Chapter 177 - 75: Earthquake Approaching (Part 2)
Learning from experience, Chen Zhou developed a new understanding of wheel manufacturing.
He realized that using solid wood for single-piece wheels had few advantages aside from requiring less technical skill.
These wheels were heavy, structurally weak, and not durable. They wouldn't last long even on an asphalt road, let alone a mountain path.
Live and learn.
For the next wheel manufacturing attempt, if the wood bending technique isn't mature, Chen Zhou plans to cut out a large piece of wood, draw two concentric circles on it, and remove all the wood around the concentric circles to hollow out a wooden ring.
This wooden ring will be divided into eight or sixteen pieces, reassembled after adding spokes.
This segmented design helps distribute pressure, making it easier to replace or repair any damaged part, effectively doubling the wheel's lifespan.
Apart from the segmented design, Chen Zhou also plans to use the "Super Space-Time Cutter" to cut lead plates, make lead strips, and embed them on the wheel's surface to increase its wear resistance and further enhance wheel strength.
Of course, he hasn't found time to implement these ideas yet.
After transporting the wooden boards and stones, Chen Zhou needs to slightly sand their surfaces to make them rougher for the new Shelter construction.
Facing the earthquake countdown, he returned to the state of transporting supplies from the ship, busy every day.
...
On April 5th, he dismantled the old tent in the camp, removed the waterproof cloth, and built a small shack beside it, properly storing the wooden crates used for flooring in the tent.
On the afternoon of the 5th, he selected a suitable tree on the edge of the forest, felled it, and stripped its bark.
If there was a choice, using dry masts as beams was far more suitable than freshly cut wood from the forest—even if painted, moist wood would decay internally over time.
However, the remaining masts in the camp were hardly seven meters long.
Piling a load-bearing post in the middle of the Shelter and splicing two masts could achieve a continuous beam.
Yet with only 13 days until the earthquake, spending a day on load-bearing posts wasn't an option.
Many times, knowing the best way but being unable to do so was Chen Zhou's helplessness.
...
On April 6th, he erected scaffolding between three trees, tied the stripped main beam with a rope, and hoisted it up between the tree branches; Chen Zhou began laying wooden sticks on the beam.
After laying the sticks, he carried a wooden bucket into the forest to collect moss, filling the gaps between the boards, and laid a giant waterproof cloth made from old waterproof fabric and cement bags on top.
According to the plan, he only laid two-thirds of the sticks, intending to build a sunroom with the remaining third in the future.
On the morning of April 7th, Chen Zhou completed constructing the Shelter's roof and started constructing the stove and chimney inside.
An opening was reserved in the roof for the chimney.
He mixed some white clay and built the stove and chimney using polished stone bricks mixed with Stone.
The chimney was about two meters high, with a waterproof cover at the top, ensuring rain didn't affect stove use.
After building the stove, he started a fire in the hearth to dry the white clay, carrying on by using a small canned pot to cook some broth.
After hastily finishing dinner, Chen Zhou hung an oil lamp under the beam, nailed frames on both sides inside the Shelter, pounded stakes according to the frame's height, then laid a floor made from neat planks on top.
Knowing he had to get up early for work, he didn't dare to stay up late. When it was pitch dark outside, he extinguished the oil lamp, lay beside the stove, and drifted into a deep sleep, warmed by the embers.
On April 8th, while continuing to lay the floor, Chen Zhou boiled a kettle of hot water, softened the Fish Swim Bladder Glue, and filled the gaps in the wooden floor inside the Shelter.
Returning to the cave, he watered the cement columns for the last time.
Once this watering dried, the maintenance of the cement columns would be fully completed. Barring powerful impacts like an earthquake or gunpowder explosion, they should remain stable.
After a day of tense work, completely laying the Shelter's entire floor, he nailed down nails from top to bottom, fixing the floor to the supporting columns below.
On April 9th, Chen Zhou sawed wooden planks of various sizes and nailed them to the front and back ends of the Shelter.
The gaps between the planks were filled and bonded with Fish Swim Bladder Glue. Once sealed tightly, he installed door frames on them, a front door, and two glass windows on the back wall.
