That's all the taro processing can do for now. In the last couple of days, I've noticed that the leather pieces I brought back and left in the corner have started to smell strange.
Unlike my hometown, the high temperature and humidity here make it extremely easy for bacteria to grow. These bacteria accelerate the decomposition of organisms, thus releasing ammonia sulfide gas with a pungent odor.
Animals in tropical rainforests generally have short fur, which evolved to help them dissipate heat.
Since we don't need to keep warm here, I've decided to process all this leather and tan it into leather that's easier to preserve.
I have a very rich supply of leather right now, except for the python skin that I have left over and doesn't need to be tanned.
I have six hides of sand beasts, a hide of takin, and a hide of wild boar.
The wild boar hide wasn't rotten, but it was as hard and dry as a rag that hadn't been washed for years. It not only had a strong odor, but it was also uncomfortable to sleep on.
I poured out all the wood ash from the stove, added water, filtered it, and boiled it into a highly concentrated alkaline solution. Then I threw the leather, along with the pigskin, into the ceramic water vat.
High concentrations of alkaline water can effectively saponify the oils on the surface of fur, and also soften the pores of the fur, making the fur of wild animals fall off easily.
Since this process also requires soaking for a day, the tanning process of leather will only take longer than the process of making taro noodles.
But it doesn't matter, I may lack many things, but I have plenty of time.
When I moved the wild boar skin aside, I discovered that it was crawling with black worms underneath. Some of these worms were woodlice, and others were millipedes.
I thought the place I was in was dry enough that there wouldn't be any bugs or anything to bother me, but I underestimated the power of nature.
Woodlice and millipedes love this cool, dry land, and with food available for them to gnaw on, it's practically a paradise.
I've been sleeping for so long and only now do I realize that I've been sleeping in the same bed with a swarm of bugs every day. Just thinking about it makes me feel nauseous.
Eucalyptus trees have a unique, pungent smell that most insects dislike. To get rid of those nightmarish bugs, I first started a fire and burned them all to death.
I think I should make another bed. I have plenty of firewood anyway, and making a simple bed is much better than sleeping with those disgusting bugs every day.
Without further ado, I returned to the eucalyptus forest. After selecting a few larger trees and felling them, I started measuring them on the spot with a hemp rope.
I only take the parts I need back, and leave the rest of the branches in the woods until they are completely dry before taking them back to use as firewood.
I am 1.8 meters tall, so the bed needs to be at least 2 meters long. The width doesn't need to be too wide; 1 meter is enough for one person to sleep on.
At this point, the four frame pieces of the bed consist of two 2-meter pieces and two 1-meter pieces. The bed only needs to be 40 centimeters off the ground, so four 40-centimeter bed legs are added.
In addition, several load-bearing beams were needed for the frame, which I also precisely prepared. I bundled the timbers of varying lengths together with a vine and carried them toward my dwelling.
Upon arriving at my accommodation, I used the same method as before to mark the dividing lines of the timber with an ink line, changing them all into square timber blocks.
Since I'm using raw wood to make the bed, it will dry and shrink over time. So I need to prepare the mortise and tenon joints in advance, just like I did when I made the table.
After chiseling the timber for a while, the tenons for the legs were hammered out. After inserting triangular wedges into the timber, I hammered the bed frame and legs into place to make them a single unit.
I tried it on the bed and found it to be quite sturdy and good. Things made with this mortise and tenon technique are really different.
Now you need to divide the two-meter frame beam of the bed into evenly spaced crossbeams, then saw them to the appropriate depth and width, and use a chisel to remove the excess wood.
Processing eucalyptus wood is not difficult, and I quickly finished processing them all. I tested the already modified beams and found they fit perfectly, though they were still a bit tight, so I had to use a hammer to tap them down.
But that's okay. After a while, the moisture in the wood will dry out, and it will naturally loosen up.
The basic shape of the bed is complete. The only remaining step is to lay a wooden board on top, and then cover it with a palm fiber mat or a straw mat. This will ensure the comfort of the bed.
Damn... I have to process wood planks again...
Thinking about this, I couldn't help but complain. Although I had a saw, manually processing wooden boards is really hard on the hands. My hands are still sore and haven't recovered yet.
Just thinking about having to process wooden planks for such a wide bed is enough to break my hands.
Okay, I'll just take a nap for now. When I'm less busy in a few days, I'll go out and see if there's any suitable iron ore. I need to make a new large saw, specifically for modifying wooden planks.
First, I cut eucalyptus branches of uniform size and neatly stacked them on the bed. Then, I used thin rattan to fix them together like weaving a mat, connecting them into a whole.
This can serve as a temporary bed board. It's definitely not as comfortable as a flat wooden board, but I have no choice but to make do for now.
After laying out the bed board, I spread some soft hay and eucalyptus leaves on top.
It contains eucalyptus leaves, which not only prevents insects from getting on the bed, but also makes the bed softer and more comfortable.
I climbed onto the bed and lay down to try it out, and found it felt pretty good, much better than when I slept on the floor with wild boar skin.
However, the messy arrangement of hay was no different from a savage's den.
When Top saw that I had come up with another interesting gadget, he was very curious and climbed onto the bed to look at it and touch it.
I smiled and said to Top, "Top, lie down and see if it's as comfortable as the shack you made yourself."
Top, seemingly understanding but not quite, lay down on the bed just like me, but this thing still wasn't as stimulating as those delicious foods.
For Top, this place is spacious and soft; he can sleep anywhere without worrying about falling off.
Seeing that Top didn't seem to understand the benefits of a bed, I could only shake my head; this monkey was still too young.
A good sleep tool can make your sleep twice as effective, and you'll feel much more refreshed the next day.
Just when I was feeling sorry for Top, he actually decided to stay on my bed and refuse to leave.
It doesn't understand the meaning and probability of a bed, but that doesn't prevent it from judging the level of comfort on it. Compared to the nest it made of branches, this is much more comfortable.
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