From Robinson Crusoe

Chapter 71 Don’t take soft or hard advice
On the 13th, Chen Zhou dug and carried enough river sand to the mountain.

After working in gloomy weather for a long time, he enjoyed the feeling of sunshine and worked until the evening.

The setting sun on the western peaks looked like fire. The orange-red color set off the dark green mountain silhouettes. The lush dark green jungle and light green grass formed huge blocks of color, reminding Chen Zhou of the landscape paintings he had taken down from the boat.

……

"When I have time, I'll explore this island and see if I can find some natural minerals that I can grind and make into pigments."

Sitting on the platform, eating with his bowl in hand and looking at the sea in the distance, Chen Zhou couldn't help but think.

He hurriedly shoveled the last bit of porridge into his mouth and drank the few drops of sugar water left in the can. Then he took the rope, left the cave, and walked eastward along the mountainside.

The male goat was trapped on March 3th. If it worked that night and the male goat was captured, it would have been two days by tonight.

Worried that the male goat would be trapped in the mountain and starve to death or encounter other accidents, Chen Zhou did not dare to rest. He walked Lai Fu while hurrying towards the place where the trap was set.

When passing by the cave, he deliberately went in to look at the salt bowl and found that the salt in the bowl had only slightly decreased.

Then he identified the hoof prints of the mother goat and her kid on the ground outside the cave, but did not find the hoof prints of the male goat, so he felt relieved.

The male goat followed the female goat every day to show his courtesy. He would never miss such a good thing as eating salt. Since he did not eat the salt put last time, it meant that he was separated from the mother goat.

At the critical moment when the "beauty" is about to be obtained, how could it give up easily?

Then there is only one answer left - it is trapped and can't move.

Walking towards the platform along the gentle slope on the mountainside, before reaching the trap site, Chen Zhou saw a large white object lying next to the bushes from a distance.

"I caught you!"

Knowing that the trap he had set was a great success and that this brave male goat would never be able to escape, Chen Zhou swung the rope in his hand and approached slowly.

Goats don't have as much fat reserves as sheep. After two days of hunger, their hooves become weak. When they see the tall, strange animals approaching, they subconsciously want to get up and run away.

However, one of its hooves was tied tightly with a noose. If it could run, it would have done so long ago, and would not have waited until now.

With a strong pull, the goat lost its balance, bent its front hooves, and fell directly to the ground.

baa~
It threatened Chen Zhou with its voice, straightened its front legs, adjusted its direction, and shook its pair of curved horns, as if warning the strange creature - don't come any closer, I will attack you.

This is a middle-aged male goat with a large frame. Although he has lost a lot of weight after starving, he still weighs more than 120 kilograms.

Even if one of its legs is caught, a normal person cannot let down his guard when facing it.

After all, this is not a gentle, castrated domestic sheep.

As a wild goat that has not seen humans for a long time, its temper is still very bad and fierce.

The mountain road where the trap is set is narrow, and there is a steep gravel slope next to the bushes. If you accidentally fall on the slope, even if you keep your body steady and avoid falling, your clothes will be torn by the gravel and your skin will be rubbed off.

Chen Zhou did not dare to be careless. He tied a slipknot with the long rope in his hand and put it on the sheep's head from a distance. He wanted to exhaust its remaining energy first before going forward to untie the noose, otherwise it would be too dangerous.

The hemp rope is soft and can reach a long distance.

After several attempts, the rope kept slipping off the goat. Chen Zhou tried to reel the rope in, but it made the goat very angry.

baa!
baa!
From its increasingly high-pitched voice, one could tell how angry and unwilling it was at the moment. It gathered its strength and rushed forward several times, but was always pulled down by the increasingly tight hoof straps. It could only shake its head and rage helplessly in place.

"Don't worry, you'll definitely get it right next time."

In order to calm Lai Fu, who was eager to attack the goat, Chen Zhou threw out the noose again.

After more than a dozen failures, this time the noose flew out steadily and hit the goat's head, perfectly catching the goat's head.

He pulled the rope toward him, tightening the noose to prevent the goat from breaking free.

Holding the hemp rope in his hand, Chen Zhou could feel that the sheep did not have much strength left, so he walked towards it with confidence and wanted to untie its hoof collar.

Judging from how deeply the noose has sunk into the goat's hoof, it has probably cut off most of the blood circulation. The situation is not optimistic. If the noose is not removed, the goat may lose one of its hoofs forever.

baa!
Seeing that the strange and cowardly creature finally dared to approach him, the goat decisively launched an attack and headed towards Chen Zhou.

But it apparently ignored the new rope tied around its neck.

Chen Zhou simply pulled the rope to the side, and a terrible feeling of suffocation forced the goat to change the direction of attack, and its head swung to the side due to the force exerted by the rope.

The attack was neutralized, but the goat was still rebellious. It tried to turn around, pointing its butt and hind hooves towards the enemy, attempting to kick it with its hooves.

