Chapter 163 - 69: Medicine That Isn’t Medicine (Part 3)
Even during the rainy season, one must not neglect hidden dangers and must pay attention to fire prevention.
...
Walking back in the rain, as soon as he reached the field, Chen Zhou could hear Lai Fu's anxious barking from afar.
Normally, when he woke up in the morning, Lai Fu would go outside to poop, but unexpectedly this morning, before it could finish its business, the owner had tied it up, forcing Lai Fu to hold it in for half the day.
Now, recognizing Chen Zhou's footsteps in the rain, it couldn't hold it any longer and started barking loudly.
When Chen Zhou ran back to the cave, holding a box, he saw Lai Fu looking aggrieved, squatting at the kitchen entrance with its tail tucked, half a dog poop hanging from its butt, unable to move for the moment.
You reap what you sow; you must accept it, tears and all.
Chen Zhou had to take off his clothes first, place the reward box on the food rack, and patiently wait for Lai Fu to solve its "dog problem," then untie the rope and clean up the dog poop.
Fortunately, the interior was still in a rough state. Except for the bedroom, where planks were laid for the bed area, the rest was sandy ground. A layer of soil could be easily cleaned with a shovel.
After cleaning up the dog poop and calming the disgruntled Lai Fu for a while, playing fetch games for half an hour to drain its energy, Chen Zhou finally had time to drink some cool boiled water, light a fire, and cook some lean meat porridge.
One of the four goat legs from the old goat slaughtered a few days ago was left. While cooking the porridge, Chen Zhou added some goat meat, a bit of dried kelp, and a sprinkle of fine salt—since he might have to supply salt to three goats in two days, he had to be frugal.
After the porridge was cooked and the meal finished, the sun was almost setting, and the outdoor light was dim, as if stepping into the night early.
The rain had been on and off all day, only stopping at this moment.
Birds nestled in the forest took advantage of the dusk to fly out of their nests, flaunting their flying skills on the grass, tumbling up and down, preying on insects unable to turn flexibly due to the rain.
Unwilling to stay indoors and continue sewing the second part of the rain cape, Chen Zhou picked up a wooden bucket, intending to take advantage of the rain stopping to dig some river sand, dry it in the cave, and conduct an early experiment with cement to see if the river sand here was qualified.
Walking out in the rain cape, he noticed the black packaging placed on the kitchen food rack, figuring that whether it contained modern industrial waste or not, he would have to unveil the answer sooner or later, so he might as well open it now instead of thinking about it half the night.
Having enjoyed the benefits of plastic bags, this time Chen Zhou carefully and gently unwrapped the packaging, even using a Dagger to avoid damaging the fragile black packaging.
He cut a straight line along the side of the box, pulled it open like a bag, and poured out the contents inside.
The box was made of white cardboard, with no patterns or slogans, only having two lines of black numbers at the bottom, resembling the manufacturing and expiration dates.
"September 30, 2025, 20:30.
Expires on December 30, 2065."
Reading the numbers, Chen Zhou was surprised: "What kind of thing is this? A shelf life so long, forty years?"
"So even if I complete the challenge and leave the island, it wouldn't spoil.
Judging by the box and weight, it might be food or drinks, possibly canned.
But a tin can with a forty-year shelf life, that's a first for me. Let's open and see..."
He tore open the side of the box, revealing a row of four cylindrical cans, golden like brass, in front of Chen Zhou's eyes.
Plucking out a can, seeing no pull-tab on top and no information on the body, he felt even more frustrated.
"Sending a box of cans without an opener is one thing, but these cans only have production and expiration dates, with no manufacturer or place of origin. Who knows what's inside?
It's like a pig wearing a bra, playing with Russian nesting dolls on me.
Could this be a jet combo produced by a small workshop?
Or maybe the manufacturer didn't pay you advertising fees, so you kept the outer packaging clean.
You call yourself the Time Travel Administration Bureau, and you're so stingy, I despise you!"
He flipped a middle finger at the cave ceiling, placed the can on a low stool, and pulled out the Dagger to pierce the can lid, slicing a circle along the can's edge.
Just as he cut a quarter-circle, a yellowish transparent broth seeped out where the Dagger pierced, exuding a scent Chen Zhou knew all too well.
It was the smell of peaches and syrup!
This turned out to be a can of peach slices!
"Oh my, heaven has opened its eyes, the first food distribution gave me something this good.
If this box of cans had been swapped with the sixty bags of cement last time, my cold might have already been cured!"
Growing up, his family wasn't well-off, and during colds, he always watched other kids have treats while he couldn't. Only during New Year's, or when uncles or aunts returned home, would they bring snacks or fruits.
Among all the rare treats, Chen Zhou's favorite was canned peaches and strawberry preserves. The golden yellow and rosy colors in the glass jars provided a honeyed sweetness just looking at them.
Many often say that for Northern children, canned peaches are also a remedy for colds.
Chen Zhou felt this was true. Unfortunately, he never had this sweet medicine during colds as a child—yet arriving in another world, he received a box of cans.
He pulled out the Dagger from the can, slurping the syrup with a peach aroma clean.
Shutting his eyes to savor it, at this moment, Chen Zhou felt extremely happy.
"It's tasty, but a bit lacking compared to the glass jar ones I had as a child..."
Licking his lips, Chen Zhou hesitated to continue opening the can and finish it.
Picking the cans out of the box one by one, he counted a total of twenty cans.
He even thought of saving them for New Year's each year so that for the next 28 years, at least most of the New Year's Eve dinners would feature a real delight.