Chapter 25 Papermaking and Kiln Construction [9 Updates] The little thing has a unique appearance...

While stirring the soup of catnip and sliced ​​meat in the pot, Yu Yan asked, "Is it cooked together by the whole tribe?"

Cangfeng: "Yes. Our tribe has been boiling rattan bark and dyeing it for a while now, which has ruined a lot of pottery. If we don't fire some more, we'll have nothing left to use."

Xin Yu added, "The pottery fired in the open air is too brittle, so we discussed firing a batch of it together in a pottery kiln."

Feng Gui thought of something and asked, "Our tribe's pottery kiln hasn't been used for a while. It rained a lot in late spring. Have you checked it? Does it need to be repaired?"

Cangfeng: "I went to check, it needs to be repaired. We can take advantage of this time to collect firewood and clay and make some clay blanks."

Xue Fei asked Yu Yan, "Do you have anything to burn? We can burn it all together."

Yu Yan: "Yes, yes, yes."

Besides the necessary cooking utensils, he also wanted to fire several large earthenware jars, which could be used for storing water, dyeing cloth, and so on.

In addition, he also wanted to burn some household utensils, such as tea mugs, earthenware pots, soap boxes, narrow-mouthed jars, and so on.

Oh, by the way, wooden soap molds get hard to clean after a while, so he has to fire a new batch of ceramic ones.

He also wanted to throw the two gray stones he had exchanged with Senbo into the pottery kiln to see if they could be smelted.

What else can be burned together? Let him think about it carefully...

When the tribe heard that he was going to make pottery, they enthusiastically said, "Then we'll help you make the pottery blanks."

Yu Yan: "Great! I was just worried about not being able to do this well."

"Don't worry, leave it to us!"

As the aroma grew stronger, the soup was finally ready.

Feng Gui brought over a stack of ceramic bowls, and Yu Yan served soup to everyone.

With so many people and not enough bowls to go around, young couples like Moye and Xuefei, and Cangfeng and Xinyu, would share a bowl, taking turns sips of their drink – it was quite sweet.

Except for Yin Qing, who was waiting to take her medicine, everyone else received some soup.

For a moment, the sound of people drinking soup rose and fell under the ginkgo tree.

Cangfeng: "Hiss... Why does my mouth feel numb and my throat hurts a bit?"

Yu Yan swallowed the soup in her mouth and smiled, "That's not pain, it's spiciness. People who like it will find eating spicy food very enjoyable."

He was extremely satisfied with the soup. Compared to the dishes he had made before, it had distinct layers and finally had a bit of a strong flavor.

On a cool morning, drinking a bowl of hot soup like this warms you from your stomach all the way to your limbs—it's so comforting!

Yu Yan savored the rich flavor with each bite, occasionally letting out a satisfied sigh.

Others had varying degrees of acceptance of the soup.

Lanxiu and Moye both thought the catnip soup was delicious, with its refreshing and spicy flavors, and it was also invigorating. They also found the tingling sensation on their lips and tongues quite interesting.

Compared to catnip, Cangfeng and Xinyu prefer the sliced ​​meat in the soup, which adds a lot of aroma and freshness compared to simply boiling it with salt.

However, the sub-beastmen like Xuefei and Jinxia, ​​who were used to eating light dishes, had strange expressions when they drank it, indicating that drinking it occasionally was fine, but they couldn't stand drinking it often.

Whether they liked it or not, they got to drink it at least.

Yin Qing could only watch longingly as the medicine was being decocted.

His gaze was so intense that Yu Yan noticed it, walked over to him, and looked at the catnip simmering in the earthenware pot.

"Yours will be ready soon too."

Yin Qing: "Mmm."

He wasn't actually that greedy, he just saw others drinking it and got curious.

He felt particularly guilty that Yu Yan had been busy all morning and had just eaten.

"Yu Yan, it's all my fault for not listening to you last night and staying up so late. I got bitten by a bug. And I had to come and bother you so early this morning. I'm so sorry," Yin Qing apologized, feeling ashamed.

Yu Yan shook her head: "Don't say that. Even if you obediently went back to the nest, the rove beetle would still bite you if it wanted to. It's a blessing that your injury has improved."

Yin Qing looked at him with great gratitude.

After Yinqing took the medicine and was observed for a while, and there were no problems, Yu Yan told him that he could eat breakfast.

Yin Qing declined Yu Yan and Feng Gui's invitations, saying that he could do it himself and that they should go ahead with their work.

"I'll bring you the medical supplies later."

"No rush," Yu Yan instructed, "If you encounter any problems after you get back, come find me immediately."

