Chapter 107: The Highly Motivated Tie Tou
"Stab, stab!"
Tie Tou's left hand grabbed the upper part of the thatch, and the stone sickle in his right hand followed suit.
The blade of the stone sickle hooked onto the base of the thatch, and with the force of his right hand, he pulled it back, cutting the thatch with the stone sickle.
The cut thatch didn't scatter on the ground but was held in his left hand.Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m
After cutting these thatches, Tie Tou did not stop; instead, he swung his left hand, holding the thatch, in a small half-circle in front of him. He controlled some of the original thatch with his thumb and forefinger, leaving the other three fingers to grab new thatch, and the stone sickle in his right hand moved accordingly.
This motion repeated until the thatch in his left hand was about to slip away. Only then did Tie Tou stop and place a large bunch of thatch not far from the growing pile.
Underneath the thatch pile, there was a rope woven with grass. When the thatch pile reached a certain quantity, it would be tied up and transported to the tribe.
Compared to other thatches, this pile appeared much neater and tidier, not rough and messy like the others. This was Tie Tou's masterpiece.
Tie Tou now worked with great enthusiasm, not only because he used the newly made tool, the stone sickle, provided by the Divine Child most efficiently for harvesting thatches, but also because not far away, Ru Hua was bundling the thatches that had been piled up and transporting them back to the tribe.
After a long recuperation, Ru Hua's stomach had completely recovered. After a check-up by the Divine Child ten days ago, he agreed to let them live together.
The activities carried out by the adults in the tribe at night, humming tunes, often left Tie Tou sleepless for half the night, who had reached adulthood but didn't have a spouse. Now that he had a partner, it was only natural to stride into the realm of adulthood.
Unfortunately, Tie Tou only had a general idea about this matter. Although he was anxious, he couldn't figure out how to approach it.
Fortunately, Ru Hua was experienced. She gently supported him with her hand, then turned around, giving his buttocks a slight push, and the door to a new world opened.
At that moment, Tie Tou, who had never thought about flying, felt like a bird soaring in the sky. All his impatience disappeared, leaving only a wonderful feeling he had never experienced before.
When he returned to his senses from this wonderful feeling, he found Hei Wa, who was resting nearby, smiling at him under the not-so-bright firelight.
He pressed it firmly against the inner wooden wall to make it stick more securely.
Han Cheng watched and reached out to press on the already-hardened clay. After shaking it a few times, he felt satisfied.
First, they wove wooden walls with wooden poles and sticks, then thickly pasted a layer of clay on both sides, completely sealing the wooden walls in mud. This method indeed worked well for making mud walls.
Moreover, because these wooden stakes and bars acted as the skeleton inside, such walls were even sturdier than simple mud walls.
After covering all the wooden walls of the deer pen with clay and placing the last step of laying thatch on the top, a complete house was built.
This way, Deer Lord and his harem could stay inside when the weather was cold and rainy. When the weather cleared, and the temperature rose, they could move to a larger deer pen without a covered roof for ventilation and sunbathing.
After collecting sufficient thatch, under Han Cheng's command and guidance, the Eldest Senior Disciple, Shang, and others began to lay thatch on the clay-covered roof.
The thatch had to be thicker to withstand years of wind and rain better.
Moreover, when laying thatch, they needed to lay it row by row horizontally.
After finishing one row at the bottom, some clay needed to be pressed on the top to fix them in place.
Then, they could lay the next row on top.
The upper row had to cover the part where the lower row was pressed with clay, leaving no trace.
This way, row by row, they covered the topmost layer, and the entire roof became a unified structure.
Han Cheng had a solution to secure the topmost layer of thatch. They used ropes to tie them to the lower fence and placed two wooden bars horizontally on top, pressing stones. This way, there was no need to worry even in strong winds.
The deer pen, which had been under construction since winter, was finally officially completed.
