The Female Supporting Character Refuses to Be Human Again - Chapter 211.2

Meng Changjin didn’t have to worry about finding wood for building the wooden house; the primitive forest nearby was full of high-quality timber. However, constructing a house wasn’t a task she could accomplish on her own. Some tasks, like stabilizing the frame, required more than just one pair of hands.

She had some knowledge of basic mortise and tenon joinery, although it was pretty rudimentary. Still, even a little bit of know-how was enough for her current needs.

While waiting for the salt trade group to return, Meng Changjin set a goal to have the wooden house built before they got back. Her plan was to start preparing smoked meat once the group returned with the salt. She imagined the sight of delicious smoked meat hanging outside the wooden house—it would be so tempting that others in the tribe might be inspired to build their own houses!

Meng Changjin wasn’t the type to procrastinate. She knew that if she didn’t act immediately, there was a chance she’d never get around to it. So, she grabbed her blade and headed into the forest to cut down some trees. Along the way, she encountered several tribe members who were out foraging for wild greens.

Thanks to Meng Changjin’s efforts, the tribe’s diet had become more varied with the introduction of new edible wild plants. When the people saw her approaching with her formidable blade, they watched curiously, wondering what she was up to this time.

Technically, based on the client’s age, Meng Changjin was still considered a child in the Yan Tribe. Normally, people wouldn’t take a child’s actions too seriously, thinking they were just playing around. But ever since Meng Changjin had brought back ice blocks and fish from the river during the winter, every move she made had been seen as serious business.

“What’s Man Qing up to this time?” someone asked, eager to see what she was planning.

The person who approached her was someone Meng Changjin recognized—he had brought her small gifts on several occasions. Although they weren’t anything particularly valuable, she knew that without his kindness, she wouldn’t have received even those small tokens. So, Meng Changjin felt grateful and acknowledged the gesture warmly.

When he asked her what she was up to, she didn’t keep it a secret. After all, there was no point in hiding her plan; besides, the noise from building the wooden house would soon draw everyone’s attention anyway. She was actually hoping the whole tribe would come to see what she was doing.

“I’m planning to build a wooden house next to the field. The caves on the cliffside are too far away,” Meng Changjin said with a smile, as she started inspecting the surrounding trees, looking for the perfect one to cut down first.

“A wooden house?” The people of the Yan Tribe, who had always lived in caves, had no concept of what a wooden house could be. Still, since Meng Changjin was regarded as a divine gift to the tribe, no one dared to dismiss her idea as fanciful.

They gathered closer, curious to see what this “wooden house” that Meng Changjin was talking about would look like. They understood from her words that it was intended to be like the caves they lived in, a place for people to stay, but in a different form.

Meng Changjin knew that trying to explain what a wooden house was wouldn’t do much good because the idea was completely foreign to them. They needed to see it to believe it. So, she decided to let her work speak for itself. Once the house was built, everyone would understand.

Without wasting any time, Meng Changjin picked a tree that was straight and of the right thickness. She didn’t know the exact type of tree, but it met her needs perfectly. She signaled for everyone to step back and then started chopping.

With just a few swings of her enchanted blade, the tree came down swiftly. Meng Changjin trimmed the branches, keeping only the trunk. The branches would be used as firewood, so nothing would go to waste.

She needed four logs in total, and soon enough, she had selected and chopped down three more trees of similar size. Most of her time was spent searching for the right trees and cutting off the excess branches. Once the trees were prepared, it was time to transport them back to the construction site.

Seeing that Meng Changjin was building something, several hunters who didn’t have patrol duty that day came over to help. They had seen firsthand how Meng Changjin supported them during hunts, so they were more than willing to lend a hand.

Meng Changjin welcomed the help. She knew she could carry the logs herself, but without using her spiritual energy, she would have to make multiple trips. While she could lift two logs at once, that might seem a bit too intimidating for the tribe members. She didn’t want to scare them by showing just how strong she was!

With the help of the hunters, Meng Changjin quickly cut down the remaining wood she needed and had it all transported to the designated spot. Now, she could focus on preparing the ground where the house would stand.

The soil at her chosen site was soft, so they needed to compact it to create a stable foundation. The hunters took care of this as well, digging deep holes for the four main support posts while Meng Changjin shaped the wooden pegs.

Since her knowledge of mortise and tenon joints was basic, Meng Changjin opted to use a combination of simple joinery and wooden pegs to construct the house. Her goal was to make the structure sturdy enough to withstand wind and rain, without worrying too much about making it beautiful.

Aesthetic perfection wasn’t Meng Changjin’s priority right now. While she did have a bit of an eye for beauty when it came to people, she wasn’t nearly as picky about the appearance of buildings. If she were, she would have long since tried to remodel the caves she’d been living in for the past few months!

Thanks to her practical mindset, the construction of the wooden house progressed quickly. With the hunters helping her, the framework of the house took shape within just two or three days.

All that remained was to enclose the walls and put on the roof. Meng Changjin decided to use wooden planks for the walls and bamboo for the roof, to help protect against the rain. She split the bamboo in half, hollowed it out, and used it as a natural tile that could be layered to create a waterproof roof.

As the wooden house gradually took form, more and more tribe members gathered around to watch. By now, they were beginning to understand what a wooden house was and how it differed from their traditional cave dwellings.

🗣️ Kliraz’s Side Note Shenanigans: Housewarming Party in the Stone Age! (≧▽≦)

So, Meng Changjin is about to turn the Yan Tribe into DIY construction experts! Building a wooden house in a tribe that’s only ever known cave living? That’s a game-changer! Did you know that early humans also moved from caves to huts as they became more organized and started farming? This shift happened because huts made it easier to live near their crops (Liu, L. (2007). The Chinese Neolithic: Trajectories to Early States. Cambridge University Press, p. 80-82). Our girl Meng Changjin’s definitely on the right track!

And that bamboo roof idea? That’s actually super clever! Bamboo is still widely used in modern construction in many parts of Asia because it’s flexible, durable, and sustainable. Plus, the hollow structure makes it naturally great for water drainage (Janssen, J. J. A. (1991). Building with Bamboo. Intermediate Technology Publications, p. 23-24). Talk about mixing ancient wisdom with practical survival tactics!

I’m loving how Meng Changjin’s house project is getting the tribe all curious and excited. It’s like she’s throwing the first housewarming party in tribal history! If the tribe catches on, they might just go from cave-dwellers to a full-fledged neighborhood of wooden houses—complete with smoked meat hanging out front. Who’s bringing the snacks? (¬‿¬)