From Robinson Crusoe

Chapter 229 A Day in 1665 (Part 2)
The two chefs who cook for the leader have long since mastered Chen Zhou's daily routine.

Before Chen Zhou got up, they had already washed the ingredients and prepared the seasonings.

When they saw the leader approaching with the big dog from afar through the bright kitchen window, they immediately lit the stove, picked up spatulas, and began to cook.

Chen Zhou's meal today was the same as usual: a fried fish and a plate of stir-fried squid tentacles for meat, and eggplant with sauce and scrambled eggs with tomatoes for vegetables, accompanied by a glass of chilled lemon juice and two steamed buns. Although it was not a very lavish meal, it was considered top-notch treatment on this small island.

……

While eating in the dining room, two chefs would stand by the table, and Chen Zhou would often chat with them to learn about the everyday life of the people on the island.

In the past six months, in addition to researching and manufacturing machines for textile cashmere, Chen Zhou also accomplished many small tasks that he had previously envisioned.

For example, capturing large birds that resemble geese and live near water, and keeping them at home.

Using a large net woven from straw ropes, the islanders waited for several days and caught a group of large birds. They then clipped the flight feathers from their wings, put them in cages, and fed them food every day.

After months of feeding and domestication, these large birds have become fat and plump, resembling country geese, wriggling on the ground all day long, seemingly having forgotten their ability to fly.

Because of the excessive fat in their bellies, some female birds have even lost their ability to lay eggs, forcing the islanders to find ways to help them lose weight.

The scrambled eggs with tomatoes that Chen Zhou ate were laid by a large bird.

However, the large bird was not a fully domesticated modern goose. Although it could lay eggs, the number of eggs laid was too low.

When she's in a good mood, the female bird will lay an egg every two weeks or so; when she's in a bad mood, she might not lay an egg for a month or two.

In modern times, such substandard poultry would have been eliminated long ago.

However, there are few birds on the island that can lay eggs. Apart from large birds, the only ones that can be kept at home are pigeons.

Pigeon eggs are too small to satisfy the appetite, so large birds are a truly unique and highly sought-after delicacy.

The island had plenty of grass seeds and coarse grains, and the fishing boats returning daily brought back a good amount of small fish, shrimp, and shellfish, making it easy to raise the large bird. Therefore, Chen Zhou didn't have the intention to kill it and kept the bird.

If all else fails, we can always kill it and eat it.

He said this to the islanders who were raising the large birds.

As for whether, many years later, the large bird can be domesticated and transformed from a goose into a domestic goose, Chen Zhou dared not make any bold claims.

Now he is the leader, and every word a leader speaks carries weight; every promise that cannot be kept will damage his prestige.

……

In addition to capturing large birds to raise, Chen Zhou also captured some parrots.

The island has many kinds of parrots, some large and some small, and their colors are also diverse, including white, yellow, light pink, red, green...

Chen Zhou didn't know which kind of parrot Robinson kept when he lived on the island, so he ordered the islanders to catch him one of each kind and keep them in cages together.

After careful observation and selection, he ultimately kept the parrot from the second-floor bedroom.

Although the parrot was not particularly good-looking, it was exceptionally intelligent and acted very neurotically. Owning it felt like owning a husky.

As Chen Zhou gets older, the cats and dogs he keeps at home have become more laid-back, and sometimes the room is quiet all day long, making it seem particularly deserted.

At times like these, he prefers more boisterous animals, such as a clever parrot that can mimic the sound of an angle grinder.

……

While Chen Zhou was eating, Lai Fu was also busy.

While the two cooks were preparing food for the leader, they also prepared food for Laifu.

However, Laifu is currently on a diet, so its food is less oily and low in carbohydrates. It mainly eats boiled lamb legs without salt, which tastes bland.

Laifu wasn't interested in the whitish meat. He looked down at the chopped pieces of meat in the earthenware pot, licked them, and then looked up at Chen Zhou.

Seeing that its owner was focused on eating and ignoring it, Laifu frowned.

The aroma of the food on the table reached its nostrils, making the food in front of it seem even more unpalatable.

Laifu has been eating this kind of food for a week now, and today it really doesn't want to eat it anymore.

With a droopy face, Laifu sat upright on the ground, thinking seriously for a while. Finally, it mustered up the courage to stretch out its paw and tug at its owner's thigh. It opened its eyes wide, tilted its head pitifully, and gestured for Chen Zhou to give it some treats.

