Chapter 346 - 148: Getting Dressed (Part 2)
The whole person’s state seemed to still linger in the time before the indigenous captives were rescued.
Out of habit, Chen Zhou walked into the kitchen, washed his face with cold water, and after coming to his senses, he remembered the two indigenous captives placed in the small wooden cabin.
While wiping his face with an absorbent cloth taken from the umbrella water remover, he picked up the telescope and headed out the door.
He had slept for a long time, and it was already broad daylight. When he climbed the watchtower and used the telescope to observe the wooden cabin, he didn’t see anyone on the bed inside, causing a panic in his heart.
"Damn it, those two little brats wouldn’t just wait for me to give them food, fill their bellies, and then run off, would they?"
Thinking of this possibility, Chen Zhou quickly dropped the absorbent cloth, called Lai Fu, opened the door, and ran down to the platform.
He still carried the pistol with him. If the two indigenous captives had escaped, as long as he found their tracks, firing a shot from afar could scare them back.
Hastily pulling open the cabin door, just as he was about to let Lai Fu track the escaped natives based on the remaining room scent, Chen Zhou was surprised to find the two natives inside the cabin.
They seemed to not understand the use of the bed, both curling up on the wooden floor.
The two were quite slender and short, lying in such a posture on the ground, just blocked by the windowsill and bed of the cabin, making them impossible to see from above.
...
Most of the food in the wooden box on the bed was gone.
The bread was quite hard and tended to crumble while eating, but no bread crumbs were found in the cabin; they were eaten up clean by the two natives.
Much of the water in the clay pot was also consumed, with only the most delicious jerky remaining. Perhaps because it was most precious, or maybe because the natives weren’t used to the salty taste.
With their fill and after a solid night’s sleep, the two natives were visibly more spirited than when they were first rescued yesterday.
Upon seeing the cabin door open, revealing Chen Zhou’s distinctive tall figure, Duoduo Lu and Ah Tun quickly scrambled up, gathered at the feet of their "Celestial God," and paid their respects in turn.
Although Chen Zhou wasn’t fond of their behavior, due to the language barrier, he couldn’t resolve it immediately and could only perfunctorily place his foot on their heads.
...
Looking at the two natives with their sun-blackened skin and their uncovered genitals, Chen Zhou thought he should first find some clothes and shoes for these two guys.
The two natives will have to help with work in the future. If they work without protection, they could easily get injured, and if infected, he had no medicine to treat them.
He waved them to follow, just as he was leading the two native teenagers out the door, Chen Zhou suddenly recalled that after having their fill and drinking a lot of water in the cabin, the first thing they needed to address now was their need for a toilet.
When building the cabin and fortifications earlier, he hadn’t considered where the captured natives would go to the bathroom. Surveying the scene, Chen Zhou led the two natives to the compost heap.
"You, in the future, use this place as a toilet."
Speaking to the natives, Chen Zhou gestured with his hands and body to mimic actions of defecation and urination as best as he could.
However, it was evidently too complicated for the two natives. Although they were watching very earnestly, they couldn’t comprehend what Chen Zhou was trying to convey.
Chen Zhou scratched his head in frustration and, noticing Lai Fu nearby, suddenly had an idea.
Every morning, it was time for Lai Fu to take a dump. It understood the importance of maintaining courtyard hygiene and always waited for Chen Zhou to wake up before going outside to relieve itself.
Since it was already quite early today, and he hadn’t let Lai Fu out to relieve itself after stepping out, it must be holding it in by now, a perfect opportunity to set an example for the two natives.
...
Though Lai Fu’s intelligence was not as high as the two natives, having lived with Chen Zhou for over two years, it understood most of what he said.
Grabbing Lai Fu by the collar, he led it to the edge of the compost heap, where a specific area was designated for dog waste.
"Solve it here today, Lai Fu."
Saying this, Chen Zhou rubbed Lai Fu’s head.
Lai Fu rolled its eyes, puzzled why its owner wouldn’t let it defecate in the distant woods as usual.
But having held it in all night, since its owner said to do it here, Lai Fu didn’t care about the location and promptly raised its tail, straightened its front legs, bent its back legs, and relieved itself in front of the three people.
