Chapter 281 - 125: Building a Yaodong Cave Dwelling
Honestly, the taste of the big fish didn't match its size.
Having eaten plenty of both freshwater and saltwater fish, Chen Zhou thought that the meat of this big fish was far less delicate and tasty than that of smaller fish.
Its meat fibers were quite coarse, with a strong fishy smell, and its belly was rather fatty, making it greasy and not fragrant, even to the point of being nauseating.
Compared to eating fish, fishing is much more interesting.
Conquering such a behemoth, the joy and sense of achievement Chen Zhou gained from it were difficult for other things to provide.
Unfortunately, the island is too small, and such a large freshwater fish was probably the limit; to catch an even bigger one, he'd have to go out to sea and try his luck.
Fresh lobsters, giant shellfish, sea cucumbers, and crabs can't be obtained by just waiting on the shore.
If he were skilled at swimming and could independently build a sufficiently sturdy and safe big ship, Chen Zhou might risk going out to sea to catch or fish some rare sea fish.
But for now, the thought of potentially losing his life over it doesn't even cross his mind, lest his impulsiveness lead him to act on it.
...
Cooking and eating alone, even sharing with the cats and dogs doesn't earn him any praise.
Even catching such a big fish, he can't take photos to show off on social media, nor brag about it on fishing forums; the emotional value and recognition he gets are minimal.
In contrast, the meticulous process of handling ingredients during cooking, the effort and energy spent on washing dishes, and wiping the cutting board left a deeper impression on Chen Zhou and made him resolve—
Next time he catches such a big fish, he'd rather carve away the meat to make a fishbone model or release it after measuring its length than go through the laborious process of cooking it.
Whether it's troublesome or not doesn't matter; the key is that it doesn't taste good.
...
An unprecedented big fish gave Chen Zhou a real fishing thrill.
But such highlights aren't always present in a mundane life, and the routine work still needs to continue.
With a cart available and being able to make his own carts, no longer worrying about wheels being one-time-use, Chen Zhou can finally transport building materials up the mountain with confidence, lay ceilings, and build the exterior wall that had been left for over half a year.
Once the mountain path is fixed, the cart can fully utilize its carrying capacity, transporting over 200 pounds of stone or clay up the mountain at a time.
Chen Zhou plans to first lay the ceiling of the bedroom, then build the stone exterior walls.
Meanwhile, he's not satisfied with the current lighting in the cave, thinking the windows are too few and too small; during the rainy season, the interior feels gloomy all day, affecting his mood.
Why not use wood to make a larger window frame and take down the glass from the windows above the bed to install on his custom frame, which would not only increase lighting but also better match the modern aesthetic with his design.
...
Preparing materials while using spare time to expand the cave.
On January 8th, Chen Zhou went to the beach to collect a mystery reward.
The always highly valued mystery rewards were like stocks that, after skyrocketing, had finally slumped.
From the 28th reward's container of Damascus Steel Billet to the 29th reward's full set of auto repair tools, and then to the 30th reward's box of instant noodles, the value plummeted like a Broken Cliff.
Finally, this 31st mystery reward put a perfect end to this declining line.
It was a small tube of toothpaste, with a net content of 120g.
A disposable toothbrush, only a few circles thicker than a toothpick, came as a gift with the toothpaste.
Unpacking the box and seeing the toothpaste made Chen Zhou feel like his hanging heart finally settled.
He estimated that even if he squeezed out only a pea-sized amount of toothpaste like a five or six-year-old, it wouldn't last long.
If the container of steel billets was worth tens of thousands, the auto repair tools worth thousands, and the instant noodles worth dozens, then this tube of toothpaste might be worth just a few bucks.
In just two short months, the mystery reward had plummeted from the "wealth tax" section on Alibaba to the bargain promotion section on Pinduoduo.
But for Chen Zhou, this wasn't necessarily bad, and it even put him more at ease.
Because the previous rewards were too valuable and made him too uneasy.
Especially that pen, which was a luxury he couldn't touch in modern times.
Receiving unearned rewards left him uneasy and restless; as a challenger, he had never truly hoped to get invaluable treasures from the "mystery rewards."
So when he received these valuable items, besides feeling excitement and joy, a subtle sense of resistance lingered in the depths of his heart.
This resistance wasn't self-doubt but stemmed from getting something for nothing.
...
Growing up in the countryside, Chen Zhou always held a simple belief—that to gain something, you must put in the corresponding labor.
Just like the crops farmers plant in the fields, wanting a bountiful harvest means planting, watering, fertilizing, applying pesticides, and harvesting; only then does the money feel earned.
In his view, mystery rewards are the kind of enormous wealth that can be obtained out of thin air without putting in equivalent effort.
This always made him feel like he was holding a cloud from the sky, weightless, and even somewhat fearful.
Chen Zhou didn't know if his efforts were worth these praises.
He only knew that on this isolated island, he should live and survive seriously, rather than just muddling through and counting down the days, waiting for the challenge to end and the day of "release."
After all, these are more than ten thousand genuine days, enough to turn someone from a clueless child into a competent carpenter, an outstanding painter, an excellent weaver, and even a musician or calligrapher.