Chapter 361 - 157: Gift
The "Zuo Zhuan" says, the great affairs of a state lie in rituals and warfare.
The ancients believed that war and rituals were forms of interaction with the Gods, matters concerning the divine will.
In that backward era, grand ceremonies were not only a belief in spirits and gods but also a means to unite the people and establish national spirit.
The so-called sense of homeland and identity was gradually formed and perfected through repeated grand ceremonies, in the rituals and spiritual inheritance passed down by sages and philosophers.
In modern society, rituals are not valued as highly as in ancient times, but this does not affect Chen Zhou's understanding of their importance.
Perhaps before the start of the worship, many mischievous thoughts crossed his mind.
But as soon as he entered into the prearranged ritual process, accompanied by the loud sound of gunfire, and the metallic scrape of his armor moving forward.
As the heavy temple gates were pushed open, revealing the majestic God shrouded at the juncture of light and darkness, even he, a staunch atheist, involuntarily fell into a solemn atmosphere, becoming silent and serious.
This silence continued until two indigenous people followed him back to the cave, and was only broken by him taking the initiative.
...
"You can go on with today's work now."
Wearing the Iron Massacre back and forth in the mountain cave, even though today he set off in the early morning, not during the hottest time of day, Chen Zhou was still unbearably stuffy.
Removing his helmet, he hurriedly tossed out a sentence before eagerly returning to the cave to change into his everyday attire.
...
The two indigenous people were mysteriously awakened, inexplicably participated in a worship, paid homage to a God they had never worshipped before, and then inexplicably returned to their small wooden cabin.
They originally thought they were going to face a brutal war, until Chen Zhou told them to go about their work, leaving them somewhat dazed.
Watching Chen Zhou stride heavily back into the cave, Duoduo Lu scratched his head and lightly nudged Ah Tun beside him.
"Do you think, perhaps after finishing dinner last night, going to worship today, are actually one and the same thing?"
Ah Tun shook his head, pushed open the wooden door, and hurried to change into his unwashed old clothes.
"I don't know, Duoduo Lu.
But I am really scared…"
A comfortable life, ample food, and the kind Celestial God—these luxuries he never had, have made him dependent on life here.
If he could, Ah Tun hopes to live here peacefully for the rest of his life, tending his fields and herding his sheep.
Of course, it would be quite nice if they could occasionally hold a banquet like last night.
The Celestial God taught them a very important lesson—
Many things can be mastered through learning and imitation, whether it be farming or herding.
Ah Tun believes that as long as he is diligent, one day he too will be able to make meals like that of last night.
...
Back in the cave, Chen Zhou was still unsure if the ritual had succeeded; all he knew was that as the Priest, he was truly exhausted.
The leather lining inside the Iron Massacre was soaked with sweat, and as the temperature rose, it emanated a strong sweaty odor.
"Looks like I'll have to wash these leather linings.
But leather goods aren't good to clean directly with water; I can only dab some detergent with white wine to scrub them. What a hassle."
Hanging the armor on the armor rack, Chen Zhou deliberately opened the windows to ventilate and dispel the odor from this "marinated" Iron Massacre.
...
Now that the indigenous people could help him with most trivial matters, he indeed had more ample time, but he also felt that each day was less fulfilling than before.
Once a person's body is at rest, one's mind starts involuntarily pondering the future or ruminating the past.
So-called melancholy of spring and autumn mostly arises from being too idle.
Chen Zhou didn't fear idleness; no one would think that not having to work is a burden.
He just feared that thinking too much would make him yearn for modern life.
He's only been on the island for a little over two years, and already he's yearning for modern life; the following twenty plus years would surely drive him crazy.
...
Nowadays, with tedious repetitive work being handled by others, his freedom has been liberated, no longer bound between fields and herds.
Upon reflection, he felt that this freedom was not meant for lying around all day, waiting for crops to mature, then indulgently eating through the idle time.
Instead, it should allow him to follow his interests, arranging work and rest more freely, enhancing productivity and quality of life in a more efficient manner.
...
However, Chen Zhou currently felt that the most pressing issue to address was the education of the indigenous people.
He planned to compile a practical textbook specifically for the indigenous people.
This textbook would include names of common plants and animals on the island, natural creations such as mountains, rivers, wind, rain, sun, moon, and the pronunciation and writing of these terms.
Additionally, some advanced knowledge on farming and herding would also be included in this book.
For instance, crop rotation, selective breeding in livestock, preventing inbreeding, castrating sheep, setting traps based on prey tracks, and capturing wild goats using live traps.
Compiling this textbook was not to cultivate literary literacy, or to instill a Hua Xia style of aesthetics and universal values in the indigenous people.
It was simply to transform the indigenous people into competent labor force, so that in the future, he could delegate all physically demanding tasks that required substantial time and effort.
Once there was ample personal time, he planned to first design and build a windmill and a watermill, making it more convenient for the indigenous people to convert mature crops into food.