Chapter 36 The Bricklaying Operation Begins! For a Grand Red Brick House! ...

The transformation from a small family workshop into a labor-intensive community with nearly a hundred eager reserve employees made Lin Yue feel that the difficulty level of his life had increased dramatically.

Despite these efforts, the dilapidated, drafty, open-air communal sleeping quarters were finally managed to be erected, solving the age-old problem of whether most refugees should sleep on the streets or in haystacks.

But Lin Yue knew very well that this thing was at best a temporary shelter. It would be fine in the summer, but if there was continuous rain or winter came, it would be a large-scale, waterfall cave experience.

No! We must build stronger, more durable, and more sheltering shelters!

Wooden houses? Although they are better than thatched huts, logging and processing timber is too time-consuming and laborious, and their fire resistance is questionable.

Stone houses? Gray and Stonefist certainly liked them; they were sturdy, durable, and kept warm in winter and cool in summer. But the amount of work involved in quarrying and building the walls was enormous. With their current manpower and tools, when would they ever be able to build one?

Lin Yue was so worried that she almost shaved her head off.

Just as he was drooling over the reinforced concrete building blueprints on the system interface that required a massive amount of points to redeem, a thought suddenly popped into his mind—bricks!

That's right! Brick making!

Clay is fired into bricks, and then bricks are used to build walls! This stuff is stronger than wood, easier than using stone directly, at least it doesn't require much polishing, and it can be mass-produced! It's practically the optimal solution under the current conditions!

He remembered watching some documentaries about ancient brick making and kiln firing back on Earth. The principle seemed relatively simple: shaping clay, drying it, and then firing it at a high temperature.

"System! System! Come out quickly!" Lin Yue called out with his mind. "Do you have any technical information about brick making? Or... can I exchange it with points? I remember I still have some in stock!" He remembered the system points he had painstakingly saved up but hadn't found a suitable place to spend.

[System response: A demand for [clay firing technology] has been detected from the host.]

Option 1: The host can explore and research on their own. Upon success, the system will automatically record and optimize the relevant techniques. Advantages: Saves points. Disadvantages: Time-consuming, extremely high failure rate, and may result in a significant waste of resources.

Option Two: Consume 150 system points to directly redeem [Basic Clay Firing Technology (Concept Version)]. Includes: clay selection and processing, basic brick making, and a simplified kiln structure diagram (some key parameters require independent exploration or further redemption).

[Current available points: 880 points.]

Lin Yue looked at the two options and chose the second one without hesitation!

Are you kidding me?! Figure it out on his own? By the time he figures it out, it'll be too late! And the failure rate is extremely high? He doesn't want all the clay he painstakingly dug up to turn into a pile of waste!

Although spending 150 points is a bit painful, since he worked hard to accumulate them by completing tasks and building infrastructure, it's definitely worth it compared to the waste of time and resources!

"Exchange! Exchange for [Basic Clay Firing Technology (Concept Version)] immediately!" Lin Yue confirmed with his mind.

[System Notification: Points -150. Successfully redeemed [Basic Clay Firing Technology (Concept Version)]. Related materials have been transferred to the host knowledge base, and the optimized core points are displayed simultaneously.]

Instantly, a large amount of basic knowledge about clay firing flooded Lin Yue's mind. Although much of it was still conceptual, it at least gave him a clear understanding of the entire process.

At the same time, some key diagrams and parameter range suggestions also appeared on the system interface.

"Great! Even though it's just a concept version, something is better than nothing!" Lin Yue was so excited he almost jumped up on the spot. "Next, it's time to put it into practice!"

He immediately assembled his core technical team.

"Comrades!" Lin Yue held up a new slate with several crooked sketches of bricks and a kiln drawn on it. "I have a bold idea! We're going to... fire our own bricks! Build brick houses!"

"Brick making?" Everyone present looked puzzled. Clearly, this term was as foreign to them as quantum mechanics.

Lin Yue cleared his throat and began his popular science lecture: "Simply put, it involves taking a special type of clay, shaping it into rectangular blocks, and then putting them into a special furnace and firing them over a high flame! Once hardened, they become as solid as stone and can be used to build walls and houses! Moreover, the bricks are all the same size, making them much easier to build than irregular stones!"

As he spoke, he gestured with his hands to demonstrate the action of building a wall.

Gray nodded thoughtfully, seemingly understanding, after all, he had previously renovated his house with mud bricks.

Old Bad and Amu looked on with a mixture of confusion and awe.

Only Shi Quan, stroking his thick beard, had a strange glint in his eyes: "...Burning mud with fire? Sounds...interesting. But what kind of clay can be fired into bricks? How do you control the heat? And how do you build the furnace?" He was indeed an expert in fire, and he immediately got to the point.

"Good question!" Lin Yue gave Shi Quan an approving look. "Clay... I remember when we were digging for refractory clay before, we seemed to have seen a patch of soil nearby that was redder in color and had a finer texture? Maybe that kind of soil is suitable for making bricks!"

