From Robinson Crusoe

The resilience of life is always astonishing.

Until he received the news and hurriedly went down from the mountaintop, seeing the native's face, which had turned pale from hypothermia, Chen Zhou couldn't believe that this guy had actually been outside for a whole day.

Keep in mind that this was an extremely severe rainstorm, and strong winds blew almost all day long above the mountainside.

In such an environment, let alone an indigenous person with very low body fat who is only wearing a fur raincoat and a thin outer coat.

Even fully equipped extreme sports enthusiasts would probably find it difficult to last a whole day.

Not to mention that during this process, the indigenous people also had to brave the rain to move around on the mountain.

In Chen Zhou's opinion, it was already a miracle that this guy had survived until now.

……

Chen Zhou first checked the native's breathing on Sunday and found that his breathing rate was quite low, only about 7 to 8 times per minute.

Chen Zhou then loosened the native's collar to confirm that his heart was still beating normally, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Desperately searching his memory for first aid methods for hypothermia and unconsciousness, Chen Zhou, while pulling at the native's soaked clothes, ordered the others to quickly find some sturdy wooden sticks to make a makeshift stretcher and gently carry the native back to the cave.

Hypothermia-induced shock can make the heart extremely vulnerable. If the indigenous people continue to be carried on the rugged mountain road, the violent bumps could cause them to develop atrial fibrillation, which could endanger their lives.

Lying flat on a stretcher, even with some bumps, can greatly reduce the risk of ventricular fibrillation.

Removing wet clothing is also an extremely important first aid step for people suffering from hypothermia.

Completely soaked clothing is full of moisture, and as long as it continues to be wrapped around a hypothermic person, it will continue to evaporate and dissipate heat. The wet clothes must be removed first, and the hypothermic person's body must be dried before their body temperature can be slowly restored.

According to proper first aid procedures, the person suffering from hypothermia should first be moved to a sheltered place, and then their clothes should be removed.

But at this moment, everyone was in the middle of nowhere, and the rain was pouring down, so there was no place to take shelter from the rain for the time being.

Moreover, the natives had been suffering from hypothermia for some time. Weighing the two evils, Chen Zhou chose the lesser one, and at this moment, he couldn't afford to evacuate anyone—

He has to save the lives of the natives before he can talk about anything else.

……

Stripping off the soaking wet clothes of the locals reminded Chen Zhou of the day he arrived on the island, that damp night that he still finds hard to forget.

He ripped off Robinson Crusoe's coat on the beach, receiving the first gift that marked the beginning of his challenge, and thus began his long journey of survival.

Back then, people stripped off their clothes to save themselves; now, they strip off their clothes to save others.

Although the scenes are similar, the purposes and feelings are completely different.

With the help of other natives, the herders were quickly stripped naked.

Chen Zhou had two natives hold onto the two ends of the leather raincoat and place it over the herding natives to form a makeshift rain shelter. Then he took off his own coat and began to wipe the herding natives' bodies.

At the same time, Sunday led the rest of the group back with the selected branches.

While performing first aid, Chen Zhou instructed the natives on how to make a stretcher.

In order to save their companions' lives, the natives demonstrated extremely high work efficiency.

Before long, the herding natives, covered in relatively dry clothing, were placed on a stretcher.

Two people carried him, and two others held onto his leather raincoat to shield him from the rain.

With someone providing light and someone leading the way, the group dared not delay and practically jogged their way toward the cave dwelling.

……

This native was lucky to survive.

Just when they were discovered at the last moment, they happened to run into Chen Zhou, a half-baked "doctor" from the modern world who knew some first aid, as well as a group of energetic and incredibly efficient companions.

In addition, he himself underwent a "breeding" style of growth in a primitive tribe, so although his body was thin, his vitality was exceptionally strong.

After being taken to the warm forge, he lay there for most of the night under the care of everyone.

During this time, his body temperature continued to rise slowly, his breathing rate increased, and his heart beat stronger.

Finally, at dawn, the herding natives slowly woke up.

……

Upon regaining consciousness, the native felt only a headache and coldness, an indescribable discomfort.

It took him quite a while to finally turn his head and see the bright red flames burning in the furnace, and the exhausted leader sitting next to the anvil.

It was now September 30th.

Chen Zhou hadn't slept all night, and coupled with his concern for the lives of the indigenous people, he was somewhat listless.

Thinking about today's anniversary reward, and seeing that the native had woken up and his condition did not show any signs of worsening, but he was still very weak, he did not immediately ask the native why he had not returned earlier. He simply waved his hand, signaling the other natives to carry the "idiot" back to the cabin.

Before the natives left, Chen Zhou reminded them to make sure to feed the herding natives later.

The worst thing about hypothermia is when someone who doesn't know any better tries to rub the limbs. While that might raise the local body temperature, it can cause cold blood to flow back and lead to cardiac arrest.

