From Robinson Crusoe

Chen Zhou exhibits many behaviors that the natives find difficult to understand, with fishing being the most prominent example.

The indigenous people, who have long struggled to survive, find it hard to understand why humans would use the most complicated and inefficient way to obtain food, food that they could catch simply by diving into the water.

Chen Zhou was unable to explain this to them.

In modern times, fishing is no longer associated with profit; anglers enjoy the process of fishing and the joy of catching a big fish.

Especially for some people who go sea fishing for giant grouper, they are not fishing for the grouper to eat it, but to experience the thrill of wrestling with the giant grouper.

If modern people want to achieve higher returns, there are many simpler methods than fishing.

From the most unethical methods of electrofishing and blast fishing, to net fishing, or even the simpler method of direct aquaculture, all are faster than fishing.

The spiritual needs that arise in modern people because they no longer have to worry about food and clothing are things that the indigenous people may not understand for a very long time.

……

The islands have a unique beauty during the rainy season.

As you descend the mountain and wander through the primeval forest, you'll see blooming flowers everywhere, their petals still glistening with dewdrops.

The rising mist drifted through the treetops, vaguely resembling a snake, only to be dispersed by the wind and rain, as if it had instantly pierced through a thousand holes.

However, in the blink of an eye, it returned to its original state and was still hanging high up.

The short fur that Laifu had been given was soaked by the rain, and its originally light golden fur turned light brown.

Perhaps it was because the weather was too hot and humid, it always grinned when it was with Chen Zhou, its tongue lolling out, with water droplets hanging on the tip of its tongue. It was hard to tell whether it was rain or saliva.

Chen Zhou wore a wide-brimmed straw hat, carried a long leather bag in one hand and a hiking backpack on his back, and stepped on the wet ground, occasionally pushing Lai Fu's big, wet head aside.

The natives frequently traveled up and down the mountain to transport supplies, and had long since cleared this road.

Now that it has rained, many low grasses have grown on the dirt road that was trampled and filled in. The soil that was not firm enough has also been washed away by the streams formed by the rainwater. The depressions in the ground are filled with rainwater, forming small puddles.

Chen Zhou still remembers how difficult the road was when he first arrived on the island and went up the mountain to find a suitable site to build a shelter.

Vines, shrubs, tree roots, and weeds were everywhere, making it almost impossible to see what was happening in the distance.

Back then, Laifu was very active. When he was with him, he would always run in the lead until he could no longer see him, and then he would turn back, grumbling as if he was complaining that he was walking too slowly.

Now that the road is wide and easy to walk on, Laifu no longer wants to run freely.

Chen Zhou knew that Lai Fu had become increasingly mature and composed as he grew older.

It still loved him, but it learned to wait and to teach people to do what they should do.

For any pet owner, it's a good thing when their pet becomes well-behaved.

But for some reason, Chen Zhou felt a pang of nostalgia for the Lai Fu who used to frolic on the hillside and bravely jump into the water to fight the frogs.

"I wish the Time and Space Administration could send you a wife."

Chen Zhou said softly to Lai Fu.

He then felt it was a bit premature to talk about Laifu's next generation, since Laifu was in his prime, so he made another joke.

"You bastard, did you see any female dogs before you got on the ship?"
"Are you still a virgin?"

oooo~
Laifu couldn't understand Chen Zhou's words, only thinking that its master was calling it. It quickly put its tongue back and hummed, then raised its head and put its head into Chen Zhou's palm.

This time, Chen Zhou didn't push it away, but instead rubbed the dog's head hard and added.

"It's okay. Even if the Time and Space Administration doesn't send you a wife, I'll find you a young and beautiful one..."

……

The rain was very light. When we arrived at the foot of the mountain, the raindrops mixed with the dampness from the sea made us feel as if we were walking in the clouds.

A light drizzle fell on the riverbank, and mist shrouded the distant trees, blurring the scenery.

Upon arriving at the lake, a quick glance reveals several exceptionally large ripples among the constantly spreading water.

That's fish breathing at the surface of the water.

When it rains, the dissolved oxygen level in the lake decreases, and fish become much more active than usual.

On the one hand, when it rains, many plankton gather in the upper layer of the water, and fish that feed on plankton will go to the surface. On the other hand, they also need to breathe some air to make up for the lack of oxygen underwater.

Based on Chen Zhou's fishing experience over the past few years, fishing is most likely to be successful when it is drizzling or after the drizzle stops.