Chen Zhou understood Lai Fu's little scheme perfectly well. He looked serious and was about to scold Lai Fu and make it obediently lose weight.

Seeing Laifu's aggrieved little expression, Chen Zhou ultimately couldn't bring himself to say anything.

"There should still be some braised eggplant left in the pot. I'll rinse it with warm water later, then mix the eggplant with the mutton and feed it to the animal."

He patted Laifu's head and gave the order.

……

The mysterious reward brought about many changes to this island, which was not particularly rich in resources.

From the earliest seasonings like scallions, ginger, garlic, and chili peppers, to high-yield crops like corn and potatoes, and now to crops like eggplant, leeks, celery, and cabbage.

It can be said that Chen Zhou can eat almost any modern home-style dish on the island, as long as he wants.

The only thing the island currently lacks is poultry and livestock.

Unfortunately, ever since the pair of cows were delivered, the mystery reward has never included any living creature.

The chicken and pork that Chen Zhou longed for never materialized.

Especially pork. As a northerner, if I can't eat fresh stewed pork or blood sausage during festivals, I always feel a void in my mouth, as if something is missing.

As he gets older, Chen Zhou finds himself increasingly fond of reminiscing about the past.

If he were in modern times, his homesickness might not be so intense.

However, he is located in a distant time and space, and the distance between him and his hometown is not only in time, but also in space. He cannot return home until he completes the challenge.

Because of this unique situation, some of his emotions became extraordinary.

Sometimes, Chen Zhou really wanted to get himself completely drunk and drown in his drunken fantasies.

However, he no longer lives alone. From pets like Totoro to the islanders, everything rests on his shoulders.

Perhaps one day, when he feels he can no longer shoulder this burden, Chen Zhou will transform into a foolish monarch, hiding in his castle deep within the island, indulging in nightly revelry and drinking until he is completely drunk.

But now, he is still a "wise ruler" who cares about the future of the island. Even if he works day and night to write documents and draw blueprints, he will still contribute to the development of this small force.

……

The mealtime, which left Laifu feeling somewhat satisfied, quickly came to an end.

While the two chefs were clearing away the dishes and taking them into the kitchen to wash, Chen Zhou had already led Lai Fu out of the cafeteria and headed towards the sea.

The sun was shining brightly, and the sky was a clear, blue expanse.

The flat, straight stone path extends downwards from the factory gate.

The detached houses of the island's "elites" are located on the west side of the alley. They are generally similar in appearance, but their decorations vary slightly due to the different personalities of the residents.

The islanders, who love farming, even make use of the small plot of land in front of their homes, turning it into a small nursery where they plant chili peppers.

Chili peppers in tropical climates seem to have transformed from annuals into perennials, showing no signs of wilting even after a year.

In front of the house of the islander who was the first to plant chili peppers, several chili pepper plants have grown to be more than a person tall.

The chili pepper branches, shaped like small trees, were laden with bright red chili peppers, a delightful sight from afar. Living in the north and knowing little about plants, Chen Zhou was always amazed whenever he saw the tall chili pepper trees.

What he didn't know was that chili peppers actually originated in Central and South America.

In tropical and subtropical regions, as long as rainfall meets the requirements, chili peppers are not short-lived, only living for one year. They can grow for three to five years, or even ten to twenty years, and grow to four or five meters tall.

The cold north lacks a suitable environment for chili pepper growth, which led to Chen Zhou's misconception.

……

Beyond the living area of ​​the "advanced islanders," in the clearings in the forest, lie various production facilities built by the islanders entirely out of interest.

Among them are small charcoal kilns, small pottery kilns, drying rooms for drying raisins, workshops for wood bending, wood carving studios, and even painting studios...

Some time ago, Chen Zhou had nothing to do, so he made several playable musical instruments based on the long flute that was given as a reward.

This has sparked a new trend on the island.

The islanders began to imitate the long flute, and like their chief, they held it horizontally to their lips and pretended to play it in front of their homes.

Unfortunately, Chen Zhou himself was a music fanatic. Being able to make a sound on the flute was already the result of his best efforts. To play a piece smoothly was more difficult than climbing to heaven for him.

If the chief himself is of this caliber, then the tunes played by the islanders are even more "harsh, discordant, and unpleasant to listen to."

Since then, every morning when the sounds of flutes being played in the nearby residential area reach the factory, Chen Zhou would get out of bed with a pained expression, regretting his decision to make musical instruments.

