Chapter 59
“Stop!” Bai Tu shouted instinctively, halting Lang Ze in his tracks.
Lang Ze, sprinting at full speed, skidded to a stop but lost his balance, nearly toppling headfirst into the pile of cement in front of Bai Tu.
He caught himself by grabbing onto a nearby post, only to realize there were six or seven similar posts nearby. Confused, he asked, “Tu, what’s all this?”
“They’re tests for the cement’s properties,” Bai Tu explained.
Recently, with both tribes heavily mining limestone for construction, the digging unearthed a deposit of gypsum.
The beastmen who discovered it hadn’t noticed any difference and sent it straight to the calcining area for processing.
Afterward, the processed material was handed to the construction team, who also failed to recognize anything unusual. They added water and attempted to use it as slaked lime, only to find that it behaved differently—it hardened unexpectedly.
The construction team immediately reported the issue to Bai Tu.
Initially, he thought it was due to incorrect material proportions, but upon inspecting the raw materials, the calcined product, and its reaction with water, he realized the source material had changed—this batch was gypsum, not limestone.
Bai Tu promptly retrieved the remaining gypsum and combined it with limestone, clay, iron ore powder, and other minerals to make cement.
Previously, the kilns relied on wood and charcoal as fuel, which, while sufficient for pottery, couldn’t sustain the high temperatures needed for cement production. Now, with coal available, maintaining the required heat was no longer an issue. Bai Tu successfully fired a batch of cement and was now testing its setting time.
The setting time was critical because it determined how long construction work could proceed before the cement hardened.
If the cement took too long to set, it would delay progress, as no subsequent work could begin until it had fully solidified. Conversely, if it set too quickly, it would waste material—there wouldn’t be enough time to smooth the surface or lay a base layer of bricks.
The six or seven posts Lang Ze saw were the products of Bai Tu’s testing. Based on his experiments, he found the optimal setting time to be between 30 minutes and an hour. This window was long enough to level the surface properly and short enough to allow the cement to fully cure within a day.
With cement in hand, the range of construction possibilities expanded significantly.
Bai Tu immediately widened the planned drainage channels for the livestock area and designated a small drainage section next to each enclosure. This would allow water used for cleaning to carry waste directly out of the pens and into a main drainage system that led to the back of the livestock area.
Bai Tu also made other improvements.
The most notable was a large pit dug not far from the livestock area. This pit wasn’t for trapping prey or defensive purposes—it was meant for composting. Waste from the livestock area would be dumped into the pit, where it could decompose and later be used as fertilizer for farming.
Disliking inefficiency, Bai Tu always aimed for a one-and-done approach.
If something was worth building, it was worth building right the first time, with all necessary features accounted for.
The livestock area would be semi-enclosed. One side would house larger, adolescent animals, while the other side would be for newborns and very young animals.
Bai Tu also planned to install heated kangs next to the newborn enclosures to provide warmth during winter. Once winter arrived, the entire area would be sealed off, with the kangs providing insulation.
After explaining his plans and design to the construction team, Bai Tu left them to begin work.
Having already built several houses, the team quickly understood his instructions. With Bai Tu’s guidance, they marked out the required sections and began dividing the space into smaller areas.
The livestock area didn’t require as deep a foundation as the houses, but it had numerous intersecting walls to create separate enclosures.
To make future management easier, Bai Tu designed the pens to hold only four or five young animals each. Once the animals grew larger, they would be divided again into new pens to reduce density. This would make feeding more efficient and also lower the risk of disease outbreaks.
The larger animals like pigs, cows, sheep, and deer each had their own designated livestock area, while smaller animals like chickens and ducks were grouped in another section.
Bai Tu further divided the zones into breeding areas and growth areas, separating males and females and distinguishing between those used for reproduction and those raised specifically for meat.
This was no small project. With nearly two hundred animals already, Bai Tu ensured the enclosures were built to accommodate 50% more animals than the current numbers to prevent overcrowding in the future.
