Chapter 26 New Kiln Opens for Firing [12 Updates] Beachcombing is so much fun...
I don't know where Feng Gui found such a large, flat stone slab, but he carefully pressed down the whole stack of papers.
After several hours of pressing, most of the moisture in the paper was removed, leaving a grayish-white surface and a somewhat rough texture.
Unlike modern paper, which is flexible, the paper tore easily with a light poke of Yu Yan's finger.
Upon seeing this, Xin Yu and the others felt that the paper was unusable.
Looking at Yu Yan's expression, which seemed rather serious, everyone assumed that the papermaking attempt had failed.
Cangfeng asked somewhat nervously, "Did Shuoxing and the others not do it well? We'll help you redo it tomorrow."
Xin Yu: "Yes, let Cang Feng and the others go with you to repair the pottery kiln. I'll bring other sub-beastmen to make paper. I've already figured out the steps today."
Xuefei nodded: "Yes, we'll call more people over and make sure you get even better paper."
Lan Xiu also thought they had failed, and said, "Yu Yan, it's okay. We soaked a lot more tree bark later, enough to make many more."
Feng Gui was most afraid of any mishaps, and his face turned pale after hearing their words.
He asked Yu Yan, "These papers were made by me and Xiaozai. Did we not do a good job?"
But he clearly followed Yu Yan's instructions exactly.
Yu Yan put down the paper in her hand and explained to everyone with a smile, "There is no failure. This is how it looks when the paper is wet."
Given how crude their papermaking techniques are, he was quite satisfied with the result.
Lan Xiu understood his unspoken meaning: "Do we need to let the paper dry?"
Yu Yan nodded: "Yes, but not air-drying, but baking."
He just checked it; this paper wrinkles very easily. If you dry it directly, it will probably curl up and crumble at the slightest touch, making it unusable.
Xin Yu: "Dried?"
His gaze was filled with doubt. Could such fragile paper, after being soaked and then dried, withstand so many processes?
Yu Yan has been dealing with paper for so many years, she is confident that her level of expertise is not a big problem.
He didn't explain, but instead picked up a complete piece of paper and pasted it onto the flat stone slab that Feng Gui had found.
The stone stove was still warm, so he placed the stone slab on it.
The remaining charcoal embers in the stove quickly heated the stone slab, evenly drying the entire sheet of paper.
Yu Yan smelled a pleasant scent of grass, her brows relaxed, and she slowly peeled off the paper, holding both ends with her hands and crumpling it up.
The paper, being crumpled, made a rustling sound, which was extremely pleasant to hear.
After drying, although it becomes somewhat hard, its toughness increases significantly.
To everyone's astonishment, he pulled a small piece of charcoal from the ashes and made two slits in the paper.
Yes, if you control the force, you can write!
That way, when he trades with others again, he can keep track of the transactions on paper instead of having to memorize everything!
He can also write down other things that need to be remembered on paper.
However, the Beast World currently only has a few simple pictographs, so when he writes, he has to try to avoid people to prevent it from being difficult to explain.
Besides writing, paper is also great for wiping hands and other things.
You have to understand that he lived a very fast-paced life in modern times, and he didn't care about being fancy or fancy; as long as it worked, it was fine.
There's always a roll of toilet paper on his desk; he can wipe anything.
After arriving in the Beast World, what bothered him the most was not the lack of a mobile phone and internet access, but the lack of paper!
He was so excited to finally see his old friend again!
Everyone watched as he took the paper in his hand, first scratched it with charcoal ash, then folded it up, used it to wipe the stone slab, the pottery jar, and his hands...
Things wiped with paper become clean and shiny!
Xin Yu's gaze slowly shifted from suspicion to surprise.
"Paper...can be used in so many places?"
Yu Yan smiled and said proudly, "That's right! Why don't you give it a try?"
"Great!!" Everyone rushed forward.
Yu Yan handed them the crumpled paper, then peeled off a wet one and started baking it following the same steps.
The paper was passed around in everyone's long, strong hands.
"So light!" Cangfeng exclaimed.
Xuefei said, "Although paper is also made from plants, it's much easier than weaving cloth!"
Xin Yu nodded: "That's right! It can be made with grass stalks and tree bark. These materials are much easier to obtain than those from clover vines."
Feng Gui: "It smells very nice too."
Having led a team on trade routes, Mo Ye was able to better understand the immense value inherent in paper.
He sighed and said regretfully, "So many good things, why didn't they appear last year? Cloth, soap, paper... any one of them would be snapped up if we took them out!"
Cangfeng laughed and said, "Our tribe doesn't even have enough, and you still want to take them out."
Lanxiu: "That's right. There are still people in the tribe who don't wear clothes made of cloth."
Xin Yu: "It's not that they can't wear them, it's that they took all the woven fabric to exchange for other things."
