Desert Island Infrastructure: Claiming the System Brings Many Blessings

Qin Chuan quickened his pace, passed through an area where ferns grew, and came to a shallow stream.

The stream wasn't deep, only ankle-deep. The soil on the stream bank was a distinctly different color from other places, a dark red, and had a fine texture.

Qin Chuan squatted down and scratched the clay a couple of times with his hands. The red clay spread between his fingers; it was moist, sticky, and smooth to knead, without any noticeable gritty texture.

nice one.

Qin Chuan used a folding knife to dig a shallow pit on the bank of the stream, then found a wooden stick and scooped out chunks of clay, piling them on a large banana leaf next to him.

After digging for about twenty minutes, a large pile of red clay was accumulated on the banana leaves, which I estimated to weigh thirty or forty pounds.

Qin Chuan picked up the four corners of the banana leaf, tied a knot, put it on his shoulder, and walked towards the camp.

When we returned to the camp, there was already a large pit in the open space on the east side of the yard.

Liu Yifei was squatting by the pit, holding a rusty jackhammer in her hand, her forehead covered in sweat. The sleeves of her dark gray sweatshirt were rolled up to her elbows, revealing her two fair forearms. The muscles on her arms weren't thick, but the lines were very clear.

The pit was dug to a depth of about half a meter, but it was still halfway there.

Mina squatted by the pit, holding a coconut shell of water in her hand, and occasionally handed it to Liu Yifei to drink a sip.

"Sister Yifei, you take a break, I'll dig it up."

Liu Yifei shook her head: "You've just recovered, don't push yourself too hard."

Mina pursed her lips, but didn't insist any further.

Qin Chuan placed the red clay in the open space in the middle of the yard and walked to the edge of the pit to take a look.

"Good digging."

Liu Yifei looked up at him and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"It's still halfway done, but this pickaxe is too rusty, and it takes a lot of effort to dig with each stroke."

Qin Chuan took the pneumatic pick and examined the rust spots on the pick. It was indeed serious; almost the entire pick was covered in reddish-brown rust.

"I'll dig up the rest. You go and help me mix the red clay and water, and knead it into a ball."

Liu Yifei nodded, stood up, and walked towards the pile of red clay.

Qin Chuan jumped into the pit and started digging with his pneumatic pickaxe. With a strength of 48, he could dig out a large chunk of soil with a single swing. Although the pickaxe head was rusty, the strength of the person wielding it was undeniable.

A dozen minutes later, the pit was dug. It was one meter deep and one meter wide, and the surrounding earthen walls were tamped flat.

Qin Chuan climbed out of the pit and checked on Liu Yifei's progress.

Liu Yifei and Lin Shishi were squatting on the ground kneading clay. Lin Shishi temporarily stopped her knitting class and ran over to help. The two of them added a little water to the clay pile, and then each took a ball and kneaded it.

The kneaded clay is fine and smooth, and feels great to the touch.

Fan Yubing also came out of the wooden house and stood to the side watching.

"What is this soil used for?"

"Pottery," Qin Chuan said, "We shape it into bowls and jars, then fire it in a kiln. What comes out are proper pottery bowls and jars."

Fan Yubing looked down at the red clay, picked up a small piece, and rubbed it between her fingers.

"This feels alright, quite smooth. It's similar to the clay figurines I made when I was a kid."

Qin Chuan glanced at her: "Then you try. Your fingers are nimble, you'll definitely make something better than me."

Fan Yubing snorted, but didn't refuse. She found a flat wooden board to use as a worktable, squatted down on it, and started kneading things.

Yang Mimi had finished dealing with the venison business and came over to join in the fun.

"I want to pinch it too!"

"Okay, you make the bowls," Qin Chuan assigned. "Sister Fan will make the jars, Shi Shi and Yi Fei will continue kneading the clay, and I'll build the kiln."

Keiko Kitagawa also put down the yarn she was knitting and came over to help.

"Brother Chuan, let me help you build the kiln."

Qin Chuan looked at her: "Do you know how to build it?"

"I don't know, but I can help you pass things or move stones."

Qin Chuan nodded: "Okay, then help me collect some fist-sized stones from the beach. The more the better, and they should be flat."

Kitagawa Keiko responded and turned to run towards the sea.

Mina stood to one side, her hands in her pockets, looking left and right, unsure of what to do.

Qin Chuan saw her: "Mina, help Yang Mimi knead the bowl."

Mina said "Oh," and slowly walked over and squatted down next to Yang Mimi. She looked at the lump of mud in Yang Mimi's hand, and then looked at her own hand.

"I've never sculpted anything like this before."

Yang Mimi laughed: "No one is born knowing how. Come on, I'll teach you. First, roll it into a ball, then use your thumb to press a hole in the middle, and slowly thin the walls."

Mina imitated Yang Mimi's movements, kneading a ball of clay. Then she pressed her thumb into the center.

She didn't control her strength well, and the mud ball was flattened.

"Ah! It collapsed!"

Yang Mimi laughed so hard she almost fell over: "You're using too much force! Be gentle, be gentle."

Mina kneaded the ball again, this time carefully pressing a hole in it, and then slowly pinching the sides.

Half a day later, the thing in her hand had barely taken the shape of a bowl. Although it was crooked and crooked, at least it could be seen that it was a bowl.

"Is that alright?" Mina asked uncertainly, holding up the crooked bowl.

Yang Mimi glanced at it, her lips twitching slightly: "Hmm... barely passing."

The jars that Fan Yubing sculpted were much prettier. Her fingers were nimble, and she controlled the pressure well, creating jars with thin, even walls and regular shapes.

Although I haven't taken a pottery class, the yoga teacher's control over her fingers is indeed impressive.

After finishing one jar, Fan Yubing placed it on a wooden board to dry before starting to make the second one.

Lin Shishi leaned over for a look: "Sister Fan is so skillful, this jar is really beautiful."

Fan Yubing curled the corners of her mouth slightly, said nothing, but her hands moved more intently.

An hour later, a row of clay blanks was laid out in the campyard.

Three jars, ten bowls, five plates, and one pot.

Qin Chuan looked at the clay blanks and then at the dug pit.

"The clay blanks must be dried first; they cannot be fired directly. Wet blanks are prone to cracking when put into the kiln. They should be placed in a ventilated place to dry for two or three hours before being put into the kiln."

Lin Shishi asked, "How do you know all this?"

"During emergency rescue training, the instructor mentioned the basic principles of pottery making in the wild. Although I haven't actually done it, the theory should be similar."

Kitagawa Keiko carried the stones back several times, and a small pile of stones of various sizes was stacked on the side of the yard.

Qin Chuan began building the kiln. He placed the stones one by one around the edge of the pit, forming a circle. The gaps between the stones were sealed with red clay. A thin layer of gravel was laid at the bottom of the pit as an insulation layer.

Then he put a layer of coal into the pit. The black coal blocks were stacked neatly, about ten centimeters thick.

Finally, a layer of wooden sticks was placed on top of the coal to form a simple support. The clay blanks were placed on this support, without directly contacting the coal.

A simple but fully functional earthen kiln was built.