Starting from Robinson Crusoe-Chapter 117 - 44: Handcart, Rabbit, Lemon, and Crops
The most frequently appearing vocabulary concentrated on "loneliness" or "boredom."
Boredom then led to perspectives like having no one to talk to, lacking entertainment tools, or having nothing to do for too long.
Before starting the challenge, Chen Zhou strongly agreed with the views of the guys on Tieba—
10300 days, indeed, an overwhelmingly ample amount of time.
Such a lengthy period, even just idling away every day, forcibly passing it would be a daunting task.
But up to this point, he found that time doesn't feel endless; rather, it seems a bit lacking.
There's too much to do; it's hard to say which task is more important and which isn't.
Sometimes he even wants to split himself into eight parts to handle different jobs.
At least at this stage, life isn't boring yet, just a bit busy, a bit tired, but also very fulfilling.
Fulfilling enough to make him forget loneliness.
...
On the morning of January 13th, Chen Zhou routinely checked the rabbit traps, surprisingly finding that his trap had successfully caught a rabbit, and it hadn't been strangled to death.
Judging by the fresh struggle marks around the rabbit, it might have entered the trap only minutes ago; if he were one or two hours late, Chen Zhou might have only harvested a corpse.
A live rabbit is far more valuable than a dead one.
Not only because a live rabbit can be bled to enhance the flavor of ingredients, but also because a live rabbit can test wild fruits and help Chen Zhou test for poison.
The fruit of that suspected wild lemon tree he found while looking for iron trees, he hasn't dared to eat, waiting for this rabbit to appear.
Grabbing the rabbit's ears, dodging its flailing kicks, he rescued it from the trap, and took the trap to boil with saltwater for reuse; Chen Zhou secured the rabbit in a large wooden box.
Having just escaped danger, the rabbit's emotions were very unstable, curled up in the corner of the box, motionless; Chen Zhou threw some chinchilla-favored grass in, and it didn't touch it.
Seeing the rabbit in this state, even offering it lemon now, it wouldn't eat; Chen Zhou could only close the box lid and move on to other tasks.
In the morning, he transported doors and windows, picking some fresh fruits when passing through the forest.
In the afternoon, he continued digging for white clay on the sunny slope, replacing the wooden bucket with two wooden boxes; although heavier to carry, the amount of soil transported increased significantly, slightly improving work efficiency.
The surplus wooden boxes were thanks to the wood racks transported onto the mountain yesterday. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
Flatbreads, sugar, salt, tea leaves, and flour stored in boxes were now transferred to the racks, freeing up those boxes for other uses.
At dusk, he carried water up the mountain twice, added some salt for the goats, returned to the cave, and lit the oil lamp; another day passed.
After dinner, Chen Zhou heard the sounds of gnawing and digging inside the big wooden box; opening the lid, he found the rabbit had regained vigor, now trying to dig a hole to escape.
But the wooden box was sturdily built, and thick planks couldn't be breached quickly; its efforts were in vain.
Slicing the green fruit into thin pieces and tossing them into the box, watching the rabbit eat two slices, then getting so sour it wouldn't eat more, Chen Zhou became increasingly confident the tree was a wild lemon.
To be prudent, he sliced two more fruits into the box, withholding other food from the rabbit, planning to check its condition tomorrow morning.
Logically, eating lemon shouldn't cause severe adverse reactions, perhaps a bit of diarrhea.
If the rabbit were dead by tomorrow morning, it'd indicate the fruit isn't lemon, but a toxic species similar to it.
...
On the morning of January 14th, the first thing Chen Zhou did upon waking was check the rabbit's condition.
The results were pleasing.
Most fruit slices in the box had disappeared, with a few small dark pellets left behind.
And the rabbit appeared unharmed, still scratching at the box corners, leaving claw marks all over the planks.
"Great! So lively."
Chen Zhou grinned broadly with a kind smile.
Double joy!
The first joy was in confirming the lemon.
Even though lemons are extremely sour when eaten directly, they're rich in vitamins, can treat scurvy, and hold some medicinal value.
They can also be used as a seasoning to remove fishiness, or as a marinade for grilling.
If sugar's enough from mass-growing sugarcane, lemons could be sliced for sweet preserves or squeezed for juice beverages.
In a hot dry season, enjoying a cup of refreshing sweet-and-sour lemon juice is a real treat!
The second joy came from the rabbit itself.
Its outstanding contribution brightened Chen Zhou's mood, immediately deciding to reward it with a swift cut, then bleed and skin it.
The meat was saved for evening roasting, scored, sprinkled with salt, and lemon juice, surely flavored deliciously tender.
The skin was hung around the field to ward off its kind.
The leftover bones could be crushed for compost, or given to Lai Fu as toys.
From life to death, the rabbit fulfilled all roles it possibly could, contributing greatly to Chen Zhou's life.
In Chen Zhou's heart, it was the finest prey!
Grabbing the rabbit's ear and lifting it from the box.
Not long after, Chen Zhou walked out of the cave holding a bloody rabbit skin, then bound it to a stick and set it beside the scarecrow.
As the wind blew, the rabbit skin swayed gently, pairing well with the menacingly faced scarecrow.
Savoring recent gains, Chen Zhou skipped breakfast, directly boiled saltwater in an iron pot to soak ropes, and set over ten traps on the forest edge.