Cang Feng: "There's nothing we can do. Fabric is so popular. Lan Xiu just used a whole long-legged beast to change two sets of clothes."
Lan Xiu earnestly corrected him: "I ate the meat with Yu Yan and Feng Gui, so I profited."
Everyone burst out laughing. Lan Xiu wasn't an isolated case in the tribe. Everyone was working very hard to get the cloth.
If this is the case even within a single tribe, one can only imagine what it's like in other tribes. They have large sums of resources, yet they still can't exchange them for cloth.
Xin Yu added, "After a while, as we weave more and more cloth, we won't be so stressed."
Xuefei: "Yes, there's a shortage of fabric right now. I have so many designs I want to dye, but I'm afraid of ruining them, so I don't dare to start."
Xin Yu nodded in agreement, passed the paper back to Yu Yan, and said, "It would be great if paper could be made into clothes too."
Yu Yan laughed: "It's possible to do it, but once you put it on, you can forget about doing any work."
Everyone imagined their paper clothes torn, revealing their bare bodies: "..."
Indeed, we shouldn't be so demanding about the paper.
As the night deepened, the entire forest became pitch black.
Today was a day of hunting, gathering, and repairing the kiln; it took up too much time.
Cang Feng and the others said goodbye to Yu Yan and the others: "You must be tired after a long day. Come and eat. We'll go back and cook too."
Yu Yan: "Mmm."
Seeing that there were still so many wet wipes, Xuefei thoughtfully asked, "Yuyan, I also have a stone slab at home. Could you give me a stack of wet wipes? I'll dry them and bring them to you tomorrow."
Xin Yu said, "Give us a stack too."
Yu Yan: "This is too much trouble for you..."
Cangfeng waved his hand: "What's the trouble? This job isn't tiring. There are three of us in my family. We don't have much to do after dinner, so we can just warm ourselves by the fire."
Moye said, "If we take the paper back, it will give Qiuze something to do. A three-year-old is just the right age to get some work done."
Xuefei: "That's right."
Yu Yan couldn't help but laugh out loud. "You guys are really my dads, hahaha."
Finally, he divided the wet paper into three portions: one for Cangfeng and his wife, one for Moye and his wife, and the other for him and Fenggui to bake that evening.
They also agreed on a time to repair the kiln the next day and what tools to bring. Yu Yan then saw them off.
After washing up, he, Feng Gui, and Lan Xiu sat down and had dinner.
If the catnip picked this morning isn't eaten soon, it won't be fresh. Feng Gui made a big pot of soup, and when he lifted the lid, a rich, spicy aroma wafted out.
Yu Yan and Feng Gui both enjoyed the taste of catnip. Accompanied by the cool night breeze, they ate until they were covered in sweat, as if every pore had been cleansed, and the fatigue from their work was swept away.
What about Lan Xiu? He compared Yan He and Feng Gui to food!
In the blink of an eye, Yu Yan finished the bowl in one gulp.
He finished his second bowl in the time it takes to eat a piece of stem.
Setting down the bowl, Yu Yan looked at his icy blue starry eyes, which were slightly narrowed, as if he were drunk, exuding a lazy and contented air.
If Lan Xiu were to transform into his beast form right now, he would probably be making a "gurgling" sound in his throat.
Catnip truly lives up to its name; it has big cats completely under its thumb.
After dinner, Feng Gui went to wash the dishes, while Lan Xiu went to find two more stone slabs.
The three of them sat together around the fire pit, doing chores, talking, and drying paper.
Of course, Lanxiu didn't talk much; he mostly listened quietly.
Sheets of paper were dried in the oven, filling the air with a pleasant paper fragrance, creating a peaceful and warm atmosphere.
By midnight, the paper was completely dry. Yu Yan readily pulled out a stack and handed it to Lan Xiu.
He got up early today, and now his eyelids are so heavy he can barely keep them open.
While yawning, he said to Lanxiu, "Take it back and use it."
Lan Xiu was somewhat flattered: "You only made this much, are you going to give me some? I don't use paper much, so you should keep it for yourself."
Yu Yan was really sleepy and subconsciously said, "Don't you need to use toilet paper? You can take this."
Lan Xiu: "..." He just realized that paper could be used like this.
Then, a faint embarrassment appeared on Leng Bai's handsome face.
Yu Yan realized what she had said, and a blush crept onto her cheeks.
But he said he had already said it, and he couldn't take it back.
"Just take it if I give it to you." Yu Yan shoved the paper into his hand, turned around, and ran back to her nest.
Lan Xiu watched his figure disappear into the tree and chuckled softly.
...
It was summer, and the days were long.
As sunlight streamed into the bird's nest, Yu Yan rubbed her eyes irritably, sprouted wings to shield her face, and went back to sleep.
Before Feng went down from the tree to get busy, he pulled the straw curtain to block the light for him.
