readytorunbook Chapter 73 Earthen Bed
Chapter 73 Earthen Bed
Despite the strong winds outside, Mori and Yu decided to go outside for a look.
One purpose was to examine the surrounding environment of the valley, and the other was to assess the impact of the weather on them.
Since it hadn't snowed yet, they were trying to prepare as many winter supplies as possible.
Ruan Mianmian felt cold just listening to the wind outside. She suggested that Sen and Yu go and prepare some more clay and straw to reinforce the wall, and also try to see if they could make some "kang" (heated brick bed), since it was quite cold to sleep underground in the cave in winter.
Upon hearing what the leader said, Sen and Yu quickly agreed.
The cave door opened, and a cold wind blew in, making everyone immediately feel the chill outside.
Seeing that the weather outside was still within acceptable limits, Sen and Yu assigned tasks to the orcs.
"Tu, take Mi, Yuan, and some little orcs who can dig into the ground and bring back as much clay as possible. The chief needs this to reinforce our walls to ensure warmth during the winter."
"Meng, take Gao and the other small orcs who can hunt and head north out of the valley. Then find some wild grass and bring it back. Bring back as much as you can. If you encounter prey, you can try to catch it, but this time focus on wild grass."
"Black and Spotted, you two gather dead branches nearby, and while you're at it, check the water level in the stone jar. If it's low, replenish it with large leaves."
Sen and Yu issued the tasks one by one, and soon most of the little orcs in the cave had left.
Ruan Mianmian was sitting by the fire looking at the map. Although the wandering orcs had been dealt with last night, it was indeed her oversight.
If it weren't for the howling of the wolves, they might not even know that wandering orcs existed.
Although the system will issue a warning, even if it does, Sen and Yu are not strong enough to defeat the wandering orcs. In the end, it will either result in mutual destruction or the death of Sen and Yu and the destruction of the tribe.
These are not the things she wanted to see.
So she warned herself that she must check the surrounding area every day to prevent anything irreversible from happening.
After looking at it for a while, she turned her gaze from the distance on the map to the little orcs near the valley.
These little creatures roamed around, constantly collecting what the cave needed.
Ruan Mianmian silently prayed that they would not encounter any danger.
When she looked up at the sky again, she found that there were more and more dark clouds and the wind was getting stronger.
She took out her weather app to check, and it showed a level 5 gale.
"A Force 5 gale..." she muttered to herself. "I wonder if the wind force in this world is the same as in our time?"
In later generations, a Force 5 gale would be considered very strong, but here, it seems to be within an acceptable range.
Ruan Mianmian thought that it was probably because the beastmen here had adapted to such a harsh environment.
After all, the little beastmen are all out and about now, and they don't seem to have been greatly affected.
She scrolled through the weather app a few more times and discovered that a blue cold wave warning had been issued after 5 p.m.
"A cold wave is coming..." Ruan Mianmian frowned, "and there will be level 10 winds!"
She recalled the information she had read before and knew that winds of this magnitude could cause enormous damage.
To make matters worse, the gale-force winds were accompanied by a sharp drop in temperature and snowfall.
"Is it going to snow so soon?" Ruan Mianmian stared blankly at the system panel, a sense of worry rising in her heart.
She thought of the little orcs playing outside. If the cold wave really came, would they be harmed?
It seems they need to prepare supplies as soon as possible before the temperature drops. I wonder how the wolf pack is doing with their preparations?
Ruan Mianmian stood in the cave, holding a wooden stick in her hand, carefully measuring the distance.
She had a plan in mind: to build a large earthen bed next to a cave on one side of the mountain, so that the little beastmen would not freeze in the cold winter due to the cold underground.
Initially, Ruan Mianmian had considered building a heated kang (a traditional heated platform bed) to provide better warmth.
But she quickly realized that she didn't have the capability to build it, and that ventilation was also a problem, so she had to give up.
She decided to use a simpler and more practical method: to build a warm and comfortable earthen bed using mud and stones.
