Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Xue Tuan's and the little black lion's pottery bowls were placed with the help of Feng Yan and Rong Shan. Feng Yan, returning from hunting with Bing Qiu, happened to be able to lead Rong Shan and Xue Tuan, and the whole family went home together.

As they approached the cave entrance, Xue Tuan noticed small sprouts growing on both sides of the cave. Letting go of his father’s hand, he dashed ahead into the cave to check on his little potted plant.

Sure enough, it had sprouted too! Overjoyed, Xue Tuan hugged the small pot and ran to show off to his family: "Dad, Father, look! It’s growing!"

"Ah, our clever little one is so amazing!" Feng Yan and Rong Shan exchanged a glance, then shared knowing smiles and nodded.

Feng Yan’s eyes seemed to ask: *Was it you who replaced the plant with weeds?*

Seeing Rong Shan nod, Feng Yan smiled appreciatively: *You’re so thorough.*

Rong Shan, however, thought Feng Yan’s look meant: *I did a good job with the plant swap, right?*

So Rong Shan smiled and nodded: *Well done.*

Both assumed the other had secretly replaced the itchy taro in the pot with wild plants dug up from the roadside. Seeing how happy Xue Tuan was, each thought to themselves: *My mate is so reliable.*

This misunderstanding left Feng Yan, Rong Shan, and Xue Tuan all quite satisfied—which showed when Xue Tuan ate an extra bowl of meat that evening.

The next day, Yun Lu took the tree-bark cloth and went to the small swamp first. After the arctic fox family left last night, Yun Lu studied the tree bark Xue Tuan brought back and found that, just as Rong Shan had said, when water was poured on it, it didn’t soak through but instead slid off in streams! Testing it with a bone needle, he unexpectedly found it surprisingly suitable for sewing.

So Yun Lu decided to take some people to cut more tree bark and make "raincoats," while Feng Yan and Rong Shan led the others in continuing pottery making.

The distant mountains were shrouded in a light haze, and dew rolled off nearby blades of grass. Feng Yan, Rong Shan, and Bing Qiu set out first, while Xue Tuan and the little black lion went to find Ye Cong.

Elder Grandpa, for now, they didn't worry about; since no one had come to fetch them, it meant things were proceeding normally.

Ye Cong had recently joined the "construction crew," usually going wherever help was needed. After hearing about the method for drawing circles yesterday, he was inspired: as long as the rope was long enough, couldn’t they use a similar method to draw long, straight lines?

This would make it much easier to mark out the boundaries for each beastman's house. Recently, the beastmen had come up with many new ideas and plans for their new homes, and the leader’s intention was to try to fulfill everyone’s requests at once, since these houses would be lived in for years. Though it slowed down the overall progress, everyone was willing to wait.

Even Ye Cong himself had many new ideas. It started when beastmen with families occasionally mentioned that their young had many requests for the new houses, like having a "kitchen, bathroom..." and so on—terms Ye Cong had never heard before. After hearing the beastmen’s explanations, Ye Cong had only one thought: *I want all of that too.*

"Brother Ye Cong."

Hearing that familiar soft, sweet voice, Ye Cong knew his favorite little cub had arrived.

Ye Cong put down the vine rope in his hands, scooped up Xue Tuan, and couldn’t resist kissing his fair, tender cheek.

"Good little Tuan, so well-behaved." Ye Cong had often heard the arctic fox family call the little one this and had picked it up.

The little black lion watched silently nearby, his gaze as sharp as nails, something even Ye Cong could feel, but Ye Cong didn’t pay it much mind, casually greeting him: "You're a good boy too, Zhong Yan."

The little black lion felt somewhat helpless at this; he didn’t need praise from others. Still, toward all the subbeastmen who were close to Xue Tuan, the little black lion’s gaze was considered "friendly."

Xue Tuan’s cheek tickled from the kiss, and he rubbed it with the back of his hand before obediently wrapping his arms around Ye Cong’s neck: "Brother Ye Cong, are you busy?"

Busy? Extremely busy. But Ye Cong said: "Not too busy, what is it?"

Though Ye Cong said this, Xue Tuan didn’t fully believe it. In a newly established tribe, probably only the cubs weren’t busy.

Still, Xue Tuan told him about the bamboo sieve idea and added: "If Brother Ye Cong is too busy, my brother and I can help you." My brother Bing Qiu already had experience weaving fish traps and would surely learn quickly.

"Alright, I understand." Ye Cong affectionately patted Xue Tuan’s head—such a thoughtful little cub.

The little black lion gave Xue Tuan a ride, running toward the kiln. His paw pads made soft rustling sounds as they stepped on dry leaves and soil.