I was thinking to myself that I should weave a thicker cloth curtain as soon as possible to hang outside the bird's nest as a door curtain.
When Yu Yan was fully awake and climbed down from the tree, it was probably around seven in the morning, and the sky was already bright.
Birds chirped merrily in the woods.
Yu Yan took some toilet paper, went to the restroom, washed up by the stream, shook the water off her hands, and returned to the ginkgo tree.
Lanxiu also got up and was fetching water and gathering firewood.
Feng Gui, on the other hand, prepares the ingredients and makes breakfast.
Seeing that there was nothing for her to do, Yu Yan used a shell knife to cut several large sheets of paper into small pieces.
Then, he wrapped the soap he had made in paper, and tied two green straw ropes to the outside of the paper.
This packaging makes the soap look much more upscale and is also convenient to carry around. Yu Yan is very satisfied with her work.
After breakfast, the sound of footsteps and flapping wings came from afar, along with the cheerful laughter of people.
Yu Yan looked up and saw that Cang Feng and Xin Yu had brought a lot of people with them.
Everyone carried baskets on their backs, which contained stone tools.
Yin Qing was among them; he flew the fastest, flapping his large, dark brown wings as he rushed toward Yu Yan.
"Yu Yan!!!" he shouted.
Yu Yan looked up and waved: "Yin Qing, come here, let me see how your face is."
Yin Qing landed, turned back into an arm, and tilted her head so that Yu Yan could see more clearly.
In fact, when Yu Yan saw that he had put on jewelry again, his half-length hair had been braided, and he was so energetic, she guessed that his injury had improved quite well.
Now, sure enough, the redness has completely disappeared, the small blisters are gone, and only a faint mark remains.
"Are you feeling unwell anywhere?" Yu Yan asked.
"Completely gone. Oh right, I wash my face with soap in the morning, and it feels even more comfortable afterwards."
"Hmm, you're recovering well! After taking the medicine for a couple more days, you should be fully recovered." Yu Yan was very happy for him.
Needless to say, Yin Qing happily twirled around. His well-tailored jacket accentuated his broad shoulders and slender waist.
"Great! Thank you, Yu Yan. Here are some stems and meat I brought. See if it's enough."
He was unloaded from the basket, which was so heavy that it made a loud "bang" when it was placed on the ground.
Yu Yan: "That's enough. The medical expenses shouldn't be that high."
He took a small half-basket of food and explained to Yin Qing that the main reason for the high price was the ammonia.
After all, he can't ferment ammonia water, so he can only use a little at a time.
Yin Qing expressed complete understanding, and even felt that he had brought too little.
A basket of supplies is nothing compared to his face.
As the others approached, seeing how well Yin Qing had recovered, they exclaimed in admiration, "Luckily, you had Yu Yan, otherwise you would have been disfigured."
"Yu Yan is truly amazing to be able to heal such a serious injury!"
"What I really want to say is, the taste of catnip is just too good! I picked a lot yesterday, and I can't cook without it anymore!"
With a new person in the tribe who knows medicine, and is quite skilled at it, the tribe feels incredibly safe and proud.
A beastman named Wen Lie said earnestly, "Yu Yan, I heard that you even used soap to treat Yin Qing's illness, is that right?"
Yu Yan: "Yes."
"I didn't know soap was so good before, so I only exchanged one bar. Do you have any more? I'd like to exchange for two more."
"Yes! Let me get it for you."
The others quickly said, "Give me two pieces too!"
"Me too!"
Yu Yan: "Wait a moment, I made a lot this time, so everyone will get some."
Lan Xiu brought over a basket of soap, and Yu Yan handed them out one by one.
"Huh? What's this bag made of? Grass?"
"It tastes like grass, but grass doesn't look like this."
Cangfeng's voice came from behind: "You guys don't know this, do you? What Yu Yan made is called paper! It's very convenient for wrapping things and wiping things!"
Yin Qing asked in surprise, "Is soap wrapped in paper very expensive?"
Yu Yan shook her head and said, "It's not expensive, it's still the same price as before. Consider this wrapping paper a gift from me."
The word "price" is a new term that Yu Yan introduced recently due to increased transactions, and everyone understands what it means.
"Beast God, you're giving us something this good?!"
"Yu Yan, you only asked us for five honey bars for a bar of soap, and you even gave us some paper as a gift. You're really losing out!"
"Yes, Yu Yan, how can you be so honest when you're making a deal with someone?"
"No, no!"
They felt particularly bad and wanted to give Yu Yan more supplies.
Yu Yan said earnestly, "No need, I didn't lose anything, so you can rest assured."
Aside from the effort it takes, there's practically no cost to him making soap and paper.
As for the knowledge in his mind, it is priceless.
He lived under the same sky as the simple beastmen and was willing to use his knowledge to improve their lives.