"Okay, thank you."

After thanking her once again, Yin Qing took the purslane and catnip and left with Jin Xia and the others.

After a whole morning of fussing, Yu Yan was finally able to sit down and breathe a sigh of relief.

While eating his warm breakfast, he talked to Cangfeng and the others about the fabric trade.

Cangfeng said, "Right now, only the people of our peninsula tribes know how to weave cloth. Our plan is to give you a share of the supplies that everyone traded for with cloth this year, and we'll discuss it again next year. What do you think?"

Yu Yan didn't stand on ceremony and said, "This is a bit troublesome. I don't know if the supplies everyone is exchanging are what I need."

Xin Yu: "You can choose the one you want first."

Yu Yan shook her head: "That's not a good idea. Actually, my family really needs fabric right now. How about this summer, when everyone is trading fabric, you give me a share? We can talk about it again in the fall and winter."

He wasn't good at weaving himself, and he didn't want Feng Gui to spend a long time weaving. It would be best to use ready-made cloth.

Cang Feng and Xin Yu accepted Yu Yan's suggestion without much hesitation.

"That way, it will be much easier for everyone in the tribe."

Lanxiu also said, "Fabric is in high demand, so you can use it to exchange for whatever you want later."

Yu Yan gave him an approving look: "That's exactly what I think."

Cang Feng made the decision: "Okay, it's settled then!"

While they were talking, Yu Yan and the others finished their breakfast.

Cangfeng is going to lead the orcs of the tribe to hunt, while Xinyu and Fenggui are going to lead the sub-orcs to gather resources.

Moye really liked the taste of catnip, and after discussing it with Xuefei, they decided to go and pick catnip together.

That being said, the young couple, who hadn't seen each other for half a year, should take this opportunity to go out on a date.

As for their kids... they've already been sent off to play by themselves.

"Yu Yan, what about you?" Lan Xiu asked when he saw that Yu Yan hadn't spoken.

"I want to find a large, usable rock, so I won't go out."

Lan Xiu: "Then I'll go with you. I'll carry the stones when we find them."

Yu Yan: "Okay!"

They agreed that after returning to the tribe in the afternoon, they would go together to repair the pottery kiln, and then parted ways under the ginkgo tree.

Once the people left, the area under the tree returned to its quiet state.

Yu Yan tidied up the area around the stone stove and then checked on the soaking beets and sweet potatoes, which showed no signs of sprouting yet.

Lan Xiu followed behind him, looking very curious about what he was doing.

"Yu Yan, what kind of stone are you looking for?" he asked.

"Large and hard," Yu Yan gestured with her hand, "preferably with a smooth, concave surface, because I want to use the concave parts to hit things."

Lan Xiu thought for a moment: "There are stones like these by the sea."

"Mmm." Yu Yan was also planning to go to the beach.

The two gathered their necessities, Lan Xiu transformed into a robust and majestic beast, and Yu Yan sprouted wings, and together they headed towards the sea.

They searched along the coast, but the stones were all relatively small.

Yu Yan hovered in the sky, looking into the distance.

Beneath the deep blue sea lies a small island covered with black reefs.

"Lanxiu, the rocks on that island look interesting. I'd like to go take a look. Are you going to swim over with me, or wait for me here?"

"Swim across."

"Okay. Be careful in the sea, and call me immediately if anything happens."

"knew."

Today, the sea was calm. After the tiger, which stood eight meters tall and was as big as a small mountain, went into the water, Yu Yan realized that her worries were unnecessary.

With his size, he's not afraid of being swept away by the sea.

He looks quite adorable when he swims, with only his large, round head showing above the water, his chin slightly raised, and his thick ears twitching.

Its body and limbs were submerged in the sea, and its feet moved back and forth, paddling.

Centered on him, ripples spread out in concentric circles.

What a convenient big cat boat! Yu Yan was envious.

The island looked close, but in reality, it took the two of them almost half an hour to fly/swim there.

After landing, the two straightened their clothes and went their separate ways to search for suitable stones on the island.

The island, covered with reefs of all sizes, has no vegetation, but there are traces of bird activity.

The waves crashed relentlessly against the rocky beach, creating a deafening roar.

Birds were constantly chirping and circling in the sky.

The two quickly located their target at the edge of the island: a large, black rock with a depression in the middle and a sloping notch at the edge.

"This one will do..." Yu Yan was walking around the stone when she looked down and saw something stuck to the side of the stone. "Hmm?" she said.

"What's wrong?" Lan Xiu strode over.

Yu Yan reached out and pried it off; a barnacle, not much bigger than his fingernail, was pried off.

