We made you the chief, and now you've become the world's chief?

Chapter 28 Pottery Making in Progress

“You, go and get some branches and charcoal, and put them near the entrance of that big earthen kiln.”

Reaching the entrance of the cave, Xia Minghao addressed the women who were still mixing mud or shaping pottery bowls.

The women looked at their chief, some with a hint of confusion on their faces.

Why are they putting charcoal and branches in the large earthen kiln? Are they about to eat?
But I've only just woken up.

Hima didn't think much of it, but simply stood up and began to assign tasks to the women.

After giving instructions to the women, Xia Minghao naturally had to personally "escort" the earthenware jars, pots, and vats.

After making three trips back and forth, Xia Minghao carefully placed the first batch of pottery next to the large earthen kiln that had been prepared in advance, and then began to conduct a final inspection of the kiln.

This earthen kiln was specifically prepared for firing pottery, so it has never been used.

Its structure is also slightly different from the earthen kiln for roasting meat and the charcoal kiln for burning charcoal.

The interior is divided into two layers: the upper layer holds pottery, and the lower layer holds fuel, with the two layers connected.

The upper level is actually quite large; there's more than enough room to hold these three pieces of pottery.

After carefully placing it inside, the women also brought over branches and charcoal.

After delivering the goods, the women did not return to their posts, but instead stood by the earthen kiln watching.

Because they all saw that what was put into the kiln was not fish or wood, but the clay they had been working hard to make these past few days!
Mud, they used to only use it as a toy for little creatures, or to smear on their bodies to repel insects when it rained and there were more bugs.

Never before have I shaped clay into strips and coiled it into all sorts of shapes as I have these past few days.

Although the chief explained that these things could be used to store water and food.

But they simply couldn't figure out how to do it.

Even if the mud dries, if you pour water back in, it will still become a mess, and eventually all the water will drain away.

If the goal is to store food, why not simply wrap the food in mud?
Besides, food wrapped in mud smells worse than food left to dry on a rack...

Now, they all realize that the answers to so many questions seem to be on the horizon.

Watching Xia Minghao's actions, the women's curiosity burned like twigs thrown into a campfire.

After placing the pottery, Xia Minghao began to pile stones on top of the kiln, trying to make it as high as possible.

Then, wet mud was applied to adhere and shape the object, leaving only a small opening.

This is to increase the height of the kiln roof and maximize the temperature.

Instead of burning charcoal first, a small pile of branches was pushed into the lower part of the earthen kiln through the bottom opening before the embers were added.

A small flame ignited, and thick smoke rose up.

Xia Minghao first placed a small pile of branches to preheat the kiln and pottery.

Xia Minghao learned this from a staff member when he was learning pottery at a pottery workshop.

What was originally just casual conversation to strike up a conversation has now become a great help.

If the pottery is fired directly over a high flame without preheating, the failure rate will increase significantly.

After feeling that the preheating was almost complete, Xia Minghao pushed the charcoal into the kiln.

Now all we need to do is wait for it to fire thoroughly, then seal the kiln and let the temperature drop slowly.

"Chief, why are you putting them in the kiln to roast like meat and fish?"

One of the women, unable to contain her curiosity, finally spoke up and asked Xia Minghao.

But the only response I received was a simple sentence: "You'll find out at dinner time."

The less they talked about it, the more curious the women became, to the point that they were distracted while making pottery.

Xia Minghao decided to take a break. He had been exhausted lately, almost like working overtime for half a month straight.

The reason they can maintain such a good mental state is perhaps simply because everything they do is truly for themselves, rather than working for others. The women returned very early today; Xia Minghao specifically asked Xima to take the women to inform them and instructed them to fetch water with animal hides again.

Because the kiln is about to be opened...

I tested the temperature inside the kiln, and it was already quite well cooled.

All the members of the Xi tribe, including the newly joined Ye Zi and the others, gathered around the earthen kiln and watched.

It was as if some mysterious ritual was being performed.

Amidst the fiery clouds filling the sky, a few weary birds occasionally flitted by on their way back to their nests.

As the sunset glowed, Xia Minghao carefully broke open the small opening sealed with mud and cautiously removed the stones piled on top of the furnace to prevent any pebbles from falling into the kiln.

Handle them with utmost care, as if they were dealing with some priceless antique.

Finally, the kiln was reopened, and the pottery inside saw the light of day again!

After clearing away all the pebbles and clods of earth, Xia Minghao immediately craned his neck to look inside.

But their expectant gazes froze upon seeing the inside of the furnace.

The largest earthenware jar was shattered beyond recognition... and the earthenware pot was also in a terrible state...

There was only one earthenware pot, which appeared to be intact.

With a last glimmer of hope, Xia Minghao took a deep breath and carefully picked up the earthenware pot.

After taking it out, I subconsciously held my breath and examined it carefully.

The sides of the pot are fine, the rim is fine, the bottom is fine...

Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief and accept the somewhat saddening yield of 31% burn rate, a thin crack came into view.

Something's wrong with the bottom of the pot!
Blowing away some ash from inside the pottery, the jagged cracks at the bottom of the pot became clearer.

"hiss……"

After watching it a couple of times, my heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally recovered from its near-death state.

Fortunately, it was only cracked inside and did not go through the entire bottom of the pot; otherwise, even this one crack would have caused serious problems.

"It'll probably break down after a few uses, but at least we can have boiled meat tonight."

Staring at the glaring crack, Xia Minghao's brows furrowed involuntarily.

What went wrong?
Logically, I've considered every step, from selecting materials and filtering to shaping the blanks, air-drying, and preheating before firing...

If this problem isn't solved, pottery making will be entirely based on luck, and the success rate will be shockingly low.

The women didn't disturb Xia Minghao; they just quietly gathered around him.

They certainly saw what came out of the kiln and naturally compared it silently to those soft, limp pieces.

Things did seem different, but they couldn't quite put their finger on what was different...

To find out the cause, we probably have to conduct experiments. The Second Five-Year Plan has already been delayed by a few days, and it seems that we will have to put in a lot more effort.

Xia Minghao shifted his gaze from the earthenware pot in his hand and looked back at the women, his brows regaining their usual calm.

In times of difficulty, we must see the achievements, see the light, and strengthen our courage...

This is a sentence that Xia Minghao really likes, and it comes to mind now.

Although two of the three pottery pieces were broken, at least one is still usable, isn't it?
This is just the first step, and it's still worth celebrating!

Now that things have come to this, let’s eat first!
Only after eating a full meal can one have the energy to properly investigate the cause.

"Let's start cooking, but today, we're not grilling meat, we're using this instead!"

After saying that, under the women's surprised gazes, Xia Minghao shook the earthenware pot in his hand.

(End of this chapter)