Everyone was even more moved when they saw that Yu Yan didn't want many supplies.
When it was Senbo's turn to change the soap, Yu Yan actually stuffed almost half a basket of it into his hands!
Senber was at a loss: "I, I don't have that many honey blocks on me."
Yu Yan said, "No need, you've already given me two gray stones."
Senbo was shocked: "That was a gift from me!"
Yu Yan smiled and said, "Okay, then consider these soaps a gift from me. It's settled then!"
Senbai: "This..."
Holding half a basket of soap in his hands, it felt heavy, and his heart ached with a mixture of warmth and bitterness.
He traded two useless gray stones for them, and Yu Yan didn't laugh at him. Instead, she was willing to trade so many precious soaps with him.
"Yu Yan, thank you," Senbai said in a hoarse voice.
Yu Yan saw through his thoughts and said, "You're welcome. Trust me, your gray stone is very valuable."
Senbai's nose tingled slightly: "Mm."
Those around him said enviously, "Senbo, you're so lucky!"
"Yes, so much soap! Enough for you to use for half a year, right?"
"There was quite a bit of packaging paper removed."
Senbo basked in everyone's attention, his smile shining brightly.
After the soap transaction was completed, Xin Yu and Xue Fei handed the paper they had helped dry to Yu Yan.
Just like last night, Yu Yan distributed a stack to each of their families.
They didn't want it at first, but Yu Yan said, "We've all put in the effort, so of course we should share the fruits of our labor. Besides, now that you all know how to make paper, just give me a share when you make more. It'll be perfect for me to take a break."
Cangfeng and the others were very moved and readily agreed.
“Alright! Xin Yu and I have discussed it. The tribe will produce a lot of paper for everyone's use. The tribe will take care of all your paper production from now on!”
Yu Yan gave him a thumbs up: "Then I'll look forward to it."
After the matter was resolved, everyone headed to the newly built pottery kiln.
Unlike others, who had already heard in the morning that the tribe was going to build a new kiln, Feng Gui's eyes widened in surprise when he landed.
"What's this?"
Yu Yan suddenly realized: "Oh, I forgot to mention, this is our newly built kiln!"
Feng Gui asked incredulously, "A new kiln? You led everyone to build it?"
Yu Yan nodded: "I made some suggestions."
When Feng Gui walked around the rudimentary pottery kiln he had dug, he was completely stunned.
In the past, when other tribes had something good, he would think enviously, "If only the tribes on the peninsula had it too."
Now, their tribe not only has one, but it was actually brought by his own child!
This...this makes him so proud and honored!!
"This new pottery kiln looks amazing!"
"It's much bigger than our previous pottery kiln!"
"I think it looks much prettier too."
"Will the fire be brought horizontally? Will it be able to thoroughly fire the clay?"
"With the combustion chamber built like this, cleaning up the ash will be so easy!"
"Ahhh, Yu Yan, you're so smart!!"
...
As Feng Gui listened to the others' comments, it was as if they were praising him, and his face beamed with pride, his smile never faltering.
Seeing this, Xin Yu asked teasingly, "Feng Gui, why are you laughing so happily?"
Feng Gui feigned seriousness: "Huh? No. The tribe is getting a new pottery kiln, aren't you happy?"
How could we not be happy! Everyone is ecstatic!
Repairing the pottery kiln didn't require so many people; many of them originally just wanted to watch the excitement and then go off to gather resources or hunt.
After seeing the results, everyone was so eager to get the chance to repair the kiln that they almost started fighting.
Yu Yan looked up helplessly, just about to advise everyone that it wasn't that bad.
Then Senbo, Wenlie, and a few other orcs made a duel: "Whoever wins goes hunting! The loser has to repair the kiln!"
It makes sense for those with high combat skills to go hunting.
The problem is, what kind of fight was that? It was so light and weak, even a sub-beastman like him couldn't stand it!
Several such farces occurred, and Yu Yan looked at Cang Feng: "Clan leader, aren't you going to do anything about them?"
Cangfeng spread his hands: "Everyone's desire to repair the kiln is too strong, and it's not easy for me to manage them. How about this, you assign tasks to everyone."
Yu Yan raised an eyebrow. So you just handed me this hot potato like that?
I never expected someone with such thick eyebrows and big eyes to be so cunning.
However, to some extent, letting Yu Yan distribute the resources is indeed the most suitable and convincing option.
Finally, Yu Yan stepped forward and divided everyone into teams.
Repairing the kiln only takes two or three days, after which it is fired twice more to finalize its shape.
The allocation meant that everyone would have half a day to work at the pottery kiln, and everyone was very satisfied with the result.
Over the next few days, Yu Yan led everyone in improving the pottery kiln.
After the outline is dug out, the walls need to be repaired with tools to prevent uneven heating later.
The chimney, combustion chamber, and ash collection chamber also need to be reinforced with clay to extend the service life of the pottery kiln.
