Chapter 514 - 42: Port Wharf_2
As for better houses, they currently belong to those with seniority, and they dare not dream of them yet.
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Apart from the structure of the house, the location of the house is also a reflection of one’s status.
New members all live around the Execution Square, far from the factories, and consequently, away from the Leader.
Usually, Chen Zhou does not go out, so they hardly ever see the Leader.
In fact, many newly captured natives have been on the island for over a month without knowing what Chen Zhou looks like, as learning and work have already exhausted their energy.
Coming from backward primitive tribes, suddenly arriving at this entirely different place, they have too many new things they need to learn and understand.
Moreover, those with seniority have learned their knowledge gradually and step by step.
To catch up quickly, they not only need to learn the Chinese language and characters, as well as farming and animal husbandry knowledge, but also learn the law to avoid punishment.
For young natives, the vast amount of information is still within their capacity to bear.
The older natives have never suffered such treatment and have endured much hardship.
Those with seniority fear Sunday the most, afraid of his harsh methods.
These older natives, however, fear Saturday, especially the word "homework."
Some natives are already over thirty years old, and after submitting their homework, due to too many errors, are often called to the office by Saturday for "individual tutoring."
The fear and pain experienced by modern students are now re-enacted on this 17th-century island, creating a unique landscape.
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The torment between students and teachers is mutual.
The natives, undoubtedly dizzy from Saturday’s assignments and exercises, are just as frustrating to Saturday, who repeatedly suffers from high blood pressure because of these dull students.
Every now and then, when he returns to live at the factory, he would pour out his grievances to Chen Zhou or to Sunday and the three Fu Lu Shou.
Sunday has relieved many burdens from his shoulders and is now mainly responsible for military work.
When hearing Saturday’s complaints, he outwardly sympathizes and comforts him, yet cannot control the upward curve of his mouth.
He feels extremely fortunate to have chosen a combat position instead of an educational one.
Just listening to Saturday’s descriptions, he can barely control the anger in his heart.
Sunday feels that if he were a teacher, it would be light punishment for the natives not to receive a whipping every day.
If he couldn’t vent the resentment in his chest, he would have been driven to die of anger.
Like Saturday, even though furious within, maintains calm and patience outwardly, explaining topics to students slowly and repeatedly, is something he absolutely could not do.
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The addition of new labor and the increasingly skilled old islanders in their primary tasks completely liberated Chen Zhou’s mind.
He delegated most of the less important affairs on the island to the three Fu Lu Shou, while he focused on replicating modern products.
Once replicated, he would compile detailed steps into educational materials, distributing them bit by bit.
Soy sauce was Chen Zhou’s first "invention."
Using the "starter" of Northeast soybean sauce and mantou, fermented with salt and clear water, it only took two failures for Chen Zhou to grasp the method of making soy sauce, successfully producing the island’s first vat of sauce.
It wasn’t long after the Leader tasted the sauce that the experienced islanders living near the factory got wind of it.
Not long after getting the news, they eagerly obtained the sauce-making manual from the three Fu Lu Shou, who managed most affairs, through excellent performance.
To "keep up with the trend," these old folks, who could be considered worry-free in terms of clothing and food, were willing to put in any effort.
From the time they got the manual, every day, the aroma of wheat flour would waft from the natives’ huts.
They actively steamed mantou, swapped for bigger clay vats, and tried their best to acquire salt from the new members.
Even small leaders like Zebra asked for a bit of the Leader’s sauce from Chen Shou to use as a starter——
Of course, this was with Chen Zhou’s tacit consent.
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The sauce-making trend drove up the price of flour and salt.
Even though there still wasn’t a clear currency system on the island.
But during the sauce-making period, the exchange ratio of flour for rice changed very noticeably, increasing from a 1:1.2 ratio to 1:2 or even 1:2.5.
This unusual tendency only began to slow down once the islanders successfully made their first vat of sauce.
The one who succeeded in making the sauce usually didn’t perform as well at work as Zebra or other craftsmen, and no one expected him to be the first to succeed.
However, people’s opinions of the saucemaker didn’t affect the popularity of the sauce.
Within a few days, the vat of sauce made by the saucemaker was snatched up entirely.
It is said that to get some sauce from him, Zebra even offered customized, whole-house furniture as a bargaining chip.
Such a condition that other natives could only dream of, as Zebra is recognized as the most skilled carpenter on the island besides the Leader.
Getting him to invest a great deal of time and effort to create complete household furniture meant more than just the furniture; it also indicated that the saucemaker had earned Zebra’s respect, stepping into a class even higher than the seasoned one.
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The island was like a greedy beast, swallowing new members whole, digesting them, and soon after, feeling hungry again.
It craved more members, larger changes, and more important status—
A status that could influence the times.
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At the start of the second dry season in 1664, most of the labor force on the island gathered by the sea.
A rare large-scale project requiring the concerted effort of several began officially in early October.
The large batch of building materials sent over as a five-year anniversary reward bolstered Chen Zhou’s confidence, as well as increased his appetite further.