Chapter 443 - 10: The Year 1663
Cultivating a batch of qualified workers is not something that can be achieved overnight.
If Chen Zhou himself had worked on construction sites for years, looked at blueprints, tied rebar, and mixed cement to build walls, he might have the confidence to teach the natives to become "helpers" to assist him.
Unfortunately, he himself does not understand reinforced concrete construction well.
Building a house based on "it seems" or "I think" would not only waste materials but could also be harmful in the long run.
...
Considering that the timing is not yet mature, and the demand for explosives and improved firearms is currently low—
The natives have yet to prove themselves trustworthy enough, so Chen Zhou can currently only entrust guns, these dangerous things, to Saturday and Sunday. If the natives got hold of such things, no one could guarantee they wouldn't have ulterior motives.
Armed with a weapon, murderous intent arises.
Chen Zhou does not dare to test human nature. Even though the natives appear as docile as lambs now, he does not want to bet on whether lambs will continue to graze once they have sharp teeth.
Unless the Spaniards launch a large-scale attack, forcing an increase in firepower to counter the enemy, he would rather continue to wait.
...
By November, he had a general understanding of the process of reinforced concrete construction, and he had conducted several experiments using some cement.
The experiment site was not far from the planned factory location.
Chen Zhou had seen videos in modern times of people manually constructing small dams, installing engines inside to generate electricity using hydropower.
Although the construction process of those small dams had many non-standard aspects, the actual procedures were quite similar to large concrete buildings.
This included the basic processes of design, foundation laying, rebar tying, formwork setup, pouring and curing, formwork removal, and so on.
Chen Zhou's experiments initially started with building simple concrete structures.
...
Every bag of cement was precious, and even in experiments, Chen Zhou did not dare to waste it.
Though the buildings he constructed were not large, they were all usable.
For instance, there was a water storage tank by the river, a small port for docking canoes, and a small toilet made of brick and concrete.
While constructing these buildings, the natives followed Chen Zhou, either helping or learning.
After learning, they would practice using clay and stone bricks, and each person had to submit a satisfactory result to Chen Zhou before progressing to the next stage.
In addition to masonry work, the natives had to learn carpentry.
Chen Zhou prepared two full sets of carpentry tools for them.
The natives had to start from the basics: marking lines, planing material, chiseling joints, sawing material, slowly "domesticating" the wood in their hands.
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Regarding carpentry skills, Chen Zhou was indeed initially clueless.
But after three years on the island, life necessitated making wooden products, so even if he hadn't wanted to learn, he had to master this craft.
Moreover, as a bit of a perfectionist, Chen Zhou always held himself to high standards in his work.
Under the influence of this "artisan spirit," from his arrival on the island until now, after countless practices, he indeed summarized quite a few scientifically practical techniques.
For example, how to apply force while planing wood, how to observe with the eyes to ensure the wood is straight, square, and flat.
How to draw lines accurately to reduce errors;
When designing mortise and tenon structures, consider the characteristics of wood expanding when wet and shrinking when dry, and leave allowances;
When chiseling mortises, how to ensure even depth and vertical hole walls without easily tearing the wood;
As commonly said among the locals, "long carpenter, short blacksmith," when sawing wood, leave a bit extra to avoid it being too short later, know how to take a straight section from a crooked tree, and how to use a small saw to cut curves...
These are all methods Chen Zhou gradually figured out during practice.
Although his skills may not be as straightforward and handy as those of seasoned old carpenters, sometimes seeming a bit cumbersome or superfluous.
However, when applied in practice, these methods mostly just required more time and effort.
As long as the desired results were achieved, Chen Zhou felt that any trouble was worth it.
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Of course, the carpentry skills the natives needed to master didn't require them to be as proficient as Chen Zhou.
They only needed to understand how to draw straight lines, find the level, ensure the walls were perpendicular to the ground, and plane satisfactory boards.
The factory site was right next to a forest, and while there wasn't much else, there was plenty of wood.
The tools Chen Zhou had prepared for them were not yet sufficient for each person to have, so the natives had to take turns using them, like practicing driving at a driving school.
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Sometimes, right around noon when it was hot, the natives finished practicing and returned early to the rain shelters to rest.
But there were always a few unlucky ones, wearing shirts with their chests exposed, planing wood in the open under the sun, sweat pouring down their faces.
There was nothing to be done; it was just their turn to work at that time.
...
After nearly a month of such training, not only did the natives' carpentry skills improve, but so did the color of their skin.
Initially affected by their diet and lifestyle, the natives' skin color had slowly shifted from dark brown to yellow.
Little did they expect that once they began learning carpentry skills and were forced to spend all day outside in the sun, their skin color reverted, even becoming darker than before.
...
Work, study, and occasional relaxation.
The natives gradually became more like Saturday and Sunday used to be.
They began to get used to communicating in Chinese and started adapting to the taste of barley, rice, and flour.