bear fruit, and how they are harvested.

How can he systematically master the Chinese pronunciation he usually struggles to imitate, and how should he describe the universe and all things in Chinese...?

……

As the saying goes, "He who eats another's food is bound to be grateful, and he who takes another's money is bound to

Today is a holiday, and the two were already in a good mood on Saturday and Sunday. In the evening, they received a gift they had been wanting and ate the food they had been curious about for a long time. The food tasted even sweeter than they had imagined.

As a result, when faced with Zebra, a native who had already received special attention, the two of them shed their usual serious and cold facades. While answering Zebra's questions, they half-explained and half-showed off the utensils in their house.

On Sundays, there is pottery that he fires himself, and small metal utensils that he forges in collaboration with Chen Zhou.

As for Saturday, he was most proud of several paintings he created in the style of Chen Zhou.

One of his still life sketches, though not yet fully mature, possesses a certain charm of modern drawing and is his most prized work.

The zebra had been on the island for almost a month and this was the first time it had seen such novel things, so it couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Even if you don't understand, you can't embarrass your two "bosses," especially since these things are indeed worthy of his praise.

Of course, even though they had "accepted the gift," the two of them did not tell Zebra any important information on Saturday and Sunday, such as the secret of the firearms.

They merely revealed basic and insignificant knowledge to the zebras, knowledge that the natives would eventually acquire.

Once the zebra can truly prove its loyalty and reliability, the "gods" will naturally impart this knowledge to it without the need for two people to teach it.

The gods are always just; they will never show favoritism.

His wisdom is as deep as the ocean, and every decision he makes has a meaning that ordinary people cannot understand.

This was a consensus reached by the two of them long ago on Saturday and Sunday.

……

The speeches at the festival presented the indigenous people with a brighter future.

However, this exceptionally "sweet" pancake cannot be enjoyed in a short time. Before the rainy season arrives, building fortifications, studying, and working are still their tasks.

……

Time flies, and it's already August 13th.

The once cloudless sky was now filled with thick cumulonimbus clouds, and the salty sea breeze blew up the mountainside.

As the pattering raindrops tapped on the courtyard, wetting the stone bricks and blurring the windows, Chen Zhou, sitting at his desk, let out a long sigh of relief.

For whatever reason, the Spanish ultimately did not expend significant resources and time to travel to the island and demand justice for the disappearance of a single sailor.

He has now been given a long respite.

Although the bad weather during the rainy season made it impossible for most outdoor work to proceed normally, more than a month was enough time for him to make more preparations.

……

Since the light rain that lasted for more than half an hour at noon on August 13, all the defensive fortifications on the island have been suspended.

Chen Zhou began to place greater emphasis on taming the natives, cultivating talent, and establishing a reward and punishment system.

……

With the rainy season approaching, most indigenous people do not have houses to shelter them from the wind and rain, nor do they have the ability to cook outdoors.

Building shelters to prevent the indigenous people from falling ill due to wind and rain and disrupting their work was the first problem Chen Zhou solved.

Various building materials piled up halfway up the mountain, not yet moved to the northeast corner of the mountain, were sent directly to the gallows.

The residential area that Chen Zhou initially planned is located here, built against the mountain.

……

Apart from two indigenous people who continued to herd cattle and sheep and tend the fields on Sundays.

Everyone else, including Saturday, abandoned their other work, picked up shovels and picks, and came to this rather flat hillside to begin leveling the ground and digging the foundation.

The original greenery on the slope was gradually erased, replaced by the natural color of the soil.

The ground, moistened by the drizzle, was inevitably muddy when digging, and everyone's clothes were covered in mud.

Chen Zhou pushed a small cart modeled after a playground marking cart, drawing black lines on the yellowish earth—the cart was filled with crushed charcoal.

Having experience living in a modern city, Chen Zhou reserved a lot of space for the construction of the residential area, especially for the roads, which were exceptionally wide.

From the moment the second group of natives was captured, it was destined that the island would not remain with only ten people forever. Considering that this place might become a large gathering place for hundreds, even thousands of people in the future, Chen Zhou included some infrastructure in the design drawings in the early stages of planning.

……

The entire residential area was surrounded by the gallows.

Above the residential area are farmlands and cave dwellings, and below is an untouched primeval forest.

Chen Zhou plans to set up three "core areas" in the residential area.

The execution area is one of them. Currently, there is only a simple gallows. In the future, it may be developed into a high platform and a large square. Around the square, a building similar to a "court" or "trial chamber" will be set up, and perhaps a prison will also be built.