In fact, on the land of the beast world, all the animals, plants, and insects were much larger than those in modern times.

The marine creatures, however, were similar in size to modern ones.

Yu Yan guessed that there might not be any beastmen or other beast-world overlords in the ocean.

“Look, this is called a barnacle.” Yu Yan opened her fair palm and showed it to Lan Xiu.

“I’ve seen this thing on sea turtles and some sea fish,” Lanxiu said.

"Yes, they love to parasitize marine life and secrete a substance that gradually integrates them with the marine life."

Lan Xiu immediately showed his disgust.

Yu Yan smiled and said, "Look at the sides of these reefs, the places that usually come into contact with the seawater are covered with barnacles."

Lan Xiu looked slightly puzzled.

“These barnacles are edible!” Yu Yan smacked her lips. “I haven’t had them in a long time, I’m craving them.”

Barnacles are ugly, small, and unpleasant, so Lanxiu didn't have much hope for their taste.

However, Yu Yan's eyes were sparkling, and since she had already said that much, he replied, "Do you want to dig it up and eat it?"

“No need for that,” Yu Yan shook her head. “Besides, it won’t be as fresh if we bring it back. Let’s go to the shore and collect some dry branches to burn.”

"OK."

Yu Yan conjured wings and took flight; Lan Xiu jumped into the sea with a splash, creating a high spray of water.

The two returned to the shore, collected a lot of dry branches, and then returned to the rocky islet.

Just as the tide was receding, Yu Yan half-squatted in the gap between the rocks, stuffed dry branches under the stones, and lit them.

The firewood smoked, and the flames scorched the barnacles on the surface of the reef.

Yu Yan lit several fires, then stared at the smoke, waiting anxiously.

He had lived in the city for many years in his previous life and hadn't eaten roasted barnacles for many years, so he had a special fondness for the taste.

Just thinking about it for a moment makes my mouth water.

Lan Xiu wasn't initially interested in barnacles, but seeing his eager expression, he couldn't help but feel a bit of anticipation himself.

Finally, when the firewood had burned down enough, Yu Yan picked out a rattan cane.

The water inside the barnacles was still bubbling and steaming.

He blew on it, put it to his lips, and gently sucked the cooked meat into his mouth.

"Hmm! It's cooked, we can eat it now!" Yu Yan announced happily.

Fresh barnacles have absolutely no fishy smell, and they don't need any seasonings; they are already incredibly delicious.

Although there is only a small amount of meat, it is chewy and has a rich texture, unlike some shellfish that are difficult to chew.

Overall, it was very delicious.

Lan Xiu imitated Yu Yan, picking off a barnacle to eat.

He was immediately captivated by its fresh and delicate flavor upon first taste.

He glanced at the empty barnacle in his hand, blinked, and thought to himself: The little thing looks pretty ugly, but it tastes so good.

Seeing Lanxiu's icy blue eyes light up, Yu Yan knew he was enjoying the food, so she nudged him with her elbow.

"See? I wasn't lying to you, was it? It's delicious, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Come on, I cooked a lot, let's eat it while it's hot!"

The two bent over and pried off a cooked barnacle to eat the tender white flesh inside.

When she encounters an empty shell, Yu Yan will click her tongue in regret before throwing it away.

Barnacles have little meat, but there are so many of them! Yu Yan hadn't even digested her breakfast yet, and after eating all of them, her stomach was about to burst.

He tilted his head and burped, smelling a fresh ocean flavor in his mouth.

"I'm almost done eating, how about you?"

Lan Xiu hummed in agreement, his eyes still glancing down towards the rocks.

Yu Yan laughed out loud: "There are plenty of barnacles, you can come back next time if you want some. It's getting late, we need to hurry back to work."

"good."

Lan Xiu walked to the rock they had their eye on, gripped the edge of the rock with both hands, and used the strength of his shoulders and arms to lift the large rock up.

Then he transformed into his animal form and placed the stone on his back.

Yu Yan stood in the shadow cast by his body and asked, "Is it heavy? Is it okay?"

"It's not serious, it's alright." The tiger's mouth opened and closed, its voice deep and resonant.

Yu Yan watched as the mustache on either side of his mouth trembled, gleaming with a healthy sheen in the sunlight.

Lan Xiu didn't notice his scrutiny. He swung his thick tiger tail, stretched out his two forelegs, and lazily yawned before stepping into the sea.

Even as Yu Yanfei was flying in the sky, she was still savoring the image of him stretching.

It's so nice to pet.

If it could open its mouth wide and let out a long yawn, it would look even more like a big cat, haha.

