Chapter 183 - 80: Back to the Cave
After calming the emotions of his household pets, Chen Zhou carefully inspected the internal structure of the wooden cabin, especially checking if the shelves resting on the wooden beams were loose.
The results were reassuring.
Perhaps because the earthquake was too minor, or perhaps the wooden cabin was quite resilient to earthquakes, and it had just been built a few days ago with relatively sturdy materials. After the inspection, aside from some moss flakes that had fallen from the gaps in the roof, no other issues were found.
After finishing the indoor inspection, Chen Zhou went outside to check the support pillars beneath the floorboards.
Affected by the earthquake, a few of the support pillars were slightly unstable. If it weren't for the nails securing them through the floorboards, they might have come loose.
Chen Zhou wedged some small stones into the soil beneath these pillars to reinforce them, then covered it with another layer of earth and pressed it down, stabilizing the situation.
In fact, there were many support pillars beneath the floor. A few loose ones wouldn't pose much threat to the wooden cabin.
But after all, the cabin was newly built, much like new clothes or shoes; even a speck of mud makes one pained to see, prompting a quick wipe with an alcohol wipe. If it were an old house of ten or eight years, Chen Zhou wouldn't care as much.
After maintaining the cabin, he put on a leather raincoat to prevent getting soaked by post-earthquake rains, and with a restless Lai Fu, he headed to the cave, checking the fields along the way to see if the crops were damaged by the earthquake.
...
After the earthquake, the density of fallen leaves in the forest increased several times. Many birds and animals hadn't yet shaken off their fear; Chen Zhou even saw a few wild rabbits sitting dumbly at the cave entrance, their ears flopped back as if they'd been scared silly.
But as he picked up an axe to stealthily approach and capture the rabbit while it was off guard, the rabbit suddenly snapped out of it and took off running.
Thankfully, Lai Fu, who was accompanying him, took advantage of the earthquake-induced chaos, kept a tight eye on a particularly plump rabbit, chased after it with determination, and successfully bit down on the rabbit's neck, capturing it.
Accepting the prey from Lai Fu's mouth, Chen Zhou praised it fiercely, and carrying the roughly six-pound rabbit, he was filled with joy.
Although he had often complained recently about being tired of rabbit meat, fresh meat, even if a bit tough, still tastes better than dried meat boiled in soup, right?
The only pity was that seasoning was now lacking, with salt supplies critically low, making lavish use impossible.
Otherwise, chopping the rabbit into small pieces, mixing it with minced green onions, ginger, and garlic, cracking two eggs, adding some starch, and rolling them into balls for deep frying would taste absolutely delicious.
While reminiscing about rabbit meatballs, Chen Zhou recalled another animal Robinson ate in the book—pigeons.
According to the book, an untold number of wild pigeons inhabited a natural cave on the island, and Robinson often collected pigeon eggs to eat.
This dry season, while exploring outside, he hoped to find that Pigeon Cave and ideally bring back a few young pigeons, creating several nests next to the kiln cave for them to breed beside his home.
Pigeons lay eggs far less frequently than chickens, but being alone, raising more pigeons would mean he could still eat a few pigeon eggs every three to five days; whether fried or boiled, pigeon eggs taste quite good.
Of course, if he could capture and tame a few large birds similar to wild geese, that would be even better.
Chen Zhou had heard from older Mongolian villagers that capturing wild geese to raise at home, with proper care, made them lay more eggs each year.
If in the first year they laid a dozen or so eggs, by the second year, they could lay over twenty, and by the fourth or fifth year, they could lay sixty or seventy eggs annually.
Moreover, geese have a long lifespan; a goose can be raised for thirty years, laying eggs for at least eight or nine years during their prime. With four or five female geese, they could supply eggs for the entire year.
Compared to pigeon eggs, goose eggs are much larger, and if not consumed, they can be salted and stored, offering excellent value.
Once geese are domesticated, they are similar to raising geese, usually left in the waterways where they eat grass and catch fish on their own. If there is grain, you can feed them; without grain, they won't starve.
The only concerns are building them a fixed residence and providing an egg-laying spot to prevent them from laying eggs in wild grass, where finding them would be impossible.
Additionally, regularly trimming their feathers is important; otherwise, they may be led away by wild geese, flying off with a flock never to return.
However, the more poultry and livestock he raises, the more time and effort it requires, and Chen Zhou doubts whether he can manage so much work in the future.
The orchard, the sheep, the pigeons, the wild geese, the fish pond, the crops, and the household pets and ornamental plants like parrots and fish could indeed enrich his life but also keep him extremely busy.
...
The plans for the dry season expedition to the River Valley Plain were finalized. Apart from collecting necessary crops to bring back for planting, he also wanted to explore for wild seasonings.
For example, wild chives, Sichuan pepper, and wild garlic commonly found in the North. Though these natural ingredients can be quite pungent, they are better than nothing. He has had enough of bland, tasteless meals.
However, this area is quite distant from the Eurasian continent, with flora and fauna systems closer to South America, vastly different from Ba Shang Grassland. The chances of finding familiar natural seasonings may be slim.
...
Carrying the dead rabbit, Chen Zhou soon arrived in front of the field.
The furrows in the field were altered by the earthquake, no longer visibly high at the high points, low at the low points, and in disarray, nearly leveled back to flat ground.
The crops rooted in the soil hadn't fallen askew with the furrows, standing tall and healthy.
Robinson's few stalks of rice and wheat casually tossed in the corner weren't harmed by the earthquake, so it wasn't surprising that Chen Zhou's carefully tended "treasures" on open land withstood the earthquake.
Nevertheless, the fact that the field was intact didn't mean everything near the kiln cave remained unaffected.
The wooden stakes he had hastily driven around the platform before the earthquake were of poor quality. Assaulted by the large mass of soil on the platform, most were leaning erratically, with a small number collapsing directly and being buried in soil.
Fortunately, the platform wasn't close to the field, or it would have affected several crops at the edge of the field.
Approaching the collapsed edge of the platform, Chen Zhou realized that to thoroughly stabilize it, he would need to use the old method—build a wall.
However, he had no time in the short term to accomplish this task.
The platform's importance undoubtedly ranked last among all pending matters; everything requires prioritization, and time shouldn't be wasted on it.
Seeing the wooden stake's tip protruding from the sandy soil, Chen Zhou tried to pull it out for reuse, but couldn't move it. So, he walked up with the rabbit in hand, letting the stake rot in the soil.
Arriving at the kiln cave entrance, the scene before him finally put his mind at ease.
Large patches of sand and small stones were scattered on the ground outside, staining the exterior wall of the bedroom a dusty yellow. However, the wall itself showed no detachment, cracking, or collapsing, remaining unchanged.
Moreover, the lines of white clay filling in the gaps between the stones were intact, without interruption.
The strength of the walls built with stones and white clay couldn't compare to cement load-bearing columns. Since the outer wall was unscathed, the load-bearing columns within the kiln cave were likely fine, too.
Skirting around the bedroom's outer wall like a "Maginot Line," worried about stones falling on his head from the cave ceiling, Chen Zhou peeked inside through the storeroom opening, cautiously observing the interior of the kiln cave.