From Robinson Crusoe

Another hard day of sugar-stirring work came to an end, and the taciturn Kulu left the cave.

He wanted to rub his sore and swollen shoulders, but his arms were in so much pain that he couldn't lift them at all.

A faint light shone from the watchtower inside the courtyard, and the neatly stacked sugarcane cast long shadows, resembling a terrifying monster ready to devour its prey.

Kuru looked at the towering pile of sugarcane, thinking about the day's work, and seeing that it hadn't shrunk significantly, he sighed softly.

It's because he has the worst relationship with his classmates, is the least likable, and doesn't get along well with the teacher on Saturdays and Sundays.

He always had to do the hardest work of stirring sugar every day, but he couldn't very well shirk it.

In any case, life here is much more comfortable than in the tribe, and I can have a hot meal when I get home in the evening.

But comparisons are inevitable, and compared to his companions who didn't have to stir the sugar, Kuru still felt somewhat sad.

Especially in the last few days, his arm has been hurting more and more, and he is not as strong as he used to stir the syrup. If this continues, the sugar blocks he makes will be substandard, and he will probably be blamed.

Thinking about this, Kuru felt even more depressed.

His only consolation was that the person in charge of supervising the sugar-making work was the gentle Saturday teacher, not the Sunday guy who would lose his temper and whip people at the drop of a hat. Even if he didn't do his job well, he wouldn't be severely punished.

……

As Kuru pushed open the wooden door, the last person to leave the courtyard heard a series of clanging sounds behind him.

The sound came from the forging room.

For the past few days, the leader has been staying in the forge, from before sunrise until sunset.

Today, the leader's working hours are exceptionally long. Judging from the orange light shining through the windows of the forge, it must be incredibly hot and filled with flames inside.

"Even the leader has to do this for so long, what do I have to complain about?"
Let's hang in there for a few more days...

Kuru thought for a moment and then closed the gate to the courtyard.

He hadn't walked more than a few steps down the mountain when he saw a familiar face next to the farmland, and his steps faltered.

He walked up to the man in small steps, bowed respectfully, and greeted him.

"Teacher, it's so late, aren't you resting yet?"

"The person who came specifically to find you is the one who gets home the latest."

Saturday is not old, but he is about the same height as Kuru, and he speaks more maturely than Kuru, with a unique leader's temperament.

He gently patted Kulu on the shoulder and asked with concern.

"I heard that stirring sugar is a very tiring job. You've been working on it for several days in a row. You must be exhausted."

Kuru was suddenly touched on the shoulder. Hearing Saturday's question, he was flattered and shrank back down, repeatedly saying that he was not tired.

"Are you afraid the zebra will find out?"

I asked again on Saturday.

Seeing that Kulu remained silent, he smiled.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to test you. Zebra doesn't have the influence to persuade me."

"It's the leader. He heard that your workload is different, and some of you have been doing the hardest work for several days in a row. He asked me to give you sugar-stirring workers some compensation."

As he spoke, Saturday took out a flat little wooden box from his pocket, and by the light cast by the watchtower, opened the lid of the box and showed it to Kuru.

Inside the box was a row of rectangular, dark brown sugar cubes, which, under the dim light, resembled pieces of glistening amber.

"Half of this brown sugar is yours, and the other half you should give to the person who stirred the sugar a few days ago."

"Take two pieces of sugar each day you stir it. If that's not enough, come back to me. This is your compensation."

After speaking, Saturday closed the lid and, without waiting for Kulu to refuse, stuffed the wooden box into his arms.

He then confessed.

"Remember, this brown sugar is a reward from the chief, and it should be kept separate from your shared grain and seasonings."

No one may take your reward without your permission.

Zebras won't do, Sundays won't do, and neither will I, understand?

Seeing that Kulu nodded blankly, Saturday continued.

"Let me teach you a new term, it's called 'private property,' like my paintings and books, which belong only to me."

However, there is one exception: the leader.

We all belong to the chief, including my books and paintings, and your brown sugar—all your 'private property.'

When the word "god" is mentioned, Saturday's face is always filled with reverence, and his head involuntarily tilts back, as if he can see the omnipotent leader in the sky.

……

Kuru held the heavy wooden box between his upper arms—his arms hanging down made him feel more comfortable.