The two returned to the ginkgo tree.

Yu Yan found a place for Lan Xiu to put down the stone, and then led him to the water's edge to retrieve the soaked tree bark, hemp, and other materials.

Shuoxing was playing hide-and-seek with the kids in the woods when they heard the commotion and all ran over to see what was going on.

"Brother Yu Yan, are you working?" Qiu Ze asked in a childish voice.

"yes."

The children immediately raised their hands enthusiastically: "Let us help you!"

Yu Yan didn't dampen their enthusiasm, and said with a smile, "Okay~ then thank you all for your hard work."

"It's not hard work~" they said, drawing out their voices.

As they got closer, Shuoxing sniffed and asked in confusion, "Brother Yu Yan, Brother Lan Xiu, you smell like shellfish. Did you go to the beach?"

Yu Yan was a little surprised: "You can smell that? We went to the beach and had a nice meal there."

"Wow! What delicious food is this?!" The kids' mouths watered instantly.

Yu Yan described it to them, making their mouths water.

"But you're not allowed to go to the beach alone, understand? If you want to eat, have your parents take you."

"Okay!" everyone replied obediently.

As they were talking, Yu Yan and Lan Xiu had already brought back most of the tree bark and other items, and the children each only received a small amount.

Next, Yu Yan directed everyone to throw the items into the large earthenware jar.

He found a wooden mallet and casually pounded the contents of the vat.

Shuoxing and the others asked curiously, "Brother Yu Yan, are you going to spin thread?"

Yu Yan: "No, I'm making something called 'paper,' and the first few steps are indeed similar to processing rattan bark."

Shuoxing: "So that's how it is. Paper can be made into clothes to wear?"

Yu Yan chuckled: "I'm afraid that won't work. Paper is very brittle; it will tear if you apply too much force or if it gets wet."

Not only the children, but Lan Xiu, who was standing nearby, also became puzzled upon hearing this.

If paper is so "useless", why bother making it?

However, Lan Xiu had been hanging out with Yu Yan for a long time and knew that he must have his own reasons for doing things, so he didn't ask.

Yu Yan pounded on the fire for a while, then lit a fire in the hearth and had Lan Xiu move the large vat over the fire and secure it.

He turned around and fetched some alkaline soil, filtered the alkaline water, and poured it into the earthenware jar.

Because of weaving, the tribe now has no shortage of alkaline soil.

With both adults busy, the kids, not wanting to be left behind, volunteered: "Brother Yu Yan, let's go gather firewood!"

"Okay, don't go too far. After we finish our work, I'll make you some catnip soup."

"Mmm!" With delicious food as bait, the kids worked incredibly hard, and their chattering voices could be heard throughout the woods.

When they returned with the firewood, Yu Yan turned her head and burst out laughing.

The little beastmen transformed into beast forms, and the little sub-beastmen also transformed into their own beast-type forms. Do they have to go to such lengths?

As Shuoxing fluttered his wings and ran past, Yu Yan reached out and touched his wings. The feathers were slightly cool to the touch and smooth to the skin.

When the other children saw this, they immediately cried out, "Why does Brother Yu Yan touch him but not me!"

"that is!"

"I want to touch it too! I want to touch it too!"

Yu Yan: "Hahaha, do we even need to argue about this?"

Finally, he had to masturbate by himself before things calmed down.

Each animal form is different, and the feeling of petting them is also very different. For example, Qiuze's rabbit ears are fluffy, soft, and warm;

There's also a little cub named Mengyun. He's a white wolf-type sub-beastman with slightly shorter ears, just the right size to hold in one hand. They feel amazing to the touch.

The little beastmen, including Shuoxing, had very smooth feathers. With a quick swipe, he touched their tails from their necks.

I don't know if he was good at it or what, but when he stroked them, the little ones squinted their eyes in pleasure and cried out, wishing they could roll around on the ground.

Lan Xiu watched quietly from the side.

Yu Yan played with everyone for a while, then reluctantly withdrew her hands: "That's enough, we won't finish our work if we don't get back to it."

These tree bark and hemp grass were soaked together when Yu Yan first soaked the three-leaf vine, and they have become very soft.

After being boiled in alkaline water, the plant fibers are broken down and softened in a short time.

As the sun began to set, he washed the large stone he had brought back that morning clean, scooped up the boiled bark and other materials, and placed them in the stone's hollows.

Then, he and Lanxiu together picked up small stones and smashed the tree bark with them.

After soaking and boiling, the bark was easily crushed, and the sap, along with the bark, flowed out from the gap at the edge of the stone mortar and into the large earthenware pot that Yu Yan had placed in advance.

