From Robinson Crusoe

Chapter 27: Isolated Island Artifact!

In the late night of the 27th, it started raining again in the forest.

The front door of the tent was removed, and the wind blew raindrops onto Chen Zhou's bare shoulders, interrupting his snoring.

He woke up in a daze, the light in the tent was dim. He reached out and pulled the quilt, and felt a fluffy thing curled up next to him. Upon closer inspection, he found it was a little gray cat.

Cats are animals that prefer warmth to cold. In the north, where the temperature is low in winter, they will even crawl into the stove pit to keep warm. Sometimes their fur is burnt by the embers, but they will not learn their lesson and will still crawl into warmer places next time.

Although the temperature on the island is not low, the kitten always wants to lie down in a warmer place to sleep on rainy days.

He put his fingers around the little gray cat's thin chest and picked it up. Seeing that it didn't resist at all and was sleeping as if it had fainted, Chen Zhou couldn't wake it up by force, so he could only put it next to the pillow and let it continue to sleep.

He picked up the bottle of wine on the bedside table, drank some cold water to moisten his throat, and remembered the dream he had just had.

In his dream, he heard rustling sounds coming from the camp.

When he stepped out of the tent, he saw rabbits and mice bigger than rabbits everywhere. They had gnawed all the wooden boxes he kept into pieces and eaten up all the food. The barley and rice seeds were also destroyed.

However, before he could pick up the gun to teach these hateful and shameful beasts a lesson, his dream ended.

The rain was dripping, and Chen Zhou was naked. He wanted to sleep a little longer, but the more he slept, the more scared he became of this dream. He had to pull himself together, put on his clothes and shoes, and walked around the camp.

It turned out to be a false alarm. The boxes and sacks were intact. It was just that some water had accumulated in the rainwater container, which he poured out.

I had a peaceful nap, and when I woke up it was already daybreak, but the rain was still falling.

This is a typical drizzle. The raindrops are so thin that they are almost invisible. They are blown away by the wind and do not affect the sight. They just make the forest extremely humid.

Such light rain did not affect the work, but only made the forest a little cooler.

After putting on the coat, I didn’t feel as stuffy as on a sunny day, but rather felt quite comfortable.

Put the matchlock gun in the tent - in this weather it is just a fire stick and can't be fired at all.

Chen Zhou took a crossbow, a carpenter's good axe and a hand saw, and decided to continue the unfinished work from yesterday and go up the mountain to cut down the iron tree.

He called Lai Fu, gave him a round cake, put two pieces of white bread in his arms, and chewed them while walking.

Walking through the drizzling forest.

Not long after he finished eating the bread, Chen Zhou arrived at the cliff, and then came to the iron tree forest with ease.

The flock of sheep did not appear on the platform on the mountainside. They might be looking for a place to shelter from the rain, or they might be frightened by yesterday's gunshots and changed their foraging place.

Finding a half-chopped iron tree, Chen Zhou swung the axe.

The carpenter's axe is not a low-quality product. Even if the iron tree is hard, it is still wood after all and cannot compete head-on with metal.

Soon, accompanied by a creaking groan, the sharp axe ended the iron tree's hundreds of years of life, causing it to collapse and hit the wet ground.

After trimming off the extra branches and cutting off the treetops that were not thick enough, the whole tree was still more than ten meters long.

The wood is fine and dense, and it is a living tree with moisture in the trunk. The weight of this piece of wood is far beyond Chen Zhou's imagination.

He originally planned to drag the iron tree back to the camp, but when he tried to pull it, the iron tree did not move at all.

It felt like trying to shake a reinforced concrete telephone pole in my hometown, trying with all your strength but unable to budge it even a little bit.

There was no other way, Chen Zhou could only cut the tree trunk into several shorter sections and then consider where to transport it.

After measuring the length of the entire tree trunk, he planned to divide it into ten sections, each about one meter long.

After leaving marks on the bark with a hand saw, Chen Zhou picked up the axe and started working.

After resting for a few days, when he went back to this mechanical and long-lasting physical labor, he not only did not feel uncomfortable, but he was at ease and worked even harder.

They chopped wood from morning to afternoon. The rain did not stop, and neither did Chen Zhou.

The two pieces of bread in his stomach had been digested long ago, and he was sweating profusely. Even standing in the woods, he could smell the sour odor of sweat on his body.

With his stomach empty and his hands and feet feeling a little weak, Chen Zhou sat on a tree trunk, loosened the rope of his wide-brimmed hat that was making it hard for him to breathe, and rested for a while.

After several hours of chopping and sawing, the carpenter's axe was blunted, and he finally cut out five pieces of ironwood.

According to the original plan, they should now be transported to the camp.

During the break, Chen Zhou changed his mind.

Since the shelter was excavated and built on the mountainside, it would be better to cut and manufacture it here, grind and carve it into the shape of a pickaxe and shovel, which would also make construction easier.