He waited quietly for the teacher to continue speaking on Saturday, and after a moment, he finally received the last instruction.

"When you get back, if they ask you where the brown sugar came from, just tell them the truth."

If Zebra gives you trouble, just go to Sunday; Sunday will handle it.

That's all I wanted to tell you. Go back, have dinner, and get some rest. You shouldn't have to do such heavy work tomorrow.

After saying that, Saturday waved his hand, indicating that Kuru could leave.

……

Kuru clutched the wooden box containing the precious brown sugar tightly, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

From utter exhaustion to receiving a reward, the turn of events was so unexpected. It was as if he had suddenly gone from hell to heaven. For a moment, he was at a loss for words and could only bow deeply to Saturday once again.

"You don't need to thank me like that. If you want to thank someone, thank our great leader. If it weren't for him, you would still be fishing in the tribes of the archipelago."

If you're unlucky, you might already be dead.

On Saturday, he turned around and waved again.

"Go back, it's getting late."

……

Without looking at Kulu's reaction, Saturday walked to his hut on his own, his face, which was turned away from the natives, was full of smiles.

In fact, he did not report the matter of compensating the indigenous people to Chen Zhou. The only thing he mentioned was the right to use the brown sugar produced.

With so much sugarcane, the amount of brown sugar produced is far more than Chen Zhou could consume on his own.

When Saturday asked, Chen Zhou assumed he wanted to make some chocolates himself, so he gave Saturday twenty catties of brown sugar to use as he pleased. Little did he know that Saturday intended to use the brown sugar to solve a problem within the indigenous community.

After receiving a large quantity of brown sugar, I spent several days preparing on Saturday, researching the best way to handle the matter.

He even wrote six different drafts, some with strong language, some more gentle, and some that questioned the zebra.

Finally, on Saturday, this article was chosen from six submissions, and I memorized it. ...

Actually, the reason we came here tonight to wait for Kulu was the result of observing for many days on Saturday. Although he seemed indifferent to the affairs between the natives, he was very clear about the various exclusions caused by the zebras forming cliques.

It was precisely because he understood the relationships between the indigenous people that he chose Kulu, a marginalized individual.

Carefully calculate Kulu's working hours, memorize his route home, and wait here.

The fact that he gave the precious brown sugar to Kuru was also something he did on Saturday.

He wanted to see just how far Zebra could go in his actions, and tomorrow he would also consult with Kulu and another familiar native to get more information.

If Zebra is really so arrogant as to interfere with Kulu's distribution, what awaits him will not be a few mild reprimands, but Sunday.

Living and eating together, nothing that happened on Saturday could be kept from Sunday. Sunday knew everything about the rivalry between the natives.

If it were up to his temper, the zebra would have been hung up and skinned alive long ago.

The reason that guy can still live a good life, finishing work early and going home to enjoy life, is all because of Saturday's persuasion.

However, there are limits to this dissuasion.

If Zebra fails this "test," the treatment he will receive will be completely different from that of Kulu.

Kulu went from hell to heaven, but he went from heaven to hell. He might not only get whipped, but he could also lose his life.

Having received gifts from Zebra and eaten canned yellow peaches from others, Saturday believed he had taken good care of Zebra in his daily life, and thus showed Zebra considerable leniency in this matter.

On Saturday, thinking about the possible extreme actions and tragic consequences Zebra might take, he could only silently hope that Zebra would behave as smart and sensible as usual. He didn't want to lose this friend forever.

……

When Kuru pushed open the door of the wooden hut with his shoulder, he saw three companions scattered around the oil lamp.

Those who leave work early can eat a hotter meal, but as a group, even though Kuru is usually quiet, everyone will still save a portion for him when they cook.

Recently, Kulu has been working the latest, and the indigenous people in charge of cooking will specially leave him extra meat and vegetables.

Zebra was the leader of the seven natives, and none of them dared to object to his arrangements.

Firstly, Zebra has the highest status among everyone, and secondly, since the hard and tiring work didn't fall on him, and no one else who did the work complained, it's naturally not good for those with easy jobs to stand up for him.

Watching Kuru being bullied, no one expected that such a thing would happen to them one day, so they all remained silent, at most trying to appease him by leaving him more food.

……

When people talk to Kulu, they usually don't get a response, and over time, no one talks to Kulu anymore.

