Chapter 110
The packet of glue brought back from the Lin Yan Tribe was a solidified, translucent sheet that resembled amber. Tapping it with a finger produced a hard, brittle sound.
Jian Mo, utterly curious about this glue, examined it for two days before suggesting to Wu Jiong, “Why don’t we use this glue to make a cabinet and see how effective it is?”
Given the size of their home, they needed quite a few cabinets.
Previously, they had been using mortise-and-tenon joints supplemented with wooden nails to construct cabinets. However, over time, these cabinets tended to loosen and wobble.
Due to limited craftsmanship, it was difficult to make cabinets with perfectly tight joints. The gaps only widened with usage, making the need for glue more apparent.
Jian Mo was quite fascinated by the glue and couldn’t take his eyes off it.
Wu Jiong agreed, “I’ll gather some people to cut the wood tomorrow.”
Furniture construction started with cutting wood into planks, then planing them smooth to remove splinters before assembling the parts.
Each of these steps required a significant amount of labor.
Even with Wu Jiong’s skills, it would still take him alone several weeks to complete the task. Having additional helpers would make things much more efficient.
Jian Mo originally thought Wu Jiong would invite skilled, patient beastmen from De Jiang’s group. Unexpectedly, when Wu Jiong returned, a group of massive feline and canine beastmen crowded outside the yard, jostling with one another. They shifted back into their human forms before squeezing into the courtyard.
Ban Ming caught Jian Mo’s puzzled gaze and announced proudly, “The chieftain sent us over to learn woodworking.”
Jian Mo asked, “Will Wu Jiong pay you?”
Ban Ming scratched his head. “I think so?”
Behind him, Jiu Yin confirmed, “Yes, the chieftain mentioned it.”
Jian Mo nodded. “Good. Come on in.”
The young group filed in, enthusiastically moving the wood and preparing to slice it into planks. While their skills were lacking, their enthusiasm made up for it.
Soon, De Jiang and a few others arrived, which eased Jian Mo’s concerns. While Ban Ming’s group had a reputation for being unreliable, De Jiang’s presence provided a sense of reassurance.
With everyone working together, the wood was soon cut, smoothed, and shaped into boards according to Jian Mo’s requirements.
Jian Mo showed everyone the blueprints he had drawn earlier and explained the cabinet’s design. Then, in a corner of the courtyard, he lit a fire to melt the glue in a water bath.
The glue melted slowly.
He started the process in the evening, expecting it to be ready by nightfall. However, it was well into the night when the glue finally melted halfway, forcing everyone to light torches and wait.
Late into the night, the glue finally liquefied completely. The melted glue had a thick, semi-transparent consistency. When spread onto a piece of wood, it barely dripped even when the wood was tilted.
The glue emitted a peculiar smell unfamiliar to Jian Mo. It set remarkably quickly and adhered firmly when applied to the wood.
Jian Mo intended to use wooden clamps to hold the glued boards together overnight, but before the clamps could even be adjusted, the glue solidified and hardened into a white, rigid form. The excess glue squeezed out of the seams was impossible to remove.
Jian Mo stared at the glue in astonishment.
From what he knew, even industrial glues on Earth didn’t solidify this fast.
This glue was extraordinary. With it, countless objects could be constructed.
The others, unaware of the significance of the glue’s quick-setting and strong adhesion, simply marveled at its practicality.
“This stuff is amazing! No wonder it’s a secret of the Lin Yan Tribe.”
“If we’d known their glue was this good, we would’ve gotten some sooner. My wooden stool keeps wobbling and pinching me when I sit.”
“Ha! Last time Ah Hu sat on my stool in beast form, a tuft of fur got stuck, and now he’s got a bald patch!”
“You’re the bald one!”
“Oh, yeah? Prove it by transforming right now!”
The group burst into laughter, except for Ah Hu, who was so furious he began chasing them around.
Meanwhile, Jian Mo closely inspected the glued boards. With all his strength, he couldn’t separate them.
Now he understood why the Lin Yan Tribe claimed their axes were glued together—they truly stuck fast.
Seeing his flushed face from the effort, Wu Jiong approached. “Want me to try? Are we trying to take it apart and reapply the glue?”
Jian Mo shook his head. “No, I just wanted to test how strong the bond is.”
Wu Jiong tried in human form but failed to pry it apart. De Jiang joined in and had no luck either.
Then, Ban Ming’s group crowded around, each trying their hand at it. But if Wu Jiong and De Jiang couldn’t manage, the rest stood no chance.
One beastman mishandled the wood, causing it to slip and hit his chin, drawing blood. Jian Mo quickly stepped in to stop the bleeding.
The glue from the Lin Yan Tribe was excellent, but there wasn’t much of it. By the time one cabinet was completed, the supply was exhausted.
The next morning, Jian Mo inspected the dried cabinet. It looked flawless and felt as if it had grown naturally rather than being assembled. Even when shaken, it remained rock-solid.
This was undoubtedly the finest cabinet they had ever made.
Unfortunately, they only had enough glue for one cabinet. Looking at the scattered materials, Jian Mo was eager to make three or four more.
Wu Jiong immediately read his thoughts. “Shall we go back to the Lin Yan Tribe to trade for more glue?”
Jian Mo sighed. “I doubt it. The bit of glue we have was a gift. Even if we return, they wouldn’t make more just for us.”
Wu Jiong nodded, resigned. “Then shall we make the rest of the cabinets using our usual methods?”
Jian Mo said, “Let me think. I think I know how to make basic glue.”
Glue has a long history on Earth. Before the advent of chemical adhesives, people used various animal-based glues.
When Jian Mo was in school, he had learned about the famous ejiao.