The young beastmen mostly felt that the kiln looked very special, and the process of repairing it was full of novelty.
Some older orcs, based on their experience, had a strong premonition that the new pottery kiln would achieve results they had never expected.
Regardless of age or whether they were children, everyone was fully engaged in this operation.
They did exactly what Yu Yan said, emphasizing a high degree of cooperation.
This feeling of unity from top to bottom made Yu Yan feel very comfortable. Every night before going to bed, she looked forward to going to work at the pottery kiln the next day.
Finally, after a night of summer rain, with the arrival of sunny weather, their new kiln was completed!
The entire tribe was eagerly anticipating the firing of the new kiln, and had already stored food several days in advance.
That day, the tribe worked together, digging soil, fetching water, making clay bricks, chopping firewood...
They're going to fire some new pottery!
The clay used to fire pottery is clay. The tribe has several clay sites, but the one we chose today is the highest quality red clay, with a fine texture.
The soil was dug up, loaded into baskets, and transported to the new pottery kiln by the beastmen who had transformed into animal forms.
Along the way, everyone laughed and joked loudly, creating a very infectious atmosphere.
Once the soil arrived, the people waiting there immediately began work.
First, large impurities are removed from the clay, then water is added, and the clay is continuously stirred and tamped to remove fine sand and pebbles, making it smoother and more viscous.
With many hands making light work, the clay was soon processed and ready to be made into pottery blanks.
Generally, it is the skillful sub-orcs who make the embryos, while the orcs go to fetch water and collect firewood.
Yu Yan is also a sub-beastman, but he knows nothing about embryo making.
The soft, smooth clay was very docile in the hands of the other orcs, as if it could be easily shaped into a satisfactory form with just a few squeezes.
What about him? He always ended up with something crooked on the left or collapsed on the right, patching it up here and there, and the final product was so ugly that even he couldn't bear to look at it.
Feng Gui sat down next to him, having already shaped a beautiful, perfectly round ceramic bowl. Looking at what was in his hand, she asked, "Yu Yan, why did you only make one handle for your ceramic jar?"
Yu Yan: "...This isn't a ceramic jar, it's a drinking cup."
"Huh?" he couldn't help but laugh, "You've gone a bit too far with your hands, haven't you?"
Yu Yan: "I'm afraid it's too small and will break if it's burned."
Feng Gui rubbed the mud off his fingers and held out his hand to him: "Come on, tell me what kind you want, and I'll sculpt it for you."
The nearby beastmen, overhearing their conversation, all smiled kindly: "I have plenty of clay here, I'll help you too."
"Me too!"
At this moment, Yu Yan didn't presume to be presumptuous: "Thank you everyone."
He described to everyone that there were tea mugs for drinking water, earthenware jars with handles, large bowls with wide mouths, and jars with a groove around the rim, etc.
At first, no one took it seriously, but after they shaped it and heard Yu Yan explain its purpose, their eyes lit up.
"This tea mug is really nice!" Xin Yu said, holding the clay in her hands. "It has a large capacity and a handle on the side, so it won't burn you when you fill it with hot water. I'm going to make two more small ones for my Shuoxing."
Xuefei preferred the large bowl, and said with a smile, "Moye always complains that his bowls are too small and that basins are too big, so this is just right."
Others also expressed high praise for the earthenware pots for boiling water and the sealable jars. After they finished making the earthenware pots and basins they needed for their own homes, they all came to make these "new pottery" pieces.
Hearing the commotion, the orcs who were some distance away quickly ran over to see what was going on.
The clay blank was passed around in their hands for a while, and then they sat back down and started sculpting like Xin Yu and the others!
A wave of enthusiasm for "new pottery" has swept across the sunlit open space.
What about Yu Yan? The small clay pieces he wanted were all sculpted by others. He thought about it for a moment, dug up a large basket of clay, and started sculpting "large clay pieces".
This pottery blank is shaped like a tripod, with a wide, round opening, an extra-large round belly, and three legs of moderate length attached to the bottom.
He has a clear understanding of his craftsmanship and doesn't care whether it looks good or not; as long as it can "stand up," that's enough.
When he was almost finished, the others looked over and asked in surprise, "Hey? Yu Yan, why did you even sculpt feet under the clay pot?"
Yu Yan explained, "Normally when we use earthenware pots, we have to place them on the fire pit, and they can easily tip over if we're not careful. I wanted to try firing this shape and see if it would work. If it does, we can just add firewood underneath to start a fire."
"That makes sense!"
"That's much easier than setting up a fire pit!"
"Yu Yan, how come you have such great ideas for both small and large items!"
"I knew I could learn something good from Yu Yan, so I'm going to burn one too."
"Me too!"
"Oh dear, it seems we don't have enough clay."
"It's okay, we can dig it later! We have as much clay as we want."
