After the necessary experiments, the kiln-fired lime was, under Han Cheng’s orders, transported by a group of mask-wearing people from the tribe, using wheelbarrows along the stone-paved road to a spot between the new and old walls of the tribe.
Due to the previous soil excavation for building the walls, numerous pits remained here.
And since it was now summer, most of these pits had accumulated water.
Han Cheng designated a pit not far from where houses were being built and had the lime dumped into it.
Under the watchful eyes of many, a wheelbarrow full of lime was poured in, causing a burst of steam and bubbling.
With each cartload of quicklime dumped, the water in the pit was absorbed and drained, and the remaining water in other pits was transferred into this one.
The sight of the steaming, bubbling lime amazed everyone in the tribe.
Han Cheng warned everyone emphatically not to jump into the lime pit, then, leaving the astonished crowd behind, he took some quicklime in a tile basin and hurried towards the tribe’s cave.
Arriving at the cave, he first poured some water on the lime to activate it, then went to the lame carpenter’s workshop and gathered some sawdust from the ground.
Returning to the cave, seeing the lime had cooled somewhat, Han Cheng took eggs from a tile jar and rolled them back and forth in the lime basin.
He coated them with lime, then dug them out to roll them around in the sawdust pile, and finally wrapped another layer of sawdust on the outside.
This completed one preserved egg.
Of course, Han Cheng was only an amateur at making preserved eggs, so he didn’t try many — just five eggs for the experiment.
That way, even if it failed, the loss wouldn’t be too significant.
After making the preserved eggs, the rest was waiting — a rather lengthy process.
During this waiting time, the people in the tribe began digging out the set lime, mixing it with sand to form a cement-like substance, and using it to build stone walls. Sometimes they even filled the cracks between stones with it.
Tests showed this lime mixture was indeed much sturdier than simple mud cement.
While everyone was delighted to have gained such valuable material for the tribe, Han Cheng “discovered” another use for the lime.
This story goes back a few days.
At that time, the tribe was busy with assigned tasks. Since Fire Two’s passing, the oldest man in the tribe, Shaman, was nursing a little kid.
In this setting, the “Divine Child” Han Cheng casually approached and said something that shocked everyone:
He wanted to renovate the tribe’s big blue-brick tile-roofed house.
This statement stunned everyone.
That house, used as both a school and a meeting hall, was the grandest and best building the Green Sparrow Tribe had ever built.
For the Divine Child to say it needed renovation was surprising.
Seeing the reaction from Shaman and others, Han Cheng realized they had misunderstood him.
He clarified after thinking for a moment, “Just plaster the walls.”
However, even with this explanation, everyone remained dumbfounded, their eyes wide and faces filled with confusion.
So Han Cheng didn’t elaborate further; he dismissed everyone and went to find the first carpenter, the one who was lame.
He drew diagrams on the ground, instructing him to make tools for plastering.
If words don’t work, show by doing — a good habit Han Cheng had cultivated in this era.
The tools for plastering were simple: besides the basin, only two items.
One was a rectangular wooden float with a handle, the other was a trowel.
The trowel’s construction was simple: a wooden board sawed smooth on one face, and on the back, towards the center rear, a concave handle was fixed lengthwise.
This completed the trowel.
After preparing the tools, Han Cheng personally mixed and sifted fine sand with lime, putting it in a basin.
With a wooden float in one hand and the trowel in the other, he began working.
Though Han Cheng hadn’t personally plastered walls in his previous life, he had seen it many times.
The first time doing it himself, though awkward, he managed.
He first scooped some lime mortar with the trowel, transferred it to the float, and then spread the mortar onto the extremely smooth side of the bottom of the mold.
Then, using the trowel, he pressed the mortar onto the wall surface.
After two passes, a small patch of the brick wall was covered.
Only then did everyone realize the Divine Child’s “renovation” meant plastering.
But that was all they saw — they didn’t realize how good the blue-brick tile house would look after this treatment.
The lime plaster looked like a large patch on a piece of clothing, awkward and out of place.
Han Cheng didn’t care what Shaman, the eldest senior brother, and others thought. Even if he knew, he wouldn’t mind.
Coming from the future, he was aware of the effects of lime plaster.
It now looked awkward because the plastered area was too small, and the lime was still wet, so the color was dull and the effect was poor.
Naturally, Han Cheng couldn’t plaster such a large building alone, so he just tried a small patch to show what plastering was, then stopped for the time being.
The eldest senior brother and others continued building new houses and pigpens.
Meanwhile, the lame carpenter, under Han Cheng’s instructions, kept making more trowels.
Many in the tribe thought the Divine Child had given up because the plastering didn’t look good.
But when the rain came and outdoor work stopped, they found they were completely wrong.
Those hoping for a break in the rain were all pressed into service by the Divine Child, each given a wooden float, a trowel, and a basin.
Scaffolding was erected indoors, and the “defiling” of the blue-brick tile house resumed.
At first, most people plastered the walls while feeling sorry for the house.
This feeling didn’t last long.
Once the whole back side was plastered, the view completely changed — that pity vanished…