Chapter 93: Weaving wooden walls, erecting crossbeams, binding rafters, and weaving fences.
Due to the arrival of these deer, the Green Sparrow Tribe was filled with joy, but along with the joy, there was also some concern in the hearts of the three leaders of the Green Sparrow Tribe: Han Cheng, Shaman, and the Eldest Senior Brother.
This concern stemmed from the Pig Tribe. It had been ten days since the visit of the Pig Tribe, and Shaman, who was highly concerned about this matter, had marked ten lines on a clay tablet to keep track of time.
The food provided by the Eldest Senior Brother would last them five or six days at most. According to calculations, the Pig Tribe should have arrived at least three days ago. However, as of now, Han Cheng and the others haven't seen any sign of the Pig Tribe.
This made those who were eager to integrate the Pig Tribe into the Green Sparrow Tribe feel anxious. They wondered if the Pig Tribe had found prey or secured food from other tribes.
The possibilities were numerous, and all Han Cheng and the others could do was anxiously wait.
As for checking on the Pig Tribe, they decided against it. Spending the night outdoors, especially in winter, was dangerous. Not many tribes were willing to stay overnight outdoors unless necessary.
While waiting for the Pig Tribe, the people of the Green Sparrow Tribe didn't remain idle. They had their tasks, led by the Han Cheng, to continue building the deer pen.
Han Cheng initially considered covering the entire deer pen with a roof. However, after careful consideration, he abandoned this idea due to poor lighting and the work required.
After much thought, Han Cheng decided on a compromise: covering one-fifth of the deer pen with a roof and leaving the rest open.
This way, when the weather was good, the deer could bask in the sun and roam freely in the open area. On bad weather days, they could seek shelter under the roof, providing a dry place even during rain or snow.
The construction process wasn't too difficult. They started by drawing a north-south straight line ten meters east of the deer pen's east end. This line would serve as the dividing wall, splitting the deer pen into two parts.
Once the line was drawn, they dug pits along it at one-meter intervals, planting thick posts. These posts were thicker, about the size of a bowl rim.
These posts were higher than the elevated areas at the edges by over a meter. This height difference created a slope for better drainage when constructing the roof.
In the standard sense, rafters were made by cutting wood into boards.
This way, it was lighter, saved wood, and because the specifications were the same, it looked more beautiful.
At this point, the Green Sparrow Tribe didn't have this capability. However, thanks to an ample supply of wood and Han Cheng's arrangements, the people in the tribe made many tree branches as thick as a baby's arm. They then tied these branches to the horizontal beams every thirty centimeters, from top to bottom.
Considering that it would wet the mud wall when it rained at an angle, Han Cheng deliberately made the ends of the rafters extend thirty centimeters outward during the tying process.
This way, when the roof was built later, it could prevent rainwater from hitting the wall and provide some cover during slanting rain.
After tying the rafters, the next step was to make something called "" (zhzi), which they called it in Han Cheng's hometown in his future life. He didn't know the official name.
The specific method was to first lift a round log with a diameter of five centimeters and a length exceeding four meters. Then, tie a tree branch, as thick as a little finger and longer than two meters, to the round log.
Three ropes were tied to the tree branch, each at the ends and the middle.
There was a certain technique for tying the ropes. The places where the ropes were tied needed to be tied with two at once.
Making "" required a lot of ropes, so the extra ropes were wound around appropriately sized stones. Leaving about half a meter for future use, the remaining length was wound around once and tied to the stone to prevent it from loosening.
When the half-meter rope was used up, it was untied, and it was released for further use.
The stones with ropes, one on the left and one on the right were hung on either side of the suspended round log.
Then, a tree branch as thin as a little finger or thinner was added to the first tree branch. The positions of the six ropes hanging stones were exchanged in sequence. This meant shifting the original left to the right, the right to the left of the horizontal beam. This way, the tree branch was bound.
Another tree branch was then placed, and this process was repeated. When enough tree branches were added, the "" was formed.