This earthenware pot is quite deep; it was used for dyeing before, and it has been carefully cleaned.

Actually, at this stage, a square wooden trough would be better, but unfortunately, we don't have one at home.

Yu Yan told Lan Xiu, "Pound it harder, make the grass pulp as fine as possible."

Lan Xiu readily agreed: "Okay."

Under the blazing sun, the temperature in the woods rose, and with all the work she had been doing, Yu Yan was sweating profusely, her forehead and nose glistening with sweat.

He took off his coat, rolled up his trousers, and worked hard with his arms bare.

This amount of exercise was nothing to Lan Xiu, but he clearly didn't like the heat and took off his upper clothes as well.

With each swing of his arm, his strong muscles bulged out beautiful lines, and the sunlight made his pale skin seem to glow.

Yu Yan glanced at it, her heart pounding, and she quickly lowered her gaze.

Wiping away his sweat, he laughed and said, "Haha, so white, no, so hot."

Lan Xiu: "...I can do this work by myself, why don't you take a break?"

Before Yu Yan could speak, Shuo Xing and the others pestered him, "Brother Yu Yan, can you let us give it a try?"

"This looks like so much fun!"

"I'm very strong too!"

Yu Yan and Lan Xiu exchanged a glance, then said with some concern, "I'm afraid you'll hurt your hands."

"No! We'll be very careful!"

“I always help my father-in-law with chores at home! I’ve never hurt my hands.”

"...Alright then, you guys give it a try. Be very careful though."

"Okay!"

Yu Yan made way for them, but didn't leave. Instead, she continued scooping and adding syrup, while keeping an eye on the little ones.

The little ones lined up, each taking a turn smashing something.

What was supposed to be a tedious, repetitive activity was transformed into a fun game by them. Everyone said it was incredibly fun and they wanted to play it more.

When Feng Gui and the others returned, all that tree bark and hemp had been pounded into a grayish-white pulp.

When Cangfeng and Moye heard that their child was here, they came along too.

Seeing the grass pulp, they asked in confusion, "I smell tree bark... Yu Yan, what are you doing?"

Yu Yan: "I want to make paper."

"Paper?" Everyone chewed on the word they had never heard before.

The little ones were excited while working and eagerly explained, "Brother Yu Yan said it's something that can be used!"

"No, no, it's clearly a useless thing!"

Xin Yu and the others: "..." So, is it useful or not?

Yu Yan glanced at the sky and said, "I won't be finished for a while. Are you going to the pottery kiln first, or wait for me here?"

The pottery kiln is there, it can't be moved, I can go there sooner or later.

In comparison, they were more interested in the "paper" that Yu Yan was going to make.

So everyone rolled up their sleeves and said, "We'll stay and help."

"Yes, is there anything we can do?"

Yu Yan thought for a moment and said, "There's not much work left now, Father. What about the manuscript I asked you to help me compile last time?"

Feng Gui: "It's in the bird's nest. I'll go get it now."

“Okay,” Yu Yan looked at Xin Yu and the others, “Could you guys fetch some clean water for me?”

Xin Yu and the others immediately took their pottery and went to the stream to fetch water.

Yu Yan had the children stand aside, while he and Lan Xiu finished the "pulping" step.

Cang Fengxuefei and the others behind them stared at them curiously.

After the pulping was finished, Yu Yan washed the earthenware jar clean with water.

This is one of the few, and the only, wide-diameter, deep-bellied jars in the entire tribe and in every household; it can barely be used as a water trough.

Xin Yu asked, "Does this look like the tank I sent before? There are also some slight cracks on the side."

Yu Yan buried herself in her work: "Yes, we've been using it too much lately."

Cangfeng: "This time, let's make more clay jar blanks and see if we can successfully fire a few more."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

After cleaning the jar, Yu Yan poured in some of the finely ground grass pulp and added some water.

"Lanxiu, help me stir the water inside with a stick."

"Okay." Lan Xiu quickly stepped forward and stirred the mixture evenly in one direction.

Yu Yan stood to one side, holding the bundle that Feng Gui had woven from thin grass stalks.

Feng Guicao's craftsmanship is superb. According to his requirements, the basket was specially woven into a rectangle with fine holes and a bottom that is not too soft, providing a certain degree of support.

Once the grass pulp had completely floated to the surface, Yu Yan stepped forward and pushed the scoop into the water.

Then, the sieve was lifted. Water dripped down from the bottom, leaving a thin, sticky layer of white pulp, which was the beginnings of paper.