In the future, criminals who violate the law and will be punished will be publicly executed on the high platform as a warning to other indigenous people.

The second core area is a plaza that resembles a "business center".

If the island were to develop into a port in the future, providing supplies and entertainment for contemporary seafarers, many taverns, inns, and even brothels would be built there to earn the gold and silver treasures that sailors would plunder from the Inca Kingdom or somewhere else.

In addition, Chen Zhou also wanted to sell some "special products" to the Spanish, Dutch and British, such as chocolate, milk tea and apricots, and the plastic waste products that were sent as a mystery reward.

If he had enough trustworthy people, he could even sell the methods for improving matchlock guns, or sell some special gunpowder, grenades and landmines produced by modern chemicals.

Of course, that would be a different price.

The third core area is the island's "administrative center," responsible for municipal planning and managing various departments, such as the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Culture and Sports, which may be built in the future, as well as agencies responsible for security, justice, and commerce.

However, given the current population size and productivity of the island, it seems premature to consider establishing an administrative center. There hasn't even been time to pave the roads on the island, so we can only make do by building a few decent houses for the natives.

Those major projects will not have a chance to start for at least five or six years, and it may take more than ten years to be realized.

……

Of course, although construction could not begin immediately, Chen Zhou had already laid out many plans for the residential area and port.

Of particular importance are the drainage system and the flood control system.

Because the islands are located in tropical or subtropical regions and are isolated overseas, they are frequently affected by heavy rainfall.

To prevent floods from destroying residential areas and disrupting daily life, sufficient margin must be reserved when constructing roads and drainage pipes.

Even if it cannot cope with a storm that occurs once every fifty years, it should at least be able to withstand a normal storm so that there is little water accumulation on the road and traffic is not affected.

……

The new wooden houses for the indigenous people are similar to the cramped staff dormitories, divided into two four-person rooms, each with a small kitchen.

Compared to their Saturday and Sunday lodgings, these two cabins are much more spacious, but they lack bright windows and fine furniture; the only way to get light is to leave the doors open.

In addition, there were no bedding on the beds inside the wooden houses, and the natives could only sleep on the hard wooden planks at night.

Moreover, although the roof of the log cabin was covered with two layers of wooden planks and some mixed straw and broad leaves, it could not guarantee that it could withstand the impact of heavy rainfall for up to a month.

Perhaps by the end of the rainy season, these three small houses will start to leak frequently.

However, there's nothing that can be done about it. The rainy season has already begun, and building houses with wood and stone structures directly would take too long. Right now, it's already quite good that we can provide the indigenous people with a decent shelter.

Moreover, the indigenous people are very satisfied with their new homes with roofs.

Even if the houses allocated by the government are small, they are still much more comfortable than the original dwellings in the tribe, and far better than sleeping in the wilderness.

……

The cleared land on the hillside was much larger than the three cabins.

Looking down from above, amidst a vast expanse of yellowish-brown, barren soil, only three square wooden houses stand forlornly, resembling a secluded little settlement.

……

The cabin was completed just before the torrential rains arrived.

With the official start of the rainy season, the indigenous people's pace of life has become more relaxed and comfortable due to the influence of the climate.

The seven indigenous people moved their work area from both sides of the mountain to the area around the cave dwellings.

In addition to assisting with work on Saturdays and Sundays, they also have to "attend classes".

……

The teaching materials that Chen Zhou had prepared in advance came in handy at this time.

Every morning after finishing their work, the seven natives would gather in the small wooden house with vineyards in the afternoon to receive their Saturday education.

Starting with the most basic pinyin, they mastered Chinese vocabulary while verifying their agricultural knowledge through practice.

In his spare time, Chen Zhou would occasionally go to the cabin to sit in on the lessons, pointing out any shortcomings in Chen Zhou's teaching or adding more details for everyone.

……

It turns out that Saturday has a real talent for teaching.

His gentle and patient nature, along with his keen observation skills, enabled him to more acutely perceive the confusion of the seven "students".

When he passed on the knowledge that Chen Zhou had taught him to the natives, he was able to explain it in great detail.

Even when grading homework, he could act like a real teacher, giving appropriate advice for each indigenous student's shortcomings.

Moreover, compared to Chen Zhou, Saturday has an advantage—he is fluent in the indigenous language.

With the advantage of having "two tongues," Saturday was able to teach the natives more quickly and effectively, enabling them to acquire knowledge and apply it as early as possible. (End of Chapter)