Xin Yu spoke up to stop them: "Stop digging! The pottery kiln won't be able to hold it all."
Yin Qing, standing beside him, raised an eyebrow: "Can't you fit it in? Isn't the new pottery kiln much bigger than the old one?"
Xin Yu: "There are a lot of people firing pottery this time. For the first batch, each person can only fire one large piece or three small pieces. The rest will have to wait for the next batch."
"Ah! I made too many clay blanks!"
"Me too! I was so busy chatting, hahaha!"
A burst of hearty laughter rang out from the open space.
Yu Yan turned to look at Yin Qing's face. It had recovered very well, and there was no trace of the rove beetle bite.
After recovering from his injury, he became more confident and even dressed up in his best clothes today. Yu Yan was very happy for him.
Noticing his gaze, Yin Qing asked, "What's wrong, Yu Yan?"
Yu Yan shook her head: "No. Is your face alright?"
Yin Qing nodded emphatically: "Yes! I've been extremely careful lately, avoiding rove beetles whenever I see them, and I've also picked a lot of catnip to keep at home. I must say, catnip is really delicious when cooked, I love it."
The other sub-orcs chimed in, "That's right! My family also really likes the taste of catnip."
...
Everyone chatted and worked at the same time, and time flew by.
Before noon, the first batch of pottery blanks to be put into the kiln was already fully prepared.
As the clan leader, Cangfeng went to the altar square to pay homage to the Beast God.
Over here, Yu Yan led everyone to put the clay blanks into the firing chamber, where firewood had already been piled up.
As soon as Cangfeng returned, he lit a fire.
A thick plume of smoke billowed from the chimney on the other side, and the dry firewood burned fiercely, the heat rapidly expanding and filling the entire kiln.
Everyone standing outside could feel the intense heat emanating from the building.
Relying on his thick skin, Cangfeng reached out and touched the wall of the pottery kiln. His eyes gleamed with excitement as he exclaimed, "It's so hot! And it heats up much faster than the old pottery kiln!"
Mo Ye stepped forward, touched it as well, and said with great delight, "This is just the beginning, it's not even the hottest time yet."
Upon hearing this, others couldn't resist crowding around, all wanting to experience it for themselves.
Yu Yan maintained order, both amused and exasperated: "Don't burn yourselves, I don't have any good burn ointment on hand."
Hearing Yu Yan say this, people reluctantly withdrew their hands and stepped back a bit.
The firewood takes a long time to burn, and after it's finished, the kiln has to cool down. Normally, people wouldn't just wait here idly.
But today, not a single person is willing to leave.
Gazing at the newly blazing kiln, everyone felt a mixture of anticipation and trepidation.
Mo Ye walked back to Xue Fei's side and naturally took his hand.
"I wonder what the pottery will look like after firing. I hope it will be a success," Mo Ye said with emotion.
Xue Fei said confidently, "It definitely will."
After saying that, the two looked at each other and smiled.
Feng Gui, not far away, looked at the new pottery kiln and his heart was filled with unease.
He turned his head: "Yu..."
Huh? Where are they?
Feng Gui looked around and found that Yu Yan had run to the combustion chamber at some point. After peering in for a while, she found the right angle and threw two pieces of gray ore into it.
After throwing it away, he clapped his hands and walked towards Feng Gui.
"Father, it's still early. Shall we go collect some? I haven't been to the pottery kiln in ages, just staring at it all the time," Yu Yan asked.
Feng Gui: "It's possible... What about the pottery kiln? And the ash ore? Aren't you going to keep an eye on them?"
Yu Yan: "It's already on fire, so even if something goes wrong, I can't keep an eye on it. As for the ore... it's fine, don't worry about it."
He estimated that the fire wouldn't cause too much damage to the ore; this was just a test.
Seeing Yu Yan so calm, Feng Gui didn't know what to say.
"Okay, I'll ask the others if they want to come with us to collect them."
Finally, about twenty or so sub-orcs responded, and they set off together.
Cangfeng and the others will keep an eye on the pottery kiln.
After leaving the tribe, the flying orcs and the non-flying ones gradually distanced themselves from each other.
Yin Qing hadn't collected materials with Yu Yan for a long time, and she was particularly attached to him.
He asked excitedly, "Yu Yan, do you like picking fruit?"
Yu Yan: "What, have some fruits ripened again?"
It's only early summer, it shouldn't be too early, right? But the beast world is vast and rich in resources, anything is possible.
Yin Qing pondered for a moment and said, "Hmm... it's not ripe... and the fruit tastes just as bad whether it's ripe or unripe, but I thought you might like it, so I wanted to take you to see it."
Yu Yan was almost confused by him, but at the same time, her intense curiosity was aroused.
"What kind of fruit is this that's so magical?"
Yin Qing replied, "Evergreen fruit. I know where it is, do you want to go pick some?"
