The Primitive Adventures of a Chipmunk 102

Chapter 102

“Thump thump thump, clang clang clang—”

On a bright and sunny afternoon, the dull sound of hammering and the noisy sound of friction continued to echo in the camp. The seven people, including Hua Shi’an, were like a group of diligent ants, busy and bustling, going back and forth, fighting against a “sugar cube” that was several times larger than themselves.

There was an unusual amount of work to do. For seven people to build a house in half a day, they were so busy they didn’t even have time to breathe. Just as the five beastmen had finished digging the foundation pit, without even wiping their sweat, Hua Shi’an and the Great Chief had picked out ten thick and straight old bamboos and were anxiously calling for them.

What could they do? Rolling up their non-existent sleeves—they got to work!

Yan Qiuyu and Ju Ming started a fire to roast the bamboo, making its texture harder and its toughness more stable. The other two beastmen used bamboo slips to measure the length and sawed the ten old bamboos to the same length in turn. Mo Huaishan and the Great Chief picked up their chisels and iron hammers, broke open the green bamboo skin, and chiseled a row of appropriately sized grooves on the bamboo body and top…

It was time-consuming and laborious. Every step was extremely tedious and particularly exhausting.

The ten thigh-thick old bamboos served as both piles and frames. Hua Shi’an had thought it through. Without a single nail, the bamboo house would be built directly using the structural method of ancient architecture, the exquisite and ingenious mortise and tenon structure.

Grooves were chiseled out of the main frame, and the bamboo tubes that would serve as the walls were prepared and inserted into the grooves one by one. This was not the simplest construction method, but in the primitive era, which lacked tools, it was definitely the most solid construction method.

The sound of “thump thump thump” continued. The beastmen were sweating profusely, nailing the processed pile posts into the foundation pit one by one, and then backfilling the soil and ramming it tight.

When the sound disappeared, Hua Shi’an looked back. Ten thick and straight old bamboos stood around the stove, looking like a row of telephone poles from a distance.

It was time to inspect the results. He didn’t know who had called out “Lord Priest,” but Hua Shi’an threw down the half-chiseled old bamboo, patted his butt, and stood up, walking straight to a pile post.

Without a word, he lifted his leg and kicked the pile post hard.

This kick was like venting his anger. He used all his strength. Although the pile post was not kicked down, it immediately vibrated, and the top swayed in the air, buzzing. Yan Qiuyu’s face changed drastically, and he exclaimed repeatedly, “Lord Priest, don’t kick it! It was so hard to nail it in. What if you kick it down with so much force?”

Before Hua Shi’an could speak, the Great Chief glared at him irritably. “Are you stupid? Didn’t the Lord Priest say just now that these ten old bamboos are mainly for bearing weight? If they can’t even withstand a kick from the Lord Priest, then what’s the use? We might as well tear them down.”

“So they have to bear weight. I forgot.” Yan Qiuyu scratched his head in embarrassment.

Ju Ming elbowed him. “Don’t be so absent-minded. You have to listen carefully when the Lord Priest speaks.”

Yan Qiuyu grunted in perfunctory agreement. “I’m listening, I’m listening.”

Hua Shi’an walked around the stove and gave each pile post a kick without any ceremony. The beastmen couldn’t help but feel nervous, afraid that the pile posts they had buried would have problems. It wasn’t until Hua Shi’an had kicked a full circle and walked back, and not a single pile post had fallen, that they all breathed a sigh of relief.

But it was clear that they were happy too soon. Hua Shi’an walked back to the front of the crowd and pointed to the side. “The first one on this side, and the second one in the back row. Whose are they? Dig them out and rebury them.”

Following his finger, the smile in Ju Ming’s eyes froze. He quickly asked, “What’s wrong, Lord Priest? It, it didn’t fall, did it?”

Hua Shi’an patiently explained, “Not falling is just the most basic requirement. The pile posts are the main body of the entire bamboo house. The roof and walls must be built on them. Those two are shaking a bit too much. If we just make do and build on them, the bamboo house will creak when the wind blows.”

“So they can’t shake too much. It seems that building a house is a job that can’t be done carelessly at all.” The Great Chief touched his nose and let out a soft sigh.

The other pile post was not claimed for a long time. The beastmen looked at each other.

Just as the crowd was wondering, the Great Chief coughed lightly and, holding a hoe, walked away from the crowd. “Don’t look, don’t look. It’s mine. Let’s go, Ju Ming. Let’s dig it out and rebury it.”

The crowd was first taken aback, and then they all burst out laughing.

“Hahaha, the Great Chief actually makes mistakes too.”

“That’s too much, Great Chief. You didn’t even say anything at first. You made me so worried. I thought it was my bamboo that had a problem.”

It’s endless! The Great Chief suddenly turned his head. “Laugh, laugh, laugh. All you know is how to laugh. Is the work done? Get back to work and listen to the Lord Priest’s arrangements!”

…

With the main frame of the bamboo house built, it was time for the roof frame and the materials needed for the walls. Roasting bamboo, sawing bamboo tubes, chiseling grooves… the steps were basically the same, but the specific length and size had to be remeasured, and the number of bamboo tubes needed for the walls was not small.