While the construction of the livestock area was underway, Bai Tu wasn’t idle.
He began applying cement to the houses that had already been built. Most of the beastmen had only recently moved in and hadn’t had time to fill their rooms with belongings, which made it the perfect time to coat the interiors and exteriors with a layer of cement. This included the floors, walls, and especially the drainage areas. With this treatment, even heavy rain or melting snow wouldn’t result in water pooling everywhere.
Initially, when the beastmen heard the word “cement,” they, like Lang Ze, thought it was just a mix of water and mud. But once they saw it in action, they were amazed.
Yes, water was added, and it behaved like mud when applied, but once it hardened, it was entirely different. Even if water was poured all over a cement-coated floor, it didn’t get messy.
Dirt or debris could simply be swept away with a branch, leaving the surface clean. It didn’t kick up dust like other floors, no matter how much it was swept.
Beastmen who were already envious of those living in the newly constructed houses near the firing zone now burned with even more desire to move there. However, the number of residents in the firing zone was already set, and no more could be added.
Those who had hesitated to agree to the move now deeply regretted their decision. If they had accepted earlier, they could have been living in these clean, modern houses instead of caves!
Hearing the chatter among the beastmen, Bai Tu made a promise: “Before the next rainy season, everyone will have houses to live in.”
The rabbit and wolf tribes erupted into cheers.
The young wolves, in particular, were thrilled about the idea of their future homes.
Caves were fine, but the hassle of going up and down the mountains was tiresome.
Houses might not be as cool as caves in the summer, but they were new and exciting. Plus, having water piped directly to their doorstep meant no more trips to fetch water—they could use it anytime. They could even soak in it all day if they wanted to.
The young wolves dreamed of spending their days lounging in water and their nights hunting, envisioning a life of ultimate comfort.
The cats and lions, however, were less enthusiastic.
As later additions to the tribe, they were used to receiving fewer privileges than the original members.
The lions, in particular, were deeply aware of their position, having been caught sneaking into the Snow Rabbit Tribe’s territory. Fully self-aware, the lions didn’t dare hope for the houses rumored to be better than caves. As long as they could eat enough during the winter, they had no other desires.
The cats, on the other hand, had gradually adapted to life in the Snow Rabbit Tribe under Mao Lin’s leadership.
The younger members of the cat tribe were especially quick learners, excelling at weaving. They were so skilled that cats and rabbits now made up 80% of the weaving team, with only a few wolves participating.
The cats were extremely satisfied with their current lives.
When they were driven from their former territory, they never imagined they would live so comfortably.
Whether they joined the hunting teams or other work groups, they could eat their fill every day.
The cat tribe’s younglings even received special food rations, just like the rabbit tribe’s younglings, leaving them well-fed and round. Over time, the cats’ initial wariness had completely faded.
Even Mao Lin had softened.
While she used to be on high alert around the wolves, she now showed little of her former defensiveness, even offering to help care for the young wolves. As an adult beastman, she felt naturally protective of all younglings, whether they were nearly grown or newly born.
*
With Bai Tu’s detailed plans, the construction of the livestock area progressed rapidly.
The number of brick kilns had increased several times over, allowing for faster production of bricks.
Additionally, there were more beastmen involved in construction this time—dozens of them working together with incredible efficiency. Almost every day, visible progress could be seen at the site.
The open space in front of the tribe was also coated with lime.
Bai Tu used the area to dry the second batch of harvested crops, including corn and various beans. At the same time, he taught the tribe how to thresh the first batch of corn.
The initial harvest of corn had already dried completely, making it easier to thresh.
The simplest method was to step on the cobs with their feet, which caused the kernels to fall off. However, this method was too slow.
Bai Tu devised a more efficient solution: he embedded sharp animal bones into a wooden plank, leaving only the tips exposed.
