From Robinson Crusoe

Chapter 82 River Valley Plain
On April 4, before daybreak, when the forest was shrouded in a dark blue gloom, Chen Zhou interrupted his sleep.

Sleeping in the wilderness with clothes on, although the climate was not cold, I could never feel as relaxed as I was in the cave.

If Lai Fu hadn't been guarding him, he would have been even more alert and would have been awakened by the slightest disturbance.

He slapped off the bugs that were crawling on his body, picked up the long-handled axe beside him, slowly stood up, rubbed his sore waist and shoulders, and went to see Fu.

It lay on the ground with its front legs stretched out, its posture like the sphinxes around the pyramids. Its head was originally placed between its two front legs, but when it heard the movement, it immediately raised its head, and its soft ears also stood up hard, and turned its head to look at Chen Zhou.

Woof~
It called softly, and its eyes no longer had the same bright look as yesterday.

It can be seen that it is a little tired after guarding for a whole night.

"It's okay, I'm awake now, you can take a rest first, I'll call you after dinner is done."

Walking forward and rubbing Lai Fu's big head, Chen Zhou comforted it with a bit of heartache.

Woo~
Lai Fu squeezed out a low cry from his throat, rubbed his head against Chen Zhou's calf, relaxed his body, lay down on the ground in a more relaxed posture, and closed his eyes.

The sky was still dark, and all the scenery in the forest had blurred edges.

A thin layer of mist passed around the treetops and moved with the wind.

The air has the unique coolness of the early morning. If the wind blows across your face, it will suddenly wake you up from the daze of just waking up, as if you had eaten mint.

Find a dead tree, cut some random dead branches, split it apart, and build a new bonfire.

There was no extra drinking water to wash the kitchen utensils, so he picked up a few leaves and wiped the inside of the small can, then found a slender branch to scrape off the grease from the corners.

After adding water again, Chen Zhou started cooking using the same stand as last night.

Having lived on the island for so long, he was no longer unfamiliar with most of the trees.

Although he still doesn't know the scientific names of those trees.

But he still knew a lot about the quality of the wood, whether it was firm, whether the branches and leaves contained any poison, what the flowers looked like, and the size of the fruit.

Especially those trees with larger leaves are given more attention because they involve important issues such as "whether it is comfortable to wipe your butt with them and whether it will scratch your butt."

If you accidentally use poisonous leaves to wipe your butt, you may get itchy and bumps at the very least, or even pain, redness and swelling, and you won't be able to lie down and sleep for several days.

Chen Zhou didn't dare to take the risk.

When he was cutting down trees in the forest, he often observed that the trees were almost uneaten by insects, had no gaps in their leaves, and no scars on their bark.

Or you can cut the bark, tear open the leaves, and sniff the juice to see if there is any pungent smell.

Sometimes he would catch a slug-like insect and smear tree sap on its body to see how it would react.

Using this observation method, he discovered that a tree with reddish-brown bark had a milky white sap under the bark that was the most toxic.

The sap that flows out after the tree is cut has a foul and pungent smell that is unpleasant to the touch. If you dip a short branch in the sap and apply it to insects like slugs, it will kill them in just a dozen seconds.

Chen Zhou knew that the sap of a tree called the Nostril was extremely poisonous, so he gave this reddish-brown tree a similar name - the Crane's Crown Mangrove.

Although the knowledge learned through experience is “knowing the facts but not the reasons”, it plays an indispensable role in life.

If it weren't for the usual accumulation, Chen Zhou would never dare to just pick up a few leaves to wipe the jar.

……

After a simple breakfast, more than one third of the bottle of cold boiled water had been consumed.

Seeing that the bonfire was still going out, Chen Zhou poured out the little water left in the bottle and rinsed the metal can.

Then he took the empty bottle to the river, filled it with water, poured it into a metal can, boiled it, rinsed the bottle with the boiling water, and then poured the boiling water into it.

During the journey, the hot water will gradually cool down and can be drunk normally when it is time to prepare lunch or dinner.

He gave Lai Fu a piece of bread softened with broth, took out the jar of rabbit meatballs, shared a few greasy meatballs with Lai Fu, packed up his pockets, covered the campfire with dirt, and continued to move forward along the river.

……

As the red sun rises, the temperature in the forest rises rapidly.

Thanks to the shade provided by the tree canopy, the body surface temperature is still acceptable.

The river is winding, the terrain becomes higher as it approaches the end, and the road becomes more difficult to travel.

The slippery bluestone, dense vines, low cliffs, gullies, and the gradually turbulent river water slowed down Chen Zhou's progress.

At noon, he stopped in a ravine between two peaks. While making a fire to cook, he stood on a high place and looked down. He finally realized that this river was probably far from the river valley plain described in the book.

