I Became The Chief of A Primitive Village

Chapter 161: Handcrafting Ceramics

As soon as Su Bai and the others finished eating their noodles, someone outside the Teepee delivered the items crafted by Shan Qiu.

“Shaman, can we start making ceramics now?” Yu Ying curiously asked.

“Yes, we can.” Su Bai smiled slightly. The earth kiln he had asked them to build yesterday was also ready. After two more days of drying under the Sun, it would be good to use. Moreover, the moulded ceramics also needed time to air-dry and be glazed, so there was no rush for the earth kiln.

“That’s great! We can finally see some ceramics,” Yu Ying said excitedly.

Su Bai got up and walked out of the Teepee, looking at the large stone slab they had brought over. He nodded with satisfaction, “Not bad, it’s exactly as I drew it to be.”

“Shaman, should we move it into your Teepee?” a Warrior Trainee asked.

“No, take it to the classroom. There’s more space there.” Su Bai instructed. The sleeping Teepee was too small, and it was better to put it in the classroom. Besides, the classroom now housed the stone mill for papermaking, weaving machines, and other equipment. Adding a stone slab for making ceramics would not take up much space.

Moreover, there had been no classes in the classroom for the past few days, as the young ones had enough to learn from what was taught recently. Teaching too much at once would be hard for them to digest and might even cause resistance. It was better to let them solidify what they had learned first.

“Yes.” The Warrior Trainee responded and carried the large stone slab into the classroom.

*Tap tap tap.* Yu Ying pulled the sheep horned girl along, following closely behind Su Bai. Both of them had expectant looks on their faces.

Inside the classroom, Yan Jiao was already waiting. He also knew about the plan to make ceramics.

“Shaman, everything has been prepared,” Yan Jiao said seriously. At his feet was a wooden bucket filled with a large lump of yellow clay.

This yellow clay was dug up yesterday by Ai’er and some others. They had dug up quite a lot, a full bucket’s worth.

“Good, let’s choose someone intelligent and dexterous for this.” Su Bai softly said.

Making ceramics required someone with nimble hands. Otherwise, the moulded items would be misshapen, wasting time and manpower.

“I’ve already found someone. He’s an Elder in the Tribe. He is tight-lipped and dexterous.” Yan Jiao pushed forward the person beside him.

He was a man in his fifties named Ru, with long red hair tied back with vines, and red eyes. He had previously learned carpentry, but because he would itch every time he touched wood, he could not continue with it.

“Shaman, I will diligently learn whatever you teach me.” Ru solemnly said.

When he heard that the Shaman wanted to arrange for him to learn something new, he was overjoyed and agreed without hesitation, not even knowing what it was.

“Good. Just learn as I do it. It’s neither simple nor difficult.” Su Bai instructed.

Ru immediately stood up straight, blinking his red eyes, “Yes, Shaman. I learn things very quickly.”

Su Bai nodded slightly, sat down on the stool, and grabbed a large piece of yellow clay after wetting his hands.

“Xiao Yu, help me spin this stone slab.” Su Bai gestured with his chin for the fox eared girl to come over.

“Okay.” Yu Ying immediately walked over, placed her hands on the protruding handle of the stone slab, and pushed hard in the clockwise direction.

Su Bai placed the yellow clay in his hands on the small stone slab in the centre of the large stone slab. As the slab rotated quickly, he wet his hands again and placed them on the rounded clay, beginning to shape it.

The originally round clay, under the rapid rotation and Su Bai’s shaping hands, slowly turned into a cylindrical shape. His hands continuously cradled the clay, constantly shaping it.

“For the first step, you don’t need to be so worried. Be bold in touching it, and shaping it into the form you want.” Su Bai explained as he worked.

“Yes.” Ru’s red eyes were fixed on the other’s operation, not daring to miss even the slightest detail.

After shaping the clay tall, Su Bai used his two thumbs to dig a hole in the middle of the clay.

Yu Ying on the side was very observant. Seeing that the stone slab was slowing down, she continued to make it spin faster.

“This step requires more care. The basic shape is determined here, so you can’t be too rough with it.” Su Bai continued to explain.

“Understood.” Ru brought his face very close, afraid of missing a single detail.

Su Bai reached in with one hand to continue shaping the inside, then sprinkled a little water in, while his other hand supported the outside.

“How amazing!” Yan Hua was stunned, never imagining that clay could be manipulated like this. A plain, unremarkable lump of clay was being shaped into this form by the Shaman’s hands, making her eager to try it herself.

Yan Jiao was the same, his red eyes following the rotation of the stone slab, his usually serious face becoming somewhat dazed.

Yu Ying, being the closest, could see the changes in the clay most directly. Her pink eyes grew even rounder, and she could not wait to reach out and try it herself.

Su Bai continued to shape the small bowl that was taking form in front of him. Originally a short bowl, as his hands slowly raised it, the height of the small bowl gradually increased.

“How did it get taller?” Ru exclaimed in surprise. He had thought the short bowl was its final shape, not expecting it could grow taller. It really refreshed his understanding.

“The height and shape of ceramics are all shaped by your hands. This is the charm of making ceramics.” Su Bai explained. He recalled his first time making ceramics, and how shocked he was. He could not help but admire the wisdom of the ancients. Right now, he was just grateful that he had taken the time to experience ceramic making back on Earth. Otherwise, he would not know how to start.

“Shaman, I will definitely learn this.” Ru became even more determined to master this skill no matter what.

“Then, you need to carefully watch. The most important thing in making ceramics is patience.” Su Bai said while his hands never stopped.

“Understood.” Ru moved his face even closer.

Su Bai wet his hands again, and as the fox eared girl turned the stone slab once more, he extended the narrow-mouthed bowl outwards, transforming the narrow-mouthed bowl into a wide-mouthed one.

It was the kind of bowl with an outward-flaring rim, looking a bit like a basin.

As the stone slab continued to rotate, he shaped the small yellow clay lump into a large jar, then narrowed the previously flared edge into a small mouth.

He reached into the interior of the jar, starting to shape its smoothness. After finishing this step, he began to shape the exterior.

“We’re nearing the end, but we can’t be careless. We need to continue shaping its appearance to ensure it looks exquisite.” Su Bai instructed.

“Yes, Shaman,” Ru looked eager to try, his red eyes following the rotation of the stone slab.

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