Chapter 429 - 3: Imparting Knowledge
If a worker wishes to do a good job, he must first sharpen his tools.
After acquiring a complete set of modern forging tools, Chen Zhou realized that forging some specially shaped metal implements was unexpectedly simple.
...
The firelight in the Forging Room never extinguished throughout the day, and the hot atmosphere seemed to penetrate the rain curtain, evaporating the muddy water.
The reserve of charcoal was depleting at an alarming rate. By the end of the work session, even precious smokeless coal had been used.
Large nails, iron wires, metal brackets, metal bushings, and metal water control boards.
Saws, planes, chisels, and hand axes needed for carpentry.
Shovel heads, sickles, machetes, hoes, pickaxes, rakes, and forks with more regular designs that conformed to ergonomics.
The waste metal parts transported from the ship underwent a rebirth in the blaze, molding bodies on the anvil, transforming into brand new tools on the Forging Room’s shelves.
...
Then, using the new carpenter tools, Chen Zhou plunged into the work of making wooden parts for the waterwheel.
The traditional waterwheel used fewer nails, with most of its structure fixed using mortise and tenon joints, which was not a difficult task for Chen Zhou, who was becoming increasingly skilled in carpentry.
Moreover, he was no longer alone; he had two helpers, Saturday and Sunday, with the natives assisting in collecting and transporting materials. The work efficiency was nothing like when the challenge first began.
...
Amidst the constant clanging of metal in the Forging Room, the natives unknowingly became fully accustomed to their new island life.
The four "top students" from the farming class were dedicated to tending the fields.
To support the seven additional mouths, Chen Zhou opened up another plot of about 6 acres near the existing farmland, specifically for planting rice and wheat.
This time, affected by the rainy season, the land was not cleared using the traditional and simple slash-and-burn method, but properly loosened with shovels.
During the soil-loosening process, the natives picked out small stones buried in the soil, cut tree roots that ran across the land, and felled trees too close to the farmland.
Subsequently, they mixed the compost made from mountainous toilets into the soil—
Of course, the compost accumulated in the mountains was not enough for the entire field. Chen Zhou hadn’t had time to collect decayed fish and shrimp stranded on the Rock Beach to make compost, so the shortfall had to be covered by the mountain of bird droppings in Pigeon Cave.
Fortunately, there was plenty of bird droppings. With just some time and effort, the natives were able to gather sufficient fertilizer.
Once the soil was adequately fertilized, the natives followed Chen Zhou’s example, using rakes with fine teeth and flat hoes to further refine the soil and create ridges.
With these tasks completed, they finally planted the precious rice seedlings and wheat into the fields.
...
With Saturday’s diligent teaching and the natives’ hard work and attention,
using advanced, handy metal tools and enjoying better conditions than Chen Zhou did during his initial land clearing, the natives easily achieved results far surpassing the master.
The fields they prepared looked far more orderly and beautiful than the plot Chen Zhou first cultivated.
Ample rainfall during the rainy season led to a vibrant growth of the water-loving rice. By mid-September, it had become a lush green vista.
...
Regrettably, the rainy season restricted outdoor painting, and the newly cultivated field was too far from the small wooden house.
Saturday, who loved painting, admired the labor results of his companions but couldn’t take his clean sketch paper to the fields to paint live.
He could only go to the fields when the rain was light and pace back and forth at a high point, memorizing the posture of the crops and mentally simulating the painting process.
Once he’d memorized enough details, he would return to the wooden house, retrieve his well-used clay board and charcoal stick, and draft sketches.
Heaven rewards those who work diligently.
With this special "memory" method and meticulous observation, having drawn dozens of rough drafts, Saturday finally completed his first original drawing since learning to paint—
Limited by ink, the entire painting contained only three colors: white, black, and pink-purple.
But Saturday’s drawing was full of artistic conception.
In his depiction, the mountains turned into a white background on which orderly rice seedlings bloomed, and convex-concave ridges were outlined.
Charcoal lightly smeared to form clouds, softened by fingers, creating a gloomy yet fluffy feel, which gave the painting a refreshing sense of rain instead of feeling oppressive.
Between the contrasted sky and slope, there dotted many fine rain threads, and in the distance, the blurred outline of the cave courtyard’s outer walls and several tall lookout towers appeared.
In the field, a clothed native stood leaning on a shovel.
Long-term sketching practice gave Saturday a keen ability to capture details, rendering the rain-drenched clothing folds of the natives vividly realistic under his brush.
Having developed a certain appreciation for painting art and possessing inherent talent, Saturday knew he had produced an excellent work.
He intended to bring this painting directly to the cave for Chen Zhou, his teacher, to appraise the strengths and weaknesses of the piece, but Chen Zhou’s recent busyness dismissed the idea for now, resolved to seek guidance when there was free time.
Nevertheless, valuing the painting, Saturday didn’t stay idle.
He used his evening break to make a small picture frame, mounted the artwork in it, and hung it on the wooden house wall.
...
Some excelled at learning farming knowledge, while others had a particular talent for animal husbandry.
Sunday led the natives in herding cattle and sheep, milking and tending to lambs, and selected one of the three natives who worked most meticulously and nimbly, recommending him to Chen Zhou.