From Robinson Crusoe

Time slipped away quietly during the agonizing wait.

As the rainy season draws to a close, the dark clouds in the sky are gradually thinning, and the long-awaited sunshine is frequently shining on the earth.

He was thinking about the third-anniversary reward, and also about the lobsters, giant crabs and rare marine life in the sea, and even wanted to salvage the shipwreck ruins from the sea.

In the last few days of September, Chen Zhou felt as if each day was an eternity.

……

In order to get to sea as soon as possible and to pass the long time, Chen Zhou chose a sunny day and, together with the locals, carried out a relatively well-preserved dugout canoe.

After some effort, the canoe was successfully moved to the campsite in the south corner of Shanxi.

Chen Zhou specially prepared a spacious rain shelter for this dugout canoe.

Inside this rain shelter, he and several indigenous people who had experience building canoes carried out simple repairs on the canoes.

The natives did not have metal tools, so they made canoes using wood and fire. The whole process only required a few stone tools such as stone axes and stone adzes.

They typically place the selected timber on the ground, peel off the bark, then cover the area to be hollowed out with wet mud to protect the trunk. Finally, they slowly char the trunk with fire before digging out the carbonized wood.

After hollowing out the middle of the tree trunk, the natives would use stone tools to slowly carve out the shape of a dugout canoe.

According to one of the indigenous people who accompanied Chen Zhou on the restoration, the canoes they used to reach the island were actually not very large.

This "little guy" can only carry a maximum of twenty people.

The largest dugout canoe ever built in the tribe could carry eighty warriors, and they had nothing to fear even if they encountered small waves at sea.

However, with the felling of towering trees and the increasing frequency of conflicts within the tribe, there were no longer enough people to build such large dugout canoes, so it became impossible to reproduce those enormous dugout canoes.

This native was once a skilled "canoe maker" in his tribe, and he had seen with his own eyes the weathered and decayed canoe that had been abandoned on the beach.

During his conversation with Chen Zhou, he repeatedly marveled at the hardness and efficiency of the metal tools, stating that if the tribe possessed such tools, building a dugout canoe that could carry eighty warriors would not be a problem, let alone one that could carry a hundred.

This remark was reminiscent of an emperor using a golden hoe to till the land, leaving Chen Zhou both amused and exasperated, unsure whether to praise the native for his ambition or criticize him for being brainless.

……

However, although the indigenous "shipbuilding masters" are not as good as Chen Zhou, an outsider, in designing boats, they do have some unique methods for maintaining dugout canoes.

For example, a natural resin secreted by a tree can be used to enhance the waterproofness of a canoe.

If it weren't for the indigenous people telling Chen Zhou, he would never have known that the waterproof material he was searching for was actually growing in the forest next to the fields.

Guided by the locals, he successfully collected a large bucket of resin, which he used to coat the severely damaged canoe with a protective layer.

Afterwards, Chen Zhou, who attached great importance to waterproofing materials, specially included all trees that could secrete resin in the protection list and drew a "portrait" of it.

No indigenous people are allowed to cut down this tree when harvesting timber, unless they have Chen Zhou's permission.

Moreover, they even spread the seeds of this tree to more distant places, allowing them to multiply in specific areas to ensure a stable resin production.

……

This is not Chen Zhou making a mountain out of a molehill.

It's important to know that in the 17th century, before the advent of synthetic resins, natural resins had a wide range of applications and were somewhat irreplaceable.

The most basic waterproof coating goes without saying, but resin can also be used as an insulating welding material. For example, some modern electronic boards that use tin soldering can be replaced with resin.

It can also be used in adhesives, fragrances, and even in the manufacture of soap, paper, and resins.

Chen Zhou wasn't very clear about this knowledge before. It was only after he recently read the Simple Manufacturing Manual for Explosives that he understood the importance of resin in the chemical industry, which is why he is so sensitive to trees that can produce resin.

Moreover, Chen Zhou has been instilling the concepts of "afforestation" and sustainable development into the indigenous people on the island.

This includes selecting tree species with good wood quality, tree species with edible fruits, and some plants that can be used for rattan weaving, and planting them in large quantities.

The textbook also clearly explains knowledge about crop rotation, fallowing, and fertility preservation.

……

To be honest, Chen Zhou could have chosen not to teach this knowledge at all.

After all, he was only on the island for 28 years. During those 28 years, he could destroy the entire island at will without considering the future consequences.

"After I die, I don't care about the flood."

Planting trees and creating forests has enabled the indigenous people to approach farming scientifically, thus raising and breeding herds of cattle and sheep...

These invisible shackles are extremely beneficial in the long run, but in the short term, these measures cannot generate benefits and will instead take away some of the labor force.