The workload was a bit large. Worried that they wouldn’t be able to finish, Hua Shi’an specially called over the old men and children who were weaving bamboo utensils and pinching unbaked pottery on the grass in front of the door to help. Although they couldn’t do heavy work, it was no problem for them to help roast some bamboo and be a helping hand.

They worked non-stop. The sweat on Hua Shi’an and the beastmen’s bodies never dried. But despite their rush, by the time the roof beams and the two inclined, triangular roof frames were firmly embedded in the main frame, the sun had already begun to set.

The setting sun dyed half the sky red. The exquisite and ingenious rectangular frame around the stove was covered with a layer of golden sunset glow. The bamboo poles of varying lengths were crisscrossed, one locking into another, and the joints were perfectly fitted, tightly connected, even more solid than being fixed with bamboo nails.

The bamboo house was already taking shape, and the blueprint in his mind was gradually becoming clear. Hua Shi’an looked at the result of his hard work for most of the day, and the dark clouds that had been pressing on his chest slowly dissipated, and his frustrated mood turned sunny.

With the frame built and the bamboo tubes needed for the walls ready, the rest of the work was easy. If before was like building with Legos, then now was the fun time of putting the Legos together.

The bamboo tubes, sawed to a suitable length, were placed diagonally between two pile posts. After adjusting the angle, the chiseled tenons at both ends were inserted into the grooves and pressed down with force. It was really like putting Legos together. The tenons and grooves were tightly fitted, leaving no gap.

One after another, the bamboo tubes were slowly stacked from bottom to top, like flat bricks, forming a dense and airtight bamboo wall between the pile posts.

Embedding the bamboo tubes was quite interesting. The beastmen, who had been tired all day, found joy in it, and their working speed became more and more nimble. At sunset, it was still a bare frame. By the time it got dark, the round bamboo tubes had filled the gaps in the frame, enclosing a verdant and cozy bamboo house.

It was getting darker and darker. This was all they could do for today. The beastmen were exhausted. As soon as Hua Shi’an said to stop work, they ran faster than the last, and swarmed to the river to take a bath.

He was covered in sweat, and his whole person was as if he had just been pulled out of the water, almost marinated in the smell. But Hua Shi’an was not in a hurry to take a bath. He slowly retreated to the center of the camp and looked up to admire today’s results.

The bamboo house was not built very tall. Not including the roof frame, the internal height was about two and a half meters, a little shorter than the floor height of a modern house. Staying indoors for a long time might feel oppressive.

But it didn’t matter at all. After all, a kitchen was for cooking, and no one would stay in it for a long time.

Only one window was opened, facing the tree hollows where the tribe members rested and slept, for ventilation. The other side was the tree hollow where the small animals were kept. The wind would bring some smell, so it was not suitable for opening a window.

A total of two doors were opened. A woodshed was to be added behind the stove, and a back door was opened for easy access to firewood. The front door was opened on the side facing the camp. It could be opposite the dining hall door, making it closer to get food, without having to take a detour.

Except for the doors and windows that had not yet been installed, and the bare roof, the kitchen was basically completed. It was still very good. With bamboo as the bones and bamboo as the walls, the bamboo house hidden in the forest was simple but not crude, neat and clean, small and cozy.

No wonder they say a house is an obsession for people on Earth. Looking at the small and exquisite bamboo house in front of him, a joyful curve appeared on Hua Shi’an’s lips, and his desire for a house reached its peak at this moment.

He had to speed up. After the kitchen, woodshed, livestock pen, and dining hall were completed—it was time to live his own life. He wanted to build a house that was completely his own.

He strolled to the river and took a cold bath. The fatigue that had accumulated all day was greatly relieved. Hua Shi’an climbed up the slope to the riverbank. The camp was already lively. The tribe members who had returned from their outing were surrounding the bamboo house in three layers, like tourists at a scenic spot, looking at it with curiosity and discussing it animatedly.

And amidst the clamor, the Great Chief and the beastmen who had just finished their bath acted as tour guides, vividly introducing it to the tribe members.

Hua Shi’an did not go over to join the fun. He stood on the grass and looked from a distance, then turned and walked towards his crooked-necked tree.

He hadn’t slept well last night, and today he had been tense and busy non-stop. Hua Shi’an was really exhausted in body and mind. Now that he had relaxed, his temples were throbbing, and his head was aching.

He was hungry, his head hurt, and he was tired and sleepy… he had been drained by the bamboo house. Hua Shi’an didn’t want to do anything now. He just wanted to lie down on the bamboo bed and sleep until he was dizzy.

But some people seemed not to think so. Hua Shi’an pushed open the bamboo door and went into the tree hollow. He took off the clothes he had washed while bathing and changed into a dry set. He hung the wet clothes at the entrance of the tree hollow to dry. He was about to close the door when a rough palm pressed against the crack.

The other person was very strong and forcefully pushed open the bamboo door, which was about to be closed, with an uncharacteristic force. But when he pushed open the bamboo door and met Hua Shi’an’s calm eyes, the visitor’s lips were tightly pursed, and his eyes instantly turned red.

The tall beastman was hunched over, his hand on the crack of the door trembling slightly. He was like a large dog that had been abandoned by its owner, having gone through thousands of hardships to return to its home. His water-soaked eyes were filled with grievance, and he asked in a bewildered and helpless voice:

“Shi’an, you, you really don’t want me anymore?”