I've been transported to the orc continent.

Bai Ling went to find the clan chief, Zhan.

Bai Ling couldn't make adobe bricks by herself. Even if the whole family of four worked together, they wouldn't have enough manpower. If she wanted to make enough adobe bricks in a short time, Bai Ling would have to ask her clansmen for help.

Bai Ling found Zhan and told him about her desire to make adobe bricks, explaining their uses: "Adobe bricks can be used to build walls and kang (heated brick beds). With heated walls and kang, the cave will be much warmer in winter, and we can get through the winter better."

Zhan was very interested in the heated wall and the earthen bed. He widened his eyes and asked, "Ling, are you serious? Will those things really make winter much warmer?"

Bai Ling said, "Yes, we'll light a fire outside, and the smoke will go out through the smoke vent at the other end along the fire wall and the kang passage. The kang will be warm, and the cubs and old, injured beastmen can sleep on it. The temperature inside the cave will be much higher, and the young beastmen will be much more comfortable sleeping on the ground."

Zhan inquired in detail about how Bai Ling built the kang (heated brick bed) and the fire wall. After confirming that Bai Ling was not talking nonsense, Zhan ran to the square in the tribe and transformed into a beast, howling loudly.

There were already quite a few orcs in the square by now. When Zhan Yi howled, they all started howling too, and howls echoed from the side of the low mountain.

Soon, all the able-bodied orcs of the tribe arrived at the square. Seeing that almost all the tribesmen had arrived, Zhan briefly explained what Bai Ling needed to do.

Before Zhan could even ask his people for their opinions, the orcs standing in the square began to discuss it.

"What is a kang (heated brick bed)? What is a heated wall? How do they keep the cave warm?"

"Really? That's wonderful!"

"Chief, let's hurry up and do it. It would be wonderful if we could stay warm in winter."

"Ling, you are really amazing."

…………

Seeing that the clansmen were supportive, Zhan asked Bai Ling in a low voice, "Ling, how many people do you need to help? Approximately how many days will it take?"

Bai Ling thought for a moment and said, "Clan leader, twenty clansmen will be enough to help. We can finish in two or three days."

Zhan said, "Alright, I'll give you twenty-five tribesmen, and you can assign them to your own people." Then Zhan waved his hand, signaling the tribesmen to quiet down. "Later, I will select twenty-five tribesmen to help Ling make mud bricks. These twenty-five tribesmen will be helping the tribe with its work, and they won't have to provide their own food every day."

"Ling said it would take two or three days to finish, and everyone would take turns working."

He listed the names of twenty-five tribesmen, all of whom were young and strong: "You must all follow Ling's arrangements. After you finish eating, you will follow Ling. Whatever Ling tells you to do, you must do it."

*

Making adobe bricks requires a lot of water, so Bai Ling came to the riverbank and transformed into a beast, running around while searching for a suitable place.

The terrain should be flat, with few stones, preferably red soil, and not too far from the tribe. Bai Ling looked around and finally chose a flat area not far from the tribe.

The ground here isn't red soil, but you can dig out the top layer and use the soil and mud underneath to make mud bricks.

After choosing a location, Bai Ling began to assign tasks. He first called out the names of fifteen tribesmen: "You all need to clear this land, burn the grass, pick out the stones and rocks on the ground, and then start digging. As long as I don't tell you to stop, you have to keep digging."

Then he called out the names of eight tribesmen and led them to a flatter area on the other side: "You should clear this piece of land, remove all the stones and pebbles, and level the ground so that the mud bricks can be dried."

Bai Ling assigned one of the remaining two tribesmen to cut grass and the other to collect wild animal fur.

After making the arrangements, the tribespeople immediately began to work. By this time, the grass and trees had already begun to wither and turn yellow. They first dug a ditch in the area to be cleared, and then set a fire. The raging flames engulfed the wild grass and vines, leaving only charred marks on the ground.

Next, the beastmen began to clear the stones on the ground and dig out the grass roots as Bai Ling had instructed. The beastmen's tools were bone knives and bone shovels, which were not very convenient for working. However, the beastmen were very strong and worked with great enthusiasm. They didn't know what laziness was and were all thinking about getting to work as soon as possible to make the mud brick that Bai Ling had mentioned.

Making adobe bricks requires suitable molds. The Dahe tribe has not yet developed wooden tools, so making a square wooden mold would be a bit difficult for Bai Ling.

There wasn't enough time to make a ceramic model, so after thinking it over, Bai Ling decided to weave a square mold out of tree branches.

Bai Ling went to find Qing, who was busy at the time. When she heard that Bai Ling wanted a small, square basket without a bottom, Qing was very curious: "Ling, what do you want this for? Can a basket without a bottom still be called a basket? You can't even put things in it."

Bai Ling said, "Uncle Qing, I need this. Can you make it for me? It must be perfectly square, and the woven branches must be tightly packed so that mud won't leak out."

Without hesitation, Qing said, "Okay, Ling, tell me how big you want it?"

Bai Ling gestured with her hands: "About this size."

Qing put down her work, found suitable branches, and began to help Bai Ling weave the mold.

Qing's hands are really skillful. The thin branches fly back and forth in his hands. Every time he weaves a branch, Qing hooks the branch with his thumb and forefinger and tightens it. This makes the warp and weft of the woven pattern more compact.

At first, Qing was a little unaccustomed to it because he had never made such a strange-looking basket before. But after he got used to it, Qing's movements became noticeably faster.

The mold Bai Ling needed wasn't big, and this was no big deal for Qing. Bai Ling waited for a short while, and the mold was finished.

This mold was about two palm-lengths long, a little over a palm-width wide, and half a palm-thick. Although it wasn't as square as the molds of later generations, it was sufficient for making adobe bricks.

Because Bai Ling had made specific requests, Qing was extra careful when weaving, and the warp and weft threads were very dense, with almost no gaps, which perfectly met Bai Ling's requirements.

Qing began weaving the second mold. He was very curious about what Bai Ling wanted it for, so he asked, "Ling, what do you need this for?"

Bai Ling smiled and said, "Uncle Qing, this is a mold for making adobe bricks. With a mold, the adobe bricks will be roughly the same size."

Actually, Bai Ling wanted to make bricks, but firing bricks requires a kiln, and the tribe only had one earthen kiln for firing pottery, which was far too small to fire bricks.

Bai Ling had no choice but to settle for building a heated wall with adobe bricks to construct the kang (a traditional heated platform bed).

As Qing wove, she smiled at Bai Ling and said, "Ling, I believe in you."