He then looked at Shi Quan: "As for the kiln and the firing temperature... you're an expert in that area! I'll need your guidance later!"

Stone Fist snorted arrogantly: "Hmph, burning mud and smelting iron are not the same thing! However... there are some similarities in principle. I can help you take a look when the time comes."

[System Notification: Partner Stone Fist has expressed interest in [Clay Firing Technology]. His extensive experience in flame control and kiln construction will provide significant assistance to this project.]

Plan worked! Lin Yue mentally gave himself a thumbs-up.

Thus, the preparatory team for the Lin's Restaurant Red Brick and Tile House Project was officially established!

Step 1: Find suitable clay!

Lin Yue, along with Gray, Amu, and several other young men selected from the refugees who seemed clever and physically strong, began to consciously cultivate his own "team" and set off in a grand procession.

Xiao Fen naturally followed Lin Yue around like a puppy, acting as the atmosphere-maker and treasure-hunting dog.

They searched carefully in the area where they had previously dug refractory clay.

Persistence pays off. Soon, Lin Yue discovered a large patch of clay at the foot of a hillside. The clay was a distinct reddish-brown color, with a very fine texture and excellent adhesion!

[System scan: High-quality red clay detected. Main components: silicates, iron oxide, etc. Moderate viscosity, low impurity content, high strength after firing, making it an ideal raw material for brick and tile production. Reserves: Abundant.]

"Found it! This is it!" Lin Yue excitedly grabbed a handful of red clay, feeling its delicate and smooth texture. "The color! The texture! It's simply made for making bricks!"

Everyone immediately got to work, and began digging with clanging and clattering.

With the addition of newly recruited reserve bricklayers, the efficiency of digging and transporting bricks has significantly improved. Although they are still using simple tools and wicker baskets, many hands make light work!

Soon, the first batch of red clay, exuding the fragrance of earth, was transported back to the restaurant.

Uncle Shi Quan picked up a bit of red clay, rubbed it in his hand, smelled it, and then nodded: "Hmm, this clay is alright. It's sticky enough and has few impurities. The bricks made from it shouldn't be too bad." He gave a fairly fair assessment.

Step 2: Make the brick mold!

Lin Yue readily took on the task. He found several relatively flat wooden planks and, using his finely crafted iron dagger and a cheap iron chisel he had captured, he hammered and shaved them, creating several rectangular wooden molds.

Although the size is not quite standard and the edges are not neat enough, it is, after all, handmade, so we can't expect too much, but at least it works.

Step 3: Making the brick blanks!

This is another task that requires a lot of manpower and patience.

Red clay is mixed with water to form a soft and pliable dough. This dough is then filled into a mold, compacted, smoothed, and carefully demolded to obtain wet mud brick blanks.

In this process, Lin Yue mobilized everyone who could move, including Mia and some nimble women. Everyone gathered together, chatting and laughing as they made the bricks.

Shi Quan continued to stroll around like a supervisor, hands behind his back, occasionally offering pointers: "Too much water! The clay is too runny! Be careful when unmolding! Don't damage the edges!"

Although the process was full of unexpected events and complaints, Lin Yue felt a great sense of accomplishment as he watched the rows of reddish-brown bricks neatly arranged to dry in the open space, growing larger and larger.

These are the foundation stones for the future red brick and tile houses!

In order to motivate everyone and reward the outstanding core members during the arduous brick-making work, Lin Yue specially implemented a special system of preferential treatment.

After work each day, in addition to providing porridge and roasted potatoes to all the workers, Lin Yue would secretly give extra meals to Gray, Shi Quan, and several refugee foremen who worked the hardest and performed the best!

The extra dishes usually consist of a small portion of "fragrant baked potatoes with diced meat on a hot stone slab", or a few skewers of grilled meat that are sizzling with oil, or a small bowl of thick meat soup.

Although the quantity was small, it was undoubtedly a great delicacy and honor for these people who could barely get enough to eat on ordinary days!

This special treatment system greatly stimulated everyone's enthusiasm for work! Everyone worked with all their might, hoping to win the curator's favor and eat the legendary special dishes!

For a time, a competitive frenzy swept through the restaurant, with everyone vying to become a model worker and win a special tutoring spot! Even Uncle Shi Quan seemed more patient than before when instructing on techniques, probably because he was afraid Lin Yue wouldn't give him special tutoring.

[System Notification: Successfully implemented the [Differentiated Incentive Mechanism]. Community work enthusiasm has significantly increased. Core member loyalty has slightly increased. Management skill experience points have increased.]

Lin Yue looked at the scene, which was either thriving or chaotic, and stroked his chin with satisfaction.

It seems that to manage a team effectively, empty promises and threats are not enough; tangible material incentives are also necessary!

"The carrot and stick approach is the key to effective management!"