Finally, the Shelter started to feel like home.
Following that, the busy relocation began.
The first to be moved to the temporary Shelter were Xiao Huihui and the chinchilla. Tizi was out hunting, and Chen Zhou couldn't find it at the moment.
Subsequently, the matchlock gun, steel crossbow, tools, food supplies, and various important items were moved to the temporary Shelter.
The Shelter was far less spacious than the cave. Once many wooden crates were added, it was crammed full, with barely enough space to place a bed.
There were too many flammables. To prevent sparks from the stove causing a fire, Chen Zhou built a low fireproof wall around the stove and laid a layer of stone bricks.
...
On the early morning of April 10th, Chen Zhou returned to the cave to catch Tizi, locked it in a wooden crate, and transferred it to the new Shelter, along with a nearly defunct wheelbarrow.
After moving, only some large furniture remained in the cave; all crucial supplies were relocated.
Not daring to release Tizi from the wooden crate right away, knowing it considered the cave its home, Chen Zhou feared it would run back during the earthquake and get crushed by stones, deciding to keep it locked up for eight days first.
After all, Tizi had been in confinement before and was already used to box life, won't have a stress reaction.
In the afternoon of the 10th,
Chen Zhou weeded the rice and wheat fields and then felled over a dozen trees, sharpened their bases, and drove them into the land facing the platform to prevent landslides from covering the fields after an earthquake.
With this, all earthquake preparations were complete, and Chen Zhou officially moved out of the cave and temporarily settled into the temporary Shelter.
...
On the morning of April 11th, Chen Zhou woke up in the Shelter.
In the first second of opening his eyes, he turned his head to look at the tall stack of crates beside the bed, sat up, and pushed the long box with silver tableware placed on the top to ensure it was stable before getting dressed.
The previous night, when going to bed and taking off his clothes to sleep, a large wooden cup suddenly fell from the top of the crate and nearly hit his head, causing him to be wary of objects on top of the crates, fearing a "sucker punch" that would knock him out.
The space was cramped, so he couldn't make big movements while dressing.
Barefoot on the floor, he used a stick to rummage through the layer of wet soil covering the charcoal in the stove and saw that the charcoal underneath still had embers. Chen Zhou snapped a few small twigs on top, bent down, and blew air with his mouth.
Gray smoke drifted out of the chimney, dissolving in the misty sky.
Inside the narrow wooden cabin, the temperature grew along with the firelight.
The sound of burning firewood filled the air, and the meat porridge in the iron kettle emitted a savory aroma.
Rai Fu, resting at the doorway, moved closer, sat upright, and stared longingly at the large iron kettle, then turned to look at Chen Zhou, the meaning unmistakable—it wanted to eat.
Work had been so busy these days that Rai Fu's meal quality had dropped sharply from the happiness of two meals a day with soup and meat to a single hard bread each day.
It's hard to adjust to frugality from luxury, and the bread was dry without a drop of oil, not tasty at all, making Rai Fu leave leftovers. Having caught a whiff of familiar aroma, it was dribbling with craving.
The meat's aroma attracted not only Rai Fu but also the more gluttonous Xiao Huihui.
It meowed pamperingly, climbed out of the little nest in the crate, and approached the stove. The soft fur on its chest swayed like a wheat wave in the hot air.
Enjoying the warm environment and the aroma of food, Xiao Huihui nuzzled Rai Fu, getting cozy with the second-ranked family member.
However, Rai Fu was only focused on the meat porridge in the iron kettle, not as good-tempered as usual. It grunted impatiently, swatting Xiao Huihui with its big paw.
Rai Fu's paws were heavy and hard, annoying the cat, forcing Xiao Huihui to retreat to a back position and jump onto the bed.
After driving away the rival, Rai Fu shuffled forward another step, staring at Chen Zhou with its tongue extended, a crystal-clear drool hanging from its mouth, dripping to the ground.
The small and large gluttons were competing for food, and locked up in the crate, Tizi also meowed, scratching at the crate, applying for temporary release.
The little wooden house suddenly became lively.