If you fish before it rains, the fish in the lake seem to lose their appetite and ignore the bait you throw in.

Fishing before rain, especially before a downpour, often results in catching nothing.

……

Setting up an umbrella over a boulder at the edge of the lake, Chen Zhou took out the bait he had prepared for him on Saturday from his backpack.

As his personal "logistics captain," Saturday has become increasingly adept at handling his personal affairs.

Normally, tasks like washing dirty clothes, cooking a meal, running errands for Chen Zhou, relaying messages, cooking barley, digging for earthworms, or catching insects for fish bait are never assigned separately.

People with good judgment will find work to do themselves, and Chen Zhou is satisfied with this about Saturdays.

Of course, not all of these tasks were done by myself on Saturday. Apart from more personal things like washing clothes and cooking, I could ask the indigenous people for help with things like boiling barley and digging for earthworms on Saturday.

During the rainy season, the locals' workload is greatly reduced, so it's not a big deal for them to free up some time to help the "teacher" with some work, since they still need to rely on this teacher for their studies.

Furthermore, if they make any mistakes in the future, the leader's close associates can speak on their behalf on Saturday.

No indigenous person ever refused the tasks assigned on Saturdays.

Human relationships and social customs will naturally arise as long as a large number of people gather together and are not foolish, since humans are social animals.

……

After mixing the cooked barley with a small fly mixed in, Chen Zhou first made a nest.

Actually, there's no need to bait the spot on a rainy day. This place is a rare "fishing paradise" with resources that modern anglers can hardly imagine.

During the fish's active season, you can catch fish even without baiting the hook, let alone baiting the ground.

However, since the barley is already cooked, it will spoil in less than two days if we don't use it. So we might as well use it.

"Consider it a form of compensation for the fish that lost its loved ones," Chen Zhou thought.

……

With a wave of his hand, the barley he scattered made the already organic-rich surface composition of the water layer even more complex.

The small flies selected through numerous experiments are particularly popular with fish. Their corpses stick to barley grains and fall into the water, emitting a fishy smell that attracts fish to scramble for them.

At this point, you can catch fish even with a long landing net, let alone casting a line.

The thrashing of fish in the water attracted the attention of the frogs on the lakeside. When Chen Zhou first arrived, only a few frogs were croaking, but once the fish became active, a chorus of frogs filled the air. Two years ago, Lai Fu would definitely have fought with these noisy creatures, or at the very least, barked a few times to express his dissatisfaction.

Now, it just lies under the umbrella, lazily glancing in the direction of the frog's croaking, impatiently flicking its tail, without even getting up.

……

Just as Chen Zhou summarized from his experience, fish are most active when it drizzles, and he caught several small fish in a row after sitting for a short time.

The new fishing rod is very easy to use; letting out and reeling in the line is very smooth, which shows that the high price is justified.

Chen Zhou felt that once he started using this new fishing rod, it would be very difficult for him to switch back to the inferior fishing rod in the fishing gift pack.

From frugality to luxury is easy, from luxury to frugality.

Just like now, they enjoy having their daily chores taken care of on Saturdays and Sundays, with the indigenous people sharing the physical labor in farming and animal husbandry.

If you asked him to go back to the time when he worked hard 365 days a year without rest, spending all his time farming and frequently traveling between the two sides of the mountains to check on his sheep, he definitely wouldn't be able to accept it.

……

Before Chen Zhou arrived, there were probably no fishermen on the island, let alone anyone fishing.

The fish here retain their original appearance; not only are there many large fish, but they are also not very intelligent and do not recognize fishhooks at all.

When Chen Zhou first started fishing, he thought he was a fishing genius who could easily achieve the "double catch" that experienced anglers dreamed of.

He later discovered that "connecting rods" were commonplace here.

Not to mention him, the "armchair fishing pro" who spends all his time gaining experience on fishing forums, even those who have never fished before can catch more than a dozen fish in a row on Saturdays and Sundays when they pick up a fishing rod.

Even more outrageous is that even without a professional fishing rod, you can just stick a long branch into the lakeside, tie a vine to the end of the branch, and then cut the end of the vine into a hook shape, and fish will "take the bait".

To be honest, Chen Zhou almost lost his Dao heart when he saw the fish hanging on the vine that day.

He simply couldn't understand how someone could catch fish using such an outrageous method, while he sometimes sat for hours without catching anything.