However, the rope was in Chen Zhou's hand, so none of its tricks could work. He pulled it hard again, and it turned most of its body and then turned back helplessly.

"You seem a little too rude."

Chen Zhou rushed over the last bit of distance in one leap, grabbed the goat's horns, and used his weight to press the goat's head down.

The male goat fought hard, stretching his neck and supporting himself with his front hooves, but he was unable to match Chen Zhou's strength.

Even though it was considered a strong man among the sheep, its peak weight was only 130 kilograms. It could not withstand the pressure of Chen Zhou, who now weighed nearly 160 kilograms.

If it kept its neck stiff, its cervical vertebrae would be broken. Its jaw was pressed to the ground in pieces. It kicked with its hooves, still humming in dissatisfaction and struggling.

He sat on the sheep and gave it a big slap in the face.

Chen Zhou grabbed the sheep's horns with one hand to control its head, and reached for the noose with the other hand, trying to help it untie the noose first.

Hum~hum~
The male goat was panting muffledly, and as soon as the strength on his head was a little insufficient, he would quickly raise his neck to stand up. The front hoof that was tied by the noose was also not obedient, and kept moving within a limited range, making Chen Zhou more and more annoyed.

"Blessing!"

He called Lai Fu, who was sitting nearby with a fierce look in his eyes, and asked him to lift the sheep's head up so that its mouth was facing Lai Fu.

"Bite it!"

Wang!
Lai Fu rushed forward and bit the sheep's nose. The sheep twisted its body wildly in pain and the hair on its face was soon stained red with blood.

"Okay, let go."

Afraid that Lai Fu would bite the stud bull without knowing how to control his strength after tasting the blood, Chen Zhou hurriedly stopped Lai Fu, feeling that the lesson was enough.

Hey~
Lai Fu obediently let go, took two steps back, and stared at the goat closely, ready to bite it again if he saw it dare to resist again.

The goat's head drooped to the ground, and its body seemed to have suddenly deflated. Its tense muscles softened, and its hooves no longer moved randomly. It just sat there gasping for breath, and its blood-gourd-like nose occasionally blew out a red bubble.

"It would have been better if you had done this earlier. Why are you still being so arrogant now that you've been caught?"

He freed his hands to untie the noose, but tried several times without success. He still couldn't get out the hemp rope that was cutting into the flesh. Chen Zhou had no choice but to take out his dagger and cut the rope directly. Then he stood up from the sheep and pulled the rope in an attempt to get the sheep to get up and walk.

After lying down, this unruly male goat seemed to have changed his personality.

Just now he refused to obey, but now he is like a dead pig that is not afraid of boiling water. No matter how Chen Zhou pulled the rope, he just lay there and didn't move.

"Oh, this is the first time I deal with such a despicable beast."

Chen Zhou was so angry that he laughed. He took out a dagger and wanted to stab the scoundrel to death with one blow.

"I see you don't take soft or hard tactics, you only take the most deadly ones. If I don't give you some tough tactics, do you think I can't do anything to you?"

He casually cut off a half-dry branch of a bush, trimmed off the branches at the root for easier holding, put away the dagger, and raised the branch to hit the goat lying on the ground.

The tips of the branches cut through the wind, making a humming sound.

Chen Zhou was filled with rage, and he hit the goat with all his might every time. The branch was already dry, and the edges seemed to have thorns, and when it hit the goat's head and neck, a bloody mark was left.

baa~
The pain gave the goat new strength, and it instantly recovered from a paralyzed patient to normal state. It hurriedly got up from the ground and ran forward screaming in pain.

Lai Fu stared at the goat with wolf-like eyes, moved to the side and blocked the goat's way.

baa~
After being bitten hard, there were several bloody holes on both sides of the goat's face. The goat was extremely afraid of Lai Fu and did not dare to move forward. Just as he was about to turn back, Chen Zhou pulled the branch down again.

……

After a good beating, all the anger in Chen Zhou's heart was released.

He did not stop until he had broken off all the thin branches and half of the branch. He angrily threw away the branch that was painted red and white by the goat's blood and wool, and kicked the goat again.

The goat lowered its head, completely losing the domineering look it had when they first met. The front half of its body was covered with scars. It stood obediently in the same place, not saying a word.

"Are you still pretending to be paralyzed?"

Patting the goat's back, Chen Zhou asked.

The goat naturally did not respond. It just stood there blankly like a wronged young wife.

"Damn it, if it weren't for the fact that your balls are still useful, I would have chopped you to death with an axe and then skinned you alive."

Pull the rope to pull the goat forward.

It was stunned for a moment, and when it saw Chen Zhou raised his hand, it quickly took a step forward and limped closely after this strange and terrifying creature.

The male goat was successfully led to the grassland where the female goat was tied. The slipknot on its neck was changed into a knot, and it was tied to the old place.

When they reached the edge of the forest, Chen Zhou pulled a few broad leaves to wipe the blood off its face. Then he made sure it was tied tightly and returned to the cave with Lai Fu.