Otherwise, the wood was too heavy and it would take a long time to drag it back to the camp. He had no food in his stomach and was unsure about the work.

It just so happened that the cave on the west side was not far from the iron tree forest.

After gathering some strength, Chen Zhou picked up a piece of tree trunk and walked straight towards the cave.

This happened five times.

Returning to the woods, looking at the tree trunks that had become darker in color after being wet by the rain, Chen Zhou really didn't have the strength to cut down or move any more trees.

Looking at the sky, it was almost time to get off work, so he called Lai Fu, who had gone to the hill to play, and asked him to go home.

Dinner was grilled wings.

The bonfire was blazing, the fat in the bird skin was sizzling, and the aroma was fragrant.

Lai Fu was drooling with greed. He sat aside and stared at Chen Zhou with his mouth wide open and a playful smile on his face. His pink tongue drooped and his tail was almost broken from shaking. He just hoped that he could have a share of the two wings that were stuck in the branches in the fire.

But it was so excited playing on the land today that its fur was covered with mud. The yellow dog turned into a black dog, and it also had a strong earthy smell, which greatly reduced its cuteness.

Chen Zhou's eyes turned red from hunger. He didn't even bother to pay attention to Lai Fu. He ate voraciously and soon filled his stomach with the two wings.

That was not all. After drinking some water to quench his thirst, he ate three pieces of white bread with cheese. Only then did he feel better and burped with satisfaction.

After cleaning up the dishes, the outdoor work is finished and a new task indoors has just begun.

There was a round grinding wheel on the boat, about the same size as a face plate, with a hole in the middle. It was originally installed on a damaged footrest and was removed by Chen Zhou and taken to the camp.

Before the foot pedal bracket is damaged, you can grind metal or wood products by pushing the pedal with your foot to rotate the grinding wheel.

But now, the grinding wheel has lost its "other half" and is no longer as effective as before.

Chen Zhou planned to make the footrest first while he had more free time before the shelter officially started construction, so as to save the trouble of sharpening knives and axes later.

A lot of metal pipes were removed from the anchor winch and now came in handy.

Wood, chisels, hammers, saws and other tools were moved into the tent, and wood and metal parts were taken out.

He selected an iron pipe of suitable thickness, used charcoal to outline the structure on the wooden board in advance, and began to work under the light of the fire.

The structure of the pedal grinder is much simpler than that of a raft and it is not very big. After working until midnight, several main components have been completed.

Exhausted, Chen Zhou fell on the bed, picked up a dagger and carved a short horizontal line on the pineapple tree trunk.

Touching the deep and shallow marks on the wood, he couldn't help but sigh.

"Tomorrow is the 30th day. Before I knew it, I have been on the island for a month."

"The moon tonight should be as round as the day after we landed on the island, but it's raining and we can't see it."

Lying on his back between the quilts, resting his head on his arms, and looking at the soaked wooden beams, Chen Zhou remembered that tomorrow he would reveal what the second mysterious reward was. When the word "mysterious reward" was mentioned, the "pink hair dryer" with a mean smile suddenly popped up in his mind, and he felt very conflicted.

Now, he no longer had any hope for any sign-in system or lottery system, and he didn't even dare to ask for too much in terms of material rewards.

Chen Zhou didn't even dare to think about off-road vehicles, diesel engines, and wind turbines.

Judging from the operation of the first reward, the 9.9 free shipping on Bing Xixi will become the norm for rewards. The probability of good things appearing among those defective products of modern technology and inferior plastic waste is very small.

Think about it carefully, what cost-effective stuff can there be among Bingxixi's cheap garbage?
"Disposable tissues? Plastic bead bracelets? Cheap laundry detergent? Or glass cups, mouse pads, pirated books..."

Turning over, Chen Zhou remembered the three sacred books.

"Barefoot Doctors Manual", "Military and Civilian Dual-Use Talents", "Militia Military Training Manual".

In Bingxixi, the price of any of the three books will not exceed ten yuan.

Alas, it would be great if the mysterious reward this time was these three books. Even if it was only one, it would be of great help.

But think about it, it's unlikely.

If I have to blame someone, I can only blame myself for always watching short videos and browsing forums to kill time, and not studying hard. Now I regret not having learned enough..."

After thinking about it, he felt that the best result would be a practical item such as an electronic lighter or an iodine toothbrush.

Electronic lighters ignite quickly, which can make up for the slow firing of matchlock guns. After modification, it may be possible to make the first electric ignition breech-loading rifle in the 17th century.

Povidone-iodine can disinfect and reduce inflammation, is significantly effective for skin injuries, and can save lives at critical moments.

As for the toothbrush, although it is not as important as the first two items, Chen Zhou has been using river willow branches to clean his teeth for the past month. Sometimes he uses too much force and even rubs his gums until they bleed.