If you go further, you will indeed find the end of the water source, but this end is probably not a stream, but groundwater gushing out from the rocks.

Taking advantage of the fact that he was on high ground with no trees blocking his view, he climbed up a distance, went around to a place with a wide view, and looked into the distance.

To the north of this protruding mountain range at your feet, there is a bare mountain.

The mountain looked as if someone had cut off its head. The top was very flat and the edges were black. Under the black color, there were many low trees covering it.

Based on the characteristics of the mountain, it is obvious that it is a volcano, and it is most likely a dead volcano.

"I don't know how long it has been since the last eruption of this volcano, and whether the nutrients in the volcanic ash have been absorbed by the vegetation below the mountain."

Chen Zhou thought to himself.

As far as he knows, volcanic ash is a high-quality natural fertilizer, and some volcanic ash can be used as natural cement.

Gazing at the volcano, he memorized its location.

I thought that when I have time in the future, I must go to the volcano to investigate the specific situation.

If there is still high-quality volcanic ash left on the mountain, he will find a suitable place and plant a field directly at the foot of the mountain, or simply build a mountain road. When the cart is built, he can pull the volcanic ash back and use it as fertilizer.

Although the journey to and from the volcano is long, in reality, it may take more time and energy to pick up dead fish, shrimps and crabs from the beach, put them in pits for composting and then transport them to the fields.

It is ultimately better to produce the finished product directly than to rely on slow traditional methods to manufacture it.

"If the volcanic ash has no use, we need to check whether there is guano deposited inside the pigeon cave.

Compared to the volcano, the pigeon hole is always closer, and I can also farm directly on the river valley plain."

"But it's inconvenient to look after the crops because it's too far from home. I can only wait until there are enough seeds and plant them on a large scale. That way, even if we have to wait for the weather to rain, we will still have enough food to harvest."

After making plans and shifting his gaze, Chen Zhou discovered a silver river among the rolling mountains on the right.

The small river originates from the foot of the mountain. After flowing out, it runs through an oval green space and splits into two streams near the edge of the woods. From a distance, it seems thinner than the river at your feet.

"Fuck, could that river be the source of fresh water that Robinson discovered?
Could it be that I was running in the wrong direction from the first day I landed on the island? No wonder the terrain I discovered was completely different from the terrain Robinson discovered."

Chen Zhou finally realized that after Robinson landed on the island, he walked towards the northwest, while he walked towards the northeast. From the beginning, the two were not in the same place.

"If we are really not together, does that mean there is actually another group of wild goats on the island?

They are different from the cunning guys on the platform. They live in the forest and reproduce far away.

It would be nice if that were the case. Catching sheep in the open field is much more difficult than catching sheep in the forest. If I change to another place, my success rate will increase several times..."

Observing from afar, determining the correct direction based on the sun, remembering the approximate location of the river valley plain, hurriedly eating, and washing the kitchen utensils with cold boiled water, Chen Zhou set out again.

……

If you really think about it, the river valley plain is not far from the landing point.

If he had not gone in the opposite direction, Chen Zhou might have reached his destination on the evening of the 22nd.

On the afternoon of the 22nd, we walked down the mountain until dark.

They got up early on the 23rd, and before the sun rose, Chen Zhou took Lai Fu and continued to move forward. Finally, in the afternoon of the 23rd, the man and the dog arrived at the river valley plain after a long journey.

……

After leaving the forest, the view suddenly opened up.

It was a sunny day with a deep blue hue. A large patch of tired sunlight poured down, covering the bright green grassland.

In the embrace of the surrounding forests, the dark green forest canopy, the dark blue distant mountains, the clear river water, and the beautiful wild flowers harmoniously fill the field of vision, making people feel relaxed.

The land is almost flat, and when the wind blows, the tips of the grass rise and fall like waves.

Along both sides of the river, there were several big trees waving their branches, waving to Chen Zhou from afar.

"Phew, I finally see the sun!"

The difficulty of going straight into the forest and then heading to the river valley plain is incomparable to the difficulty of Robinson Crusoe's journey along the river.

We marched for more than a day, frequently trying to identify the direction in the dense forest, fighting against the doubts in my heart that the direction was incorrect, enduring depression and fatigue, and finally we got here.

Like a prisoner who was finally released after being imprisoned for a long time, an impulse prompted him to raise his head and gather his strength to let out a long roar.

Hey!
The slightly hoarse voice dissipated in the green land. He had already started running, leaving traces of humanity in this virgin land.

Woof~woof~
Lai Fu was stunned for a moment, then was infected by his master's emotions. He happily followed Chen Zhou into the bushes.

