Beside the brick kiln, two Dwarves were adding coal inside.
On the other side, two Snow Wolves had transformed into their beast forms and were using their large paws to scratch and stomp the earth. The Dwarf children and Snow Wolf children mingled together, some stomping mud, others making brick molds, all in a very orderly fashion. Eric ran over to where Chieftain Joseph was building the house.
Under the unpolluted, azure sky, the autumn wind blew through the person-high grass.
Next to carts of red bricks, the Dwarves worked with gusto, laying the foundation for the house. Regardless of gender, they were all muscular, raising large hammers taller than themselves under the sun to tamp the earth.
He found Chieftain Joseph, who was also tamping the foundation with his beard perked up. Seeing Eric, he enthusiastically went over and gave him a hug.
"Eric, do you have a new great idea? Look at these bricks and concrete, they are so useful. You are truly a genius!" Chieftain Joseph praised loudly.
Eric blushed: "I do have a good idea. I want to build a heated bed in the house. It will be warm to lie on in the winter, and it can be connected to the kitchen stove, which is very practical."
"A heated bed?" Chieftain Joseph repeated, puzzled.
Eric squatted on the ground and drew a structural diagram for him to see:
"The bed is built with bricks, with flues in the middle. The smoke from the cooking fire in this stove will circulate through the flues before exiting through the main chimney..."
He drew and pointed:
"This will bring heat to the bed. A small furnace opening must also be left here. At night, putting in a little coal can keep it warm all night long."
The winters on the Fantasy Continent were extremely cold. With a heated bed, one could pass the winter warmly.
"Oh right, and the stove." He remembered something else: "It's made of iron, with a layer of yellow mud plastered inside, used for burning coal. Placing it in the middle of the house will be much warmer than a fireplace."
Chieftain Joseph looked at his drawing and imagined it himself. The way he looked at Eric became even more enthusiastic.
"Are you sure you won't consider joining our Dwarf clan?" he said earnestly.
Knowing Chieftain Joseph was joking, Eric smiled and said:
"We live so close to each other now, it's almost like we're one tribe."
Chieftain Joseph burst out laughing:
"Ha ha ha, you're right! We'll try making this heated bed after the foundation dries. I can make that stove tomorrow. Come and have a look then."
After agreeing on the details, the rest was left to the skilled Dwarves.
Eric hurried home and removed all the stones from the tofu. A little later and it would have been pressed into dried tofu.
He didn't know the specific number of people in each household, so it was always either Luci or Thomas who distributed the tofu to the tribe members.
The Snow Wolf people loved tofu very much; everyone was very happy each time he made it.
Eric also secretly used limestone and refined salt to make some edible soda.
The soda produced this way had a higher purity than the type made from kitchen ash.
Unfortunately, he couldn't provide the refined salt to the Dwarves. He would have to wait until Thomas Uncel was less wary of them before saying anything.
After all, although their tribe was strong in combat, their numbers were small. If they truly attracted the attention of others, they would certainly be in a dangerous situation.
The autumn sun was still very strong. Eric looked at the cloudless sky and decided to take advantage of the good temperature to make some sweet paste and soybean paste.
Flour was kneaded with cold water, cut into small pieces, and arranged on a steamer rack. While steaming the dough, he also put soybeans in the water below, conveniently steaming the dough on one side and boiling the beans on the other.
After about 20 minutes of steaming, the dough was cooked, and the soybeans below were almost done boiling. The steamed dough was spread out evenly and brought into the house to slowly ferment.
The soybeans were removed, drained, coated evenly with flour, and also placed with the dough to ferment.
The first step of making soy sauce was complete.
Luckily, he had remembered before winter. Once the sauce was done, he would be able to eat all kinds of braised meats.