The warmth of home cannot exist without fire.
Inside the log cabin, the need for heating and cooking makes the installation of a fireplace of paramount importance.
In a corner of the wooden house, Lin Feng carefully selected fire-resistant stones and mixed them with his specially made clay to build an indoor fireplace that was more organized and safer than the one in the cave.
He knew all too well that fire and water were merciless, especially in this wooden house, where fire prevention was of paramount importance.
Thick stone slabs were laid around and at the bottom of the fireplace for insulation, and a safe distance of at least three feet was maintained between it and the surrounding wooden walls to eliminate any fire hazards.
With a fireplace, a chimney for venting smoke is naturally a standard feature.
With his valuable experience from the previous modification of the Wolf Den's smoke duct, Lin Feng was now completely at ease.
Above the fireplace, he cleverly constructed a gradually narrowing "smoke hood" using flat stones and clay, like an inverted funnel, which effectively gathers the smoke rising from the fireplace.
At the top of the smoke hood are several sections of rough pottery tubes that he had carefully crafted in his spare time using specially selected clay mixed with fine sand and wood ash.
Although these ceramic pipes have a rough appearance and are covered with mottled marks left during firing, they are sturdy and durable.
He connected the ceramic pipes section by section, and then reinforced the outside with stones and clay, building a chimney that led straight to the outside of the roof.
He also carefully built a small "eaves" out of the chimney using a few stone slabs to serve as a "chimney cap" to prevent rain and snow from flowing back in.
In this way, when the fireplace is lit, the smoke will obediently rise up along the chimney and disappear into the sky, leaving the air in the house fresh and free from the discomfort of smoke and fire.
An empty wooden house, no matter how sturdy, lacks a sense of "human presence".
Lin Feng stroked his chin; it was time to add some "substance" to this home.
His mental knowledge base was activated again, and countless images of simple furniture appeared.
First and foremost, the bed!
We spend a third of our lives in bed, so the importance of a comfortable bed is self-evident.
He found four of the thickest and sturdiest wooden stakes and buried them deep in the ground to serve as sturdy bed legs.
Then, the bed frame is built with polished logs, covered with thick wooden planks, and finally luxuriously covered with several layers of tanned soft animal hides—the thickness of wolf hides, the softness of fox hides, and the delicacy of snow rabbit hides, layer upon layer, forming a large bed that exudes a primitive feel, yet is warm and comfortable.
He even went so far as to use a piece of naturally curved wooden board to make a simple headboard. Lying on it, the feeling was even more reassuring than a Simmons mattress in a five-star hotel!
In addition to a bed, a table and chairs are also essential.
He found a huge, surprisingly flat and thick wooden board, and after a little polishing, it became a natural tabletop.
The table legs are made of several moderately thick wooden sticks, still using mortise and tenon joints, which are cleverly combined with the tabletop, thus creating a simple yet sturdy small square table.
As for the chairs, they were even simpler: a few round stools made by simply flattening the tops of sturdy logs, and a few small wooden chairs pieced together from scraps of wood with simple backrests. Although rudimentary, they were practical.
There has to be a place to put all the clutter.
Lin Feng's eyes lit up, and he cleverly used the gaps and protrusions between the logs in the wall to build several layers of storage shelves.
His stone axe, bone knife, bow and arrow, pottery jar, stored dried meat, collected herbs, and even some oddly shaped stones and feathers all found their own "home," and the whole wooden house suddenly appeared neat and tidy.
As the last wisp of smoke dissipated, Lin Feng stood with his hands behind his back in front of the wooden house, his heart filled with mixed emotions, as if a bottle of mixed feelings had been overturned.
This seemingly simple wooden house embodies all his hard work and wisdom over the past month.
From a vague idea that first formed in his mind, to personally traversing the snowy forest, selecting, felling, and transporting heavy logs one by one; and then studying alone under the lamp, turning the mysterious knowledge of mortise and tenon joints into reality.
With each chisel and axe stroke, meticulous carving and finishing... every corner of the wooden house, every joint of the walls, and every opening and closing of the doors and windows bears the deep imprint of his sweat.
He took a deep breath, and with a pilgrimage-like reverence, slowly pushed open the thick wooden door and stepped into his own "temple".
"call!"
Inside, the flames in the fireplace crackled and danced merrily, their orange glow illuminating the entire space with warmth and brightness.
The unique fragrance of raw wood blends perfectly with the faint aroma of smoke in the air, creating an indescribable and comforting scent.
The simple furniture he had made by hand now looked so pleasing to the eye, each piece neatly arranged and fulfilling its function.
Sunlight streamed through several windows covered with translucent animal hides, transforming into soft beams that slanted across the wooden floor, adding a touch of dreamlike gentleness to the rugged wooden house.
Lin Feng's chest heaved violently, an indescribable excitement and satisfaction flowing through his body like surging magma.
This was no longer the simple shelter that the cold, damp cave could offer; it was a creative joy that came from the depths of the soul.
He slowly walked to the bedside, gently sat down, his rough hands trembling slightly as he stroked the warm and solid wooden edge of the bed.
At this moment, all the fatigue, fear, loneliness, and hardship of the past few days were melted and evaporated by the warm firelight, disappearing without a trace.
Instead, he felt an unprecedented sense of security and belonging, as well as a wonderful emotion that felt like the finest wine, making him feel completely relaxed and almost intoxicated.
"This...this is my home."
He muttered to himself, his voice hoarse, with a barely perceptible sob, yet filled with unwavering determination.
In this strange, alien world with three bizarre suns, in this frozen, perilous primeval forest.
Lin Feng, a lonely soul from another world, finally built a real home for himself, brick by brick, tenon by mortise, with his own hands and the mysterious gift in his mind!
This home may still seem simple and even a bit primitive to outsiders, but it is sturdy, warm, and full of life that belongs only to Lin Feng.
More importantly, it embodies his boundless courage to survive in this desperate situation, and all the hope he could place in the still uncertain future.
Night fell, like a giant black velvet blanket, slowly covering the entire frozen forest.
Three eerie suns, like weary travelers, sank one after another below the distant horizon.
From the chimney of Lin Feng's wooden house, a wisp of smoke rose faintly, carrying the warmth of human life, stubbornly merging into the boundless, dark night sky.
Inside, the warm firelight shone through the small animal-hide windows, casting a few orange, dancing halos on the vast snowfield, like a lonely lighthouse in a dark ocean, small yet full of a heart-stirring tenacious vitality.
Lin Feng sat comfortably by the fireplace, a piece of venison he had carefully skewered roasting on the fireplace, the fat dripping and making an enticing "sizzling" sound.
He no longer wolfed down his food as he had at the beginning, just to survive. Instead, he slowly tore off a small piece of roasted venison, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, chewing it carefully, savoring the food's pure sweetness, and enjoying this hard-won peace and tranquility.
He even dug out a small birch branch from a corner, which he had whittled to an exceptionally smooth finish, and used a piece of charcoal to scribble and draw on it, recording his day's gains and insights.
That night, Lin Feng slept exceptionally well and peacefully.
Lying on the warm wooden bed I built myself, in the wooden house I constructed piece by piece, surrounded by the faint scent of pine and the aroma of cooking fires.
For the first time in this cold and unfamiliar world, he truly felt the warmth of home and unparalleled peace.
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