Upon seeing the contents of the notebook, Shuoxing exclaimed softly, "This is paper?!"

Yu Yan: "Hmm, but it's still too thin now, I need to copy it a few more times."

As he spoke, he repeated his previous actions, making several more copies until the paper reached a thickness that satisfied him.

She tossed the paper up and down to drain the excess water, then used her fingernail to carefully peel it off from one side.

"They've stuck together!"

"It's still not broken?"

"So light and thin..." the onlookers exclaimed.

Yu Yan glanced around and said, "Help me lay that stone mortar down, with the flat side facing up."

Cangfeng and Moye immediately set to work. After knocking down the stones, Fenggui poured a ladle of water on them without waiting for Yu Yan to speak, washing away the mud.

Yu Yan gave him an approving look, then placed the thin piece of paper in her hand flat on the stone.

After that, it was just a matter of repeating the actions of copying and placing paper.

The whole process is not difficult; even the little ones can do it after watching for a while.

Xin Yu asked curiously, "Yu Yan, can I try?"

Shuoxing and the others also said, "Brother Yu Yan, we want to try too!"

Yu Yan handed over the notebook: "Okay."

Xin Yu took the notebook first, while Lan Xiu gave his position to Cang Feng.

The two worked together quite well, and in no time, they peeled off a piece of wet paper that was of decent quality.

Xuefei was also itching to try it out, and after Xinyu and the others had tried it, she took Moye and gave it a shot.

"It seems like a lot of fun, haha," he laughed.

Shuoxing Qiuze and the others had been waiting for a long time, and upon hearing this, they insisted on experiencing it.

So the adults handed the tools to them and guided them to copy the successful paper.

"Father, Uncle, look! This is what we made! It's so interesting!"

Shuoxing puffed out his chest and confidently declared, "Making paper isn't difficult at all! I'll lead the younger brothers to do it, you guys go ahead and do what you need to do!"

Xin Yu ruffled his hair: "Are you sure? Don't go off to play while you're doing this."

Shuoxing said angrily, "Father, you underestimate me! If you don't believe me, ask Brother Yuyan. Didn't we do a lot of work for him this afternoon?"

Yu Yan said truthfully, "Yes, the kids were a great help."

Xin Yu laughed and said, "Then it is indeed that your father has misunderstood you. In that case, I'll leave this place to you. Do a good job, we'll be checking when we get back."

Shuoxing suddenly felt a heavy responsibility and said, as if taking an oath:

"Alright! Don't worry, Father, we promise to finish the job!"

Akizawa and the others, in their childish voices, declared, "We can definitely do it!"

The children can be taught the skills, but we're still worried about leaving an adult behind.

So Yu Yan looked at Feng Gui and said, "Father, would you like to stay? I promise to make them catnip soup."

Feng Gui nodded: "Okay, you guys go ahead. I can make catnip soup too."

"Okay, after you've copied the paper and stacked it, remember to put a rock on top of it, okay? I'll take care of the rest when I get back. We're off."

He Fenggui and the children waved goodbye, while Cangfeng and Moye transformed into their beast forms and carried their respective partners.

Yu Yan conjured wings and flew behind them.

Lan Xiu transformed into a gigantic tiger and ran across the ground.

The group quickly left the grove of trees where they had been living and headed towards the pottery kiln.

About ten minutes later, they stopped at the foot of a cliff.

Yu Yan immediately noticed the pottery kiln that had been built in front of her. To describe it in two words, it would be—simple and crude.

The pottery kiln is vertical, and in addition to the part covered with soil on the outside, it is also dug into the cliff, like two large funnels with their pointed parts stacked together.

The "funnel" has a partition in the middle, with the firing chamber on top and the combustion chamber below piled with black ash.

The kiln has an opening at the top, which facilitates air circulation, but the flames will probably shoot out from the top.

“This side, this side, and inside, they’ve all collapsed.” Cang Feng stepped forward and pointed to several locations.

Xin Yu: "Hmm, let's mix some clay in a bit and fill in these spots."

Xuefei: "Let's reinforce the whole thing, so that it doesn't collapse like the last time when it was firing."

Yu Yan: "..." Built against a cliff, with such a simple structure, and flames burning fiercely straight up and down, how could it not collapse?

Furthermore, with an opening at the top, the fire could escape and cause the temperature inside the kiln to drop.

Although he didn't know how hot the kiln was, he was certain it couldn't melt the two pieces of ash in his hand.

As everyone was discussing where to dig for clay, Yu Yan raised her hand and said gently, "I have a suggestion, would you like to hear it?"

