Sudden Inspiration

Chapter 33: Sudden Inspiration

Their faces were filled with hopeful smiles, reflecting the strength of their resilience and determination in life. They had a clear goal for each day, even though their lives were busy.

Zhao Hai couldn't help but smile and turned his head towards the area where the cornstalks were stored. He had no intention of hiding the truth from these people. They were slaves of the Buda Family, marked with the family's brand that would remain with them for life. Their destinies were intertwined with the Buda Family, and there was no need to keep secrets from them.

These slaves had become somewhat accustomed to Zhao Hai's mysterious actions, so they didn't react when they saw him bringing in a large quantity of cornstalks. Zhao Hai looked at a female slave and said, "These can be used on the ground in the shop or as fuel for ignition. But be careful when lighting a fire to avoid any accidents. These cornstalks are a bit damp, so it would be best to dry them in the sun before storing them in the shop."

The female slaves promptly complied with his instructions. Surprisingly, they didn't kneel down in anxiety this time. It seemed that Meg had done a good job of communicating with them.

However, Zhao Hai had misjudged the situation. It wasn't just Meg's influence that had brought about this change. Although Meg was a servant, she was still the daughter of the family's chief officer. Even if the Buda Family hadn't fallen, there were few individuals in the entire family who would dare to disregard her. Her status was higher than that of commoners, and she hadn't spent much time interacting with these slaves. The slaves had a lower status, so they naturally had reservations when dealing with anyone associated with the nobility.

But Chrysanthemum, in her own way, had built rapport with these slaves over the years she had been working alongside them. Now that she had been restored to her commoner status and was working with them, they found it easier to accept her. The slaves had always been at the bottom of society, treated no better than dogs raised by their masters. It was even said that when a noble's dog died, they would bury it with a hundred slaves. This clearly demonstrated the low status of slaves.

Because of their low status, slaves were highly suspicious of anyone associated with the nobility or those who had connections with them. However, Chrysanthemum's status was unique. She was once a slave, but she had now been restored to commoner status. Moreover, Chrysanthemum was a straightforward person who got along well with the slaves. This allowed them to accept her quickly.

When women came together, it was natural for them to chat. Even slaves had their own kind of communication. Chrysanthemum, being a fellow worker, naturally attracted questions about her relationship with Zhao Hai. Chrysanthemum didn't hide anything and told them the truth, which surprised and shocked them. They had never expected Zhao Hai to be so kind and understanding.

Likewise, Chrysanthemum learned from Merine that Zhao Hai didn't like people constantly kneeling before him. She informed the slaves about this, and combined with Zhao Hai's friendly behavior in recent days, their wariness towards him had diminished significantly. They no longer felt the need to kneel and salute him as before.

Zhao Hai didn't mind. To be honest, even if modern people were to have all of Adam's memories, they would still find it unfamiliar to have someone kneel before them every day. However, in order to avoid Merine and Green saying anything, he continued to accept the gesture. But now, seeing the slaves treat him as before without kneeling, he actually felt more comfortable.

Zhao Hai went to the courtyard with Merine, and Meg and the others were about to come and pay their respects. However, Zhao Hai waved his hand to stop them, indicating that they didn't need to do so. He went to a nearby open area and summoned the stone head that he had just stored in the space.

Then Zhao Hai turned to Meg and the others and instructed them to arrange straw mats on the ground. It seemed that these slaves were accustomed to this task, as they moved with great agility and skill. Even if they hadn't done it before, they quickly learned. On the other hand, Meg seemed to lag behind them.

As he watched, Zhao Hai suddenly remembered a phrase: "Using a straw boat to borrow arrows from a straw man." It was like Zhuge Liang's scarecrow strategy, setting up a straw man to attract enemy arrows. Could it be possible to make a boat out of straw? Straw boat!

