I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 37 A new beginning

The construction of the drum wheel was a long process. Luc and Ryan worked for two hours every day during the noon hour, and spent the rest of the time fattening up in the wooden house. At most, Luc would come out every now and then to practice archery.

When winter passed and March came, Luc was fine, Ryan had grown a head taller, and little Charlie had fully grown up.

March is the time when wheat and rye need irrigation, which is why Luc decided to build a drum wheel first.

The weather warmed up, and although there was little food left, Luc decided to finish building the unfinished brick kiln first and build a doghouse for little Charlie - it was time for this guy to go out and sleep.

"Ryan, go make a bowl of vegetable soup. How much dried meat is left? Eat it up quickly or it will go bad!"

"Okay sir!"

It was Luc's first time spending the winter in the wild, and he overestimated the appetite of two people. If it weren't for little Charlie, a lot of food would probably have gone bad.

With a lot of hunting experience, Luc no longer has to worry about lack of meat. Wild vegetables, such as wild garlic, have also begun to appear in the forest.
It may be because Luc came to the forest in July and August, so the wild garlic that began to wither in June had no chance to meet Luc. When he found the wild garlic at this time, he did not care that it was still in the seedling stage and pulled out some to taste it.

Luc looked down at the brick kiln outside the fence.

The circular base had been built in the winter. The bottom was piled very high and filled with stones and sand in the middle. The stove mouth was at the bottom, which is now the top of the kiln.

Unlike charcoal kilns, brick kilns are made entirely of clay, mud and stones, and are about thirty centimeters thick.

The kiln roof is arched, and having experience in building similar arched fireplaces, Luc easily completed the top construction.

Building a brick kiln is actually not difficult. The principle of burning bricks is similar to that of burning charcoal. Airtightness and temperature are key factors.

The really difficult part is the clay.

To make good bricks, clay is best used, and it also needs to go through a series of steps such as weathering, crushing, and filtering. Although Luc saved some of this, the clay still needs to be repeatedly crushed.
It would be fine if Luc had a large animal like a cow to trample on the bricks, but the key point is that he only has two people and a dog. He wants the fired bricks to be compact, so Luc has to work very hard to get the clay blocks almost right.

Ryan made a mold for the mud block with a wooden board, put the yellow mud in it, and the prototypes of the bricks were placed in rows in the fenced yard.

While waiting for the air to dry, a silent drizzle suddenly fell at night, and as a result, Luc's first batch of clay blocks were destroyed before they could be fired.
Five days later, the second batch of dried clay blocks were loaded vertically into the kiln roof, and Luc began to seal the kiln.

The large amount of charcoal that had been burned during this period was ignited, and the scorching temperature almost melted Luc.

Keep adding charcoal until it is over 800 degrees. Then just keep this temperature for about a day to burn it completely, and finally wait for it to cool down naturally.

Luc and Ryan took turns lighting the charcoal, and while waiting they began to think about little Charlie's doghouse.

In fact, building a doghouse is not complicated. The most important thing is how to keep little Charlie warm in winter and cool in summer.

The cabin was not suitable for little Charlie to live in. The overheated fireplace combined with his fur almost made him faint from the heat, which was proof of that.

Based on this, Luc built the doghouse under a treetop, thickened the wall, made the exit narrow and small, covered it with thatch, and rolled up a curtain on top.

In this way, the doghouse was shaded by trees in the summer and had wind-resistant walls and curtains in the winter. It only took Luc three days to build it.

Drive the grown-up Charlie into the kennel, and close the fence door at night so that he can't run out. He can also act as a watchdog outside the yard.

The kiln would take at least ten days to fire, so Luc wasn't impatient. He and Ryan weeded the thin grass for the early spring grain and then began to think about building the toilet. What was the purpose of the toilet?
Besides hygiene, of course it’s for composting!

Learning from previous experience, Luc plans to collect feces and catalyze it from now on.

The toilet is located behind the wooden house and outside the fenced yard. In order to facilitate access, a small door is opened in the back wall.

The toilet was built very simply, with wooden boards erected around it to block the view. A deep pit was dug underneath, connected to the composting area. There was a trench between the two, and the trench was filled with odor-removing plants.

Speaking of the toilet, Luc felt a pain in his butt.

During this period, people used sticks or leaves to go to the toilet. Paper was extremely rare in the Middle Ages. Who would be willing to use such precious paper to wipe their butt?
I heard that pebbles, thick hemp ropes, and salmon fillets are more commonly used, and the latter two can only be afforded by people of a certain status.
Coming out of the bathroom, Luc once again felt the burning sensation in his lower body and sighed deeply: "There's still a long way to go."

"Master, the temperature in the brick kiln has dropped!"

Ryan, who had been keeping an eye on the brick kiln for the past few days, jumped up and down and waved to Luc. As soon as the brick kiln cooled down, he hurried to tell Luc the good news.

It's no wonder Ryan was so concerned. It was the first time he heard of the existence of red bricks.
Ryan had been excited when he was burning charcoal not long ago, but he had heard of charcoal before, but he had never heard anyone mention the word red brick.
Before firing the bricks, Luc vowed to Ryan, "With this, we can build a house that's better than a wooden house!"

Luke tied his pigskin belt and quickly ran to the brick kiln. After a careful inspection, he found that it was ready to be opened.

"Break the kiln roof!"

Luc was also excited. The benefits of red bricks were absolutely obvious.

He had not lied to Ryan. In his plan, as long as red bricks could be fired, why bother building a wooden house when constructing a real house?

In other words, it is entirely possible to combine wood and red bricks to build a house that is both beautiful and sturdy, and also warm in winter and cool in summer.

In addition, fireplaces and stoves can be made of red bricks.

Of course, this is an ideal situation, because the workload required to produce so many red bricks is extremely huge.

The two men slowly dismantled the kiln roof, and the sunlight spread into the brick kiln. Luke reached out and picked up a red brick that had been baked. He flicked it lightly, and the sound was muffled, not crisp.

"It's okay, it's just the first time. As long as it works, we can continue to improve it!"

Luke smiled and turned to Ryan, who was staring at the red bricks, and said:

"I think we should be able to complete the cellar."

"This time, I want to see how the mouse digs a hole in the brick!"

Luc said it arrogantly, but later when he was grinding bricks around the bottom of the cellar, he still laid several layers inside and outside, just in case
When everything was ready, Luc was in a good mood as he looked at the grain that would be harvested in two or three months.

My home is finally going from nothing to something and moving on to the next stage!

(End of this chapter)