Everyone looked over, and Xin Yu said, "Whatever your suggestion is, just say it."

Yu Yan pointed to the pottery kiln and pointed out the shortcomings he had observed.

"...Temperature, you can think of it as a standard for measuring hot and cold. The higher the temperature, the hotter it is, and vice versa. If you make a straight opening at the top of the kiln, the temperature of the kiln will definitely be lowered. If the temperature is low, the pottery will not be as good."

Cangfeng nodded: "Yes, so sometimes we have to mix mud and plug the opening, depending on the situation."

Yu Yan stepped forward and pointed to the partition in the middle of the pottery kiln.

"It's so narrow here. When the kiln is heated, the clay pieces inside won't be heated evenly. Won't that make them more likely to be ruined?"

Cangfeng stared at him in shock: "How did you know? That's right, it's good if a kiln of pottery blanks can be fired to within 30% of their full potential!"

He felt heartbroken every time he saw the shattered pottery shards scattered on the ground.

The shock of the others present was no less than that of Cangfeng.

If I had known it was Yu Yan's first time at the pottery kiln, she would have noticed so many problems!

Xuefei said, "Although it's only 30%, it's still much better than pile-fired or clay-fired products."

Moye: "Yes, there aren't any better pottery kilns in the tribe."

Lan Xiu: "Several tribes around here burned their land like this."

Xin Yu, as if struck by a thought, asked hopefully, "Yu Yan, do you have a solution?"

Yu Yan: "I want to rebuild a pottery kiln. I can't say for sure it will solve the problem, but it should be better than the current one. What do you think? Do you want to listen to me?"

Cang Feng and the others looked at each other and all gave the same answer: "Yes!"

From what she just said, they knew that Yu Yan had truly figured out where the problem lay.

In addition, given the changes Yu Yan has brought to the tribe during this period, everyone believes that he wouldn't speak casually without being confident.

Xin Yu asked, "Shall we start repairing now? Do we have enough manpower?"

Cangfeng said urgently, "If it's not enough, I'll call some more people right away!"

Yu Yan looked at everyone and said, "The kiln structure I'm going to build is quite simple." He didn't know how to build anything too complicated. "Besides, we're just building a rough prototype today, and the number of us is enough."

Cang Feng nodded repeatedly: "Okay."

Moye: "Just tell us what you need us to do."

Lan Xiu: "Do you want to transform into beast form?"

Yu Yan: "Wait a moment, let me take a look first."

He started walking along the cliff, tapping on the cliff face from time to time.

We walked until we reached the end of the cliff, where a small hill, only a few dozen meters high, connected to it.

Yu Yan estimated that the height was just right.

The vegetation on the mountain definitely needs to be pulled up.

To his satisfaction, the area below the cliff was open, with sparse grass and the woods far away.

However, if you walk a short distance ahead, you'll find natural irrigation canals.

Building kilns here not only eliminates the risk of fire but also makes it convenient to obtain water.

Everyone watched intently as Yu Yan walked back and forth, but no one dared to utter a sound to disturb her.

When Yu Yan pointed to the small hill and said, "Let's build a new kiln here, and first we'll pull up the trees on it,"

Cangfeng and the others immediately responded, "Okay!"

The small hill was covered with sparse shrubs. Several orcs didn't even need to transform into their beast forms. They went up, grabbed the tree trunks, and with a sudden burst of force, they heard a few crisp "crack" sounds as the trees were uprooted!

In no time at all, the mountain was empty.

Yu Yan then called Xin Yu and Xue Fei over, broke off a stick, and started drawing simple design diagrams on the ground.

He first drew a chimney on the left, followed by an arch, and then drew a semicircle inside the arch to indicate that this was an empty firing chamber.

The combustion chamber is located to the lower right of the firing chamber. It is a pit dug deep into the ground, and he drew a horizontal line in the middle of the pit.

After he finished drawing, he pointed with a stick and said, "This is a partition. Firewood burns from above, and the ashes can fall to the bottom."

Xin Yu understood and exclaimed in amazement, "It's similar to our current kilns, but much easier to clean."

Xuefei couldn't wait to ask, "What about the middle one?"

Yu Yan: "This bun-shaped thing is the kiln chamber."

Xin Yu and Xue Fei looked puzzled: "What is a steamed bun?"

Yu Yan: "..." I forgot that there is no flour in the Beast World, let alone steamed buns.

Sigh, speaking of this, he really wants to eat a hot, soft, white steamed bun. He wonders if any wheat is growing in his territory.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, he changed his words and said, "This semi-circular area is where we fire the pottery. When the fire comes from the combustion chamber, it will rise quickly to the top of the kiln. The smoke will be drawn in through the chimney, and then it will be discharged from this position below through the chimney."