It was another beautiful day, and the sunlight warmed Xue Tuan comfortably.

"Zhong Yan, let’s take a detour before going over." Xue Tuan hadn’t forgotten their "soil revival" watering duty.

The little black lion trotted along leisurely: "Okay." He was happy to play a little longer with Little Dumpling.

Over at Feng Yan’s side, the beastmen had gathered early by the kiln. They had made some modifications, building the kiln walls higher; the kiln opening was shaped into a narrower arc, which seemed to help concentrate the heat at high temperatures; the bottom was leveled with crushed stones, and several small holes were left at the top.

Rong Shan stepped forward to look and said: "Aren’t these ventilation holes a bit small?"

Hearing this, Feng Yan went over and observed for a moment: "They should be enlarged a bit; the fire will probably burn stronger." Saying this, he picked up a wooden branch and carefully widened them.

By the time Xue Tuan and the little black lion arrived, the kiln—modified from the charcoal kiln—was ready. They saw Dad Rong Shan leading the beastmen in moving everyone’s sun-dried greenware over.

Beside the kiln entrance, piles of charcoal and split firewood were neatly stacked. Xue Tuan and the cubs weren’t idle either; they helped gather small branches and other flammable materials to make lighting the fire easier later.

The cubs excitedly discussed when they would get to see their pottery finished, gazing at the greenware they had made.

Rong Shan, being meticulous, was in charge of directing everyone to arrange the greenware inside the kiln. They decided to categorize and place the pieces based on size and thickness.

"Heavy pottery jars and pots can be placed closer to the fire chamber. Thinner pieces, like the pottery bowls and pottery cups that Erhu is holding, should be placed further inside to avoid cracking from the high heat, understood?" Rong Shan instructed, directing everyone to carefully place the greenware inside the kiln.

"Chief, should we start the fire now?" After all the greenware was placed, An Tu came over to Feng Yan and asked. An Tu’s hands still had some dried mud on them, clearly from helping with the final touches on the kiln walls.

Feng Yan and Shi Hu carefully inspected the kiln once more to ensure everything was in order before Feng Yan said: "Alright, we can start the fire now."

The dry leaves and branches collected by the cubs were already placed at the fire chamber opening. Feng Yan blew on the fire starter in his hand, and the burning branch was gently placed into the fire chamber as kindling. As the flames gradually consumed the charcoal and firewood inside, the kiln glowed with a dazzling red light.

"Slowly feed in the dry wood." Feng Yan’s deep voice was calm. He and several beastmen stood by a pile of firewood, bending down to pass dry logs one by one.

Xue Tuan thought that firing pottery once used up a lot of fuel, so they couldn’t use only charcoal—it was still too costly—using some firewood was fine.

Before long, everyone could see smoke gradually rising from the ventilation holes at the top of the kiln.

"Can’t rush it yet."

Everyone understood that they couldn’t hurry to throw all the firewood in at once; too much fire during pottery firing could easily cause the pottery to crack.

The flames at the kiln entrance grew increasingly bright, and the heat inside became so intense it was almost difficult to look at directly. The heat waves from the chamber opening forced several nearby beastmen to step back, but their eyes remained fixed on the kiln.

The beastmen and cubs’ eyes grew brighter, and they couldn’t help but start imagining what the pottery would look like after being fired and transformed inside the kiln.

Feng Yan, however, frowned slightly. Yun Lu had already told him that since this was their first time firing, they lacked experience, and it was likely few pieces would turn out well. He advised everyone to not get their hopes up.

Feng Yan: "Everyone should go back to what they were doing; it won’t be finished for a while." Feng Yan felt everyone needed to distract themselves. The tribe making pottery again as a group after so many years was just too exciting.

Since the leader said so, they really couldn’t just stand around waiting. In the end, only a few beastmen stayed to keep watch, while the rest went back to work, though reluctantly.

The cubs were the most reluctant to leave, so Xue Tuan reminded them: "There’s still plenty of clay left; let’s go shape the next batch."

"Right, there’s still the next batch!" The cubs then remembered they had several more chances to fire pottery. Each of them had many more pieces of pottery they wanted to make. If the adults were busy, they would do it!

Sha Hu rubbed his hands eagerly: "I’ll definitely make better ones this time!"

Xiao Shu thought about the pot Sha Hu had made and decided not to discourage him: "Xue Tuan, teach me. I always have trouble with it." He thought Xue Tuan’s bowl looked quite well-made and wanted to learn.

Tao Tu also jumped up: "I haven’t made my pottery basin yet." Yesterday, he spent a long time making just one pottery jar and felt it was far from enough.

