Building a house is quite a large project, especially when constructing stone or wooden houses. Just moving stones or cutting trees requires a considerable amount of time.
Jiang Xuan did not intend to spend so much time; he planned to adapt to local conditions and build a bamboo house.
Bamboo usually grows very tall and straight, is relatively light in weight, and durable, making it suitable for building houses.
The only issue was how to cut it down.
Bamboo is incredibly hard, and without iron tools, bringing it down is not an easy task.
However, this didn't pose a problem for Jiang Xuan. He had seen someone using fire to burn through bamboo, a method that was time-saving and labor-saving.
Jiang Xuan said to Gou Teng, "Pile all the bamboo leaves and branches around the base of the bamboo, then light a fire to burn through it, but be very careful not to set the entire bamboo forest on fire."
Gou Teng nodded, "Don't worry, we'll be careful."
"Okay, let's start then. Each person is responsible for a fire pile."
Jiang Xuan chose a relatively large clearing in the bamboo grove, then gathered the thick bamboo leaves and dead bamboo on the ground to the base of a bamboo.
Chi Shao brought over a burning piece of bamboo from the pile in the bamboo shed to ignite the bamboo leaves and dead bamboo Jiang Xuan had accumulated.
"Crackle, crackle..."
The flames quickly blazed up, and under the high temperature, the surface of the bamboo soon oozed a lot of oil and steam, making a "hissing" sound.
Chi Shao squatted beside Jiang Xuan, also collecting dead bamboo and leaves to burn a bamboo. She occasionally looked at Jiang Xuan.
She realized that this brother seemed different from before, always coming up with some odd methods.
Maybe the destruction of their tribe had stimulated him, causing him to grow.
Chi Shao didn't think much of it; Jiang Xuan's growth was a good thing.
Bamboo is hollow and flammable; even when green, it can quickly be burned through.
After burning through the two bamboos, Jiang Xuan moved the fire pile to the base of adjacent bamboos to continue burning.
"Rustle, rustle..."
Jiang Xuan struggled to pull down the burnt bamboo.
The bamboo forest was dense, with branches and leaves intertwined between bamboos, requiring quite a bit of strength to pull it down.
"Let me do it."
Chi Shao walked over, took the bamboo from Jiang Xuan's arms, and forcefully yanked the two bamboos down, dragging them to the clearing outside the bamboo grove.
For this, Jiang Xuan could only sigh again: women from primitive tribes were just too fierce.
With the efforts of the five, it took half a day to burn down dozens of neighboring bamboo, clearing a space within the bamboo forest.
This space was rectangular, about six to seven meters long and four to five meters wide, with dense bamboo growth around it.
In the center of the clearing, Jiang Xuan had deliberately left three rows of bamboo in a straight line to be used as pillars for the bamboo house.
If he were to dig holes and put up pillars himself, it would be time-consuming and labor-intensive without handy tools, and not necessarily stable.
Live bamboo did not have these issues, as they were deeply rooted and very stable.
After the bamboo house was built, they only needed to burn off the outer skin of the live bamboo at the root, and it would naturally wither and die.
There were still quite a few protruding bamboo stumps on the ground, so Jiang Xuan had everyone continue burning them until all the stumps were removed, leveling the ground.
Next, it was time to start building the bamboo house.
Jiang Xuan's idea was simple; he would leave live bamboo to serve as pillars in all the places where columns were needed in the middle and around the bamboo house.
Then, he only needed to trim the branches and leaves off the burnt bamboo and burn them to the required length.
Utilizing the live bamboo as pillars, vines would be used to tie the cross beams needed for the roof onto them.
Then, using the burnt bamboo to form a triangular roof structure, which is convenient for drainage.
After constructing the roof, they needed to climb up, using stones to cut off the excess portions of the live bamboo with a Stone Knife or Stone Axe, and burn off the root's outer skin.
Finally, the roof covered with bark and bundled dried grass; then, complete the walls and doors on all sides.
This way of making a bamboo house was not only sturdy but also saved a significant amount of time and effort.
The construction of the bamboo house began immediately after clearing the space.
During the construction period, Chi Shao would take some time every day to venture deep into the bamboo forest or to the forests on either side of Stone Mountain to set up hunting traps.
This place hadn't likely been visited before, with plenty of prey, allowing Chi Shao to catch something every day, like muntjacs, wild boars, pheasants, bamboo partridges, and mountain rats.
With a decent supply of meat, the five of them were full of energy, spending a full ten days to complete the bamboo house!
"Finally, it's built!"
Standing inside the bamboo house he had built himself, Jiang Xuan didn't know why, but tears welled up in his eyes.
A house is not just a place to eat and sleep; it brings a sense of security. Without a house, one doesn't know where to go tomorrow, like a rootless duckweed.
"From now on, this will be our home!" Jiang Xuan announced this to everyone while pointing at the bamboo house.
Chi Shao, Gou Teng, and the others were equally excited. With a house, they could sleep soundly at night without standing guard every night in fear.
However, the bamboo house was empty inside and still needed furniture to fill it.
First, they needed to make some beds, as Jiang Xuan did not want to sleep on the cold, damp ground all the time.
The material for making beds would, of course, still be bamboo.
Jiang Xuan led the group to burn down dozens more bamboos in front of the bamboo house, not only clearing a space before the door but also providing bamboo to make various pieces of furniture.
He burnt the bamboos to similar lengths, then tied them into bamboo rafts with vines, forming simple bed boards.
Subsequently, Jiang Xuan specifically found some thick bamboos, tying them horizontally under the bed boards so that the boards could be elevated, away from the cold, damp ground.
With the efforts of the five, they made five such beds, allowing each to have one.
This made them very happy, especially Chi Shao, who, being the only girl besides Jiang Xuan, didn't want to sleep next to anyone else.
Over these days, a large amount of wood ash and bamboo charcoal was produced, which Jiang Xuan used to sprinkle generously around the spots where the beds would go inside the bamboo house, serving as insect repellent and moisture absorption.
Afterward, he moved the five single beds into the bamboo house.
Due to the limited space inside, the four boys' bamboo beds were placed on the left side, lined up together, while Chi Shao's bed was placed separately on the right side.
Jiang Xuan and the others laid out a lot of dry grass on the beds, followed by a thick layer of bamboo leaves, and then topped with a layer of soft moss, making it much more comfortable without poking them while sleeping.
Finally, Jiang Xuan used a lot of bamboo as screens to create a partitioned room for Chi Shao, giving her a private room to sleep in.
This made Chi Shao very happy. After all, who wouldn't want their own private space?
After sorting out the beds, Jiang Xuan and the others moved a pile of relatively flat stones from the creek side, forming a hearth in the center of the house. Once the hearth was lit, this new bamboo house came to life.
As for other furniture, including pots, pans, and utensils, they would gradually add and improve those in the future.
Once everything was completed, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
At night, Jiang Xuan lay on the bamboo bed, looking at the closed door and the flames burning in the hearth, feeling at ease for the first time.
Things would only get better from now on, and with this thought in mind, Jiang Xuan, wearing a smile, drifted into dreamland.