Starting from Robinson Crusoe-Chapter 81 - 29: Digging_2

Having made up his mind, Chen Zhou decided to build a toilet at both the camp at the foot of the mountain and beside the Shelter halfway up.

For the sloped land at the foot of the mountain where farming would take place, the pit could be dug larger to accommodate more dead fish, shrimp, and fallen leaves.

The toilet structure didn't need to be too complex; even if it rained, it shouldn't be a problem, as long as it wasn't so rudimentary that you'd fall into the pit while using it.

The toilet at the Shelter, as part of the living facilities, had to be built small and exquisite, leak-proof, and preferably with some level of sealing to prevent odor from ruining the mood.

Priority for construction would be the one at the foot of the mountain, while the one on the mountain could temporarily be replaced with a pit.

However, the digging tools were not yet ready, so no matter how many ideas he had, they were useless.

Chen Zhou needed to head to the mountain to carve his wooden shovel and pickaxe before any work could commence.

He packed the oil lamp, large iron pot, bedding, sugar, and other supplies, prepared for a long endeavor, and set off.

...

Strictly speaking, inlaying metal on a pickaxe and wooden shovel is far more complex than tongue and groove joints.

They aren't those kinds of straight-up-and-down curves, nor are they structures that can be simply sketched with a charcoal stick.

But the hard wood of the ironwood compensated for this problem.

Using chisels, axes, and other tools against this tree felt like extracting a pickaxe from a stone, a taxing mental and physical process.

The slow chiseling process forced the work progress to extend, thereby enhancing accuracy.

From October 30 to November 4, Chen Zhou had been dealing with the sawn ironwood stumps.

His first two tools were not successfully made.

The handles for the pickaxe and wooden shovel were usable when installed, but the grooves for embedding metal were slightly too big and shallow, causing the hammered angle iron not to fit snugly into the ironwood, only serving as wooden tools.

For the second set of finished products, Chen Zhou learned from his mistakes, improved the grooves, and successfully embedded the angle iron, though there was still a small flaw—it wasn't ergonomically designed.

The handles were too long and thick, and the surface lacked an anti-slip treatment, making it easy to lose grip if he was sweaty.

However, objectively speaking, for someone without a woodworking background, producing such four usable finished products within five days was already quite an achievement.

On the night of the 4th, Chen Zhou returned to the camp to fetch the grinding wheel and the half-made foot-pedaled grinding machine.

He worked through the night, staying up until dawn to complete the grinding machine.

During this period, another mention must be made about an aspect of his diet.

The addition of goat milk improved Chen Zhou's quality of life, giving him more energy to complete more tasks.

The boiled milk reduced the gamy taste, and Chen Zhou divided it into two flavors while drinking—adding sugar or tea salt.

Each flavor was unique in its own way.

The sugared goat milk had a bit of a modern milk tea feel, though the milk flavor was overwhelmingly rich.

The boiled tea-infused milk with added salt had the flavor of Mongolian milk tea, providing protein, water, and salt, as well as energy; after adjusting to the subtle goat gaminess, it became somewhat addictive.

Thus, maintaining a stable life rhythm continued until November 5.

On dry season mornings, the weather quickly became somewhat arid.

The temperature in the shady mountain cave was relatively cooler, making it a perfect summer retreat.

Upon waking, Chen Zhou rinsed his mouth with a sip of rum, then used a tree bark toothbrush to clean his mouth. After eating bread soaked in milk tea and rinsing the iron pot, he carried the pickaxe and wooden shovel to select a site for the Shelter.

The dry season sunshine was too merciless; if crops were planted in January without any shade, the seedlings would inevitably wither.

Chen Zhou planned to start seedlings in the shaded area in advance, then transplant them to the fields at the foot of the mountain once they were grown.

Therefore, he needed to select a piece of sufficiently spacious and flat land that would satisfy the need for seedlings and allow space for building a toilet; if there were room for creating a courtyard-sized open space, that would be even better.

In the original story, Robinson's cave was built in a depression behind a small hill, leading directly to the low-lying seafront, with a flat grassland and ample space.

Moreover, the hill blocked the morning sun, providing protection from sunlight during the dry season.

However, being close to the shoreline wasn't necessarily a good thing.

