Chapter 49 - 18: A Night on the Island
The return journey was more difficult than Chen Zhou had imagined.
The tides, like a playful child, kept pushing the raft southward and then northward.
Despite Chen Zhou’s efforts, they were often in vain against the tides, but he had no choice; he could only paddle with all his strength, inching closer to the sailboat.
The speed of the raft fluctuated, though unstable, the distance from the boat was constantly closing.
Before the tide receded, Chen Zhou finally reached the gap in the rocks.
Tying a long rope to the raft, he dropped the paddle, crawled into the gap, and collapsed exhausted into the cabin.
After resting motionlessly for a moment, Chen Zhou stood up again, ate two pieces of white bread with cold boiled water, and without much pause, he immediately began sorting the next batch of supplies.
During the spare time in the mornings and evenings while making the raft, he explored every inch of the whole ship.
The cargo hold had several rooms, containing boxes of axes, barrels of oil-preserved meat in the kitchen, a few compasses in the Captain’s room, and several paintings hanging in the first mate’s room...
He meticulously recorded everything, important or not, in his notebook, ready to sort them and transport them to the gap once the maiden voyage succeeded, and then ashore.
The seemingly tedious early work paid off, and his mind was especially clear when organizing the supplies, greatly improving efficiency.
Soon, about two hundred kilograms of supplies were prepared, and Chen Zhou began making new paddles.
Before the challenge, he knew nothing about woodworking; he couldn’t even hammer a nail straight, let alone carve joints.
But there is an unfailing truth in this world—practice makes perfect.
Spending over ten hours a day with various woodworking tools, carving wood until he was dizzy and aching all over.
Continuing such work and accumulating experience, Chen Zhou gradually mastered the use of chisels, hammers, saws, and became increasingly skilled in the process of making the raft.
As of today, though he couldn’t create complex furniture, a straightforward paddle was something he could make with ease.
With a plan already in mind, Chen Zhou was confident; he directly picked up the wooden board and started hacking away violently with an axe.
In a few strokes, wood chips flew, and the board gradually took the shape of a paddle’s prototype.
On this foundation, refining the edges with a chisel, smoothing the surface with a plane, trimming off wood splinters, and perfecting the details, the long-handled paddle was completed.
Once familiar, twice proficient, soon, both long-handled paddles were installed on the raft.
Loosening the long rope and trying a few strokes, it indeed required much less effort, and maneuvering forward or backward became exceptionally easy.
If the paddling frequency was increased, the raft seemed to fly, entirely different from before, like transformed rafts.
At this time, the tides had turned from ebb to flow, slowly retreating into the depths of the sea, yet the wind direction remained southwest.
Chen Zhou paddled the raft against the tide a few times, feeling that if the sail were raised, the landing speed wouldn’t be slow even during ebb tide, sufficient to transport another batch of supplies to the island.
As for whether he could control the raft from rushing into the sea on the return trip, he thought hoisting the sail could solve this problem.
At sea, wind force usually affects ships more than water force, and as long as he didn’t inadvertently enter a current, relying on wind force was enough to escape.
"However, sea winds are fickle and don’t always blow southwest."
Chen Zhou frowned, weighing the pros and cons.
Finally, he made up his mind to transport this cargo. If the wind direction turned east after landing, he wouldn’t risk returning but would stay on the island for a night and return to the ship with the tide in the early morning, ensuring both efficiency and safety.
The evening glow spread across, as dusk gradually deepened.
The sun set rapidly, and the distant mountains topped with a glow of sunset clouds.
The dense forest was shrouded in a red mist, its outline blurred.
"Red sky at night, sailors delight, looks like tomorrow will also have good weather."
Chen Zhou swiftly loaded the prepared supplies and the axe on the raft, put on his coat, slung the tool belt for the matchlock gun over his back, shouldered the matchlock gun, raised the sail, and sailed towards the island.
The long-handled raft cut through the sea, with just one stroke it dashed several meters forward, aided by the sea wind, making the whole raft shoot forth like an arrow leaving the bowstring, slicing through the waves swiftly.
The speed was indeed beyond Chen Zhou’s expectations, as if between breaths, the island was already in sight.
As he approached the Rock Beach, he lowered the sail and used a single long-handled paddle as a punt pole to navigate into the channel.
Although the tide was just beginning to recede, the water in Rock Beach had already shallowed considerably, exposing the tops of many towering rocks, forcing Chen Zhou to frequently adjust direction and dodge obstacles, until he reached his destination safely.
From a distance, Chen Zhou saw the supplies at the edge of the forest at the bottom of the slope, and beside the supplies, that glimmer of golden yellow bathed in the glow of the sunset.
Lai Fu, nestled beside a canopy-covered shelter, upon hearing the sound of paddles stirring the water, suddenly stood up, tilted its head assessing the raft.
Soon it recognized Chen Zhou, barking joyfully and running over, kicking up clumps of crumbling mud as it neared the riverbank.
"Good dog, good dog~"
Chen Zhou laid down the long board, casually pressing down on Lai Fu’s head, discreetly pushing it away—after all, he was wearing a new coat.
Ha~ha~
Proud after receiving praise, Lai Fu raised its tail, lifted its head, and walked proudly ahead to lead Chen Zhou forward, as if it were the true owner of the island.
The peaks shaded the remaining daylight, and before he knew it, the dusk had gradually enveloped the earth.
Chen Zhou swung his axe, cutting through willows by the river, startling a flock of birds.
Lai Fu clumsily chased after the flock, leaping and snapping at the air, sometimes tumbling onto the grass, letting out a low whimper, rolling over, and then continuing the chase.