……

On March 3, it was still a sunny day when I got up early in the morning, but the cloud density the next day was significantly higher than yesterday.

Knowing that the sunny days on the island would not last long during the rainy season, and that it would probably be cloudy and rainy in the afternoon, Chen Zhou did not dare to delay his work.

After breakfast, he took some rum and went to the meadow to disinfect and clean the wound of the billy goat, and also cleaned the hair around the mark left by its front hoof.

After being severely beaten, the male goat now dared not even look directly at Chen Zhou. It could only glance up timidly. Once its eyes met Chen Zhou's, it would quickly lower its head for fear of being beaten again.

During the debridement process, alcohol irritates the wound and the dog dares not move.

He just stayed there and let them do whatever they wanted, more obedient than the lamb that Chen Zhou had raised.

Just after finishing the cleanup work, a mother goat and her baby goat happened to walk out of the woods at the bottom of the slope. Seeing Chen Zhou standing with the male goat, they stopped in their tracks and looked at these two creatures that had nothing in common from afar, completely confused about what was going on.

"Hahaha~"

Chen Zhou called out to the mother and baby goats, put his palm on the male goat's back, rubbed off the blood and wool on it, and approached the half-grown lamb.

baa~
As if smelling the blood of its own kind, the little lamb nimbly jumped to the side and avoided Chen Zhou's big hand.

"You are a thing that cannot be tamed. When you grow up a little, we will kill you and eat you in the next rainy season."

Chen Zhou felt quite bored after the attempt failed.

Thinking that there was still work to be done today, he left the meadow after saying some harsh words, leaving the billy goat, his wife and stepson to chat about family matters.

Back at the cave, we removed the wooden floor of the bedroom and laid it on the platform. We also moved the river sand out of the cave and spread it out to dry.

During the drying process, he picked out impurities such as large stones and water grass roots in the sand, and collected the driest river sand into the storage room for future use.

After working until the afternoon, the sky became increasingly gloomy. Worried that the rain would come too soon, Chen Zhou collected the river sand and wooden boards in advance and returned to the cave.

After a while, the sound of rain began, and the outdoor work was basically finished. He picked up the pickaxe and began to dig the foundation next to the load-bearing column.

……

From March 3 to March 15, there were no more sunny days lasting two days.

Perhaps because the fields were too waterlogged, the wheat did not grow well, but the rice grew faster and faster.

Thanks to Chen Zhou's careful care, all the crops are healthy. Even the ones that were bitten by birds have recovered from their injuries, but they are slightly shorter than other plants.

In addition to digging the foundation, Chen Zhou also removed the bedroom floor and transformed it into a new load-bearing beam to replace the mortise and tenon structure load-bearing beam on the wooden load-bearing column.

The room is not dry enough and the moisture inside the river sand cannot be removed.

Helplessly, he built a fire next to the sand pile and used the high temperature to accelerate the growth of the seedlings.

Although this method may be suspected of wasting firewood, it is very effective and can quickly dry the river sand.

I tried mixing it with some cement and found that the quality of unscreened river sand was pretty good.

After selecting the best stones for building the load-bearing columns, Chen Zhou prepared to start construction immediately.

He expects to complete the construction of the four load-bearing columns and install the newly manufactured load-bearing beams by March 3.
There are 3 days in March, and there are still 31 days from the time the load-bearing columns are built to the date when the earthquake occurs, which is April 24th.

Considering that Robinson remembered the wrong date due to illness, the exact time may be 25 days or 23 days.

This amount of time was enough to dry the cement on the load-bearing columns, but he couldn't completely trust these columns and just stay in the cave to face the earthquake.

Before the earthquake hit, he had to build a temporary shelter outside and then moved all the important items in the cave into the temporary shelter until April 4.

According to the description in the book, it rained heavily shortly after the earthquake, and staying outdoors would definitely cause catching a cold.

In fact, Robinson's serious illness was mostly due to the heavy rain, and a small part was due to the shock of witnessing the earthquake.

Reading the original work is equivalent to predicting the future, so Chen Zhou naturally cannot repeat the same mistakes.

He planned to build a temporary shelter at the edge of the woods next to the fields, so that it would be convenient to transport supplies and he would be able to check the situation inside the cave as soon as possible after the earthquake.

But after using it, he found that the thick canvas had poor waterproof effect and could not withstand heavy rain. It would leak after a short time. This time when building a temporary shelter, he did not want to use thick canvas to cover the roof.

Chen Zhou wanted to set aside a few days to return to the camp at the foot of the mountain to dismantle the tent, and then use the large waterproof cloth that had been glued together earlier to cover the roof.

In order to store the important supplies that had been moved into the cave, he decided to use a mixed wood and stone structure to make this temporary shelter larger and more stable.

And during the construction process, he had to avoid the mistakes that had been made in the camp shelters at the foot of the mountain, do a good job of waterproofing and drainage, and it would be best to make it a semi-permanent shelter.

Even if it is abandoned in the future, it can be left to Lai Fu as a high-end doghouse.

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(End of this chapter)