Xin Yu and Xue Fei blinked, seemingly not understanding anything.

Yu Yan didn't dwell on it; after all, it was their first time seeing a "steamed bun kiln," and it was normal that they didn't understand how it worked.

"Anyway, you all know that building the kiln this way makes it hotter inside and the clay body heats up more evenly, so that's fine."

The structure of a steamed bun kiln is simple. When Yu Yan was surfing the internet, she saw that some rural bloggers could build one at home.

Because the kiln looked like a steamed bun, he remembered it immediately.

As for the more sophisticated and complex kilns of modern times, he had no knowledge of them and couldn't build them in a short time.

Xin Yu and Xue Fei were both excited after hearing Yu Yan's words.

"Yes, yes, we've got it!"

Yu Yan then told them a few more details she could think of, so that if she couldn't come when the kiln was officially being repaired, they could explain it to the others.

The two studied very diligently and even offered their own insights based on the structure of the new kiln.

Yu Yan had a wealth of knowledge, and they had practical experience. By combining the two, they quickly produced a satisfactory "first draft of the design".

About ten minutes later, Cangfeng and the others returned after uprooting the trees. At Yu Yan's instruction, Xin Yu explained to them how to repair each part of the steamed bun kiln.

Cangfeng, who had been dealing with pottery kilns for many years, exclaimed in amazement, "You can do that?"

He couldn't help but glance at Yu Yan's head.

How did it grow like that? It's so smart!

Mo Ye also said, "I have a feeling that our pottery kiln will work very well this time."

Lan Xiu looked at Yu Yan and said, "That's right, I want to start repairing the kiln right now."

Xuefei said excitedly, "I really want to see the tribe's reaction when they see the new kiln. They must be very surprised and excited!"

Everyone was excited as they imagined that scene.

There was still some time before dark, so Yu Yan clapped her hands and said, "Alright, let's start repairing now! Lan Xiu, Cang Feng, and Mo Ye, you transform into your beast forms and take out the most important furnace chamber first; Xin Yu, Xue Fei, the rest of us will be in charge of transporting the soil."

"Okay!!" everyone responded in unison.

The three, now in beast form, revealed their sharp, pointed claws.

Because they are large and strong, you have to be extra careful when digging them out, lest you collapse the mountain.

The cave couldn't fit the three enormous creatures. After roughly clearing out the area, Lanxiu was left to continue the work alone (he had two more claws than Cangfeng and Moye), while the other two went to move soil.

Yu Yan and the others filled the soil into baskets, which were then carried out by Cang Feng and Mo Ye.

Inspired by the new pottery kiln, everyone worked with great enthusiasm, and the cave warmed up.

While wiping away her sweat, Yu Yan glanced at Lan Xiu.

He swung his two front paws in a circular motion, sending dirt flying backward with a whooshing sound.

The round tiger's face showed a hint of excitement.

A clod of dirt splashed onto Xin Yu, who laughed and said, "Lan Xiu, your cave collapsed and I haven't seen you repair it. Why are you so enthusiastic now?"

Cang Feng walked in just then and said, "You just realized? He's never been interested in his own affairs, but he likes to follow Yu Yan around, busy with her affairs."

Lan Xiu stopped what he was doing, his piercing icy blue tiger eyes looking back, which met Yu Yan's gaze.

Their eyes met for a moment, then he looked away and asked, "Don't you like being with Yu Yan?"

"..." Everyone had no rebuttal and finally burst into laughter.

The group worked until nightfall, digging out the prototypes of the combustion chamber and the firing chamber before returning to their tribe.

Cangfeng said he would bring people to continue the work tomorrow.

They chatted all the way, and when they looked up, they realized they had arrived at Yu Yan's house.

Xin Yu chuckled, "Now it really is just like Lan Xiu said, we've all followed Yu Yan's lead."

Yu Yan also burst into laughter.

Hearing the noise, Feng Gui came over and asked, "Why are you back so late?"

Yu Yan landed and retracted her wings: "Our kiln construction was delayed."

Noticing the extra stack of papers on the rock, he asked, "Where are the little ones?"

Feng Gui assumed that what he meant by "building a kiln" was repairing an old kiln, so he didn't think much of it and replied, "After finishing the work, we drank the soup and went back. Except for Qiu Ze, all the kids said it was especially delicious."

Xuefei, who was behind, touched her nose and said, "Qiu Ze's taste is just like mine."

Yu Yan smiled and quickly walked over to see the paper everyone had made.