Zhao Hai clapped his hands excitedly. He remembered reading a news article on Earth about someone making a boat out of straw. Although he wasn't sure if that lunatic had succeeded in sailing across the Pacific Ocean, the fact that someone had attempted it was undeniable. If a boat could be made out of straw, then their problem of crossing the canyon would be solved. People could observe the canyon from the boat.

Thinking about this, Zhao Hai became even more excited. Merine, who saw Zhao Hai's eyes light up, was puzzled as to why he suddenly became so excited. She quickly asked, "Young Master, what's the matter?"

Merine's question brought Zhao Hai back to reality. He turned to see the others looking at him, making him feel a little embarrassed. He hurriedly said, "Grandma Merine, please call Meg and Chrysanthemum to the living room. I have something to discuss with them." He then took a step towards the living room in the fort.

Although Merine didn't know what Zhao Hai was up to, she was confident that he had come up with a good idea. She quickly called Meg and Chrysanthemum and followed Zhao Hai to the living room.

Once inside, Zhao Hai paced back and forth, rubbing his forehead and hands in a habitual manner. When he heard footsteps approaching, he stopped and looked. It was Merine and the three of them. This slightly embarrassed Zhao Hai, who quickly said, "Grandma Merine, please sit down. I have something to discuss."

The three of them followed Zhao Hai's instructions and sat down, but Chrysanthemum sat at the furthest end and kept her head lowered.

Zhao Hai glanced at the three of them and said, "I suddenly had an idea, Grandma Merine. We need a boat now, especially since we need people to observe the canyon. However, we don't have enough resources to build a conventional ship. But then I saw Meg arranging the grass, and it got me thinking. What if we built a boat out of straw?"

Merine and the others were taken aback. They had never heard of building a boat out of straw before.

Merine asked uncertainly, "Young Master, is that feasible?"

Zhao Hai smiled and said, "Yes, it's definitely possible. I remember that the grass on this mountain is quite resilient. It shouldn't be a problem to use it for boat building. Meg, I want you and Chrysanthemum to give it a try. Even if it doesn't work out, it's okay. There's plenty of grass on this mountain, so we can try multiple times and make improvements."

Merine saw Zhao Hai's confident expression and didn't say anything. She thought that even if the boat couldn't be built, it would only result in the loss of some grass and rope, which wasn't a big deal.

Zhao Hai then said, "Meg, come to the study with me. I'll draw a design for the straw boat, and you can follow it to build it." He walked towards the study, with Meg following closely behind.

In the study, Zhao Hai tried his best to recall the appearance of a straw boat from his memory. He had seen a picture of a straw boat before, which resembled a small wooden shoe. The front of the shoe was raised high, while the back was curved downwards. The bottom of the boat was thick, and ropes were used to tie everything together securely.

Although the picture on the computer was his only reference, he managed to draw a rough design on paper. He handed the blueprint to Meg and said, "I think this is the general appearance of a straw boat. Follow this design for now, and we can make adjustments if necessary. Don't worry if it doesn't work out the first few times."

Meg nodded and took the blueprint, then left the room. Left alone, Zhao Hai didn't know what to do. Suddenly, his eyes fell on the books in the study. He realized that he hadn't read any of them since arriving here. Zhao Hai was literate thanks to his previous life as Adam, but the writing system on this continent was different from Chinese characters. He was fortunate to have inherited Adam's memories; otherwise, he would have been illiterate.

Zhao Hai picked up a history book and started reading. To his dismay, the content of the book seemed more like a fairy tale or a religious scripture. The language was obscure and difficult to understand. After just two pages, Zhao Hai put the book aside and picked up a miscellany instead. This book was much better, resembling a travel diary with information about the local customs, legends, and other topics related to the continent. It was just what Zhao Hai was interested in, so he read it attentively.

Meanwhile, outside the study, Merine looked at the closed door and waited for Zhao Hai to come out. She couldn't help but wonder why he had been inside for so long. She went to the door and found that it wasn't locked, so she pushed it open slightly and peeked inside. Zhao Hai was still sitting at the desk, reading a book.