I am a Primitive Man
Chapter 411 – Han Cheng, Friend of Women
“He is capable in the hall, and adept in the kitchen.” This phrase used to describe Han Cheng is simply underwhelming.
He can handle these tasks and even dabble in the needlework typically associated with women.
Yet, the most important thing is not his skills but what he produces now.
He sewed a bag 4 cm wide and 15 cm long using three layers of finely woven hemp cloth.
Both ends of the bag are tied with straps to secure around the waist.
Perhaps because women have a natural talent in this area, Han Cheng didn’t need to explain much to Bai Xue, whom he had caught up to after hastily cramming some basic physiological knowledge. She knew how to use it.
When she reached out to take this odd-looking thing from Han Cheng, he didn’t give it to her.
He told the bare-bottomed Bai Xue to wait for him in the house for a while, then took the newly sealed item and left.
Hemp cloth isn’t very absorbent, even with several layers.
So, what he held wasn’t a finished product.
He walked to the usual cooking place, found a stiff leaf, scooped some wood ash into the hemp bag, securely tied the bag’s mouth, and slapped it back and forth a few times in his hand. Seeing that not much ash was escaping, Han Cheng smiled as he walked back.
Pure hemp cloth isn’t very absorbent, so adding some highly absorbent wood ash inside is enough.
After using it, pour out the wood ash, wash it well, and it can be reused.
At this moment, Han Cheng couldn’t help but praise himself for his cleverness.
This thing looks a bit crude, but compared to the dry grass and leaves commonly used by women of this era, it’s undoubtedly a step up.
It seems that the cultivation of hemp and the weaving of hemp cloth cannot stop.
What they currently have is far from enough.
There isn’t much hemp cloth left in the Green Sparrow Tribe. To promote this necessary but somewhat unattractive item in the tribe will take quite some time.
At least until early winter this year, when mature hemp can be harvested and processed into new fabric, it can be widely used.
For now, only Bai Xue can enjoy such special treatment…
In the evening, as agreed, Han Cheng cooked a delicious and sumptuous meal, which stimulated the others again. Each one was motivated and eager to attain such an honorable and practical reward.
Sometimes, appropriate distinctions not only do not hinder productivity but also promote its development…
Days passed by quickly. When the new Blue Tile and Brick House, built by the Green Sparrow Tribe this year, was finally nearing completion, signs of summer wanting to pass were already apparent.
The Blue Tile and Brick House comprised seven rooms, each larger in length, width, and height than the previously built houses. It stood in the courtyard with a sense of grandeur.
Han Cheng deliberately created this to emphasize the importance of learning and education.
Five of these rooms did not have a dividing wall in the middle like before, which used to support the roof beams.
These five rooms were interconnected entirely in the middle, allowing them to accommodate many people simultaneously.
When the foundation was dug initially, the people of the Green Sparrow Tribe, who were already familiar with building houses, noticed no planned foundations for the five rooms without a central dividing wall in the middle that the Divine Child intended to build anew.
They thought the Divine Child had forgotten, so they came explicitly to inquire and remind him to reinforce the foundation of the dividing walls for these few rooms.
However, the reply they received was unexpected: it wasn’t forgotten; the Divine Child intentionally left these.
Such a response left the tribe’s members, who were already familiar with house construction, deeply puzzled.
Without these dividing walls, how would they place the roof beams when the time came?
Was the Divine Child planning to use tall trees as beams to span across five rooms at once?
But wouldn’t that be exceedingly difficult?
Moreover, such a long span wouldn’t be structurally sound, and the roof built on it would collapse easily…
These concerns were voiced to the Divine Child, but he just smiled and said he had a solution.
This response stumped people who thought they were pretty familiar with building houses and unable to come up with a good solution.
It wasn’t until the Divine Child used three thick wooden poles to construct a sizeable triangular frame that they suddenly realized.
The method Han Cheng employed, which seemed quite ordinary to future generations, involved placing a thick crossbeam where the dividing wall was needed. This beam replaced the lower lintel that was level with the house.
Two thick wooden poles were slanted and joined together to form a triangular frame on top of the beam.
Vertical wooden beams were placed on top of the wooden frame, replacing the dividing wall with wooden supports.
Without nails, it didn’t matter; with tools like iron axes, they could create gaps in these beams and wedge them tightly together…
The other two rooms were separate. One was used to store the precious pottery tablets Shaman and Shi Tou recorded.
The other room was an office for Han Cheng, Shaman, and Shi Tou.
In the future, if small meetings need to be held, this place could also serve as a meeting hall. For large ceremonies, the five interconnected rooms next door could give a formal feel.
On top of the Blue Tile and Brick House, Han Cheng had people specifically build a ridge.
They each placed a roughly made bird crafted from pottery at the raised ends of the roof ridge.
These two birds were designed in a flying posture, resembling Green Sparrows or not. In the eyes of the people of the Green Sparrow Tribe, these were two Green Sparrows!
Seeing the newly constructed Blue Tile and Brick House, each tribe member felt deeply moved.
Alongside this awe, a sense of pride surged within them. This magnificent, grand house was constructed bit by bit by their hands!
It came from their Green Sparrow Tribe!
Han Cheng did not disappoint the people. On the night the Blue Tile and Brick House was announced to be completed, he prepared a sumptuous dinner to entertain everyone in the tribe.
Even the wine brewed this year from newly ripened fruits was brought out in ten barrels at once. Apart from those on duty, everyone else could freely drink.
As the night grew late, the bustling sounds gradually diminished and disappeared entirely with the final extinguishing of the bonfire.
In the courtyard of the Green Sparrow Tribe, many people lay sprawled in various positions, snoring loudly.
This summer, Han Cheng didn’t disturb their sweet dreams but instead had people drape a thin animal hide over them.
How could one not drink to one’s heart’s content on days like this?
Looking at the people sleeping on the ground and the houses standing silently under the night sky, Han Cheng picked up a half-empty jar of wine and finished it in one go.
Then, he wrapped himself in a piece of animal hide and lay down quietly on the ground, gazing at the starry sky.
Finally, amidst the twinkling stars, he fell asleep…
When everyone woke up the next day, they looked at each other and burst into laughter, recalling the experiences of the previous night and feeling incredibly content.
As time passed, the grains also ripened, but before they matured, one thing still needed to be done.
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