After running frantically for dozens of meters, I heard the sound of glass jars colliding in my back pocket.

Fearing that the fragile glassware might be broken, Chen Zhou quickly stopped, waited for Lai Fu, and walked towards a big tree growing diagonally by the river.

Although the grass on the valley plain is lush, it is not as tall as the wild grass near the wooden house. The tallest one is only up to the knees. Bathed in the sun, it is the beginning of the dry season and has not yet wilted. It stands tall and straight, which is particularly pleasing to the eye.

Although the grass was short, Chen Zhou did not dare to be careless. He used a metal knife to cut the grass to clear a path while moving forward.

Lai Fu was happy for a few seconds, but after he lost his temper, he returned to his listless state.

Traveling long distances is a human's strong point. As a canine, it follows its owner on the road non-stop during the day and has to stand guard at night, so it is exhausted to the extreme.

Fortunately, Chen Zhou would deliberately delay cooking for a while every day to give Lai Fu a chance to have a good rest, otherwise it might have fallen behind.

……

After walking about three hundred meters, Chen Zhou arrived at the tree.

This is a small rocky beach. The soil on the ground has been basically washed away by the river water during the rainy season, leaving only fine river pebbles and larger grains of sand.

The big tree had exposed gnarled roots and leaning branches that were so thick that two people could hold together. Its crown hung over the rushing river, reflecting a patch of green.

Surrounded by leaves, there are many pink flowers in bud, emitting a faint fragrance.

The scenery is nice, and we plan to set up camp here tonight.

Looking around, Chen Zhou saw several wild aloe vera trees with thick stems and leaves around the rocky beach.

They look very different from the aloe vera you grow at home.

The rhizome at the bottom of the entire aloe vera plant is very thick, like a hemispherical yellowish-brown wooden lump, with many independent plants branching out from this lump.

The stems and leaves of aloe vera have nothing like the stacked pagoda-like shape of ornamental aloe vera. They grow wildly, with thorny leaves pointing towards the sky, crowded and intertwined.

Some leaves were even pierced by the edges of other leaves, forming scars.

"Wow, the book doesn't say that the aloe vera is this big.

I don’t know whether the medicinal properties of this aloe vera are similar to those of domestic aloe vera, whether it is poisonous, and whether it can cure internal heat. ”

Instead of rushing to take out the glass jar to transplant the aloe vera, Chen Zhou turned over the small stones under his feet and carefully checked whether the rocky beach was moist.

Some rivers also have tidal changes, rising and falling morning and evening.

He had learned from a case in the news that a man who liked to collect rare stones found a beautiful uncut jade in a remote rocky beach, but did not leave immediately. Instead, he continued to search for it in the same place.

Unexpectedly, after the river water rose at night, the rocky beach was covered by cold water.

The man was so immersed in the joy of searching for stones that he was unaware that he was surrounded by water. Eventually he drowned on the beach, with the unpolished jade in his arms until his death.

The lessons our predecessors left behind with their lives are to prevent future generations from repeating the same mistakes.

Afraid that he might encounter a similar incident and be flooded while sleeping at night, Chen Zhou made a special check.

The results are reassuring. There is a little moisture under the rocks here, but it does not contain a large amount of water. The humidity is within the normal range, which shows that it is not a "flooded area".

They cut down some dead branches from trees, built a stove with stones from the rocky beach, and built a fire to boil water.

Let Lai Fu rest by the tree roots and put down his pocket.

With a long-handled axe on his waist and an iron knife in his hand, Chen Zhou walked along the river bank.

Before it got dark, he wanted to look for the various crops mentioned in the book.

When he really came to the river and observed carefully, he found that this river was actually wider than the river near the camp, but far deeper.

The water in the river was not as clear as the one near the camp. The banks were mostly covered with black silt and dense aquatic plants. Many fish with blue-black backs were swimming among the aquatic plants.

Looking into the distance, among a patch of tender light grass, stood a few clumps of dark green and black wild sugarcane.

They were much thinner than the sugarcanes Chen Zhou had eaten, and not very tall, only about two and a half meters. The tops were covered with dark green leaves with a hint of reddish-brown, and they looked thin and plain.

"I don't know if this thing has a high sugar content or if it tastes good."

Chen Zhou was puzzled and walked forward to cut off a piece of sugarcane.

The core of wild sugarcane is far less thick than edible sugarcane. It has coarse fibers and is tightly wrapped in a strong shell. Its color is not as white as edible sugarcane, but a light beige color.

Worried that he had identified the wrong plant, Chen Zhou peeled off the sugarcane skin and brought it to his nose to sniff.

The result was correct, he could still distinguish the unique sweet taste of sugarcane.

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(End of this chapter)