Chapter 517 - 43: The Battle Between Old and New (Part 2)
They all heard that Fulushou and Sunday and Saturday were originally natives too, but because they knew the Leader early, they rose to the top and became figures of high status.
Such good fortune is something both new settlers and those with old credentials dream of falling upon, so as long as Wang Lin provides a ladder, they scramble up immediately.
...
Wang Lin’s high-profile acts naturally did not endear him to those with old credentials.
In their view, once you move into a single room, you should find ways to integrate into the new circle instead of getting entangled with those new settlers, as this clearly does not align with their interests.
Around the Execution Square, all the residences belong to new settlers, and the old hands couldn’t reach that far, but in the factory residential area, they still had some influence.
After several hints went unnoticed, they began to deliberately exclude Wang Lin, mocking this "clueless daredevil" with words.
Who would have thought that although Wang Lin appeared amiable on the surface, he was not someone who would suffer losses quietly—
After all, they were all natives who lived by hunting and gathering, who among them didn’t have a streak of ruthlessness?
If others mocked him, he would mock back; if others scolded him, he would scold back.
As someone who was often invited back and forth between the factory area and the Execution Square residential area, the conflict between Wang Lin and the old hands quickly spread and evolved into a conflict between the new and old settlers.
...
As the island’s Leader, Chen Zhou was now completely hands-off.
After entrusting the construction of the port dock to trusted individuals, he acted like an emperor, only "reviewing memorials" every night to understand the construction progress, and then not concerning himself further.
During his other time, he was mostly immersed in the newly built forge workshop beside the factory, dedicating himself to the research and development of steam engines.
The five-year anniversary reward brought him a new cutting machine and welding rods, including the argon arc welding machine he needed.
There were also many small metal tools suitable for manufacturing gaskets and precision metal components, such as files and other tools.
All this equipment, coupled with Chen Zhou’s long-term efforts, gradually turned the steam engine from a fantasy into a tangible project.
The thought of possibly building a steam-powered sailing ship as early as the 17th century filled Chen Zhou with energy, as if he were injected with adrenaline.
He was so absorbed in his "ears do not hear things beyond the window, focusing solely on the steam engine" state, completely unaware of the brewing storm among the normally peaceable islanders.
...
At the end of November 1664, on the construction site of the port dock, the long-standing conflict finally erupted into an intense brawl.
It was noon, under the scorching sun; workers, who had been busy all morning, finished their meal and, carrying their tools, walked in two or threes into the sun shelters to rest while chatting.
According to the island’s "unspoken rules," during breaks, those in single rooms, double rooms, and four-person rooms all have different levels of sun shelters.
The shelters for those with long tenures were built by the most skilled carpenters, sturdy, durable, and attractive, with great sun-blocking abilities.
Moreover, those who had saved up some savings, though working, would not treat themselves poorly.
In such a hot summer, to cool themselves, they would bring some fruits and food every morning when going to work at the site.
Sometimes tomatoes, boiled corn, or fresh citrus or lemons...
In this hot dry season, after working all morning, eating a couple of oranges or juicing a lemon to make a sweet and sour lemon drink is certainly a top-notch pleasure.
At times, if one is lucky, they might even find sugar cane or eat some raisins in the shelters of those with long tenures—
That was a new invention of the Leader from last month, which has now been promoted on the island.
Old timers either utilized their spare time to build ventilated drying rooms or requested grapevines from the greenhouse keepers to plant in their small kitchen gardens at their doorsteps.
Some even went to the River Valley Plain just to pick a basket of grapes to dry for raisins.
To "keep up with fashion" and stay trendy, these guys have truly gone all out.
...
Although Wang Lin had just moved into a single room not long ago, according to the rules, he did have the right to rest in the "high-level sun shelter" and enjoy the benefits.
However, due to his poor relations with the old timers, he usually wouldn’t touch the things they brought, at most drinking a few sips of cool boiled water—
Cool boiled water is a standard feature of all sun shelters, regardless of level, each shelter has it.
...
In the past, when Wang Lin rested with the old timers, he was never constrained, always acting independently, not chatting with the old timers, and always standing apart.
Everyone was tired after working all morning, and finally getting a rest at noon; even if a few led by zebra found him disagreeable, they wouldn’t bother with him at this time.
Moreover, there were the little inspectors responsible for "oversight" at the construction site.
Even on a noon during the sweltering dry season, these energetic little guys wouldn’t rest either; they wore custom-made small safety helmets, patrolling the site.
They reported the daily workload completion, acceptance standards, and some trivial issues on the site to Fulushou.
After gathering and summarizing the news, it would be placed on the Leader’s desk—
These matters were what teacher Saturday had disclosed to them.
Under the watchful eyes of these "little inspectors," who would dare to cause trouble on the construction site? Even words of sarcasm had to be circled in the mind a few times before deciding whether to utter them.
Everyone had studied the legal texts, especially the punishment standards in the criminal law.
The outcome of rashly provoking conflict was well known among the islanders.
Particularly those with long tenure who had witnessed hanging executions on the gallows.
Though they did not live near the Execution Square, they were more aware than the new settlers that the tall execution tool was not merely for display.
Because of this, even when there was resentment, everyone remained restrained on ordinary days.
That day, the extreme heat made it hard to control the burning anger in one’s heart.
Possibly the long-standing discontent finally peaked or one side had preplanned it; the conflict erupted suddenly without warning.
...
The fuse was Wang Lin.
Not only was he an excellent bricklayer, but also a chess enthusiast, especially fond of Chinese chess.
Even during the noon break, he couldn’t control his chess addiction and always wanted a game.
However, as a novice in chess, Wang Lin wasn’t willing to play with the seasoned old timers, fearing it would ruin his mood; instead, he preferred seeking out equally novice settlers, making battles more enjoyable in equal strengths.
Among the new members on the island, there was a native who formed a strong bond with Wang Lin over chess.
The two had a close relationship, matched evenly in chess skills, with a win-loss rate of about fifty-fifty.
Among all his chess friends, this young man was Wang Lin’s favorite to play against.
That noon, afflicted by chess addiction, this chess friend came with his chessboard and pieces to look for Wang Lin to play a game.
The "high-level sun shelter" where Wang Lin was located did not allow four-room settlers to enter.
The old timers saw this and were all displeased.
Yet, since they were just under the sun shelter playing chess, even if they disapproved, thinking of the supervising "little inspectors" nearby, criminal law, and Execution Square, they chose to remain silent.
Unexpectedly, halfway through the game, Wang Lin’s chess friend stood up and said it was too hot and wanted to go get some water to drink.
Wang Lin was engrossed in play, having just captured two chess pieces from the young man, and was too excited to waste time, generously expressing—
No need to go back for water; I have freshly squeezed lemon juice here!
With that, Wang Lin got up and went to the other side of the shelter to fetch lemons from the fruit basket.
Typically, when the old timers brought food to the shelter, Wang Lin always came empty-handed.
If he came empty-handed and ate nothing, the old timers wouldn’t mind.
Even if he, out of greed, ate a couple of fruits, the old timers could still tolerate it.
But doling out others’ goods to earn his favor rubbed some people the wrong way, and their expressions turned unfriendly.
...
Sitting on the bench, zebra saw Wang Lin doing as he said, actually going to get the lemons, and couldn’t help but narrow his eyes slightly.
Unfortunately, the fruits today were provided by him.
And he had the worst relationship and deepest conflicts with Wang Lin among the old timers.