Chapter 198 - 87: Tulong, Shui Dui, and Millstone (Part 3)
If you visit a supermarket, on the toothpaste or candy shelves, you'll often see mint toothpaste and mint candies for fresh breath.
Chen Zhou heard that mint and tea leaves can be made into mint tea, and mixed with liquor to make mint wine. It can also be used in cold dishes or porridge, but he had never tried these foods.
However, living in isolation on an island, when life gets dull, he likes to find something fresh to try, as long as it doesn't harm his health.
When the mint grows and the rice is processed, he might cook a pot of mint rice porridge during his downtime.
...
While studying or working, time always seems so slow.
Not knowing how many hairs he pulled out, Chen Zhou finally made it to sunset, finishing his design and setting detailed work steps.
To soothe his wounded soul and exhausted brain cells, in the evening, he opened a can of canned peaches and roasted some mutton skewers, giving himself a satisfying feast.
...
On the night of May 10th, Chen Zhou had an unusually long and heavy dream.
The dream was filled with orderly geometric shapes - squares, circles, angles - forming a prison that trapped him inside.
The world was void and boundless, with no discernible boundaries; only design-like puzzles and various simple tools and materials were left in the vast world.
He looked at the familiar chisels, hammers, handsaws, axes, and materials like wood, water, and white clay, feeling utterly despairing.
...
On the morning of May 11th, the exhausted Chen Zhou lifted the sealskin blanket, pushed away the plump cat Xiao Huihui pressing on his chest, and like a prisoner released after serving his sentence, exhaled a long breath, swiftly got out of bed, and started washing up.
Until he lit the fire and sat beside the stove, staring at the steam rising from the iron kettle, he still felt like he was holding a chisel in one hand and a hammer in the other, tapping the wood.
Groggily finishing breakfast, Chen Zhou saw Lai Fu wagging its tail, bounding beside him, half-stretching, looking as if inviting him to play outside.
Thinking he needed to make a small clay model today to test the procedures and structure, with limited time, he pushed away Lai Fu's head, indicating refusal.
However, Lai Fu, unlike its usual obedient self, persisted after being pushed away three times, sticking to him like a clingy plaster.
While wondering about Lai Fu's behavior, Chen Zhou suddenly remembered that today was the day to receive the 15th mysterious reward.
Since coming to the island, this past half month felt like it went by the fastest, with no pressure and no need for heavy physical labor.
Sometimes, he'd fish without realizing the afternoon was gone.
Or sketch a drawing and another day would pass in a daze.
Doing a simple count, it turns out 225 days of challenges had passed; in over four months, it would be a full year.
"You rascal, you remember even better than I do. I think you're going to become a spirit!"
Patted Lai Fu's firm back, took his Hand Axe and bag, and Chen Zhou prepared to head down the mountain, intending to check if the rabbit traps had yielded anything—
Since thoroughly clearing out rabbits and focusing on observing and thinking during the hunting process, his success rate with traps had steadily increased.
As long as he found a rabbit trail and the rabbit that made it was still alive, he almost never failed.
Although he already had plenty of rabbit meat stored in the cave, Lai Fu and Xiao Huihui were big consumers who've been burning through supplies for nearly a decade.
Now, with food reserves in the cave running low, Lai Fu's routine "two daily cakes" had been replaced with rabbit sausage.
Chen Zhou didn't overlook any opportunity to save food resources. He was learning how to be frugal and manage his household.