Before long, the island's legal code added a new regulation and punishment for disturbing the peace.

After realizing that his performance was disturbing other people's rest, the sound of the flute in the residential area finally stopped.

……

But after the wave of popularity fades, there will always be people who are interested in music.

To avoid punishment, whenever they have free time, these music lovers will go into the woods, play their flutes, press the holes on the flutes, and instinctively search for beautiful melodies that can touch their souls.

interest is the best teacher.

As people who have only recently emerged from primitive society, the islanders have not lost their sensitivity to the natural world.

If the islanders persisted in practicing their performances, their skill level would generally surpass Chen Zhou's, leaving their revered leader far behind.

The melodious chirping of birds, the sound of the wind blowing through the forest, the endless surging waves...

The sounds of nature allow them to see their own hearts and emotions, composing melodies within them.

……

Passing the islanders' area of ​​interest, we continued forward with Laifu, crossing a wide dirt road carved out of the forest, with the coastal woodland just steps away.

In the past, when building wooden and stone walls, Chen Zhou always prioritized cutting down trees near the beach in order to save time and effort.

Over time, the already sparse woodland near the beach was quickly cleared out.

In the past year or two, with the construction of roads and the advancement of transportation on the island, workers have been able to transport timber from farther away.

Chen Zhou then instructed the islanders to replant saplings in the coastal woodland.

Locations too close to the sea are not suitable for tree growth, resulting in a low survival rate for planted saplings.

Fortunately, Saturday, who was in charge of island affairs, kept the tree planting in mind. Whenever he saw a sapling die, he would have the islanders replant it.

By now, most of the remaining saplings have taken root and are growing vigorously in the sunshine.

……

Although the coastal woodland has recovered somewhat, the slender saplings are no match for the sunlight.

Braving the dry season sun, Chen Zhou quickened his pace, passing through the shady woods and heading straight for the port dock.

……

Several large salt drying fields have been added to the coast now.

When the sunlight shines down, the crystallized salt grains reflect the light, looking like a large mirror from a distance.

In the fields beside the rocky beach, islanders wearing straw hats were working diligently.

Occasionally, one or two large, plump birds with clipped flight feathers can be seen strolling along the riverbank, arrogantly surveying their territory.

The area was covered in lush greenery, and even in such hot weather, a glance there would make one feel genuinely cool.

……

The rocky beach, which was once covered with stones, has been completely transformed after more than seven months of cleaning.

The environment suitable for small fish, shrimp, crabs, and razor clams to live in has been completely destroyed.

The thick harbor road blocked the waves, leaving only the fresh water of the Yanhe River flowing into the sea within the harbor.

Most of the silt was dredged out of the riverbed and piled up beside it. When exposed to the sun, it emitted a strong, fishy stench.

Despite their unappealing appearance and disgusting smell, they are a unique type of fertilizer.

Once the mud has dried, the islanders will mix it into their farmland according to a specific ratio.

The soil's fertility will be replenished by this batch of fertilizer, thereby promoting crop growth and yield.

……

Along the port road, there is a row of similar wooden houses.

That was a makeshift dock used for ship repairs.

Currently, there is one canoe, three small sailboats, and one medium-sized sailboat on the island.

Some of them are used for fishing, while others are used to travel to archipelagos to increase the population of the islands. They are all concentrated in simple docks for repair and maintenance.

……

Not far from the row of simple docks, a giant reinforced concrete building frame, 13 meters high, stands.

Most of the workers on the island gathered around the frame, either tying up steel bars or transporting materials.

Their working model remains the same: experienced staff mentoring new staff.

The skilled veteran workers chatted as they worked, occasionally explaining specific details to the new islanders, demonstrating their expertise with ease.

This massive building, still under construction, is the island's new shipyard.

With the help of this shipyard, Chen Zhou will build the world's first ship powered by a steam engine.

This great ship will have a unique steel frame, be equipped with the most advanced naval cannons of the 17th century, and be piloted by well-equipped and fearless sailors.

It will represent Chen Zhou's will, proclaim the existence of this island to the whole world, and bring Chen Zhou endless wealth.

Although the shipyard is not yet completed, Chen Zhou has already set the first target for the Ironbone Ships – the archipelago.

He was eager to know whether the Spanish had actually moved the gold and silver treasures buried on the island after nearly three years.

If the bandits weren't quick enough, he wouldn't mind double-crossing them and taking the Spanish spoils to fill his own pockets.

(End of this chapter)