After Robinson discovered the Cannibal Tribes nearby, he was almost scared into destroying this seafront Shelter and retreating into the island's depths, until his wooden fence grew into trees, concealing the entrance and giving him enough sense of security.

Well-versed in the original story, Chen Zhou definitely wouldn't make the same choice as Robinson.

Heading along the mountain's westward slope, he hoped to find a piece of land worth developing in the mountain's shaded area.

Unlike the small islands portrayed in survival movies, this island was not that small.

Halfway up the mountain, overlooking the land, one can clearly see that from this peak, a whole rugged mountain range stretches deep into the island.

The dense primeval forest fills the land with varying shades of green, occasionally revealing some rivers and meadows within the woods, like the meridians and ecchymosis on the body of the mountains.

Adjacent to this mountain, the neighboring peak is swathed in layers of black and white rocks at its heights, with a flat summit resembling a volcano.

Observing the terrain, Chen Zhou had nearly circled around to the south of the mountain.

To the west, the slope from the mountainside to the foot of the mountain gradually eases, while the arc from the top to the mountainside remains steep.

The winds here are lighter with minimal soil erosion, making it quite firm.

Chen Zhou tried digging and found that he could dig down 30 to 40 centimeters and still not hit rock, which is enough for planting crops.

Moving forward, under a steep rock wall, he finally found the terrain he had been envisioning—a cliff platform.

Though called a platform, it actually slopes downward, but the curve is gentle, and once leveled, it could provide a usable area of three to four hundred square meters.

At the base of the cliff, there's a six or seven meter high layer of sand and gravel, ideal for excavation.

The towering cliff increases the risk for enemies attacking from above, while also blocking most sunlight and strong sea winds, providing some cover for smoke rising from the shelter.

The gentle slope is covered with shade-loving wild grass and low trees.

At a rotting tree root, Chen Zhou even found dried wood ear and a few mushrooms.

If he wanted to imitate Robinson and build fortifications, he only needed to cut those trees and raise the slope, creating a two to three meter height difference, making it difficult for enemies to climb from below.

Additionally, the height difference would facilitate drainage; by digging a downward-sloping channel, rainwater pooled inside could flow down the mountain.

The only downside might be digging a well.

Digging a well by the riverside is entirely different from doing so halfway up a mountain, and Chen Zhou suspected that he'd hit solid rock after digging just two meters down.

Even without rock layers, reaching groundwater might require digging fifty to sixty meters, and with only his two pickaxes and a shovel, the chances of succeeding seem slim.

Unless some mysterious reward granted him a drilling machine.

"If only there were a spring."

Chen Zhou thought.

"With a spring, this place would be perfect."

But ultimately, nothing is perfect in this world, and the conditions of this cliff platform already surpassed Chen Zhou's expectations; it would be hard to find a more suitable place for construction.

Spit!

The thought of starting construction on a sturdy, safe, and cozy permanent shelter filled Chen Zhou with energy.

Spitting in his palm to moisten his calluses, he raised his pickaxe with determination and swung down for the first time.

The sand and gravel mixed with soil turned out to be far sturdier than expected, and only a small chunk broke off after that swing.

But soon came the second swing, the third...

He didn't rush to plan the cave entrance; instead, he focused on widening the gap in the gravel as much as possible, clearing away the fallen debris to level the ground.

After the endurance of carrying boxes up the mountain, this kind of no-need-for-movement work didn't exhaust him at all.

Sand and gravel fell in a cascade, dust rising in the air.

The sound of the metal edge of the pickaxe clinking against stone was clear and strong.

With each swing of the pickaxe, Chen Zhou recalled his father's oft-repeated words.

"When I was seventeen or eighteen, I followed your grandfather driving carts to buy sheep across the plains, traveling hundreds of miles in the winter's bitter cold..."

"At your age, I was already out working for myself, self-reliant."

"Kids these days haven't suffered enough; look at me at over fifty, still with this strong body!"

He had heard his father's nagging countless times, long growing tired of it.

He always found reasons to retort.

"Nowadays, society demands brains; hard work alone won't earn money. According to you, it needs cunning and trickery."

"Back in your day, the food wasn't filled with fertilizers, the foundation laid from childhood was strong..."

In arguing, everything had a reason, a logical explanation.

But now Chen Zhou realized, only after reaching that point, that he too could do it after all.