The next few days.
Lin Feng first used sharp stone tools and burning charcoal to precisely outline the entire architectural complex on the selected ground.
He plans to build a rectangular building that is about eight meters long and five meters wide.
The interior will be divided into several functional areas: a changing area, a cold water soaking area (for cooling down after a steam bath), a large hot water soaking pool area, a separate steam room, and a cleverly concealed heating and water circulation control room.
"Qin Lan, Su Wanqing, you two are responsible for leading Qian Xiaoxiao and Ruan Mengtian to the quarry on the east side. I need square or rectangular stones with a length, width, and height of about 30 to 50 centimeters, and the surface should be as flat as possible. The daily quantity should not be less than this number."
Lin Feng used stones to represent a rough volume on the ground.
"Yes, Mr. Lin Feng." Qin Lan and Su Wanqing accepted the order. Quarrying was physically demanding work, but they were already used to it.
"Shen Jiaqi, Tang Bao, you two are relatively flexible. You'll be responsible for digging clay from the mudflats to the west. I need deep, pure clay without sand or gravel. After digging it up, pile it in the designated area and cover it with animal hides to keep it moist."
"Understood, Mr. Lin Feng." Shen Jiaqi and Tang Bao nodded in agreement.
Lin Feng himself took on the most technically demanding task.
He began experimenting with making more fire-resistant bricks. He mixed clay with a certain proportion of fine sand and crushed wood ash, repeatedly pounded and kneaded it, then shaped it into brick blanks using wooden frames and placed them in a cool, ventilated place to dry.
He also plans to improve his pottery firing technique and try to fire stronger ceramic pipes for building simple water supply and drainage systems.
Women's work is arduous.
The quarry slope was quite a distance from the camp. They had to painstakingly peel rocks off the mountainside with stone hammers and sharp wooden wedges, and then use makeshift sacks woven from vines to carry the heavy rocks back step by step.
After a few days, their hands were blistered and their shoulders were marked with red welts from the rough vines.
Digging in clay is equally difficult. The marshland is slippery and muddy, and one can easily sink deep into it.
They had to use their hands, or simple wooden shovels, to dig out the deep clay bit by bit, put it into animal skin bags, and then carry it back, trudging through the mud.
But no one complained. Lin Feng would occasionally appear at their workplace, coldly inspecting their progress.
He doesn't need any explanations, he only cares about the results.
His occasional "reward" of a small piece of roasted meat, or a "not bad" comment, is enough to make them temporarily forget their fatigue and burst forth with new energy.
Tangbao was particularly enthusiastic when digging in the clay.
After observing for several days, Lin Feng was basically satisfied with the quality of the clay.
He began instructing the women on how to select and process the dried brick blanks, removing those with cracks and defects, in preparation for firing.
He used his previous experience in smelting gold to improve the design of the kiln, enabling it to reach higher temperatures and be heated more evenly.
After the first batch of brick blanks had been fired in the kiln for two whole days and two nights, when the kiln door was opened and the deep red, hard bricks were revealed, Lin Feng's face showed a satisfied smile.
Although these bricks are far less regular than modern industrial products, their strength and durability far exceed those of ordinary adobe bricks.
At the same time, stones were continuously transported back and piled up into a small mountain in the designated area.
With enough stones and bricks, the construction of the wall officially began.
Lin Feng personally took charge of the planning and construction of the most critical load-bearing walls and functional partition walls.
He first directed the women to dig the foundation. Following the lines he marked, they dug a trench about half a meter deep. Then, they laid the largest and most regular stones at the bottom of the trench, filled the gaps with "earthen concrete" mixed with clay and gravel, and tamped it down.
After the foundation was laid, the wall construction began. For the exterior walls, Lin Feng decided to use a combination of stones and bricks.
The base is made of large stones to increase stability and moisture resistance. The upper part is made of fired red bricks mixed with clay mortar.
Lin Feng demonstrated astonishing "professional competence".
He made a simple level and plumb line using straightened wooden poles and twisted straw ropes to ensure the walls were vertical and level. He personally inspected the placement of every stone and every brick, and if anything was not to his liking, he immediately had the women dismantle it and start over.
His strictness caused the women endless complaints, yet they dared not slack off in the slightest.
They gradually discovered that Mr. Lin Feng was truly "omnipotent".