Therefore, he missed the soft toothbrush very much. Even a low-quality toothbrush that costs 9.9 yuan for ten pieces with free shipping is better than willow branches.

As he was thinking, the fatigue from a busy day disturbed his thoughts and Chen Zhou fell asleep.

…………

When you have something on your mind, you can't sleep for too long.

Before dawn, Chen Zhou got up, put on his clothes quickly, and hurriedly left the tent and ran to the beach.

He has not been to the sea since the transport was completed on the 23rd.

I don’t know when the rain stopped. After thirty days, the moon in the sky went through a cycle and became bright again.

The beach in the early morning is no longer as golden and silvery as it was during the day. It is clean and deserted.

There is no white garbage here, no beverage bottles, and no beer bottles and bamboo sticks left over from beach barbecues. Walking along the way, it feels both beautiful and lonely.

Lai Fu saw his master going out and excitedly chased after Chen Zhou.

The man and the dog were like a gust of wind, leaving two lines of shallow footprints and heading straight for the landing place.

With the experience from last time, Chen Zhou already knew the characteristics of the so-called "mysterious reward". He did not look up to the sky, nor did he look horizontally, but stared directly at the ground.

Sure enough, it was another familiar little paper box.

But unlike last time, this time the box was wrapped with blue tape.

Picking up the cardboard box, Chen Zhou was really afraid that there was a blue Talking Tom phone case inside, so he didn't dare to open it directly. He held it in his hand and weighed it.

“It seems quite heavy!”

"Could it be that I was too happy and something went wrong with my touch?"

Throw it up and catch it.

Telling himself to stay calm, Chen Zhou confirmed that this mysterious reward was completely different from the last time.

Because when the cardboard box fell just now, he heard the sound of metal collision, and the silicone phone case obviously would not make such a noise.

“So, what would the metalwork, multiple pieces, be?
Folding knife? Wine opener? Metal puzzle? Phone holder? …

Or the lighter I want most?"

A little impatient, Chen Zhou carefully followed the end of the blue tape and slowly peeled off the seal on the box, as if the ritualistic act of unboxing could increase the probability of getting good goods.

I have never opened a package so carefully before. I watched the tape peel off the corrugated paper little by little, leaving behind a layer of fine yellow fluff.

Chen Zhou opened the lid of the paper box with an excited heart and trembling hands.

A neatly-shaped black square bag appeared in his sight.

The small bag has a metal frame and is covered in low-quality checkered leather on both sides with a press-lock closure.

Chen Zhou was not unfamiliar with this small black bag, because he had four almost identical ones at home.

One of them was brought to his mother by his uncle when he went to the city for medical treatment, one was bought by his father at a street stall, one was bought by his mother at Bing Xixi, and the other was bought by him at Bing Xixi.

After all, such cheap products that look practical and fully functional can easily make people want to consume them.

That’s right, this little black bag contains the classic nail clipper set.

These include nail clippers of various sizes, as well as ear picks, nail clippers, small scissors, nose hair scissors, blackhead needles, pedicure knives, small files and a large number of other small iron tools.

These gadgets are usually coated with a layer of black paint, the quality is not too bad, and they are barely adequate.

The biggest problem is that it is too small and will be lost if it is not put back into the box in time after each use.

Then during a general cleaning, it was discovered in hard-to-reach corners such as under the sofa and at the bottom of the closet.

Pressing the buckle, opening the small bag, and looking at the dazzling array of small tools inside, Chen Zhou breathed a sigh of relief.

"As expected."

He muttered to himself.

Although the nail clipper set was not what he expected, it was much more useful than the silicone phone case.

After arriving on the island, Chen Zhou has been trimming his nails with a dagger or a razor. Not only is it easy to cut your fingers, but the edges are always uneven. Sometimes he feels itchy and scratching will leave blood marks.

This problem can be solved with nail clippers and a small file.

Moreover, the gadgets have a long service life. Even if they cannot last more than 28 years, as long as they are not lost, they can last for three to five years without any pressure, which can greatly improve his quality of life on the isolated island.

Although I can't help with big things, I'm more than capable of handling small details.

“Not the best, but not bad!”

After putting away the nail clipper set and making sure the buckle was closed, Chen Zhou was in a good mood.

The last phone case incident dealt him such a heavy blow that his psychological expectations for the mysterious reward kept dropping.

When you are at your lowest, no matter which direction you go, you are up.

Even a set of extremely cheap nail clippers like this can be called an "island artifact."

　感谢：我爱看小说、朽骨暗夜候多时、书友140424101433045、总之岁月漫长哦、迷之摸鱼人、书友20211020190958700、Tiger1234、书友20200805211021253、键盘abc、风的咆哮1994、更好的西西、老军营吴某、旧世主在这里、孤独时代的图书管理员的月票，感谢各位！
　　
　
(End of this chapter)