She busied herself in the cave, constantly adjusting the shape and size of the earthen bed to ensure it could accommodate all the little beastmen.
Meanwhile, the little beastmen outside were also enthusiastically throwing themselves into their work.
Some of them went to collect wood, some to find food, and others were responsible for cleaning up the surrounding environment.
The whole scene was lively and full of life and energy.
Before long, the little beastmen who had fetched water returned.
Each of them held a large, broad leaf filled with clear lake water.
As they walked, the water swayed gently in the leaves, occasionally splashing out some water droplets.
Nevertheless, they tried their best to maintain their balance and prevent the water from spilling.
Looking at their adorable appearances, Ruan Mianmian couldn't help but laugh out loud.
However, she still encouraged them to keep trying and bring back more water.
After all, water is essential for life.
Seeing that the water had been collected enough, she asked the little beastmen to gather some stones.
The valley was filled with stones of different sizes, and I soon collected a large pile of them.
Ruan Mianmian mixed the clay in her hands and added reeds to increase its stickiness, and then began to build the kang (a heated brick bed).
Upon seeing this, the little beastmen curiously gathered around, watching her every move intently.
They also occasionally handed over stones to help Ruan Mianmian complete the task.
Before long, Ruan Mianmian had built a kang (heated brick bed) about half a meter high.
Ruan Mianmian did not intend to build the earthen bed too high, partly because she considered that the little beastmen, especially those who had not yet fully transformed, would have difficulty climbing to high places.
On the other hand, the main function of earthen beds is to resist the cold, so it is sufficient to build them to a certain height, without pursuing excessive height.
In the past, the purpose of building a raised kang (heated brick bed) was to extend the heat from the stove. For them, this was simply for insulation, so half a meter high was enough!
Whether the great shaman sensed something or simply happened to emerge from the cave, he was quite surprised to see Ruan Mianmian building a kang (a heated platform bed) and quickly walked over.
"Chief, what are you doing? Are you going to build another wall inside the cave?"
Looking at the familiar clay and wild grass in Ruan Mianmian's hands, Zhi couldn't help but guess.
"No, I'm building a kang (heated brick bed)."
Ruan Mianmian explained her idea to Zhiyi, and Zhiyi instantly understood the purpose of the earthen kang (heated brick bed).
The goddess is indeed a goddess; she knows everything.
Now that they knew the benefits of earthen beds, Zhi also got involved.
He instructed the little beastmen to collect as many stones as possible to build the kang (heated brick bed), and the little beastmen went out to collect stones and returned.
Before long, the cave was filled with a considerable number of stones. Ruan Mianmian saw this and quickly stopped them, "That's enough, that's enough, thank you for your help!"
When the little beastmen heard Ruan Mianmian say that, they all blushed with excitement.
When Sen and Yu returned with a sheep beast each, Ruan Mianmian had already built a kang (heated brick bed) about five meters long and two meters wide with Zhi and the little beastmen.
Sen and Yu were both surprised to see the earthen kang, and a hint of joy flashed in their eyes at the same time.
"Wow, this way everyone won't be cold at night," Yu said with a smile.
“Chief, why didn’t you build yourself a kang (heated brick bed) first? You’re so small and thin, I think you need it more than the little beastmen!” Sen said after looking around.
Zhi realized what was happening and quickly said to Ruan Mianmian, "Chief, I'm so sorry, it was my oversight. We should have built it for you first."
Ruan Mianmian smiled and shook her head, saying it was okay, it's not too late to start building now anyway.
So, everyone spent the whole afternoon enthusiastically building the earthen kang (heated brick bed).
Skilled little beastmen like Tu and Mi also participated, and before nightfall, they successfully built a super large earthen bed against the mountain wall, which could accommodate all the little beastmen in the cave.
Of course, this also includes the large earthen kang (heated brick bed) that was built specifically for Ruan Mianmian.
Looking at the results of her and everyone's hard work, Ruan Mianmian felt extremely happy and satisfied.
She believes that everyone will feel this warmth in this cold winter and have a cozy and comfortable winter.