The endless stream of knowledge in his mind gradually transformed their initial awe into a near-numb acceptance—whatever Mr. Lin Feng said must be correct.
"Qian Xiaoxiao, this brick is crooked by three degrees, remove it!"
"Ruan Mengtian, the mortar is too thin, mix it again!"
"Qin Lan, fill the gaps between the stones with small pebbles and clay; don't leave any gaps!"
Lin Feng's voice echoed across the construction site. Under his command, the women worked busily and methodically, like a swarm of worker ants being precisely controlled.
The most complex part was the construction of the hot water pool and steam room.
Lin Feng designed the hot water soaking pool as a sunken structure that is about three meters long, two meters wide, and one and a half meters deep.
He plans to build the pool walls and bottom with double layers of bricks, leaving a gap in the middle to fill with dry wood ash and fine sand as an insulation layer.
The interior is then repeatedly coated and compacted with the finest clay, and then baked with fire to form a hard, smooth, waterproof layer.
To heat the water in the soaking tub, Lin Feng designed a clever "external heating system".
He reserved a space on one side of the outer wall of the hot spring pool for the construction of a large stone furnace.
Inside the furnace, he planned to install a huge "iron boiler".
The heat from the furnace will be channeled to the bottom of the pool through several thick ceramic pipes embedded in the pool wall, indirectly heating the water.
At the same time, the hot water will also circulate within the pool through the ceramic pipes.
The steam room is relatively independent, with an area of about two meters square.
The walls are also constructed with double-layered bricks and reinforced with insulation.
The key lies in the generation of steam. Lin Feng plans to build a specially made stone heating platform in one corner of the steam room.
The tabletop will be covered with a large number of pebbles or other heat-resistant stones.
Below the platform is a small combustion chamber used to continuously heat these stones.
When in use, simply pour water onto the scorching hot stones, and a large amount of high-temperature steam will be generated instantly.
These designs are like gibberish to women.
They had no idea what the complex structure and the pre-drilled holes were for, and could only mechanically follow Lin Feng's instructions to move materials and pass tools.
This stage of the project is the most demanding and meticulous.
The women were exhausted every day, but when they saw a strange and sturdy building gradually taking shape in Lin Feng's hands, they felt a strange sense of participation and accomplishment.
Lin Feng himself was almost completely immersed in it.
During the day, he directed the construction, and at night, under the lamplight, he drew more detailed structural diagrams or studied how to fire more durable and airtight ceramic pipes.
After the walls and core structure are completed, the next step is to lay the water supply and drainage system and build the roof.
Lin Feng had already fired a batch of ceramic pipes.
These ceramic tubes have an inner diameter of about seven or eight centimeters. The outer surface is rough, but the inner wall has been specially treated to be relatively smooth. The joints are also designed with tongue and groove joints for easy connection and sealing.
He directed the women to dig ditches at designated locations and carefully lay the ceramic pipes down.
The water inlet pipe is introduced from the end closest to the stream. Before entering the building, Lin Feng also designed a simple sedimentation and filtration pool—built with stones and gravel—for the initial purification of the stream water.
The drainage pipes are led out from the bottom of the hot tub and the floor of the sauna room, leading to the low-lying area behind the building.
Lin Feng specifically emphasized that drainage outlets should be kept away from water sources to avoid pollution.
He made ingenious designs for the inlet and outlet of the hot tub to ensure smooth water flow and subsequent maintenance.
For the roof construction, Lin Feng chose a wooden structure that he was more familiar with.
He had the women cut down several thick and straight hardwoods to serve as the main load-bearing beams and rafters. These timbers underwent preliminary drying and preservation treatment (scorching the surface with fire and applying boiled pine resin).
Building the roof frame was a piece of cake for Lin Feng.
He precisely calculated the angles, crafted the mortise and tenon structure, and directed the women to lift the heavy wooden beams onto the wall and secure them firmly.
For the roof covering material, Lin Feng did not choose heavy stone slabs or easily perishable thatch.
He decided to use a "composite material"—first, lay down a fine mat woven from flexible vines, then spread a thick layer of clay mixed with chopped grass on the mat and compacted it. After the clay was semi-dry, he would then lay down a layer of "waterproof tarpaulin" made from animal hides and fish glue, which he had previously "invented".
