Chapter 448 - 11: Breaking Ground (Part 3)
Two days before the torrential rain arrived, Chen Zhou and the natives barely completed the waterproofing of the foundation ditch, sealing it completely with planks, white mud, and branches.
On the day of the rain, Chen Zhou checked the foundation no less than ten times, fearing that the waterproofing would turn out to be shoddy work and be breached by the storm on the first day.
Fortunately, what he feared did not happen.
At least in the early stages of the rainy season, the waterproofing fulfilled its mission and withstood the rain.
As for how things will be two months later, Chen Zhou couldn't say.
...
The arrival of the rainy season offered the natives a chance to catch their breath.
They freed themselves from the heavy labor at the construction site and began to shift to another task—farming.
...
Since arriving on the island, whether due to some hoarding tendency or a mindset of precaution, Chen Zhou had always set goals for breeding and farming far beyond what he could consume personally.
For instance, rice.
When he saved Saturday and Sunday, the amount of rice at home was enough to feed the three of them for more than half a year, not to mention the wheat and barley.
As the island's population expanded, a crisis awareness about food supplies once again settled in Chen Zhou's mind.
Even though he knows that relying on tide-pooling, fishing, and the island's existing resources would prevent anyone from going hungry, he couldn't help but urge the natives to clear land and farm.
Moreover, with the third anniversary rewards delivering tomato and carrot seeds, his determination to plant was further strengthened—
Not using the seeds would mean they were given in vain.
...
Even during the construction period of the factory, Chen Zhou did not lower the priority of farming.
He knew the natives were willing to work hard for him not just because they feared the gun in his hand, but also because, here, no matter how tired they were during the day, they could have a full meal at night.
If a food crisis arose, work efficiency would decrease, and these diligent "17th-century" laborers might desert their tasks.
Therefore, during the excavation of the foundation, every few days, he would spare five natives to "take a break," allowing them to return to tend the crops.
This was the main reason the foundation excavation took so long to complete.
After all, the occupied area of the factory wasn't large, and with seven or eight people using modern excavation tools, with full effort, it should have taken at most twenty days to finish, not an entire month.
...
Luckily, the island, situated in a tropical or subtropical region, had a much better climate than Chen Zhou's hometown.
Just like that "God-blessed land" in India.
In places like this, even without farming, living off gathering and hunting wouldn't lead to starvation, let alone scientifically large-scale crop planting with plowing and fertilization.
Without wasting any time, with proper sowing, the island could harvest three seasons of rice, and two seasons of wheat and barley in a year.
Although due to poor varieties, the yields weren't high, the sheer volume of planting and quick harvesting compensated for it.
By the end of February, not only was there no food crisis on the island, but there were also hundreds of extra pounds, along with yet-to-be-harvested crops in the fields, projected to last until the end of 1663.
Moreover, the abundance of food wasn't only reflected in staple foods, the vegetables sourced from modern seeds yielded even more.
Especially the peppers, strangely enough, after planting them on the island, they didn't fail.
Over time, the peppers grew into small trees half a man's height, flowering and bearing fruit year-round, turning the island populace into spice lovers.
Yet even with such consumption, pepper production continued to grow, some even overripe, rotting in the fields, causing Chen Zhou quite a bit of distress.
If it weren't for the lack of time, he even wished to slaughter some sheep and make lamb hot sauce.