Yu Yan: Yes! Wait a moment while I tell my father and the others.
After informing Feng Gui and the others, Yin Qing took Yu Yan and left the group, and the two flew south.
They were almost out of the peninsula tribe's territory when Yin Qing led Yu Yan down.
The temperature here is higher, the climate is more humid, and there is plenty of sunshine.
Yin Qing led Yu Yan as they hovered above a grove of small trees. Although they were called small trees, their height was quite considerable compared to modern trees.
As she flew by, Yin Qing muttered, "It should be around here..."
Yu Yan searched with all his might, and suddenly, he caught a very faint citrus scent at the tip of his nose.
"I think I can smell it!" Yu Yan perked up and, following the scent, landed under a lush green tree.
He immediately spotted the dark green fruit beneath the layers of leaves. It was slightly larger than a mandarin orange, round, and had a peel that resembled that of an orange.
"Is this it?" Yu Yan asked, pointing to the fruit.
Yin Qing stood beside him: "Yes! I'll go up and pick one for you."
He nimbly hugged the tree trunk, climbed up a bit, grabbed a fruit, and pulled hard.
"Yu Yan, catch!"
Yu Yan's reaction speed and accuracy have been honed, allowing her to catch the fruit steadily.
He first put the fruit to his nose and smelled it; it had a refreshing yet bitter lemon scent!
Did Yinqing lead her to the lemon?
Yu Yan's obsidian-like eyes lit up, and she took out a seashell knife and cut into the middle of the green fruit.
Look at the distribution of the pulp and veins inside, it's definitely a lemon!
The fruit must have just formed and is far from ripe, so the seeds inside are shriveled, but it is already very juicy.
He licked it with the tip of his tongue... Ouch! So sour, so sour! His tongue was practically numb from the sourness!
Yin Qing watched as his face contorted in pain from the sour taste, but she couldn't stop him in time.
"Yu Yan, are you alright?! Quickly, drink some water and rinse your mouth." He handed her the water bottle.
Yu Yan paused for a moment, blinked, and the tears that had welled up from the sourness dissipated.
He swallowed hard and waved his hand, "No need, I'm fine now. You said before that this fruit is called the Evergreen Fruit?"
Yin Qing nodded: "Yes. Because this fruit is green when it's ripe. It won't turn yellow unless it's picked and left to rot."
His words made Yu Yan even more certain.
This is indeed a type of lemon, called a small lime.
In modern times, limes are used in many dishes, such as salads, sashimi, and seafood soups.
The aroma of the small lime is refreshing and invigorating, its sourness is refreshing and appetizing, and its astringency is unique and captivating.
Yu Yan doesn't really like drinking beverages, but lime flavor is an exception.
He was very happy to have found Little Green Lime.
Yin Qing then asked him, "Was what you just ate very sour and astringent?"
"It's not so bad that it's astringent, but it's extremely sour."
"Yes, evergreen berries are very sour when they ripen, so nobody likes to eat them. But I remember you picked a lot of small red berries and even made jam from them, so I guessed you might like evergreen berries and brought you here."
Yu Yan was touched that he remembered her so well, and sincerely said, "I really like it, thank you, Yin Qing."
Yin Qing blushed slightly and said shyly, "No need, no need. I'm glad I could help you. Are you going to pick some evergreen berries to take back this time?"
"want!!"
Yin Qing: "Then I'll help! I'll fill your basket first, and if there's still time, I'll pick some myself."
Yu Yan was surprised: "Didn't you say you didn't like the taste of green...evergreen fruit?"
Yin Qing touched her nose sheepishly: "I think you might have a way to make evergreen fruit taste better."
He never wants to experience the tragedy of laughing at ammonia water only to end up needing it to save his life again, haha.
Upon hearing Yin Qing's words, Yu Yan's smile deepened.
"The evergreen fruit is so easy to pick, let's each pick our own."
As Yu Yan said, the small limes have their peels on, unlike berries which are easily damaged. He and Yin Qing each picked a basketful in no time.
There are many small lime trees growing here; they can pick more limes after they've finished eating them.
After picking the fruit, the two carried their baskets and went to meet up with Feng Gui and the others.
It was still early, and Yu Yan pondered how to eat the small green lemons, then asked Feng Gui, "Father, is the tide going out soon?"
Feng Gui: "Yes, what's wrong?"
"I want to go beachcombing, do you guys want to come?"
Fly east from here, and you'll find a rocky beach.
Yu Yan's suggestion was met with a positive response from Yin Qing.
"Yu Yan, I'll go with you! Lately we've been eating wild vegetables and game meat, I want to find some sea fish to eat."
Feng Gui said, "Then let's go too. We've almost finished collecting everything here."
Someone noticed what was in Yu Yan and Yin Qing's baskets and asked in confusion, "What are you doing collecting evergreen fruits? These things are so sour they'll make your teeth ache, you can't eat them."