Seeing this, Duoduo Lu glanced at Ah Tun incredulously and tentatively asked.
"Is the Celestial God asking us to poop here?"
Ah Tun, who had come to see Duoduo Lu as the mainstay, also somewhat unclear, answered in an uncertain tone.
"Probably, since the Celestial God’s Divine Beast is also pooping here..."
...
Considering the possibility of being unable to defecate under watchful eyes, once Lai Fu finished, Chen Zhou took it a distance away, leaving the native boys at the compost heap on their own.
Before leaving, he thoughtfully pulled a tuft of grass from beside the compost heap to wipe Lai Fu’s backside, although it hadn’t gotten dirty, as a further demonstration for the native boys.
Of course, wiping one’s backside might be a bit beyond the natives’ grasp, Chen Zhou figured they might not understand.
Between savagery and civilization lies a vast chasm; Chen Zhou estimated it would be challenging to alter the living habits of these two natives to his own standard within a year.
However, he wasn’t demanding. In the short term, as long as the two natives could tend to his fields and goats, learn to cook, boil water, and maintain hygiene, it would suffice.
These simpler tasks consumed much of his time, and having someone to share the workload would free him to engage in more meaningful endeavors, such as building waterwheels and windmills.
...
As the wind blew through the forest while waiting for the natives to resolve their physiological needs, Chen Zhou suddenly recalled that today was December 19th.
On the first day after rescuing the captives from an indigenous cannibal feast, it marked the fifty-fourth occasion of a mysterious reward descending.
"Later, on the beach, they should witness wood and stones cut across space-time.
If this reward is considerably sized, they might again witness a ’miracle,’ admiring the true ’divine power’."
Thinking of this, Chen Zhou glanced back at the compost heap.
At this moment, the two natives had just risen, and to Chen Zhou’s surprise, they were much smarter than he anticipated, their comprehension impressively strong, and they indeed understood pulling grass to wipe their bottoms.
Moreover, judging by their cautious demeanor, they seemed to grasp the true purpose of wiping one’s backside and the crucial point—avoid spreading feces onto your hands.
...
"Now that’s teachable," Chen Zhou silently praised in his heart, leading the two natives onto the platform and locking them outside the door.
Returning to the storeroom, opening the wooden chest containing clothes, he selected an outfit size relatively matching the two natives’ heights and found two pairs of shoes and socks.
Being too tall for many of the clothes and shoes aboard the ship, most were left in the chest, for future tailoring into fabric patches for clothing repair, providing them to the two natives was putting them to good use.
However, wearing clothes was different from using the toilet. For the natives, it was entirely a brand-new experience, expecting them to properly dress themselves was surely unlikely.
With no other choice, Chen Zhou could only patiently, as if attending to children, dress the two natives from bottom to top in detail.
During the dressing process, he endeavored to overcome the language barrier, explaining how to tie the waistband of the pants, which side was the front and back of the pants, how to wear a shirt, and how to button the outer coat tightly...
Throughout, he frequently used two words, leveraging different tones to ensure the natives comprehended their meanings.
These two words were "incorrect" and "correct."
When stating "incorrect," Chen Zhou’s tone was very stern; when he said "correct," his tone was very gentle.
Natives, after all, are human and not fools. If raised in modern society and given education from a young age, they wouldn’t necessarily perform worse academically than modern children.
Chen Zhou’s tireless explanations and detailed teaching soon made Duoduo Lu grasp the meanings of the two words, who then conveyed his understanding to Ah Tun.
The design of mid-century sailor uniforms wasn’t complicated. To facilitate sailors dressing quickly aboard the tumultuous sea without hampering ship duties, the design philosophy behind these clothes corresponded in many ways with modern work attire.
Once they earnestly applied themselves, the two natives quickly dressed very properly, resembling two thin, dark little sailors.
However, their frames remained too frail, making the sailor uniforms appear particularly oversized on them.
Furthermore, having never worn clothes before, their bodies now encumbered by an extra layer, they inevitably seemed uneasy, standing at the courtyard gate, awkward and somewhat reminiscent of monkeys.