When he entered the cabin, everyone was enjoying their leisure time after work.

Some people lie in bed, slowly breaking open a piece of chocolate, putting tiny pieces, no bigger than a little fingernail, into their mouths, closing their eyes to enjoy the rich, sweet flavor.

Someone sat by the oil lamp, sketching and writing on a white clay tablet with a charcoal pencil.

Don't think he's practicing calligraphy; he's actually learning to paint, imitating his teacher, Saturday.

Unfortunately, this person really lacked talent. The things he drew were very abstract. Not to mention having form but no spirit, he probably didn't even know what the things he wanted to draw looked like.

Another person was squatting next to the bucket, washing dishes and chopsticks; he was the "cook" in charge of cooking today.

Hearing the door open, the man looked up and glanced at Kulu. Seeing that it was the taciturn man, he was about to bend down and continue washing the dishes when he noticed the wooden box that Kulu was tucked under his arm.

……

"what is this?"

Taking out the last cleaned earthenware bowl, shaking the water off his hands, the native who washed the dishes asked curiously.

Kuru hesitated, wanting to say what he had been told on Saturday, but because he hadn't communicated with his companions for a long time, he felt as if he was missing a breath. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he just couldn't get them out, which made him feel uncomfortable.

Nevertheless, because this was such a great thing, Kuru, though feeling suffocated, forced a stiff smile onto his face.

"This, this is what my teacher gave me."

After finally managing to get the words out, Kuru, enduring the pain, took the wooden box in his hands, opened the lid, and showed it to his companion.

He clearly remembered that there were two other people who took turns stirring the sugar with him, one of whom was lying in bed eating chocolate. So he took four pieces of brown sugar from the box and put them by the man's pillow.

"this is yours."

Kuru's dark brown face was flushed with tension, making it even darker. After leaving four pieces of brown sugar, he returned to his bedside, took out four more pieces of brown sugar from the box, closed the lid, and went outside.

"Don't go! Why did the teacher give you this?"

Just as Kuru reached the door, he was stopped by the natives who were cooking.

He stood there, trying to recall what he had been told on Saturday, and attempted to repeat it, but could only stammer, "Saturday teacher said this is my 'private property,' and none of you can take it."

He then pushed open the door and added, "This is my reward for working."

As soon as he finished speaking, Kuru left the cabin, leaving behind three natives who looked at each other blankly, completely unable to understand what he had said.

……

Zebra lived in a wooden hut with two other natives, and there were only three people in total. When Kuru pushed open the door, he saw Zebra and a native sitting at a small table playing chess.

They were playing "Gomoku," a game invented by a leader.

The rules of the game are very simple: just place five pieces on the board, either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

Zebra carved the chessboard himself. He was the most diligent student in the woodworking class. While others could only make simple mortise and tenon structures when they "graduated," Zebra was already able to do relatively complex wood carvings.

Today, his wood carving skills have improved significantly. He can now carve not only simple chessboards, but also cattle and sheep on the mountain, and animals raised by the chief, with great realism.

It is said that he gave Sunday a pair of wooden bull sculptures a few days ago, the bull of which was particularly robust and was very much liked by Sunday.

Given that zebras are so close to Saturdays and Sundays, and given their large, strong, and talkative nature, and their good relationships with most of the natives, it's no wonder that no one spoke up for Kuru, and Kuru didn't dare to protest.

……

Hearing someone enter the room, Zebra, who was frowning and pondering where to make his next move, turned around and saw that it was Kuru who had entered the room. His face immediately showed a look of surprise.

"Kuru? What are you doing here?"

Zebra's gaze swept over Kulu before finally settling on the four small pieces of brown sugar in his hand.

"Where did you get this?"

Zebra stood up from his chair and pointed at the brown sugar, asking a question.

"Stealing from the leader is punishable, so don't do anything reckless. I'll take you to the teacher to apologize tomorrow morning."

As he spoke, the zebra walked towards Kulu and reached out to grab the four pieces of brown sugar.

To his surprise, Kulu, who was always obedient to him, quietly avoided his hand, which annoyed Zebra.

His tall frame blocked the light of the oil lamp, shrouding his entire face in a hazy darkness, making his usually kind and gentle features appear somewhat sinister. (End of Chapter)