The pottery basin tilted, and the clarified water flowed along the edge into another basin, leaving behind the grass and wood ashes that had become muddy.
Han Cheng added clean water to it again, stirred it after clarification, and poured it into another basin.
The water wouldn't be poured away. Instead, it would be kept for tanning animal hides, ensuring a recycling process.
After repeating this process three times, he finally stopped.
He took out the grass and wood ashes that had been thoroughly soaked in water from the basin and divided them into two portions.
The grass and wood ashes just soaked were soft and didn't form a solid mass. This wasn't a big concern; it would be similar even when mixing cement and lime. Once it dried, it would become very sturdy.
He found several sticks with a diameter of three to four centimeters, pieced them together into an irregular rectangular frame, and pressed them from the outside with stones to prevent the sticks from rolling around and damaging the shape designed by Han Cheng.
After creating a simple mold, Han Cheng poured one portion of the soaked grass and wood ashes into it, trying to flatten it as much as possible with his hands.
If Han Cheng's hair were styled into two braids resembling goat horns, and if he made the little leather skirt less sexy and hummed a tune like ‘Mushroom Sauce, Tastes Good…', he would be a perfect girl picking mushrooms…
But he was not going to pick mushrooms. He was getting sand to mix into the remaining grass and wood ashes. Experiments were necessary to confirm which one would be sturdier when compared to modern cement.
In theory, adding sand should make it sturdier. However, this stuff was grass and wood ashes, not cement. Using grass and wood ashes as a binder was something he had never encountered before. It was necessary to conduct experiments to confirm the results. Otherwise, it would be troublesome to find out later that something was wrong after applying it to the roof.
The place with sand was a bit far from the tribe, located at a bend in the river downstream, about two miles away.
When Han Cheng came out, he happened to meet the Eldest Senior Brother and Shang passing by, each carrying a load of dung. He stopped them and asked them to put the loads aside, take their weapons, and accompany him downstream. It could be considered as taking a break.
Because there was such a large group of people around the Green Sparrow Tribe, there were generally no large predators lurking. When these upright walking monkeys wielding sticks gathered together for survival, the overlords of the wilderness generally wouldn't easily provoke them.
However, it wasn't sure. After all, animals have legs and can run. Although most large predators have their fixed hunting territories and wouldn't easily roam, some predators also like to wander around like free-spirited wandering minstrels.
If someone with bad luck encounters them, not to mention being swallowed whole, just getting slapped by their huge paws like monkeys stealing peaches might leave Han Cheng emasculated, and the end of this book might be ruined…
The sand at the downstream river bay wasn't fantastic, probably because the place where the Green Sparrow Tribe lived was relatively close to the source of the small river, and the sand in the river hadn't undergone enough washing from big waves.
The Eldest Senior Brother carried a whole basket of sand, and Han Cheng struggled with sand that didn't seem to have much weight in the Eldest Senior Brother’s hands. Han Cheng shook his head, thinking that he should eat more, sleep more, and exercise more in the future to grow taller quickly, gain great strength, and do more things without feeling overwhelmed…
The sand at the river bay had been washed very clean by the water, making it the best type of sand that wouldn't affect the firmness of the cement.
After escorting the shaman and returning with sand, the Eldest Senior Brother and Shang didn't want to leave immediately.
Han Cheng understood their thoughts and didn't urge them with words. Instead, he took some sand and mixed it with the remaining portion of grass and wood ashes.
One couldn't add too much sand either; everything had to be about the right amount, with the ideal result being that the sand blending inside wouldn't reveal its original color.
Of course, this was just a rough standard. The following experiments will define more detailed standards based on different purposes.
The well-mixed, unique cement was placed by Han Cheng into a rudimentary mold, waiting for it to dry and solidify, just like before.
Watching the excitement on the faces of the Eldest Senior Brother and Shang, who had been standing by, Han Cheng smiled and told them they would know the results after waiting.
The two stopped asking and went on to do the dung-picking work.
Looking around, Han Cheng saw that the pure grass and wood ash "ingot" left before had no water stains on its surface. He took a small straw, poked it slightly, and found it soft. He then cleaned the clay pot used to mix the mud, preventing it from drying up and being hard to clean later.
The two cement "ingots" were placed not directly under the scorching sun to avoid high temperatures affecting solidification.
With the tasks at hand completed, only time, the magical catalyst could bring about the results. It was now a matter of waiting, hoping for good outcomes.
Han Cheng stayed here for a while longer, but seeing that the results wouldn't be visible quickly, he took Fu Jiang and headed back to the wilderness in autumn.
Fu Jiang must not be brought away. Han Cheng instructed that no one should touch them, especially the unruly Fu Jiang…
Outside the courtyard, the people of the Green Sparrow Tribe were still busy. To wear the crown, one must bear its weight. To enjoy better living conditions, one must put in hard work.
As the sun inclined westward, the twilight descended like a large net.
Tired birds returned to the forest, and the people of the Green Sparrow Tribe, who had worked all day, carried their respective tools, shrouded in the dusk, and headed towards the courtyard. Having stopped their work, they enjoyed this rare moment of leisure…
The cooking smoke rose gently, and the fragrance of food mixed with the twilight permeated the tribe, bringing a profound sense of tranquility.
Without Han Cheng saying anything, the kids who loved to talk, guarded the two slightly solidified cement "ingots." When they saw someone passing by, they would remind them not to step on the things made by Divine Child.
The place where Han Cheng placed the two cement "ingots" was about five or six meters away from the main path in front of the cave, and generally, people wouldn't go there.
After their shouting, people who came back gathered to see what was happening. The children were more excited when they saw adults approaching.
As dusk gradually fell, the light dimmed, and the people couldn't see the appearance of the things surrounded by wood. However, those who came to observe observed for a while, then left with a confident expectation, feeling satisfied.