However, the unique pleasure of fishing lies in the fact that sometimes you catch something and sometimes you come back empty-handed.

Chen Zhou finally consoled his wounded heart with the lame excuse that "not catching fish is accumulating merit, and the value of the next mysterious reward will definitely increase."

……

Although he had been deceiving himself, Chen Zhou still had a strong attachment to fishing.

Once anglers become "addicted" to fishing, they all set their sights on catching bigger fish, and once they catch a big one, they keep raising that goal even higher.

Gradually, the anglers began to look down on small whitebait. Sometimes, after a hard day of fishing, they would feel ashamed to see the small fish in their bucket and would rather release them and go home empty-handed.

Chen Zhou was the same way.

He had been fishing for three years and had only caught one particularly large fish; most of his other catches were only seven or eight pounds.

Fish weighing seven or eight pounds are common in this river, and if the locals were to dive and catch them, they could catch dozens in an hour.

This made Chen Zhou feel very unfulfilled every time he caught a fish.

He knew there were large fish, nearly a meter long, deep in the lake, but he could never catch them.

The more elusive the catch, the more he craves it, especially when he recalls the first big fish that slapped him before escaping – it always reignites Chen Zhou's passion for fishing.

"I must catch that big fish and wash away my shame!"

He often thought this way, including today when he was fishing. As he came down the mountain, he fantasized that he would successfully "catch" that big fish on this drizzly day.

……

However, the gap between fantasy and reality is simply too great.

After sitting by the lake for more than five hours, Chen Zhou's enthusiasm was gradually dampened by the continuous rain.

The fish were indeed active that morning, but his catch was no different from usual. Most of the fish in his basket were small fish no more than 20cm long, and he occasionally saw two fish that were over 30cm long, which he considered big fish.

As for the giant creature that Chen Zhou had been longing for, which was a meter long, he hadn't even seen a shadow of it.

He even suspected that these large fish might have a separate habitat and not associate with the smaller fish.

……

By the afternoon, the rain had stopped, but the sky remained gloomy without any sun.

Chen Zhou didn't know how many times he had lifted the rod. Without even looking, he could tell how much the fish weighed just by the feel of the rod when he lifted it.

He glanced at the fish on his hook, then finally sighed, realizing that he couldn't find joy in fishing for the time being.

He patted Laifu's head, just as he was about to put down his fishing rod and play with the guy for a while, when he saw a native running hurriedly from the direction of the camp at the foot of the mountain.

Chen Zhou knew this native. According to their tribe's pronunciation, his name should be Kulu. He spoke with a slight stutter, but he was quite hardworking.

According to my informant, this guy is a quiet type; while others are chatting animatedly at night, he's usually the one who doesn't say a word.

It is said that Kulu has a wife and children in the tribe, and his gloomy mood all day long is probably because he is worried about his children.

Every native in the tribe knows what life is like. If a man in his prime is lost, his wife will definitely be reassigned to someone else, and his children will become half-orphans.

Children with fathers don't fare well in the tribe, let alone those without fathers; they're lucky if they don't die.

If Kuru had never experienced a good life and had never received an education, he might still be living happily in this "paradise".

But since he learned what is right and wrong from Chen Zhou on Saturday, he will inevitably think of his family who are still living in hell, yet he cannot save them and let them enjoy happiness with him. It is normal for him to act a little withdrawn.

……

“Under normal circumstances, Kuru should be working in the fields or eating and resting with other indigenous people during this time of year.”

What's he doing here? We don't need him to deliver messages; he's free on Saturdays and Sundays..."

Chen Zhou was puzzled when Kuru ran up to him in a flash, took a few deep breaths, and then stammered.

"The sheep, the sheep was, was eaten by a snake."

He already had a stutter, and after running such a long distance, his anxiety made his speech even more incoherent, and his stuttering became much worse than usual.

He repeated the word "being" more than ten times before finally managing to say it, making the strong native man's face turn red.

"A snake eating a sheep?"

Chen Zhou was wondering what kind of snake could eat sheep when a sudden inspiration struck him: he remembered the giant python he had unexpectedly seen when he discovered a herd of wild goats during his first year on the island.

Most of the venomous snakes on the island are small and thin, only a little over a meter long. They have a hard time even eating a sheep's hoof, let alone a sheep.

If we're talking about eating sheep, perhaps only pythons possess that ability. (End of Chapter)