I've been transported to the orc continent.

Chapter 39 Pan Kang

Bai Ling planned to leave a fire hole in this wall.

This is not a difficult task. Just add a few fewer adobe bricks at the fire pit. To be on the safe side, Bai Ling used pre-selected stone slabs instead of adobe bricks above and below the fire pit.

Stone slabs are more heat-resistant and stronger than adobe bricks. Bai Ling spent a lot of effort to find a few suitable stone slabs.

Once the earthen wall is built, another layer of mud needs to be applied to the outside. Bai Ling doesn't need to worry about that; the tribespeople will take care of it.

Bai Ling had to do the most difficult part: he had to build two earthen stoves behind the earthen wall. The earthen stoves were completely different from the wall, especially since he had to leave round stove openings. He had to slowly carve the adobe bricks into the shape he wanted.

Before this, Bai Ling had mentally rehearsed the scene of building the stove and kang (heated brick bed) dozens of times and practiced it several times with pebbles. But when the moment came, Bai Ling was still a little nervous.

He was afraid that he wouldn't do a good job and would disappoint his people.

Cang, Feng, Chen, Chief Zhan, and several of the most skillful orcs in the tribe stood in this small cave. The cave was not big to begin with, and now with more than a dozen orcs standing there, it seemed even more crowded.

Everyone noticed Bai Ling's nervousness. Cang stepped forward and gently patted his son's shoulder, saying, "Ling, we're all here."

Feng also said, "Ling, don't be nervous. There's still a long time before the coldest season. Even if we can't do it today, there's always tomorrow and the day after."

Chen flashed a bright white smile: "Brother, I believe you."

Chief Zhan encouraged, "Ling, you have already brought about many changes to the tribe, and we all believe in you."

Other tribesmen also expressed their belief in him, and those outside the cave shouted encouragement to Bai Ling.

Among these sounds, there is also the moon.

What Yue said was, "Ling, I believe in you."

Bai Ling glanced at his father, his brother, the clansmen standing inside the cave, and the clansmen standing outside the cave, and a smile appeared on his lips.

Father is right. He doesn't need to be nervous. Even if he can't finish it today, there's always tomorrow and the day after. He has plenty of time and will eventually be able to finish making the kang (heated brick bed).

Bai Ling bent down again, holding an adobe brick in one hand and a bone knife in the other, and began to build an earthen stove.

*

Bai Ling worked very slowly. As soon as he put down one adobe brick, he had already thought about how to stack the next five or six adobe bricks.

As Bai Ling built the earthen stove, he explained to the tribesmen standing in the cave how to build it. Apart from his family and tribesmen, the orcs standing in the cave were the most skillful in the tribe. After Bai Ling finished building the most difficult part, he handed the bone knife to one of the tribesmen: "Uncle Shui, you give it a try."

Shui is a female long-tailed rabbit beastman. He is one of the most skilled beastmen in the tribe. When Bai Ling handed him the bone knife, Shui did not refuse. He took the bone knife with one hand and picked up a mud brick with the other. Then, as Bai Ling said, he used the bone knife to scoop some mud and smear it on the bottom of the mud brick. Then he placed the mud brick on the mud brick that had already been piled up.

After placing the adobe bricks, Shui, imitating Bai Ling, used a bone knife to tap and pound them to make sure the bricks were neatly arranged and that mud was applied to the gaps. Then Shui picked up the next adobe brick.

Simply piling up adobe bricks is easy, but as Bai Ling became more and more skilled at water work, he called another member of his tribe forward.

After the earthen stove is built, it's time to prepare the kang (heated brick bed).

Building a kang (heated brick bed) is much simpler than building a traditional earthen stove. As long as you leave room for the flue, the rest is not much different from building a wall. The only complicated part is the chimney.

The sun had already moved to the west, and the cave was even darker. Even with torches, one could only see a corner clearly. Bai Ling decided to build the chimney tomorrow.

Zhan's usually serious face also showed a smile: "Ling, you've been working hard all day, you can do the rest tomorrow."

*

Bai Ling walked briskly out of the tribe, found a place to transform into his beast form, and ran towards the river. He wanted to check the fish basket he had set out yesterday, wondering if he had caught any fish.

Fishing baskets don't catch fish every day, but setting them up isn't difficult; it's a simple matter for orcs. It doesn't matter if they don't catch any fish; catching fish is a bonus. Therefore, many orcs in the tribe have woven fish baskets and are learning from Bai Ling to put food in them to attract fish to their traps.

With more people in the clan setting out fish baskets, Bai Ling placed her own basket further away. As long as Bai Ling was home, it was her job to put the fish baskets away and put them out, and today was no exception.

The lion was very fast, and in no time Bai Ling arrived at the place where he had placed the fish basket.

The water flowed gently here. Bai Ling placed the fish basket behind a rock, then nimbly jumped behind it. With its two front paws, it rummaged through the grass and quickly found the anchor rope of the fish basket. The beautiful white lion gripped the anchor rope with its two paws and began to pull it out.

The fish basket was quickly pulled up. It heard the fish jumping inside. A smile appeared on the white lion's lips. This smile made the originally majestic and fierce beast suddenly look silly.

Suddenly, Bai Ling heard a wolf howl. Its smile, which hadn't faded, grew even wider, and its bright, obsidian-like eyes widened, bursting with immense joy.

He recognized the voice all too well; it was Yue's cry.

For orcs, each orc's howl after transforming into beast form is different, just like a human voice, it is unique. When Bai Ling and Yue went out together, Bai Ling had already heard Yue's howl countless times, so Bai Ling immediately recognized that the wolf howl was Yue's.

Bai Ling excitedly pawed at the ground twice with its two paws, its big black eyes narrowed slightly, and it raised its head and let out two "woof woof" sounds. Its furry face showed its extraordinary joy.

Bai Ling walked behind a rock and transformed into human form. He looked in the direction of the wolf howling, and soon Yue came walking over from upstream with a fish basket in her hand.

Seeing the fish basket in Yue's hand, Bai Ling slapped his forehead. He had been too excited and had forgotten about the fish basket. Fortunately, he hadn't had time to untie the anchor rope from the rock, so the fish basket wouldn't be washed away by the river.

As Yue approached, Bai Ling asked, "Yue, are you here to check the fish basket too?"

Yue nodded: "Yes, I saw you upstairs and called out to you." Yue paused, then asked: "Ling, is the kang (heated brick bed) ready?"

Bai Ling shook her head: "Not yet, only the last part is left."

"Ling, you told me that the kang (heated brick bed) will be heated soon after it's finished. Does that mean we can heat it up tomorrow?" Yue asked excitedly. From his expression, it was clear that he was very interested in the kang. "How many days will it take to heat it up? Can we move in before it snows?"

"The kang (heated brick bed) will be ready in three or four days after it's set up, and we can move in before the snow." Bai Ling's dark, grape-like eyes were filled with laughter: "Yue, I heard what you said in the cave. You said you believed me."

"Moon, thank you so much."