Chen Zhou was well aware of this, but he still did it anyway.

He could sense that these natives were living, breathing people, not NPCs in a game.

They are flesh and blood, with their own thoughts, joys and sorrows, and they have unreserved trust in, and even dependence on, their leader.

Whether it's for peace of mind or to make oneself worthy of this trust.

Chen Zhou hoped that after he left, the natives could survive better in this era and not follow the tragic path of the natives of the same period.

……

Ahead of the third anniversary celebration, one of only three festivals held on the island each year, Chen Zhou completed the repair of the canoe and had the natives test it out in the wide river.

The results were quite encouraging. The canoe was able to move freely in the river without any problems such as leaks or instability. It is expected that it will also be able to perform fishing work in the sea. All that is needed is a clear, sunny day.

……

On September 29, a torrential downpour hit the island, and Chen Zhou finally had some free time.

The heavy rainfall, accompanied by strong winds, affected not only his work but also that of the indigenous people.

The indigenous people who tended the farmland were better off; they only needed to dig up the earthen ridges at the edges of the farmland to drain the accumulated rainwater in time.

The guy in charge of herding the sheep was in for a rough time.

In such a downpour, visibility was extremely low, and the straw hat on his head could not withstand the pounding of the raindrops at all; the edges were pressed down and stuck to the sides of his head.

Even though Chen Zhou had lent him the sealskin raincoat early in the morning, it couldn't withstand such heavy rain.

The water accumulated on the mountaintop turned into streams, rushing freely down the mountain.

The unstable gravel turned into slippery mud, making it easy to slip when stepping on it.

The world was shrouded in a gray-black rain curtain. Two cows, relying on their large size, were bathing in the rain, while the flock of sheep was scattered by the downpour and thunder.

The herders searched from morning till dusk, only managing to eat a piece of dough soaked by the rain and a few bits of chocolate at noon, but ultimately failed to find all the sheep.

Afterwards, a count of the sheep revealed that one male and one female adult sheep were missing, along with three lambs.

……

This is the first time the island's goat population has suffered such severe losses since it gradually expanded.

On the evening of September 29, the natives, having realized they had lost several sheep, were filled with panic. They sat on the still-rainy hillside, hesitant to return to their cabin.

He set off at dawn, tending and searching for sheep until dark, by which time his straw hat was soaked and rotten from the rain.

As for the sealskin raincoat he was wearing, it was of no use in the exceptionally bad weather. Every inch of the native's skin, from head to toe, was soaked.

Because of the slippery roads due to the rain, he fell too many times on the mountain, and his clothes were covered with yellowish-brown mud spots, especially his trouser legs and shoes, which were almost completely encased in mud.

The evaporating rainwater on his body was taking away his body heat.

A strong mountain wind blew by, and the unusually cold tropical drizzle chilled the natives to the bone.

With trembling hands, he unbuttoned his raincoat, fumbled for a small piece of chocolate in his coat pocket, and found some crumbs that looked like porridge. He stuffed them into his mouth, chewing as he gazed down the mountain.

Dusk and rain have embraced the whole world in darkness.

In the far distance, only a layer of mist could be seen, shrouding the forest canopy and obstructing the native's view, making him feel that he was heading towards an unknown and miserable situation.

In the tribe, even losing a single fruit belonging to the chief could result in having one's ear cut off or even being executed.

What he lost this time were several sheep, enough to feed them for two or three days, sheep whose importance the chief had repeatedly emphasized.

Even though the new leader was always very kind when talking to them and treated them with great generosity.

It's raining today, so we even brought him some warm clothes.

But those were five sheep after all.

On the one hand, the natives were worried about the punishment they might face and were afraid, wanting to escape into the forest. On the other hand, they felt guilty for failing their leader's trust and for not doing a good job.

He wanted to continue searching for the missing sheep, but he simply didn't have the strength.

Even natives who have honed their skills in primitive tribes for so many years and possess amazing physical strength and endurance cannot surpass the limits of human beings by engaging in high-intensity activities for more than ten hours in a rain-soaked mountain environment.

In fact, the native could now feel a chill creeping up his bones, making him shiver uncontrollably.

Another inexplicable heat crept into his brain, making him feel dazed and lightheaded. Once he sat down on the hillside, he found it difficult to stand up.

Although they vaguely knew they were ill, the natives did not feel much will to live.

Spaniards hanged on the gallows;
Those who made mistakes and had their throats slit by the tribe's chief;
A companion whose skull was ripped open after the thunder;
The bloodied natives, brutally whipped...

Severe punishments and various painful ways to die flashed through his mind; he could almost see himself on the gallows.