Yu Yan smiled mysteriously: "Yes, you can eat it. I'll teach you when I get back."
Everyone immediately became interested: "Does it have to be served with seafood?"
"This is a way of eating that I've never tried before."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go beachcombing!"
A group of sub-orcs tidied their baskets, conjured wings, and fluttered towards the sea.
Everyone instinctively let Yu Yanfei lead the way.
Upon reaching the coastline, Yu Yan glided through the air for a while, not lingering on the flat mudflats, but instead flying to a more distant rocky beach.
After the tide recedes, the beach is covered with jagged black rocks, their surfaces uneven from the erosion of the seawater, accompanied by the sound of crashing waves.
Yu Yan put down her basket, held the bone knife in her hand, and walked to a rocky outcrop.
His gaze drifted downwards, ignoring the small barnacles and focusing instead on the yellowish-brown, rough-shelled oysters.
Found it! It's here after all!
As mentioned before, marine life was about the same size as modern life.
This oyster is a little longer than the palm of your hand, flat and elongated, with indentations on its shell.
He bent down, used the bone knife skillfully to pry open the oyster, and removed it.
Then, taking advantage of the oyster's inattention, he stabbed the bone knife into its two shells and then forcefully pried it open—
With a "snap," he split the oyster in two, revealing the clean white flesh inside and the porcelain-white shell.
He lowered his head and sniffed; it had a very clean and delicious smell.
“This shellfish has a lot of meat. I like to collect them when I go beachcombing, but there are relatively few of them. I didn’t expect it to grow on rocks, so well hidden,” Yin Qing said in surprise.
Feng Gui also said, "Yes, I took a look, and there are many growing here."
"Yu Yan, is this what you wanted to dig up?"
Yu Yan smiled brightly: "That's right! It's called an oyster, let's dig up some to take home and eat!"
"good!"
Although the rocky beach is difficult to walk on, and your shoes will get wet, and you have to watch out for the waves that keep crashing in, few people come here, so there are plenty of oysters.
They can pry off half a basket of oysters by circling a rock once.
There were so many that people started picking and choosing, rejecting anything smaller than the size of their palm.
In the past, they had to climb up and down the mountain, clearing away grass and branches, and avoiding poisonous insects and snakes. It took them a long time to gather enough food to fill a basket.
Now, a basket of oysters is easily obtained.
This way of going to the beach was so enjoyable that they exclaimed how exhilarating it was.
As they watched the food accumulate, a strong sense of accomplishment welled up within them.
Even though they had already dug up enough to eat, no one was willing to stop.
Yu Yan also particularly enjoys beachcombing, and his hands are becoming more and more skilled at coordinating, allowing him to dig more and faster than others, which has helped him regain some of the confidence that was hurt by the clay.
As Yin Qing straightened up to rest, she said, "I always knew beachcombing was fun, but I never imagined it would be this fun! Look, I've already dug up two big baskets!"
Yu Yan laughed and said, "I've dug three baskets already."
Yin Qing: "You're even more amazing."
Feng Gui: "There are so many oysters on this rocky beach. We can't dig them all by ourselves. Why don't I call the people from the tribe to come and dig together?"
One of the sub-beastmen asked worriedly, "Shellfish have a strong fishy smell, and many people don't like to eat them. What if we waste them if we dig them up?"
Yin Qing shouted, "Have you forgotten that we still have Yu Yan? He'll definitely have a way!"
"Yes, you can't go wrong learning from Yu Yan!"
Upon hearing this, Yu Yan felt a bit pressured: "I'm not sure if you'll like what I'm doing, but you can dig all you want. If you don't like it, give it to me."
Lanxiu has a big appetite, so we'll feed him then.
Everyone already trusted Yu Yan completely, and now that he was backing them up, they became even more enthusiastic about digging.
Feng Gui conjured large black wings, flew into the sky, and blew a bone whistle specially made by the sub-orcs.
This kind of whistle has a very strong penetrating sound. When people are scattered while gathering, they use the bone whistle to contact their companions.
Before long, the orcs' response came from the horizon.
After a while, many people arrived from all directions.
After finding out what Yu Yan and the others were doing, everyone took out their tools to dig for oysters.
But even as the sun began to set, they had not managed to dig through the entire rocky beach.
Lan Xiu glanced at the sky and said to Yu Yan, "The fire in the pottery kiln should have burned out by now. Shall we go back?"
Yu Yan: "Let's go back, we've dug enough."
As soon as he gave the order, the group quickly assembled. The larger, stronger beastmen were responsible for carrying the loads.
The group arrived at the altar square in a grand procession, put down countless baskets, and the smell of seafood immediately spread to the surrounding area and into the depths of the woods.
Instead of dividing the goods, they went straight to the new pottery kiln.
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