Chapter 874: Ancient Farming by Internet Celebrities (9)
Although the crossbow they tried was still far away from the crossbows of later generations. It was more like a repeating bow than a crossbow, but this was still progress, wasn't it?
Xu Yin gave them a thumbs up without hesitation: "You are the best!"
Although Dashan and the others didn't understand what "great" meant, looking at the big witch's smile, they thought he was praising them.
Each one scratched their head and showed a shy smile, which was in huge contrast with their burly bodies and strong chest muscles.
With the bows and crossbows, the tribe's safety factor has been greatly improved, and the hunting team going out hunting with new equipment also makes the tribesmen feel more at ease.
The kneading pottery that Xu Yin promised to teach everyone was finally put on the schedule.
It's just that the current conditions are not enough to build a ceramic kiln, so we can only try a firewood pit kiln first.
Fortunately, the clay suitable for making pottery was found on the river beach not far from the tribe.
The river is like a sharp sword, splitting two big mountains, accumulating the melted snow water and groundwater on the top of the vast mountains, and flowing down the terrain.
The river flowing through the Xu tribe is not deep, but it is not shallow either. People who can't swim will definitely not be able to cross the river. Those who can swim will not dare to cross the river unless they have to, because there are food in the river.
The ferocious water beast of man.
There is another tribe stationed on the other side, the Cross-River Tribe mentioned earlier.
The river, which hides ferocious water animals, is like a natural protective barrier for them. They and the Xu tribe live along the river without disturbing each other.
Xu Yin originally wanted to see if there were any edible fish in the river. She would always get tired of eating meat. After getting closer, she discovered that there were indeed fish in the river, but most of them were piranhas with sharp teeth.
No, just when she was thinking about how to deal with piranhas and catch edible fish, she accidentally discovered that the soft yellow-brown mud on the river bank was clay that was very suitable for low-temperature firing.
She can knead and bake pottery, so what are you waiting for?
She led the female compatriots in the collection team to dig out two baskets of clay, spread it out in the sun to dry, then crushed it, sieved it, and kneaded it with water.
Knead it into a long strip and plate it, then fill in the gaps at the joints, and the prototype of the pottery will come out.
"Great witch, is this enough? Is it that simple?"
"Dawu, can it be used after drying it?"
The women didn't expect it to be so easy to make pottery. They said that only the great wizards of the Bright Tribe could do it. Didn't they learn it too? It wasn't difficult at all!
Xu Yin smiled and shook her head: "This is just one of the steps, the key step is still behind."
The real test of one's skills is pottery making.
She used local materials, dead branches, wood and dried grass to build an open kiln in the open space in front of the tribe.
On the firewood pile, several fire-resistant wood sections were crisscrossed, and the kneaded raw pottery was arranged in order of size on the wooden shelves.
Use tinder to light the pyre, and the pottery will be wrapped in blazing flames. When one-third of the firewood remains, use two long pokers to hold the pottery and turn it upside down on the pyre.
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Until the pottery changes color, continue to cover the pottery with hay. After the hay is burned out, a thick layer of plant ash is formed on the pottery, which helps to retain heat and carburize.
Wait for the ash pile to cool down, dig out the pottery, clean off the black charcoal on the surface, and then clean it before use.
The tribesmen who witnessed this process held their breath nervously from the time the fire was lit to the time it burned to ashes.
Is this really okay?
Won't the pottery be burned?
The pottery won't be burned into a pile of ashes, right?
As the black charcoal peeled off and the dirt was washed away, revealing a bright color that was different from raw pottery, the people raised their arms and cheered, and danced around Xu Yin in a tribal group dance that was only performed during sacrifices in the past.
Xu Yin received 500 wealth points. She raised her eyebrows. The reward for leading the tribe's people to burn pottery was actually less than the discovery of a salt mine. Is it because of low-temperature pottery? The technology content is too low?
The tribesmen will never forget this day——
Their great shaman led them to make beautiful pottery. With pottery, they no longer needed to use heavy stone pots for cooking.
Not only is pottery much lighter than stone pots, it is also more versatile than stone pots. It can not only cook, but also store water and food without getting moldy or rotting.
The smart people also put forward an idea: "Wizard, can we use the same method to burn the lids of pottery to prevent rats from stealing our food."
Xu Yin smiled and said: "Of course, you can burn whatever you want."
The consequence of this sentence is——
The cave where salt was stored was soon filled with a bunch of pottery of all kinds: big and small, tall and short, covered and uncovered, with patterns and without patterns...
Bare buttocks, the young cubs who hate cats and dogs no longer hang around the wooden fence all day long, teasing the pheasants inside, and are all obsessed with kneading pottery.
Anyway, it's not a dangerous game. It can be used even if you pinch it well and burn it. Parents, just let them play.
Xu Yin looked at the children sitting under the big tree and making pottery with clay. Her expression was quite focused and she raised the corners of her lips. The allure of pottery clay to children has never changed.
In this way, a batch of pottery is fired every few days, and if it is not used up, it is stored in the cave.
All the stone utensils used to store salt were replaced by covered earthenware pots.
Whether it is salt or pottery, they are tribal treasures that they need to take good care of. They will help them exchange for what they want and become the favorite at the fair.
Ariel's father, who was guarding the cave, felt that the responsibility on his shoulders was even heavier. He wished he had to sleep and guard the cave twenty-four hours a day.
Since Xu Yin arrived, the people of the Xu tribe have been immersed in all kinds of busyness, tired and happy.
On the day when Daying's cub was one month old, Xu Yin suggested a celebration.
It was not yet a full moon at this time, so even though Daying's wife had stitches after giving birth, she only rested for five days.
Women at this time were so strong that they could really hold up half the sky. If they hadn't had heavy bleeding and needed stitches, they wouldn't have rested for five days. Many of them would go to bed the same day after giving birth.
Seeing that she recovered quickly, Xu Yin removed her stitches on the fifth day, and then she drove the eagle to the hunting team. She also joined the weaving team, feeding her children while contributing to the tribe. Recently, she made pottery
Still the main force.
Xu Yin felt that it was necessary to hold a party to reward female comrades with such a high level of consciousness.
Winged Tiger hunted a sheep, and Eagle and the others rounded up a bison.
Let’s get the barbecue party going!
Mutton, beef, potato slices, garlic sprouts and other meat and vegetable dishes were sizzlingly roasted on the stone slab; fragrant beef brisket and potatoes were stewed in a large clay pot; a circle of skinned black potatoes was buried beside the bonfire.
The adults chatted while roasting vegetables.
The cubs were jumping around and playing games.
When the last clouds faded into the dusk, Xu Yin took the lead and picked up the newly made pottery cup, drinking Panax notoginseng tea instead of wine, and announced with a smile:
"Today is the full moon day when our little tiger baby is born. We have a day off and have a lot of fun."
"From now on, all the children of our tribe will have a day off on the full moon to celebrate the birth of new life and wish them healthy growth."
"Long live the great witch!"
The people laughed heartily, followed Xu Yin, raised their pottery cups, and drank to their heart's content.