Chapter 363 - 158: Charcoal Kiln
The special word "festival" was taught to the indigenous people by Chen Zhou through practical actions.
It was the first time in their lives they experienced a feast without oppression, without the Leader abusing ordinary members.
It was the first time in their lives they felt a ceremony not involving cannibalism or even killing, yet the pressure was much greater than that from cannibalism or killing.
They received their first "gifts" ever, including shiny beads, a peculiar small pot to carry and boil water, and hard, smooth dolls...
They received the Celestial God's promise—
there would be such festivals again in the future, and next time, they could receive different gifts.
So they began to yearn for the future, and hope and more light appeared in their previously closed hearts for the first time.
...
After the wonderful New Year's Day, according to plan, Chen Zhou began to prepare intensively to build a charcoal kiln.
But before that, he did an important thing—naming the indigenous people.
The two indigenous people had been on the island for more than half a month, learning many words, and could now roughly understand much of what he said. For some words they didn't understand, they could deduce meanings from the context, through Chen Zhou's tone, expressions, and body language.
Now, during the day, the two had learned to divide work on their own: one taking care of the fields, the other herding sheep.
In the afternoon, when both were free, one would clean while the other studied—
This made Chen Zhou feel a bit ashamed. Despite only being there a few days, once they learned to wash clothes, they did it more diligently than he did. Even though he didn't allow extensive use of detergent, they preferred hand-washing with clean water rather than having stains on their clothes.
When the two were apart, calling one was relatively simple for Chen Zhou. He would usually shout "Hey," and the indigenous person would come running.
If both were together, it became a bit more difficult for Chen Zhou to instruct one of them.
He had to specifically point to one or walk over to that person to have them do something specific—although such instances were rare, it was ultimately cumbersome.
Thinking that even the pets at home had names, there was no reason not to name the two hardworking indigenous people, so Chen Zhou referenced the original novel and named them "Saturday" and "Sunday."
The indigenous person who was rescued first and had a more cheerful and outgoing personality was named "Sunday."
The thin and frail indigenous person who "came back from the dead" was named "Saturday."
Their names not only resonated with the "Friday" from Robinson Crusoe but also carried Chen Zhou's beautiful hope—
Saturday and Sunday are representative of holidays. He hoped these two indigenous people could become his weekends, allowing him to completely enter a hands-off state, so he could invest his energy into his hobbies rather than heavy and tedious work.
...
Names hold extremely significant meanings in traditional Chinese culture.
They often symbolize an elder's expectations for a younger generation, and from a mystical perspective, they can predict a person's fortune and misfortune.
Chen Zhou initially thought of letting the two indigenous people take his surname Chen, and then give them common names of ancient servants or warriors, like Chen Long and Chen Hu, Chen Chao and Chen Han, or Chen Da and Chen Er.
Later, he considered that the two indigenous people probably already had names in their tribe, and the names he gave were essentially nicknames.
Moreover, having only been together for more than half a month, he didn't want to hastily attach his surname to the indigenous people; he didn't think their relationship was close enough to be akin to a family—
So far, the two indigenous people didn't even know his full name.
In fact, despite the indigenous people behaving very honestly and diligently during this time, never showing signs of escape or aggression, he still remained vigilant.
Especially at night, to ensure his safety, he kept the loaded flintlock gun by his bedside, the revolver under his pillow, and Lai Fu in the courtyard.
That way, if the indigenous people had any ill intentions, Lai Fu would alert him, allowing him to immediately draw his gun and retaliate.
The two small indigenous people, as long as they didn't know how to use firearms, could never threaten his life, and the outer wall of the courtyard gave him ample reaction time.
But his precautions had never been needed.
After working every day, the two indigenous people were already exhausted. Returning to the wooden house, they focused on reviewing what they had learned and soon fell asleep.
Moreover, according to Chen Zhou's observation, they had no intention of escaping, nor any malicious intentions.
Not to mention anything else, just the chocolate and the delicious food with added seasonings were enough to captivate them, not to mention the lighter work and the ability to eat their fill at every meal.
...
Anyway, the hasty names "Saturday" and "Sunday" had already been given by Chen Zhou to the indigenous people.
They had not yet learned these words in Chinese, didn't understand what these similar-sounding names represented, but it did not affect their joy and excitement upon receiving new names.
The two indigenous people quickly mastered their names at a speed far beyond usual and began calling each other by them, smiling with satisfaction upon receiving a response.
Once they were completely familiar with the sounds, they even asked Chen Zhou to teach them how to write their names.
After receiving the white clay tablet with "Saturday" and "Sunday" handwritten by Chen Zhou, the two, having no paper, squatted down after work, picking up wooden sticks to clumsily practice writing their names.