He neither wanted to run away, nor could he find the lost sheep, nor could he bear the consequences of his mistake, and he did not have the courage to return to the cabin to face the chief.

He thought that it would be a good thing to die on the hillside like this.

At least it's more comfortable than hanging from a rope, and the corpse probably won't be slowly devoured by birds, beasts, flies, and insects like that naked hanged man, turning into rotting flesh and a stark white skeleton.

……

His feverish brain gradually clouded his senses.

The image in his mind had somehow taken on a fiery red hue, making him forget his chill and feel only heat.

Death is draining the life from the natives.

Before collapsing on the hillside, he vaguely heard his companions calling his name, and then the deep darkness swallowed his consciousness.

……

The oil lamp inside the glass shade emitted a dim, yellowish light, blurring the rain curtain in the night.

The nine people were scattered across the hillside, their nine points of light resembling tiny fireflies dancing in the mist and rain.

Every now and then, the natives would call out the names of their companions at the top of their lungs, but no one would answer.

Chen Zhou's sailor uniform was soaked by the rain. He carried an oil lamp in one hand and a monocular telescope in the other. With a frown, he stepped on the slippery mountainside, led Lai Fu, and headed straight for the top of the mountain.

……

The rain today was far heavier than he had expected, with an intensity comparable to the aftermath of the storm that struck shortly after Robinson Crusoe landed on the island, and lasting even longer.

In this kind of weather, not only humans, but even hardy wild animals have to give up their hunting plans and stay obediently in their dens.

Chen Zhou thought the shepherd would return by noon when the rain got too heavy, but he didn't expect the guy to be so stubborn and stay out all day in this weather.

In the afternoon, the indigenous people's wooden houses were leaking, and he helped them plug and unclog the leaks. He worked until evening, but the indigenous people who were herding livestock did not return home.

Worried about the safety of the native, Chen Zhou finally couldn't sit still any longer—

There are only ten laborers on the island at most, so losing one of them would be a huge loss.

And after all, it was a living, breathing human life.

Prepared with windproof oil lamps and thick clothing, he took all his men and Laifu, who was good at tracking scents, and headed straight for the ranch.

On the way to the pasture, he had the natives call out the shepherd's name as often as possible. He even made a detour to the temple and the charcoal kiln on the scree slope to see if the shepherd was taking shelter from the rain there, but to no avail.

……

The heavy rain washed away all traces, and the earthy smell masked the scent, so Laifu couldn't find any clues about the herding natives.

Chen Zhou increasingly felt that something might have happened to the native, so he ordered the natives to spread out and expand the search area while he led Lai Fu straight to the top of the mountain.

Oil lamps have a limited range of illumination and can only help people walk at night in such weather.

He had anticipated that this person would be hard to find before he left home, so in addition to an oil lamp, he also brought a powerful flashlight.

With this advantage, Chen Zhou wanted to climb directly to a high place and use the superior view to search for the natives.

Moreover, he has been searching all this time without finding any trace of the sheep or the two cows. Compared to a single person, the herd of livestock is clearly a larger target, and the herding natives should stay with their livestock.

Chen Zhou thought that if he couldn't find the natives, finding the livestock would be fine too. By identifying the direction of the livestock's movement, he could eventually find the people.

Limited by modern thinking, he has always believed that all living things have a survival instinct.

In the face of such severe weather, without explicit orders, one would certainly assess the situation and prioritize protecting one's own safety.

Unexpectedly, this native was so honest as to risk his life to find a few sheep, even climbing up the platform and circling around to the northwest corner of the mountain peak.

You should know that even Chen Zhou has only been to this place a few times.

……

Perhaps it was fate that brought him to his death. In the last moments before the native lost consciousness, Sunday, who had been speeding all the way to the forefront, spotted his figure lying on the hillside in the distance.

The young man with a long sword at his waist spotted the object that appeared to be the target from afar. He first shouted the target's name loudly, and then cursed at it in a reprimanding tone.

Only after realizing that the natives were no longer able to respond did Sunday quickly climb the mountain to check on the target's condition.

Having learned some basic medical knowledge from Chen Zhou, I felt that this native was most likely suffering from hypothermia, high fever, and a cold caused by being caught in the rain, and was on the verge of death. On Sunday, I quickly carried the native on my back, took off my long knife to use as a cane, and hurried down the mountain with him.

In the darkness, the distance between people could be judged by the brightness of the oil lamps.

The further north you go in Shandong, the more lights you'll see on Sundays.

By shouting, he quickly summoned the two nearest natives to his side.

He ordered one of the natives to quickly inform the others, especially the chief—only he could save the lives of the herding natives.

On Sunday, he and another native carried the unconscious native on their backs, working together to move him towards the cave dwelling. (End of Chapter)