The outermost layer is covered with thin shale tiles and secured with fine vines.
Such a roof ensures both strength and insulation, and also has a fairly good waterproof effect.
On the day the roof was completed, when the last shale tile was fixed in place, the entire building finally took on a complete form.
Although it still looks rugged and primitive on the outside, the complexity of its internal structure and the ingenuity of its design are far beyond what ordinary creations of this era can match.
The women stood before the nascent "bathhouse," gazing up at this creation that embodied their countless hours of hard work, their hearts filled with mixed emotions. There was exhaustion, bewilderment, and also a touch of indescribable pride.
Lin Feng walked around the building, carefully examining every detail.
His expression remained calm, but deep in his eyes, a hint of barely suppressed excitement flickered.
He knew that he was not far from enjoying his first real "hot bath" and "sweat bath".
After the external structure was completed, Lin Feng shifted his focus to the internal finishing touches and the installation of key equipment.
First, there was the flooring. He had the women pave the changing areas and corridors with polished, smooth stone slabs.
The floors of the hot spring pool area and sauna room are paved with fired red bricks, with a deliberate slope to facilitate drainage.
The brick joints were carefully filled with a fine clay mixture.
On the inside of the wall, Lin Feng directed the women to apply a finer clay paste. After it dried, they used smooth pebbles to polish it repeatedly, making the surface relatively smooth and flat.
He applied several layers of paint to the walls of the sauna to enhance its airtightness and waterproofness.
The inner wall of the hot spring pool was a key focus for Lin Feng.
He personally applied a layer of clay mixed with wood ash, fine sand, and special mineral powder onto the existing waterproof layer.
After drying, this coating forms a smooth, glaze-like surface that is not only aesthetically pleasing and easy to clean, but also further enhances its waterproof properties.
After the application was completed, he had Tang Bao use the most careful and meticulous techniques to polish the pool walls and bottom for a long time until the entire inner wall felt smooth and jade-like to the touch.
Next is the installation of the "boiler".
Lin Feng used refractory bricks and refractory mud to build a sturdy base in the reserved furnace location.
Then, he directed the women to work together to carefully place the huge and heavy iron boiler that he had specially made on it.
He carefully sealed the joints of the ceramic pipes with a special refractory clay mixed with hemp fibers.
The heating platform in the sauna was also completed at the same time.
This is a platform about half a meter high, built with large stones, with a hollow center for combustion chamber, and the top covered with volcanic rocks of different sizes.
Lin Feng also specially built a small firewood inlet and ash outlet on the side of the heating platform using red bricks.
The installation of doors and windows was also put on the agenda. Lin Feng made the door and window frames using sturdy wood.
He designed wooden lattice windows that allow light to pass through in the changing area and hot tub area; the windows themselves were made with glass that he had already prepared.
The doors to the sauna rooms require extremely high airtightness. He made them from thick wooden boards, and carefully wrapped the edges with strips of animal hide soaked in grease to ensure they fit snugly against the door frame when closed.
He also had the women collect large amounts of dried moss and soft animal hair to fill any gaps in the walls and roof, further improving the building's insulation.
During this period, Lin Feng also used his spare time to create some "bathing products" for himself.
He carved a rustic-looking water ladle from hard wood, wove a bath towel from fine grass fibers, and even tried to make a purer soap using the leftover "sunstone seed oil" and wood ash.
The women had long since grown accustomed to seeing Lin Feng tinker with all sorts of things they had never seen before.
However, when they saw Lin Feng begin preparing those items that were clearly for bathing, the suppressed desires in their hearts would occasionally resurface.
Qian Xiaoxiao couldn't hold back any longer and whispered to Qin Lan and Su Wanqing, "Do you think... Lin Feng really... won't let us use it even once? Even... even if it's just after he's used it, we could just go in and soak up some of the heat..."
Qin Lan glared at her: "Don't overthink it! We can't fathom Mr. Lin's thoughts. Doing our duty and earning food and a peaceful life is enough."
Su Wanqing also sighed softly: "Yes, instead of thinking about those unrealistic things, we should collect more useful things to satisfy Lin Feng, and our lives will be easier."
She certainly had her hopes, but reason told her that it was impossible.
Lin Feng has a very strong sense of boundaries; the "privileged domain" he has designated for himself is one that no one else is allowed to set foot in.
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