Chapter 248 Primitive Beast World Cubs 23

Shen Ci was so tired that he could barely stand up straight. He wiped the sweat from his brow and said...

Cangye looked at his work. Although only a few pieces were completed independently, and their shapes were crooked and not particularly standardized, he was filled with anticipation.

He can make bricks now. Since living with his mother, he has learned to do so many things!

He could almost see these lumps of mud transform into the kind of comfortable house his mother had described!

"Mother, now that we have a house, won't we be less afraid of the cold in winter?" he asked, looking up.

"Yes, we are not afraid of the cold or the wind. We will have a home that truly belongs to us."

Shen Ci patted his head and answered affirmatively. Cang Ye nestled beside her, looking at the brickwork, his golden eyes reflecting the sunset.

One person, one werewolf; though physically tired, they were filled with joy.

Having lived all these years and experienced so many things, I have never been this tired before, doing pure physical labor!

Over the next few days, Shen Ci and Cangye's lives became particularly fulfilling.

As dawn broke, they set off for the clay land by the river, dug up clay, harvested hard-stemmed grass, and carried the materials back to the cave in baskets. With the help of the baskets, it was not difficult, but there was not enough time.

Even if one person and one wolf dug together for most of the day, it wouldn't be enough to dig out all the mud they needed.

Cangye has gone from being a novice to a skilled worker. He has now learned to chop grass with a kitchen knife and can even imitate Chen Ci by forcefully pounding mud to fill molds. He does all of these things quite well.

The little wolf cub has already become a skilled bricklayer.

"Mother, do you think this area of ​​mine is much flatter now?"

Cangye held a brick blank that he had just unmolded. Although the edges were still a bit rough, the surface was indeed much smoother than the first time.

"Hmm! My little one is improving so fast! This brick must be very sturdy!"

Shen Ci never hesitated to praise her children, because children who grow up with praise are always happier than those who grow up with scolding.

Encouraged by the affirmation, Cangye worked even harder, its little tail wagging behind it, clearly showing its joy.

More and more mud bricks were drying on the open ground, arranged densely, and from a distance, they really did look a bit like modern red bricks!

Most of the day was spent making brick blanks, but there was still a lot of preparation work to be done before the house was officially built. First of all, the foundation had to be planned and cleared.

The house that Shen Ci chose was right next to the right side of the cave entrance. This way, the cave's stone walls could be used as part of the support, which would save a lot of trouble and make it easier to come and go in the future.

A solid stone wall is definitely much stronger than bricks you make yourself.

First, she used a kitchen knife to chop some wooden sticks of different lengths and marked them on the ground according to the outline of the house she planned. The house she planned was not big, since it was just the two of them, mother and son. She could expand it slowly later when she had all the tools.

The house I'm planning is roughly a rectangle of 4 meters by 5 meters. I don't know how to make it too complicated.

"Sweetie, we need to clear away all the weeds, tree roots, and small stones from the marked area. We need to level the ground and make it firm so that the house can be built on it stably."

Shen Ci pointed to the area she had circled with a stick and said, "The little wolf cub has been busy with her all the time, without taking a break. He's so tired he's panting."

This society treats women like men and wolf cubs like cattle and horses!

The cleanup work was mainly physical labor, since this was a primitive society with abundant vegetation and a wasteland.

Shen Ci used a stone hoe to dig away the grass roots and shrubs that had been growing for who knows how long, while Cang Ye used his claws to help her move the loose soil and stones aside. When they encountered large rocks, the two of them carried them away together.

Shen Ci also found a thick, heavy tree trunk. The two of them each lifted one end, chanting slogans, and tamped the soft soil back and forth on the cleared ground.

"Mother, why did you slam the ground so hard?" Cang Ye asked breathlessly, his little face covered in sweat.

"Just like we need to pound bricks firmly to make them solid, we also need to compact the foundation so that the house won't sink or tilt in the future."

Shen Ci explained, and Cang Ye nodded as if he understood, but believed that his mother must be right!

After working for more than a month, the last batch of brick blanks finally met the standard for air drying. How do we determine this standard? We just tap them.

A crisp sound when tapped, a whitish color, and a noticeably lighter feel when held in the hand—that's good enough; it's acceptable.

The soil and grass have been turned into semi-finished bricks.

Over the past month, the foundation has finally been cleaned and compacted. With these preparations nearly complete, the next step, and the most important one, is to fire the brick blanks.

She cleaned out the earthen kiln where she used to fire pottery, because firing bricks requires a higher temperature and a longer duration than firing pottery.

Carefully stack the dried brick blanks into the kiln, just like when firing pottery, leaving a certain gap between the bricks to ensure that the flames and heat penetrate evenly enough.

The principles are similar, only the required temperature and conditions differ.

“My dear child, for the next few days, we need to stay here and keep adding firewood so that the fire inside keeps burning brightly.”

This is related to whether our bricks can become as hard as stone.

Shen Ci said to Cang Ye that this was also her first time doing something like this, and she couldn't guarantee 100% success. If she failed, everything she had done in the past month would be for nothing.

Therefore, we must take this seriously and be cautious and rigorous!

The firing process is long and arduous, quite exhausting.

Shen Ci was in charge of controlling the fire and adding large pieces of hardwood, while Cang Ye was in charge of moving firewood to ensure there was enough fuel.

The fire burned day and night for two whole days and nights. The outer walls of the kiln were so hot that they were scalding to the touch, and the firelight shining through the cracks illuminated the surroundings in a fiery red glow.

Only when Shen Ci judged that the fire was ready did she seal the kiln opening and flue, allowing the earthen kiln to cool naturally.

These past few days, they haven't been sleeping well at night and need someone to watch over them. There's no other way but to use the children as laborers.

Orcs are more vigilant, while humans are more likely to let their guard down.

After waiting another day and night, the kiln was finally completely cooled. Chen Ci and Cangye had mixed feelings, both expectant and afraid. They mustered their courage and carefully peeled off the sealant at the kiln opening.

When the first brick was taken out, Shen Ci's hands were trembling slightly, afraid that she would take out a broken one. This feeling made her feel like a midwife.

They were afraid they wouldn't be able to give birth, and they were also afraid that their child would be born with missing limbs or other disabilities.