At the same time, the indigenous people moved to the chosen location and began clearing rocks from the slope and cutting down vegetation to prepare for the upcoming construction.

...

After re-entering the dry season, the island was once again bathed in a bright and sunny atmosphere.

The nearshore became calm and peaceful; even if there was rainfall, it was just a brief drizzle, coming and going quickly.

This caused Chen Zhou, as he hurried to learn and research how to build factories, to feel a sense of urgency in his heart—

Before receiving confirmed news, he was genuinely afraid of the Spaniards arriving.

At this moment, the island was in a state of extreme deficiency regarding weapons, defense facilities, and manpower; if attacked now, even if they managed to fend off the attack, there would be casualties and delays in work progress, which were fatal.

The corpse of that brown-haired fellow hung on the gallows for too long, already rotted into a skeleton with a few locks of hair.

Whenever Chen Zhou returned to the cave to check the materials, passing by there, he couldn't shake the feeling that the skeleton hanging above was silently watching him, as if saying, "My companions will soon avenge me."

Thus, a bit of anxiety crept into his mind.

...

During this tense preparation time, the biggest solace Chen Zhou received was the mysterious rewards delivered to the island time and again.

The large batch of brass on October 15 completely solved the problem of raw materials for shells and gave Chen Zhou hope of hand-making a steam engine.

The large batch of red bricks on October 30 solved the difficulty of stone brick wall construction and the problem of irregularity.

These repeated rewards were like a shot of adrenaline, painting a beautiful picture in Chen Zhou's mind, enabling him to overcome anxiety and advance steadily step by step.

...

It can be said that from the end of September to November, the indigenous people's lives were primarily focused on work and learning.

Chen Zhou, through his research and the insights gained from modern construction sites and other avenues, summed up some basic sequences and precautions for building reinforced concrete structures.

Over this month, he slowly taught these to the indigenous people.

Apart from that, culture classes and language lessons were also indispensable.

Not only the indigenous people but even Sunday, being a "teacher," had to often stay up late reading, receiving further education from Chen Zhou.

The seven captive indigenous people were all adults and didn't learn and accept new knowledge as easily as Sunday and Saturday.

From their capture to November, it's been almost four months, yet their Mandarin was still not very good, barely adequate for daily communication.

If asked to describe things in detail or spoken to quickly, sometimes their brains would freeze - they would either be vague or not understand at all, often leaving Chen Zhou quite frustrated.

However, fortunately, though these indigenous people weren't very bright, their physical coordination was strong, and their endurance was remarkable.

Moving bricks, digging pits, mixing cement, or tying steel bars – they could master these tasks completely in no time, even surpassing expectations, making Chen Zhou quietly marvel—

If you are such a good worker, then who else should do the labor?

...

Of course, even in a dull life, there are some stories worth telling.

For example, Chen Zhou's long-awaited underwater salvage operation was officially implemented just after entering the dry season.

During the first dive, Chen Zhou didn't dare to personally take the plunge and only stood on the beach with a telescope observing.

The team leader was Saturday, an expert diver, and apart from him, there were two specialized rowers and two other experienced fishing divers.

Saturday carried the cannon drawings drawn by Chen Zhou, and the canoe held a bundle of steel wire ropes and an inflatable float made of sheepskin.

A hemp rope connected to the bottom of the float, attached to a piece of stone; as soon as shipwreck remains or cannon positions were found underwater, the float would be thrown into the water to mark the location.

If the metal parts were lightweight and small, they could be directly salvaged.

If large and difficult to haul up directly, they would be marked first, waiting for the creation of larger salvage ships or more manpower for future attempts.

Of course, going underwater wasn't solely for salvaging shipwreck remains or cannons.

Now the island's various raw materials were quite sufficient, only lacking scrap metal that could be used without concern; anyway, there were still some stocks in the storage room suitable for forging, so Chen Zhou was in no hurry.

He hoped the indigenous people could, after diving into the seawater, look for bizarre sea products besides checking for metal parts—

Like lobsters, the bigger, the better;

Like crabs, the larger, the better;

Like sea cucumbers, the plumper, the better;

As for other fish, shellfish, he wouldn't mind, casually picking a few ten-pound ones to bring ashore for the test mice to have a taste; they hadn't worked for a long time.

...

The indigenous people's diving and fishing skills were honed by life, facing the risk of starvation if they failed to catch anything, each one had practiced their skills to perfection.

On this dive, they didn't find the shipwreck remains or cannons Chen Zhou sought but caught quite a lot of different seafood.

Nearly a 50cm lobster, crabs the size of dinner plates, plump sea fish, tightly closed scallops, and octopus weighing eight or nine pounds…

After just a couple of rounds on the sea, various sea products filled half a canoe.

When the indigenous people returned to shore and saw the harvest in the canoe, Chen Zhou's eyes gleamed with delight.

...

The fishing started at dusk, and Chen Zhou originally planned for the indigenous people to roam a bit and then return to rest, as everyone had worked all day and was quite tired, not needing to linger too long.

The moment he saw the lively lobster in the bucket, he immediately changed his plan; that night, they lit a bonfire on the beach and held a barbecue.

Some of the seafood caught this time was unknown to Chen Zhou but recognized by the indigenous people.

On the spot, these fish were gutted, cleaned, and placed on the grill.

There were also species Chen Zhou had tested but the indigenous people hadn't tried, such as lobsters and crabs.

These ominous-looking creatures were placed into a "steamer" by Chen Zhou—

This grass-made steamer was a result of the indigenous people's labor, although not particularly exquisite, it was practical.

And for the fish that neither side knew, the ones potentially poisonous were handed to the "overnight rush" test mice for evaluation, intending to consume them only after confirming they were non-toxic.

Green onions, garlic, chili, along with the right amount of heat, appropriate oil, and salt.

This beach barbecue was a joy for everyone.

Especially for the indigenous people.

After all, before coming to the island, they had never tasted anything good; they couldn't have dreamed food would bring happiness and joy beyond merely satiating hunger.

Although Chen Zhou's taste buds had experienced many modern delicacies, fresh lobsters, crabs, and sea fish were a first for him.

Seafood, seafood, revolves around the character "fresh."

Even in inland where seafood was available, despite being air-frozen and transported, it didn't compare to the freshness of just-caught sea flavors.

...

The unique beach barbecue added a distinct color to life.

But to Chen Zhou, enjoying life wasn't his current priority; the threat from the Spaniards and numerous problems awaited resolution.

Thus, after confirming no shipwreck remains in the nearshore, he halted the salvage operations and concentrated all his energy on constructing the factory.

The canoe was also transferred to the river to help the indigenous people move supplies.

However, occasionally when in high spirits, Chen Zhou would find a pleasant evening with gentle breezes to bring the indigenous people for a good meal.

One cannot remain tense all the time.

Even though threats hadn't arrived, even if war breaks out, the soldiers need a chance to relax with a cigarette and drink.

Otherwise, one might collapse under self-imposed pressure before the battle even begins.