Chapter 521 - 45: A Day in 1665
Mid-May, 1665.
The drought season on the island remained scorching hot.
Near the factory, the original trees had all been cut down, leaving only a few slender saplings planted and wilting in the sunlight, their leaves drooping listlessly around the gray-white concrete building.
Most of the window panes on the second floor reflected the light, except for Chen Zhou’s bedroom, where the thick curtains were still drawn.
The sun rose high, and the light pierced through the gaps in the curtain, like a sharp sword splitting the dimness inside the room.
Xiao Huihui lay at the foot of the bed, enveloped in the faint lavender fragrance of freshly laundered sheets, exuding a refreshing warmth that embraced it.
On the bedside table, Little Dragon Cat lazily crawled out and headed towards the newly added gym equipment inside its "villa"—
A wooden running wheel.
Its two shiny eyes were obscured by fur, and in the dim-lighted room, Little Dragon Cat’s outline blurred, resembling an oval ball of fluff.
It moved casually onto the running wheel, started to trot, which set the belt and gears in motion, creating a clicking sound.
The sudden noise in the silent room startled the residents in the birdcage hanging under the wooden shelf by the window.
The parrot, which had been resting with its eyes closed on a perch inside the cage, opened its eyes wide, flapped its wings, turned its head, and quickly found the culprit disturbing its sleep.
Stretching its neck, it let out a short cry, seeming to warn Little Dragon Cat to stop running.
However, Little Dragon Cat paid no mind and continued to exercise its round body, creating noise on the wheel.
Seeing that its warning was ineffective, the parrot climbed to the cage door, grabbed the latch with its beak, ready to open it when its head tilted, noticing an annoying fellow—
Tizi.
Tizi too was awakened by the sound of Little Dragon Cat running, and now sat upright on the carpet by the bed, looking up at the source of the noise.
Sunlight happened to stream over its head, illuminating its mottled fur, reflecting its vibrant green eyes, and its pupils narrowed like thin needles.
Even though it was kept indoors, this once formidable "heroine" of the forest had not lost its wild and brave demeanor.
Seeing Tizi, the parrot’s arrogant aura instantly vanished, sensibly retracting its head without further meddling with the latch.
The owner was still asleep, and if this cat set its sights on it, it might not be able to keep its little life.
But the fluffy chubby one wasn’t calming down, and if it didn’t do something, its anger wouldn’t be vented!
With a glance at Tizi, and then at the cage door, confirming that the damn cat could not break into its safe nest, the parrot defiantly began its "singing"—
This bird was a natural mimic, capable of learning melodious tunes and also mastering "special pieces" that could irritate people.
Conveniently, the parrot could mimic a particular sound—that of a grinder.
As it vibrated its vocal tubes, producing the high-speed whirring sound of a grinder’s motor, every creature in the bedroom was "moved" by it.
Xiao Huihui groggily awoke from its dreams, lifted its head in confusion, and looked at the birdcage.
Guangdang, who had been sleeping under the bed, dashed out in a couple of brisk steps, only relaxing after confirming the room hadn’t collapsed, stretching with a soft meow.
Following that, Chen Zhou, covered only with a thin blanket, furrowed his brows and opened his eyes.
The dim light in the room made it difficult to determine the time.
He reached out to the bedside, grabbed the watch he had taken off before sleeping, and realized it was already ten in the morning before getting out of bed, dressing, and starting his morning routine.
...
The incident involving a violent clash between the zebra and Wang Lin due to conflict had passed for over half a year.
Those who participated in the conflict had all been punished.
However, time could dilute many things; by now, not only those fighting islanders but even the zebra and Wang Lin had made amends and moved back into their detached houses.
Conflicts wouldn’t dissolve simply from shared punishment, but the hatred within would come under rational control.
The island’s code of laws was expanding day by day, and with the addition of a new batch of islanders, a police team was established to handle security issues on the island.
Facing increasingly severe punitive measures and more comprehensive monitoring, neither the seasoned members nor new ones dared to stir up the same kind of troubles as before.
...
On the factory’s first floor, many idle workshops were filled with various small equipment.
Among them was the textile workshop Chen Zhou had painstakingly set up from scratch—
The process of turning wool into fabric was incredibly complex, and before embarking on this project, Chen Zhou hadn’t anticipated how difficult it would be.
But mysterious rewards always seemed to conveniently resolve his difficulties.
With resources on textile technology and help from a few basic blueprints, his work progress soared suddenly, like riding a rocket.
Each first drought season, workers responsible for livestock use specially made steel combs to groom the necks and bellies of goats to collect wool.
Once collected, the wool was roughly sorted by fineness and color into three grades, with the finest and whitest cashmere reserved for Chen Zhou and the island’s upper echelons, while the rest, after being made into fabric, was distributed to others.
The female textile workers and livestock workers both received a handsome compensation based on their labor output—
On the island now, fabric was a rare and precious resource, far more valuable than food.
After sorting, the cashmere was taken to the washing workshop.
There were several different washing vats, each containing various chemical solutions to remove the oils, dust, and impurities from the cashmere, reducing static electricity.