From Robinson Crusoe

Chapter 45: The Second Mouse Catcher (Available tomorrow, please subscribe)

The crops are growing well. Under Chen Zhou's careful care, no seedlings have shown signs of wilting or disease.

This is related to the "slash-and-burn" method of reclamation.

Few pest eggs or weed seeds survive the burned soil, and the rice and wheat seedlings are safe until a new crop of pests discovers the crop.

In addition to looking after the fields and setting traps for rabbits, during this week, Chen Zhou finally picked up enough white clay in boxes, and the wall-building work could begin.

……

1 month 21 day.

Chen Zhou washed up as usual, ate some leftover rabbit meat, cheese and pancake porridge, inspected the farmland, and began to prepare for building the wall.

In the past, there were no laser levels when building houses in the countryside, and bricklayers usually used plumb bobs and ropes to ensure that they could build straight walls.

All you need is two wooden wedges and two rolls of thin rope. After aligning and straightening them, the rectangle left in the middle of the parallel ropes is the wall-building area.

If you want to determine the verticality of the door frame and the upper and lower walls at the corner, hang a line from top to bottom with a heavy object at the end of the line.

Professional bricklayers have a cone-shaped plumb line. Without it, the effect of tying a brick or stone will not be greatly affected.

After all, stone walls are different from brick walls. Due to the irregular shapes of the stones, it is difficult to build them as neatly as brick walls.

Chen Zhou brought a lot of rigging down from the ship, but most of them were too thick and heavy. After being stretched straight, they would not last long before sagging, affecting the work.

To make a rope of the right thickness, he took a four-strand hemp rope and divided it into four thin ropes.

Although the separated thin ropes are several times thicker than normal cotton threads, as long as they are stretched tight, at least they will not sag and will have no impact on their use.

After solving the problem of the rope, Chen Zhou nailed a simple scaffolding, ready to use it after building a high wall.

As for measuring the neatness of the wall over short distances, a ruler found on the ship can be used.

The putty board is replaced by a wooden board, and the trowel is still replaced by an iron knife.

Although the tool looks strange, it is very effective when used.

Since the performance of Yangpo white soil is outstanding, Chen Zhou has enough confidence to build a solid and beautiful wall.

Considering the earthquake in April, he plans to put more effort into making the entire exterior wall stronger.

He planned to build a 1.2-meter foundation for the wall, and at the same time build a thick square wall every five meters to support the top of the cave.

However, according to this new construction standard, the number of stones was not enough, so he could only continue to move the stones and wait for a few more days.

Located in the mountains, there is no shortage of stone.

But there are also differences between stones.

Weathered stones, stones that were not suitable for wall construction, stones with smooth surfaces and low friction, stones that were not hard enough, and even stones that were not beautiful enough, were all eliminated from Chen Zhou's material selection.

The stone he liked was located at the foot of the Banpo Forest Cliff.

It is almost unaffected by the sun and wind. The surface of the stones is rough and hard, and most of them are regular in shape. Their colors are dark gray or light blue, and they look quite elegant when stacked.

Moreover, the quarrying site on the cliff is not too far from the cave. In the process of breaking off the rocks and transporting them, a gap will be created in the cliff, opening up a road directly to the riverside camp, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone.

In addition to the gray-blue stone on the cliff, Chen Zhou also plans to pick some white stones from the Totoro rubble pile.

He wanted to use white stones for the outer edges of the buttresses and the top layer of the wall.

Combined with the pale yellow stones cleared from the sand and the gray-blue stones of the cliff, the exterior walls of this isolated island can have as rich colors as those of modern houses.

……

From January 1 to January 22, Chen Zhou was busy moving stones.

In order to facilitate going up and down the cliff, he nailed a long ladder with trees to connect the upper and lower cliffs, and pulled up a wooden barrel filled with stones with a rope, which slightly improved work efficiency.

However, wooden barrels are often used to transport soil and rocks, and the iron rings around the outside of these barrels have shown signs of loosening.

Chen Zhou estimated that within a few days, the first tool would be destroyed due to carrying heavy objects.

In the original book, Robinson did not have as many wooden barrels as this one, and the tools he used to move earth and rocks were wicker baskets he made himself.

Compared with wooden barrels, wicker baskets have a larger capacity, are lighter, and can be manufactured repeatedly without worrying about loss, making them obviously more suitable for this kind of work with high wear and tear.

But Chen Zhou is different from Robinson.

Robinson once learned the craft of basket weaving when he was a child, but he did not have the corresponding knowledge.

Trying to study a craft from scratch would take at least half a year, and possibly three to five years. However, he couldn't spare that much time for the time being, so he could only continue to use wooden barrels.

……

On the evening of the 24st.

Putting down the shoulder pole, Chen Zhou poured the stones in the bucket next to the pile of stones, stretched his sore shoulders, walked down the platform, and looked at the farmland again.

The weather was hot and there had been no heavy rain for dozens of days. Even when dark clouds gathered, it was only a drizzle and then disappeared briefly.

