Starting from Robinson Crusoe-Chapter 145 - 61: Spectators Above
At noon on the 25th, Chen Zhou dragged his heavy, exhausted body back to the cave dwelling.
The small branches he had added to the stove and campfire when leaving home were successfully ignited by the charcoal.
Sadly, he got home too late, and the small branches that had ignited were now burnt to charcoal, so he still had to start a fire again.
He took out the herbs and jars, placing them on top of the kitchen's pantry shelf.
Sitting on a low stool, taking a brief rest, Chen Zhou started the campfire—
He wanted to brew some tobacco leaves in boiling water; it was currently the only medicine that might have some efficacy.
Patiently waiting for the water to boil, after steeping two large cups of tobacco leaves, he poured the remaining boiling water into an empty wine bottle, saving it for drinking later.
Then he added more water to the pot, broke a flatbread, sliced some meat into strips, put them in the water, didn't add salt, and began cooking porridge.
The tobacco leaves swirled on the boiling water and soon became completely soaked, sinking into the cup, turning the entire cup of water a dark yellow, even deep brown.
The scent wafting from the cup wasn't as pungent as Chen Zhou had imagined, carrying the unique slightly spicy aroma of tobacco, with a faint acrid smell.
Sniffing carefully, Chen Zhou thought the tobacco water might not be as hard to drink as Huo Xiang Zheng Qi Liquid or Ten Drops Water.
Once the water in the cup cooled slightly, he tentatively slurped a small sip.
When it first entered the mouth, the taste of the tobacco water wasn't obvious; as the yellowish liquid completely submerged the tongue and flowed down the throat, Chen Zhou felt an intensely strong taste of dry tobacco leaves burning in his mouth.
This spiciness was different from chili or onions, garlic, and ginger; it was hot and painful, feeling like needles and fire, without anything comforting or addictive, only causing suffering.
"Cough!"
Caught off guard, some liquid went the wrong way, entering Chen Zhou's trachea.
He stood up from the low stool, bending over, holding his knees, coughing violently.
His mouth felt like it was filled with flames.
From inside to outside, from the tip of the tongue to the root, from the upper to the lower gums, down to the throat and trachea, all were similarly stinging.
Finally stopping the coughing, he quickly opened his mouth, grabbed a piece of flatbread, broke it into pieces, stuffed it into his mouth, then washed it down with cold water to alleviate the pain in his mouth.
But this series of measures was ineffective. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
Chen Zhou, who could drink a full glass of rum without changing expression, was now in a mask of pain, curling up like a shrimp, huddling on the low stool, unable to utter a complete sentence other than painful groans of "ah" and "ugh".
After a while, the taste in his mouth finally dissipated, or rather, became bearable, and he straightened his back.
"Damn it, no one told me how much tobacco leaves to steep in one cup of water; maybe pouring half a box was too much.
Or maybe this stuff shouldn't be steeped in boiling water.
Damn, how can tobacco water taste so awful, if I drink the whole cup, the illness might not get better, but I'll be killed by the spice first!"
After a while, Chen Zhou felt the pungent smell of tobacco was like a nurse's rough swab, directly poking into his nostrils and throat, clearing all the pathways, making him feel both painful and relieved, even somewhat enjoyable.
When the burning sensation from the tobacco disappeared, even breathing seemed to draw air into his nasal cavity, along the skull, cooling his feverish and sluggish brain.
Staring at the even darker colored tobacco water, hesitating for a moment, Chen Zhou ultimately didn't dare to take a second sip.
"Better eat first, even if taking medicine, it should be taken after a meal, otherwise it isn't good for the stomach."
Finding a casual excuse to brush it off, Chen Zhou placed the tobacco water back on the food shelf—unless his condition worsened, he wouldn't drink another sip of it.
The water in the pot was little, so it boiled quickly.
He let the lean meat and dough simmer a while longer in the pot before serving it out.
After having a hot lunch, Chen Zhou felt his body no longer felt cold, and he was much more spirited.
He didn't know if it was due to the lunch or if the tobacco water actually took effect.
Then he took a large sip of cold boiled water, placed two cups of warm water on the bedside table, and crawled back under the covers to rest.
...
Today's sleep was much longer than usual; he slept for over ten hours.
His mind was clear, his head on the pillow, Chen Zhou stared with his eyes wide open, unable to fall asleep.
There was nothing to do, nothing that could be done.
He found it difficult to focus his thoughts on future matters that needed handling, with snippets of modern life constantly popping into his mind.
Among them were familiar cold medicines like Amoxicillin and Contac, the disinfectant powder smell from an electric kettle boiling water, and the hospital's white coats and slightly swaying IV bottles…
"If only I had access to these medicines, I wouldn't worry about a mere cold."
His memories shifted, thinking of his grandmother and grandfather, his parents, relatives and friends, and the feeling of being cared for.
These images of family only intensified his current loneliness.
...
The substantial 149 days were about to pass, and during these long five months, he had no one to communicate with.
He once reminded himself to speak more, even just to nature and lifeless objects, to speak out loud.
But in life, he couldn't achieve what he had planned.
Except for the mentally ill, who would speak to a tree or confide to stones or rivers?
Moreover, there were so many tasks to complete and urgent issues to solve, completely filling every minute and second, leaving no time for additional thinking.
Looking back, in the past three months, he had spoken only a few times, and most of it was issuing orders to Lai Fu.