Feeding them hot water and food is also forbidden, as it can cause low blood pressure and rewarming shock. Fearing that the natives might do more harm than good out of concern for their companion, Chen Zhou told them everything he needed to know. He then called Saturday and asked him to wake him up at dawn. He then dragged his tired body to his bedroom to rest.

……

Although he said he was resting, Chen Zhou didn't actually fall asleep at all.

Firstly, he had reservations about this anniversary reward—

The previous rewards were really too generous.

Two cows, one male and one female, of superior breed;
A large quantity of clothing, enough to last for twenty years;
The island could absolutely not manufacture such an extra-long steel wire rope, and even the industrial system of this era could not produce it.
A large number of plastic-cased compasses that can be slipped into a pocket...

Any one of these rewards could serve as a major prize after solving the puzzle. With so many being sent in a row, Chen Zhou really suspected that the Administration Bureau had overdrawn his anniversary gift in advance.

Secondly, because today is, after all, a "festival" personally designated by him.

Unlike the last wartime holiday, this time there was no threat from the Spanish, so he had to find a way to make the holiday more grand, prepare more distinctive dishes, and ideally come up with a few unique elements to add to the holiday.

Otherwise, with three festivals a year, each involving morning sacrifices, evening meals, and receiving gifts, how boring would that be?

In addition, Chen Zhou has been considering how to develop the island after the dry season begins, which tasks are of higher importance, and which should be done later.

There were also Spaniards.

Who knows if they'll go crazy and suddenly decide to "be brothers in the heart" and cause trouble on the island.

……

Chen Zhou lay in bed in a daze until dawn. Several times he almost fell asleep, but was woken up by Ti Zi and Guang Dang, who were doing parkour in the room.

After he moved his main activity areas to the forge and the natives' cabins, the cats in his house gradually became less affectionate towards him than before.

Tiger Head, in particular, has become a local tyrant in the vicinity of the farmland. He is never home, and even on rainy days, he is often nowhere to be seen for several days.

However, Chen Zhou was not worried about Tiger Head's safety.

It inherited the excellent genes of Tizi and Xiaohuihui, and has lived in a carefree environment since childhood, so its physique has basically reached the limit of what it can grow.

In this woodland, no wildcat could overcome the enormous size difference and subdue Tiger Head in a fight.

As for competing for mates, Tiger Head is invincible. As long as it sets its sights on a female cat, there is no one it can't win over except for its mother and sisters at home.

According to Chen Zhou's observation, many of the new kittens that have appeared near the woodland seem to be descendants of Tiger Head.

However, those cats were not raised by him from a young age, and there was no affection between them at all.

Currently, the number of cats is not so large as to affect people's lives or the ecological balance. Even if stray cats become rampant and cause a disaster, he will not feel any pity.

Lacking the skills to spay or neuter cats, Chen Zhou was prepared to slaughter Hu Tou's offspring to control the stray cat population from the very beginning when he released Hu Tou.

As for the cats at home, Chen Zhou would control their mating by intervening when they were in heat.

Since Ti Zi gave birth to her first litter of kittens, no new members have been added to the cave dwelling. He has put in a lot of effort and worry during this time.

……

The dark clouds outside the window dispersed, and sunlight streamed into the bedroom through the window.

Still feeling tired, Chen Zhou grabbed the restless Ti Zi and Guang Dang mother and daughter as if to vent his anger, put them on the bed, buried his face in their furry bellies, and vigorously wiped his face.

He then released the two protesting cats, opened the cage door, and took the chinchilla out.

……

Little Totoro has been living in the cave for almost three years now, ever since he was caught by Chen Zhou.

Compared to the natives, it is a "veteran".

Over the past three years, it has upgraded its living space four times, from a cramped cage to a duplex and now to an exquisite luxury villa. Its life has become more and more comfortable, and it has gained more and more weight.

But its character has never changed.

When it first joined the family, it remained calm and composed, showing no panic even when other cats approached.

Now, its emotions have stabilized to a certain level. Wherever it is placed, it stands there, motionless, like a decorative object.

Sometimes Chen Zhou even wondered if the little dragon cat was a capybara in its past life, and wanted to be a capybara again in this life but was born into the wrong body.

……

I placed the chubby little Totoro on the bedside table, then opened the drawer and took out a gold coin, placing it under the Totoro's tiny front paws.

The little Totoro immediately gripped the edge of the gold coin, proudly raised its head, and looked at Chen Zhou with its dark, round eyes, mostly hidden by its thick fur.

Chen Zhou "sensibly" took out a hay block specially made for the little Totoro from the jar and offered it to it in exchange for gold coins.

The little chinchilla was already very familiar with this process. It deftly released its front paws, took the hay clump, and brought it to its mouth to nibble on it.

Chen Zhou gently stroked the little Totoro's head with his fingers, wanting to play with the little guy a little longer, when suddenly there was a knock on the bedroom door—

I came to wake him up on Saturday. (End of Chapter)