By pressing a cob against the protruding bones and sliding it, an entire row of kernels would come off. After repeating the process a few times, the cob had only a few rows of kernels left, which could be easily removed by rubbing two cobs together. Soon, the ground was covered in corn kernels, making the process highly efficient.
While the tribe was busy with the harvest, Lang Ze discovered yet another “fun” activity.
Previously, when Bai Tu had stopped him from meddling with the cement test pillars, Lang Ze had accidentally left a handprint on one of them.
The imprint remained untouched and unnoticed until Lang Ze rediscovered it by chance. Overwhelmed with excitement, he asked for Bai Tu’s permission and promptly moved the pillar to his mountain cave entrance.
Once he had the pillar in place, Lang Ze aligned the handprint so it faced outward. Then, he asked Bai Tu for more cement, mixed it with water, and applied it to the pillar. Transforming into his wolf form, he pressed one of his paws into the fresh cement to leave a paw print.
Despite his satisfaction, he felt like something was still missing. Glancing around, his eyes landed on a bamboo slip inside the cave. An idea struck him, and he used two stone knives to carefully carve his name onto the pillar, adding a serial number at the end for good measure.
Other young wolves passing by were awestruck. Hearing about Lang Ze’s creative process, they were immediately inspired and rushed to Bai Tu, asking for cement and pillars of their own.
Bai Tu hadn’t paid much attention when Lang Ze asked for a pillar earlier. After completing the cement curing tests, the remaining pillars no longer had any practical use.
There were plenty of stones nearby, and the tribe had an abundance of fired bricks. A single pillar wasn’t valuable and had no reuse potential, so Bai Tu simply gave it to him without much thought.
Unexpectedly, this sparked a trend. That same evening, several more cement pillars were requested.
Some wolves also asked for cement. Given their recent good behavior, and the fact that only a small amount of cement was needed, Bai Tu didn’t even deduct any points and gave them some.
What he didn’t expect was that by the next day, the entire wolf tribe seemed to have coordinated among themselves, with everyone coming to request pillars and cement.
The pillars, of course, were gone by then, but there was still cement available. The young wolves, not picky, settled for just the cement. Watching a whole batch of cement get used up so quickly, Bai Tu grew curious and decided to follow them to see what they were up to this time.
The young wolves only stopped when they reached Lang Ze’s cave. When Bai Tu finally saw their creations—and especially when he saw Lang Ze proudly teaching everyone how to carve their names—he nearly choked on his breath.
As expected, leave these little troublemakers alone for three days, and they’ll cause chaos. He really shouldn’t have gone soft on them just because they had been behaving well recently. Look at what they had done!
Carrying the wolf cubs, Lang Qi arrived just in time to see Bai Tu stumble. He quickly closed the distance in two steps and steadied him with one hand. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
Recently, Bai Tu had been busy with an overwhelming number of tasks.
Lang Qi had been staying at the rabbit tribe during the day to help out and to keep an eye on the two wolf pups.
Thanks to Bai Tu’s care, the pups had grown noticeably plumper. Unfortunately, this had also emboldened them—they now listened to no one but Bai Tu.
Lang Qi was one of the few who could still get away with touching them. Just earlier, while Lang Qi was in the cave watching over the pups, he noticed their temper worsening as the morning dragged on without a glimpse of Bai Tu.
Hearing Bai Tu’s footsteps outside but not seeing him come in, Lang Qi had decided to bring the pups out to find him.
When Bai Tu didn’t answer, Lang Qi scanned the area.
His gaze landed on the young wolves clustered around Lang Ze, who was leading them in carving their names onto stone pillars or rocks. Lang Qi frowned. Something about the scene felt… off. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but the overwhelming urge to discipline the young wolves bubbled up.
Taking a deep breath, Bai Tu tried to explain in the calmest tone possible: “In some places, carving names onto stone monuments is something people do after they’ve passed away—the stones are placed in front of their graves!!!”
Lang Qi: “…”
Lol hilarious ???
Hilarious ????