Water-loving rice seedlings need to be watered once every morning, otherwise their growth will be delayed.

In order to save water, Chen Zhou always carried a bucket of water to water the rice seedlings one by one. There were a total of 128 rice seedlings, so it wouldn't take too much time.

Barley is much more drought-resistant than rice, but it grows more slowly.

Apart from some wood ash and the original fertility of the soil, there are no extra nutrients in the land. Although it cannot be called barren, it is not much better either.

Judging from the current trend, it will take at least half a year for wheat to mature, and the yield will probably not be too high.

If you want to achieve pasta freedom, you will have to wait at least a year.

After making sure that his crops had not been damaged by mice, hares, and birds, Chen Zhou walked into the woods and began to check whether his rabbit traps had yielded any results.

Because there were too many condoms and the places where they were set were too tricky and hidden, after a long time, he could not even remember where some of them were.

When setting traps in the forest, Chen Zhou basically only checked the locations where rabbits were newly set or where rabbits had been caught before.

Walking through the short grass, the leather boots rustled on the broken branches.

Lai Fu ran excitedly in front of his owner, with his head lowered to catch the scent of small animals.

There was little rain during the dry season and no forced vacations, so Chen Zhou was so busy that he had no time to play with it. He was exhausted from digging the soil and moving stones every day. When he got home, he would fall asleep on the bed after dinner.

Therefore, the evening walking activities became the time period when Lai Fu and Chen Zhou interacted most frequently.

During this time, Lai Fu not only accompanied his owner for walks and "hunting" together, but also occasionally received rewards such as rabbit offal or rabbit meat. No wonder his pace was so cheerful.

After passing more than a dozen trapping spots, Chen Zhou caught nothing. Just when he thought he hadn't caught any rabbits today, Lai Fu, who was running in front, suddenly barked.

Dogs rely more on their sense of smell and hearing to perceive the world, and their ability to search for prey is much stronger than that of humans.

Hearing Lai Fu's call, Chen Zhou hurriedly quickened his pace and walked to the bushes.

Lai Fu never barks randomly. As long as he reminds people, there will be rewards.

As I got closer, I saw a snare tied to the tree roots, trapping the prey.

But the prey was not a rabbit, but a wild cat.

The wild cat's lower back was tied up with a noose, and its upper body was hugging the corpse of a small rabbit. Its mouth was full of rabbit fur, its face was hideous, and it was already dying. The noose passed through its head and front shoulders smoothly and got stuck on its lower back. Due to excessive struggle, the hemp rope had broken its fur and embedded into its flesh.

The surface of the rope was stained with blood and there were also traces of scratching and biting by wild cats.

It can be seen that the wild cat struggled hard after being trapped, and even tried to bite or scratch the rope, but to no avail. The noose only made it tighter and tighter, which made it look like this now.

That little rabbit must be its prey.

Judging from the scene, the little rabbit was running in front and the wild cat was chasing behind.

The rabbit was small and failed to trigger the noose. The unlucky wild cat accidentally fell into the trap but still managed to catch the rabbit.

After killing the rabbit, the wild cat was also completely tied up by the noose and could no longer escape, resulting in a lose-lose situation.

“Why bother?

You guys worked so hard, but in the end, didn't I get the advantage? "

Like a villain who reaps the benefits, Chen Zhou grabbed the rabbit's ears and snatched it from the wild cat's front paws.

Meow!

The wild cat raised its head with great effort, let out a threatening cry, and glared at Chen Zhou with its light green eyes.

If it had not been seriously injured and exhausted, it would have definitely fought to the death with this huge hairless monkey.

Wang!
Lai Fu had suffered a small loss at the hands of a wild cat before. Seeing that this cat was still so arrogant even when it was about to die, he immediately let out a loud bark, rushed forward, and was about to bite the cat to death with one bite.

"Don't!"

Chen Zhou quickly grabbed Lai Fu's hair on his back and stopped him.

Recently, rats have been wreaking havoc in the shacks at the camp at the foot of the mountain, and most of the corners of the wooden boxes containing supplies have traces of being gnawed by rats' teeth.

There are also traces of rat activities near the caves on the mountain. It is conceivable that in the future they will definitely move with their families to live in the caves that are protected from wind and rain and have sufficient food.

The situation is serious. There is no hope of relying on the lazy and fat Xiao Huihui to catch mice.

It has completely become a pet cat and has lost its basic hunting ability. It can eat two dried fish at a time. Chen Zhou estimates that Xiao Huihui's weight is close to 10 kilograms.

Although it has a small frame and a short stature, its belly is getting bigger and bigger. It eats and sleeps all day long. When it goes out, it basically poops and pees. It usually lies on the ground or in bed, staring blankly.

The first mouse catcher was completely scrapped, and it was imperative to train a second mouse catcher.

Chen Zhou traveled back and forth between the mountains and the foothills, and often saw wild cats when passing through the forest.

