The people of the Green Sparrow tribe seed a bit uneasy. Many of them would unconsciously look towards the west side of the tribe while working.
They were waiting for the return of the people who had gone out, specifically hoping for the return of the Divine Child.
Without the Divine Child in the tribe, even though they knew there were no nearby tribes that could pose a significant threat, they couldn’t shake the feeling of unease, as though sothing was missing.
Bai Xue, heavily pregnant, ran to the gate more tis than the witch.
She didn’t weave much fabric anymore and frequently ca out during breaks to check on things while feeding the silkworms.
She wanted to climb the wall to look out, but rembering that Brother Cheng had told her not to climb too high, she settled for standing at the gate instead.
After anxiously watching for a while, she saw that the west side was still calm. Disappointed, Bai Xue turned to head back to feed the silkworms.
The silkworms were nearly fully grown, and about to molt one last ti, so they had a large appetite.
She turned around and took a couple of steps back and, out of habit, glanced west again. Then, a miracle happened.
Where there had been no sign of anyone, there were people carrying loads and deer carrying bags on the small path in the west-side woods.
After a mont of stunned silence, the overjoyed Bai Xue rubbed her belly and, without saying a word, quickly ran toward the group.
"They’re back! They’re back!"
After Bai Xue ran a little distance, others noticed the returning group and shouted excitedly, causing the Green Sparrow tribe to erupt in joy.
"My goodness!"
Han Cheng, walking near the front of the group, looked at the tribe that appeared in front of him and heard the cheers from the tribe’s people welcoming their return. Like the others in the group, Han Cheng smiled broadly, feeling that all their hardships were worth it at this mont.
However, this good mood quickly vanished when he saw Bai Xue holding her belly and running towards them, leaving everyone else behind without a word. Han Cheng imdiately muttered, “My goodness!” and rushed out of the group.
This silly woman was becoming more and more troubleso...
The Green Sparrow tribe was excited as bags of copper ore were unloaded and piled in a large heap.
Under the sunlight, these ores looked especially beautiful and more eye-catching than ordinary stones.
Shaman picked up a semi-transparent malachite and held it up to the sunlight, instantly feeling like the world had beco more vibrant.
Bai Xue, who had just been slapped on the head twice like a little kitten, followed Han Cheng, unwilling to leave his side. Wherever he went, she followed like a little shadow. ????Ｎ????????
“The silkworms are about to starve,” Han Cheng helplessly pointed to the silkworms in a nearby basket, who had eaten all the mulberry leaves and were now raising their heads in hunger.
Only then did Bai Xue reluctantly leave Han Cheng to feed the silkworms.
After feeding them, she imdiately returned to Han Cheng’s side without a pause.
Han Cheng could only smile helplessly, but inside, he didn’t mind.
Now that the copper ore was returned, the next step was refining the pure copper.
To slt copper, they needed to build a furnace, which Han Cheng had never seen before. He also had no experience in slting copper, so he would have to figure it out slowly.
After dumping the ore they brought back onto the ground, Han Cheng shared what had happened and inquired about what had taken place in the tribe during his absence. They exchanged stories about their ti apart, had lunch, and rested for a while. Afterward, Han Cheng left the tribe, calling on Hei Wa, who loved pottery making, to walk with him outside the tribe.
Of course, it wasn’t for spring outings or anything like that but for finding a suitable place to build a furnace.
For slting copper, the furnace should be placed downwind from the residential area and downstream of the river. This can reduce the fus' impact on people and prevent mining waste from polluting the water source.
The terrain should also be elevated and farther from the river to avoid the furnace being dampened by moisture or flooded during high water levels.
After much consideration, Han Cheng finally chose a spot in the northwest of the tribe, near the quarry.
The southeastern wind predominates here, so it’s a downwind area, and it’s far enough from the river to avoid any impact.
Since the Green Sparrow Tribe uses land transportation for hauling ores, being far from the river isn’t a big issue.
This spot was a small hillock with high terrain, making it less likely to get damp, making it an ideal location for building a furnace.
Once the location was chosen, Han Cheng wasted no ti and imdiately instructed people to start the construction.
First, they dug a half-ter-wide tunnel at the highest point of the hillock and covered the tunnel with stone slabs.
In the center, they placed a round ceramic dish with a diater of over thirty centiters. The dish was over five centiters thick, and it was covered with holes about two centiters in diater, resembling a honeycomb.
They spread a thick layer of yellow earth and clay on top of the stone slabs and then began to set up the furnace.
This setup would minimize moisture while ensuring ventilation, air circulation, and the ability to release ash, helping the fire burn more vigorously.
Once the basic structure was completed, the sky was already getting dark, and the rest would have to wait until tomorrow.
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder," Han Cheng, still in the pri of his youth, shared a tender mont with Bai Xue after hearing the children’s sounds that night. No need to go into further detail.
The next day, he called on Hei Wa to continue working on the furnace.
Hei Wa was quite experienced with making furnaces, so he wasn’t troubled by the task. Soone brought bricks to the site, and the furnace was freshly completed by noon. A large jar was placed on top, and the Green Sparrow Tribe now had its copper slting furnace.
Although, it did look a bit too simple or childish.
Han Cheng didn’t have many ideas on how to improve this—it was the best he could do, as he wasn’t familiar with copper slting and could only learn by doing.
They put so wood into the newly built furnace to dry it and test the fire.
The furnace worked well; the fire burned fiercely, and the furnace had dried by afternoon.
Shaman, the Eldest Senior brother, and others were eager to start slting copper, hoping to see this tal soon.
Copper was tricky to handle, and given the current state of the furnace, slting it would likely take a long ti.
Han Cheng looked at the sun setting in the west. He suppressed his excitent and didn’t agree with Shaman and the others' suggestions. Instead, he had people transport the copper ores to the site.
At the sa ti, he had a shelter built around the furnace using tree trunks and other materials to cover it.
This would protect the furnace from wind and rain, and they could store so charcoal under the shelter. The shelter would allow them to continue slting copper on windy or rainy days without much interference.
Before nightfall, the copper ores and charcoal were delivered, and the shelter was being built according to Han Cheng’s instructions. It would be completed in no more than three days.
As the population grew and the tribe beca more skilled, the speed at which the people of Green Sparrow Tribe completed such tasks had significantly improved.
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