“Did you have that much fun yesterday?” Bing Qiu had gone hunting with Feng Yan and missed this great opportunity to “play with mud.”

The cubs chattered excitedly, each sharing their thoughts, but Xue Tuan paused for a moment and said, “Don’t worry—I’ve got something new for everyone to make together.”

And so, a group of cubs happily headed back toward the central cave, ready to continue shaping pottery.

This time, Xue Tuan wanted to create something big—a pottery steamer. A steamer consists of a perforated tray and a pot; in traditional pottery terms, it comprises an upper *zeng* (steamer basket) and a lower *li* (tripod cauldron). Xue Tuan intended to try making both. Success wasn’t the main goal—his priority was enabling the beastmen to create it themselves. Since Uncle Yun Lu wasn’t around—he’d already gone to check in with Dad—this time, Xue Tuan and the cubs would produce a prototype first.

Xue Tuan decided to divide the cubs into two groups: he would lead one group to make the upper *zeng*, designed to hold food, while his older brother Bing Qiu would lead the other group to make the lower *li*, designed to hold water.

The cubs had never seen what Xue Tuan described, but as soon as they heard it could be used to steam food, they immediately grew enthusiastic.

Standing in the center, Xue Tuan pointed to the prepared clay on the ground and said, “The bottom of the *zeng* needs evenly spaced holes so steam can rise and cook the food.”

As he explained, Xue Tuan demonstrated—regardless of whether the cubs fully understood. He simply wanted them to grasp the general idea; with more practice, they would naturally remember and learn.

“Be careful, everyone—make sure the thickness is even. You don’t want it to crack during firing,” Xue Tuan reminded them.

Xiao Shu picked up a lump of clay and slapped it firmly onto the ground. Their group began by shaping a circular base. Then, Xiao Shu carefully rolled out uniform clay ropes, which Xue Tuan gently coiled around the edge of the base.

With each coil, Tao Tu dipped his fingers in water, pressed the clay strip firmly against the base, and smoothed the seams with a bone tool. As the coils stacked up, the shape of the *zeng* gradually emerged.

Once the body was roughly shaped, it was time to pierce holes in the bottom—a task assigned to Xiao Shu.

Xue Tuan instructed, “Don’t be nervous. Make sure the holes aren’t too close together, and each hole shouldn’t be too large.”

Xiao Shu felt slightly overwhelmed and needed time to process each of Xue Tuan’s specific requirements one by one.

Holding the finished *zeng* body, Xiao Shu used a small wooden stick to carefully poke rows of small, evenly spaced holes in the bottom. With each hole, Xue Tuan fine-tuned it with his fingers, ensuring they were just the right size.

“Done!” Xiao Shu looked at the *zeng* they’d completed together, filled with a tremendous sense of accomplishment!

The entire *zeng* had smooth walls, a proper shape, and looked remarkably complete—an impressive feat for a few cubs.

Tao Tu exclaimed, “This is so much fun! I want to do it again!”

“Let’s check how the other group is doing first,” Xue Tuan suggested. Bing Qiu’s group still hadn’t finished yet.

The main body of the *li* resembled a pottery basin—relatively straightforward for Bing Qiu and his group. The most critical part was the *li*’s three legs—the supporting structure. A *li* typically has three legs to stand steadily, but each leg needed to be similar in length and thickness to ensure even weight distribution; otherwise, it might end up wobbly.

Xue Tuan stepped over to help adjust them, finally achieving legs of roughly equal size. In the end, Bing Qiu and the others worked together to press the three legs firmly onto the bottom of the *li*, applying firm pressure to ensure secure attachment to the main body.

“Phew—that should do it,” Xue Tuan said, not expecting it to be so labor-intensive. The other cubs also felt tired—but happy.

Qing Miao said, “I can’t wait to fire the next batch of pottery.” Gazing at the pottery steamer, Qing Miao was already imagining the delicious meals it could prepare.

Rong Shan had been watching quietly from the side. Once the cubs finished collaboratively shaping this “big thing,” he came over and said, “Take a break—you’ve done very well.” Rong Shan patted each cub on the head—the adults would handle the rest.

The little cubs all adored Xue Tuan’s handsome, gentle Deputy Chief father and obediently went off to rest.

Rong Shan then called over several nearby beastmen to replicate several more units based on the cubs’ prototype, so they could be fired together. If everyone liked this type of item, they could produce more sets—ensuring each household had its own cooking utensils.

Time passed quickly—a full day and night slipped by. Gradually, the greenware in the kiln was finally nearly ready.

“It’s time to seal the kiln!” Feng Yan announced.