I've been transported to the orc continent.

When the pit was dug to a depth of more than two meters, the soil at the bottom was about right. Bai Ling told the orcs to continue digging, but the excavated soil did not need to be transported out. Once a suitable amount of soil was dug out, water was poured into the pit using earthenware jars.

Making clay bricks is not difficult.

Mix soil, preferably red soil, with water in a 3:1 ratio, and tamp it down with your feet to ensure the soil and water are fully mixed. Then add straw, wheat stalks, wild grass, animal hair, etc., and tamp them down again with your feet. Take out the mixed yellow soil, put it into a water-soaked mold, and press it down. Finally, remove the mold, and a mud brick is made.

This task seemed easy, but it was actually quite difficult. Bai Ling didn't have any measuring tools at hand, so he and his people experimented repeatedly until they finally found the right clay viscosity for making adobe bricks.

By this time, the sun had already begun to set in the west.

The next step, making the clay mold, is simple. The beastmen fill earthenware basins with clay, pour it into the prepared molds, and then press it down with flat stones. After removing the molds, they can simply let them dry.

After working for almost a day, the young beastmen didn't complain of being tired. They were still full of energy. Watching the mud bricks being made and lying there neatly like soldiers in formation, Bai Ling felt an indescribable joy welling up in his heart.

It's truly amazing to change your life little by little with your own hands.

Not only Bai Ling, but the other beastmen were also very happy. Their faces and bodies were covered in mud, but they all smiled like fools. The fatigue in their eyes could not hide the joy that emanated from the bottom of their hearts.

*

The next day, among the orcs who came to make adobe bricks was Xiao. Bai Ling looked around Xiao but couldn't find Yue.

He wondered why Yue wasn't with Xiao today, since Yue was always with Xiao.

Xiao seemed to have read Bai Ling's thoughts and said with a grin, "Yue went hunting. He is one of the best hunters in the tribe. Now is the crucial time to store food, so the chief didn't arrange for Yue to come. A few days ago, Yue went to stay with the Great River Tribe for a few days. He said that he had already wasted a lot of time. Yue will be hunting for the next few days to store more food."

Bai Ling felt a little disappointed, but he quickly put that disappointment behind him. Moon Hunting was very powerful, and he should indeed do his part for the tribe at this time.

He wanted to get to know Yue, but he had plenty of time and wasn't in a hurry.

Most of the workers were young orcs, and they were very interested in treading on the mud. They treaded on the mud until it was thoroughly tamed before reluctantly leaving the mud pit.

Bai Ling made a lot of clay bricks today. He roughly calculated that it was almost enough for his needs. He wouldn't need to make any more clay bricks tomorrow. All he had to do was wait for the clay bricks to dry, and then the clay bricks would be finished.

Chief Zhan hoped that Bai Ling could make more adobe bricks, but Bai Ling explained, "Chief, I have already calculated that these adobe bricks are more than enough for the tribe. I will make better bricks next year, so making too many adobe bricks is useless."

Zhan smiled and gently patted Bai Ling's shoulder, his expression even showing a hint of affection: "Ling, if it's really as you say, that the fire wall and the kang (heated brick bed) can make the cave warmer, other tribes will definitely be envious. They might even send their cubs and elderly beastmen to our tribe to spend the coldest month in our tribe."

Bai Ling hadn't considered this at all. He thought that even if the orcs were very friendly, they wouldn't easily stay in other tribes for a long time. But judging from the chieftain's words, if the tribe really built a fire wall and a heated kang (a traditional heated platform bed), other tribes would come and stay.

Then we definitely need to prepare more adobe bricks.

Bai Ling nodded: "Yes, clan leader. I'll get some more adobe bricks and see if there's a suitable cave."

After the clay bricks were made, all that was left was to let them dry. Bai Ling secretly prayed that it wouldn't rain in the next few days. He and his tribesmen cut many branches and dry grass, and picked many large leaves to cover the clay bricks if it really rained.

Looking at the mud bricks drying on the ground, Bai Ling breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the mud bricks were successfully made, this winter would be much easier.

Not only him, but all the orcs participating in the adobe making also smiled, their eyes sparkling as brightly as the sunshine in the sky.

*

Feng was packing his things in the cave. He picked out the best pieces from a pile of animal hides and was about to put them in his basket when a tribesman in the cave called out to him, "Uncle Feng, this snow beast hide is so soft, how did you process it?"

This cave wasn't just used by the Feng family to store things; other members of their clan also used it.

Although there are many caves in the tribe, it is impossible for each family to have one. Several families share a cave, with each family occupying a corner to store their own belongings.

The one who called out to Feng was a young female beastman named Ye. She was a young long-tailed rabbit beastman, and her belongings were also kept in this cave. She had also come to collect animal hides.

The weather is getting colder and colder, and it's not comfortable to walk in straw sandals anymore. Ye came to get animal hides to sew animal hide shoes for his father and father.

Orc shoes are very simple. Straw sandals are just shoes with soles woven from grass, which you simply slip on. Animal hide shoes are also simple; you cut an animal hide into several pieces and sew them together with needles made from fish bones.

While Ye was rummaging through animal hides in his own yard, he was talking to Feng. He had sharp eyes and immediately noticed that the snow animal hide in Feng's hand seemed very soft, completely different from the animal hides that Ye had processed.

Feng smiled and said, "Ling used wood ash to treat it."

Ye walked over and took the snow beast hide from Feng, comparing it with a piece of his own hide. The snow beast hide was soft to the touch and the fur was smooth, while his own hide was somewhat rough and the fur was a bit stiff. Moreover, this piece of snow beast hide also looked larger than the average snow beast hide. Ye carefully touched it for a while before returning it to Feng.

“Uncle Feng, when is Ling free? I’d like to learn from him how to process animal hides,” he said, pointing to the hide in his hand. “My family’s hides are processed using a smoking method, which makes them softer than the ones Ling processes.”

Feng said, "Ling has been busy with the adobe bricks these past few days. I heard him say that they should be almost finished today. I'll ask him when he'll be free during lunch."

Now is a critical time for food storage. The tribesmen are busy hunting and gathering food. The beastmen eat three meals a day, and each meal includes meat. Since Bai Ling improved the cooking method, the tribe's food is being consumed even faster.

Fortunately, cassava was harvested this year, and every household in the tribe has plenty of food. In the past, the tribespeople would never have dared to eat so freely, not even in the autumn when food was most plentiful.