Chapter 271 - 121: Shipping Container
The efforts and waiting of anglers often end with no results.
But that's in a place where "there are more people than fish".
Wherever there's a creek, rain or shine, you'll always see a group of anglers of various ages sitting on the banks with their poles, waiting for their catch, whether a small fish or a "giant". Even catching a two-pound carp can arouse the envy of others.
Living on the island, enjoying abundant resources, and gradually honing his fishing skills, Chen Zhou rarely returned empty-handed.
Of course, limited by fishing and bait, and his lack of knowledge about larger fish, he couldn't catch any big ones, at most a few three to five-pounders to enjoy fresh, which also allowed the cats and dogs at home to benefit.
...
On November 24th, another reward arrived.
As usual, Chen Zhou strapped on his hiking backpack and, filled with expectations for a "Skill Book," made his way to the beach.
Even before reaching the wooden and stone wall, he was surprised to see the wooden tray at the reward point center breaking through the tent from a distance.
The reason for his surprise was simple — this time's reward turned out to be a rare "big item".
The entire reward was encased in a blue-painted container, which was placed on a wooden tray.
However, the size of this container was not as large as those carrying bulk goods on custom ships, measuring only about one and a half meters long, one meter wide, and one point three to four meters high.
Calling it a container isn't exactly accurate. Seeing it as a large iron box is reasonable.
It had been nearly six months since a safe was violently dismantled in June, and he hadn't seen a reward of such size. Seeing the miniature container for the first time, Chen Zhou felt both joyous and a little scared.
The joy naturally came from the anticipation of the rewards in the box, after all, "bigger is better, more is beautiful." There was no need to mention what was inside the box; even the iron box itself was quite useful.
The moment he saw the iron box, Chen Zhou thought of the perfect application —
Excavate a hole in the bedroom floor corresponding to its volume, then place the box inside.
Line the box walls with floating planks for insulation, glued with fish swim bladder glue, occasionally mixed with foam.
Then nest a few slightly smaller square ceramic pots inside the box, arranged neatly. Fill the gaps between the pots with icy water; wouldn't this be a perfect refrigerator?
If he wanted it to be more aesthetically pleasing and convenient, he could design a waterproof cover for the iron box opening and place the box into the wall. It would then operate just like a real refrigerator.
In the 17th century, finding a fully painted, sturdy waterproof box was incredibly difficult.
Moreover, even without using it as a container, cutting the iron sheet from the box to make iron pieces provided rare materials.
When planning to deal with cannibal tribes, what Chen Zhou most wanted was a set of metal armor.
If he had enough iron sheets, he would only need to weave a set of vine armor, punch holes in the crafted iron pieces, and fasten them onto the vine armor, making him invincible against natives wielding wooden spears, stone sabers, and bows and arrows.
Just the thought of the applicable scenarios for the iron box made Chen Zhou's heart race with excitement, almost making him take a big leap inside the wooden and stone enclosure to see what was inside the box.
But having been tormented twice by the Space-Time Administration Bureau, exhausting physical and mental energy to solve two "puzzles."
Nowadays, Chen Zhou held some resistance towards rewards with "blind box" nature.
Who knows if there is a lock at the opening of the iron box, accompanied by a large inscription —
"You must unlock this with your own wisdom, or the reward inside will vanish directly."
If that's the case, he would obviously have to suffer again.
In mixed excitement and fear, Chen Zhou deliberately slowed his pace, stepped over the wooden and stone walls, tore off the shredded rain cover, and circled the large iron box to see if there was a lock on its door.
...
Fortunately, it seemed the Space-Time Administration Bureau hadn't figured out how to arrange the "third puzzle" yet, as this miniature container's door wasn't locked.
The lock box meant for securing the door was open, with no padlock inside.
The rubber gasket used for moisture and water resistance on the box top and bottom was intact, the door lock rod and hinge pin moved smoothly, and even the paint was barely chipped.
All this indicated that the items inside the box were directly given to him by the Space-Time Administration Bureau, without any restrictions.
Such an unusual situation provoked a new round of reverie in Chen Zhou —
Could this reward be the container itself, maybe empty inside?
Given the program team's usual dark sense of humor, this possibility wasn't low.
Consequently, he quietly lowered his expectations, to avoid being overly disappointed after opening the door and seeing the inside.
Swiftly pulling out the door lock rod, he bent down and swung open the door, revealing a neat stack of rectangular boxes filling the entire container.
These boxes were all wooden, enveloped in a layer of plastic wrap that protected the items inside quite thoroughly.
"So many? Could they be elegantly packaged chopsticks or spoons?
The dinner knives sent last time satisfied me, why send utensils again, do I look like I lack chopsticks?"
One year during the New Year, Chen Zhou bought a set of custom chopsticks made of chicken wing wood with copper heads for his family, and the box was quite similar to the rectangular wooden box he eyed.
This led him to suspect that this reward might very likely be chopsticks.
"Whatever, whether it's a mule or a horse, let's take it out and check it out. Anyway, with this container, no matter what's inside, I won't lose."