Ejiao, essentially donkey-hide glue, is similar to cowhide glue. Both are essentially adhesives, but they later became valued for their medicinal properties, particularly for replenishing blood and energy, and were rarely used as actual glue anymore.
Jian Mo also knew about another type of animal glue—fish maw glue.
This glue, like donkey-hide glue or cowhide glue, is made by boiling collagen until it becomes sticky and gelatinous.
Jian Mo briefly explained to Wu Jiong how to make fish maw glue. “It’s been a while since we’ve had fish. Let’s catch some and use their bladders to experiment.”
Wu Jiong suggested, “Let’s head to Green Marsh Source. It’s been a while since we last went there.”
Jian Mo agreed readily. “If we catch a lot of fish, we can make fish balls too. Freshly made fish balls are delicious.”
Many in the tribe were eager to join the fishing trip. Wu Jiong organized a large team, and they set out in high spirits for Green Marsh Source.
Once there, both beastmen and sub-beastmen used their unique skills to quickly haul up fat, plump fish.
It had been nearly six months since they last fished collectively at this spot, so the waters were teeming with fish, making every catch a success.
By noon, every basket they had brought was brimming with fish.
Although fish wasn’t particularly popular in their diet, the abundant harvest had everyone grinning from ear to ear.
Fishing here proved far more rewarding than the usual hunting and gathering trips.
Fortunately, the marshlands were filled with wild grass, some of which were particularly sturdy.
During their midday break, they cut some of this grass and twisted it into ropes on the spot.
In the afternoon, they sorted the fish. Those that were gravid with roe were returned to the water, while the rest were strung together through their gills and mouths with the grass ropes and carried back to the tribe.
The day’s catch was exceptionally fresh and plump. Reluctant to turn it into dried fish, they set aside what they needed for dinner and released the rest into the river near the tribe for safekeeping.
The next morning, most of the tribe turned out to process the fish.
They cleaned and gutted the fish, filleted them, and sent the fillets to be ground into fish paste at the stone mill. The paste was then shaped into fish balls.
Thanks to everyone working together, the fish balls were made in no time.
Jian Mo had previously taught the tribe how to make meatballs, and fish balls followed the same process.
After seasoning the fish paste, they simply rolled it into balls and cooked them in hot water until half-cooked before taking them out.
The fish balls, made from fresh fish, were springy and flavorful, far surpassing the store-bought ones Jian Mo had eaten on Earth.
Jian Mo tried making soup by boiling the fish balls with some root vegetables. Adding a sprinkling of green onions before serving, the soup turned out incredibly fresh and sweet.
Chirpy especially loved the fish balls, devouring an entire basin in one sitting.
Fish balls were easier to store than fresh fish. Whatever they couldn’t finish could either be dried in the sun or soaked in water and kept fresh by changing the water regularly.
If someone didn’t feel like cooking, they could simply make fish ball soup—a quick and convenient meal.
Since making fish balls didn’t require bladders, everyone set aside the bladders for Jian Mo, knowing he needed them for his project.
Jian Mo cleaned the bladders, removed any debris, and laid them out to dry in the sun. Once dried, he soaked them in water to rehydrate them, preparing them for glue-making.
Wu Jiong asked, “If you need to soak them in water, why dry them first?”
Jian Mo scratched his head. “I’m not entirely sure. I heard this is how fish maw glue is made. It also needs to be double-boiled; otherwise, it could burn.”
Wu Jiong remarked, “Sounds complicated.”
Jian Mo sighed. “It is. Let’s start tonight. We’ll let it simmer overnight and then for another day. By then, it should be ready.”
He cut the swim bladders into small pieces, placed them in a small clay pot, and set that pot inside a larger clay pot filled with water. He then started the slow boiling process.
He avoided using their metal pots, fearing that any mistake might ruin them.
Metal pots were among the most valuable possessions in their household, and damaging one was out of the question.
After a night and a day of simmering, the fish maw dissolved into a thick, milky adhesive resembling paste.
Energized, Jian Mo pulled Wu Jiong along to test the newly made glue on a cabinet.
The assembly went smoothly, though the fish maw glue dried more slowly than the adhesive from the Lin Yan Tribe. They used clamps to hold the cabinet together, and by the next morning, the glue had dried completely.
Jian Mo tested its strength. While not as robust as the Lin Yan Tribe’s glue, it held up well under regular use.
Still, there was no comparison. Even with effort, Wu Jiong and De Jiang couldn’t break apart the joints held together by the Lin Yan Tribe’s glue.
“This is fascinating,” Jian Mo murmured to himself. “The Lin Yan Tribe’s glue is unbelievably good. No wonder it’s their secret recipe.”
Wu Jiong approached and commented, “It’s probably their prized treasure.”
Jian Mo looked up. “That’s likely. Their glue must be the best among all the nearby tribes. No wonder Shu Guang couldn’t stop talking about it even decades later.”
Wu Jiong nodded. “We’ll probably remember it for decades too.”
Jian Mo replied with a laugh, “No, if we can’t make something this good, we’ll remember it for a lifetime.”
Wu Jiong patted him on the shoulder comfortingly.
Jian Mo sighed. “It seems surpassing someone else’s secret recipe isn’t so easy.”
After a moment, he asked, “What if we try trading with the Lin Yan Tribe for their recipe? Do you think they’d agree?”
Wu Jiong shook his head. “The Lin Yan Tribe might not even bother with us. Even if we offered them a recipe, they’d probably be too lazy to try it.”
Jian Mo sighed again. “That’s probably true. Glassmaking and other crafts are so labor-intensive. They don’t even seem interested in building proper houses, living in simple dugouts instead. They likely do not need to upgrade their homes.”
Wu Jiong suggested, “If you really want it, we could find out what the Lin Yan Tribe values most and see if we can win them over.”