But they are too vigilant. If people get within 50 meters, they will climb trees or run away quickly. There is no chance to get close to them by feeding them dried fish.

We finally caught one this time, and we can’t let Lai Fu destroy it.

He pushed Lai Fu's big dog head away and ignored its puzzled look.

Gently step on the wild cat's head with your foot to prevent it from suddenly attacking.

Chen Zhou turned over the wild cat's lower body and loosened the knot slightly to avoid further damage and strangling the cat to death.

When he loosened the knot, he found that the cat was actually a female cat, and his desire to rescue and tame it became stronger.

Female cats are easier to tame than wild male cats.

Their personalities are usually more stable than male cats, and they will not run around during estrus.

Moreover, Xiao Huihui is a male cat. If he can get along well with this female cat, the mouse catching team will not be short of manpower in the future.

"Hold it in your mouth."

After stuffing the little rabbit into Jiafu's mouth, Chen Zhou took out a rope, tied the wild cat's four legs, and then untied the noose.

After countless struggles, the cat no longer had the strength to escape. Even without being restrained, it was unable to stand up. With its head drooping, it was carried back to the cave by Chen Zhou like a corpse.

Lai Fu has always been well-behaved and sensible. Even when his attacking behavior was stopped, he did not show any dissatisfaction. He held the rabbit gently in his mouth and never bit it hard, and followed his owner back to the cave.

Chen Zhou found a piece of canvas to cover the wild cat's head, then poured half a cup of arrack to disinfect its wounds.

According to his actual experience, the alcohol content of arrack should be higher than that of rum and more suitable for disinfection.

Although arrack tastes mellow, it has a mellow sweetness from special spices and a long aftertaste, much like a drink mixed with alcohol.

But that does not mean that Arrack has a low alcohol content. On the contrary, it means that its brewing technology is advanced, the wine body reacts for a long time, and the quality is good and high-end.

The rum on the ship tastes extremely spicy with a slightly bitter aftertaste. At first glance, it feels like a strong liquor. I couldn't get drunk even after drinking two or three glasses, which shows that its alcohol content is far lower than that of liqueur.

Of course, it is also possible that the rum was supplied to ordinary sailors and was of poor quality, and might even have been diluted with water.

Arrack is the private collection of the captain and first mate. It is very expensive and it makes sense that the drinking experience is better than rum.

Woo~
Threatening sounds continued to come out of the wild cat's throat.

The strong stimulation of alcohol on the wound made it subconsciously want to attack.

But its head was covered with canvas and its four legs were tied up. Even if it reacted, it could not pose a threat to Chen Zhou and could only endure the pain obediently.

The rough bumps on the surface of the hemp rope damaged the skin around the wild cat's lower back.

The dirt on the ground mixed with the shed hair and coagulated blood, making it very difficult to clean.

Half a glass of Arrack was not enough, so Chen Zhou poured two more glasses and only then was he able to clean all the wounds.

Most of the ground in the cave is not paved. In order to prevent the wild cat from escaping and getting contaminated by sand and soil, causing secondary infection, Chen Zhou found a large wooden box for it.

The wine on the wound had not dried yet, and Chen Zhou was worried that the wild cat would lick the wound after taking off the hood, so he waited until the wine dried before putting the wild cat into the box.

After taking off the hood and untying the ropes on the legs, the wild cat's first reaction when seeing the light was to run away.

But the injury to its lower back was so severe that it couldn't even stand up.

Struggling to support its body with its front legs, it raised its head and looked at the opening of the box, crawled forward a short distance, and then fell weakly into the box again.

Meow~
It cried softly, whether to express pain, protest against imprisonment, or to celebrate its escape from death.

I called out twice, but got no response.

The wild cat closed its light green eyes, rested its head on its front legs, and lay tiredly in the wooden box, as if it had accepted its fate and was ready to have a good rest.

“It has a fairly good temper, and it looks like there’s a good chance that it can be tamed successfully.

The injury is a bit troublesome...

If you can make it through this, you will take over from Xiao Huihui and become the new mouse catcher of our Chen family."

Holding the edge of the wooden box and looking at the sleeping wild cat, Chen Zhou talked to himself.

“Since you live in the cave, I will give you a name first. I hope you can get some of my luck and survive.

Hmm...your green eyes are very distinctive, so I'll call you Grape!"

　Thanks to: Moonlight under the Moon, Guanshan Muhan, Lamp Tube Watering, Golden Fatty 007, Classmates Are in Love, Yes, Captain!, Book Friend with Last Number 8595, Book Lover Who Loves Fish, Mr_July, Yueran Electronics, All Worlds Fantasy, SaberLucifer, Huayejiang, Book Friend with Last Number 3039, Book Friend with Last Number 0803, No Shampoo Needed, Fang Jihe for their monthly tickets. Thank you for your support!

　　It will be on the shelves tomorrow. I have no comments for it, but I will update it twice a day for at least 15 days. Thank you all for your support!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)