King of the Wilderness

Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Red Brick Stove

Today marks the twenty-fourth day that Lin Yu’an has spent in the wilderness of Chilco Lake.

After several days of hard work, the small and practical ground-raising kiln had successfully fired clay brick molds and a few kiln roof slabs.

Lin Yu’an did not rest but immediately threw himself into the mass production of clay bricks, using the ceramic mold to press out uniformly sized clay bricks one after another.

Soon, over a hundred moist, dark brown clay bricks were neatly arranged on the open ground next to the shelter.

To prevent rain damage, Lin Yu’an had set up a simple rain shelter with waterproof tarpaulin, ensuring that these clay bricks dried slowly in a dry environment.

The drying process lasted for two days.

During this period, Lin Yu’an occasionally flipped the clay bricks to ensure each side could be evenly exposed to air, avoiding cracks or deformations caused by uneven drying.

When the color of the clay bricks gradually changed from dark brown to a lighter brown, it was time to start the formal firing of the clay bricks.

He carefully loaded the first batch of about twenty of the most intact clay bricks into the earth kiln from the top, stacking them in an overlapping pattern based on previous firing experience to ensure even airflow.

The subsequent firing process was well-known to Lin Yu’an.

A small fire was used to preheat the kiln, slowly evaporating the remaining moisture from the clay bricks, followed by a high-temperature firing stage. The flames within the kiln shifted from a dark red to a bright orange-yellow. At the perfect moment, he stopped adding fuel, using ceramic boards and wet clay to seal the top and fuel inlet of the kiln for natural cooling.

Since the earth kiln was not large, the number of bricks fired each time was limited. Lin Yu’an was not impatient; he caught two fish and shot a grouse over these two days, replenishing his food supplies.

The firing process lasted three days, and consecutive firings produced twenty-two clay bricks that successfully came out from the kiln! The reddish-brown bricks were hard and emitted a crisp sound when struck. Although they bore the rough traces of handcrafting, they fully met his expectations.

”We now have over sixty clay bricks! I think I can start building the main structure of the stove now!”

Lin Yu’an carefully transported the fired clay bricks into the stone house shelter.

He meticulously planned the position of the stove, choosing to place it close to the stone wall where the smoke vent had been reserved.

This was the ideal location. During the initial construction of the shelter, he had planned to leave a smoke vent here. Placing the stove near it made the construction of the flue convenient and maximized the use of corner space.

Lin Yu’an didn’t lay bricks directly on the dirt floor but first used several less regular-shaped clay bricks to dry-lay a solid base.

This base could effectively improve ventilation and slightly raise the combustion chamber of the stove.

Then he began formally laying the clay bricks. Without cement, he could only use clay and the collected Ashes of Grass and Wood, adding water to mix into a sticky slurry.

With a homemade wooden mallet, he gently tapped the tops and sides of the bricks to ensure each brick evenly contacted the slurry and remained stable.

The internal space of the combustion chamber was designed as a rectangular box about forty centimeters wide, thirty centimeters deep, and thirty-five centimeters high.

In the lower front of the combustion chamber, he reserved a fuel inlet and an air intake about fifteen centimeters high and twenty centimeters wide.

After constructing the walls of the combustion chamber to the intended height, Lin Yu’an began addressing the most crucial cooking component of the stove—the stovetop and stove opening.

Lin Yu’an measured the dimensions and decided to place a ceramic board with a round hollow in the center on top of the stove, leaving an opening where cookware could be securely placed.

Another day of firing, and the stove cover was successfully produced! It settled stably on top of the brick stove.

Lin Yu’an picked up the stainless steel pot and carefully placed it on the hollow stove cover. The cookware securely fitted inside, with the pot rim closely aligning with the edge of the stove opening!

”Absolutely perfect! Cooking and heating will be much more convenient, and the heat efficiency will be greatly improved!”

After completing the stovetop and stove opening, the next task was the critical and relatively complex smoke vent.

Lin Yu’an, with a serious expression, spoke to the camera: ”The smoke vent system is the soul of the stove. If the smoke vent doesn’t work well, the entire stone house will become a smokehouse.”

”Not only would living in it be uncomfortable, but over time, there’s also the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, which is no joke! I definitely don’t want to be forced to withdraw because of something like that.”

He turned around and pointed to the area of the wall behind the stove’s combustion chamber.

”I plan to place the smoke vent here, extending upwards along the back wall of the combustion chamber. This will efficiently collect the smoke generated by combustion and ensure a stable structure.”

Again, Lin Yu’an picked up more clay bricks and the pre-mixed clay and Ashes of Grass and Wood slurry, intending to build a square smoke vent.

Near the corner on the stone wall above, he had deliberately left a hole. Usually, it was blocked with appropriately sized stones to keep warm and prevent small animals from entering.

Lin Yu’an walked to the wall, moved the temporarily blocking stones, revealing the hole that ran through the stone wall.

”This reserved hole can now be put to good use.”

He continued building the smoke vent upwards until it nearly reached the reserved hole in the stone wall. Once the height of the smoke vent was flush with the lower edge of the hole, he began the crucial task of connecting them.

Since the hole in the stone wall didn’t perfectly align with the smoke vent, some transitions and filling were needed here.

He took some fired clay bricks, broke them into pieces with a logging axe, mixed them with small stones, and a large amount of wet clay slurry, and carefully filled the gaps between the smoke vent’s outer wall and the edges of the stone wall hole.

He repeatedly applied and pressed until all the gaps were filled with clay slurry. The clay brick smoke vent successfully penetrated the stone wall!

To further enhance the smoke vent’s effectiveness and prevent rainwater backflow and wind impact, Lin Yu’an decided to extend the smoke vent with clay bricks outwards on the exterior side of the stone wall, forming a simple outdoor chimney.

He crawled out of the shelter and came to the exterior of the stone wall. To save clay bricks, he stacked a base using leftover stones, up to the point where the smoke vent protruded through the wall.

Then, on the stone base, he continued building upwards with clay bricks, creating a chimney about thirty centimeters tall.

At the very top of the chimney, he used two flat ceramic tiles to form a small gabled roof.

Lin Yu’an returned inside the stone house, carefully inspecting each connection point of the smoke vent to ensure there were no obvious leaks. He patted the solid wall of the smoke vent, relieved in his heart.

”Alright, the smoke vent is completed! Time to test the clay brick stove!”

He first brought in a small bundle of dry kindling and some flammable dried grass and birch bark, placing them at the bottom of the combustion chamber of the stove, stacking a few pieces of kindling on top.

”For the first fire, we’ll start with a small fire to check the smoke vent’s performance.”

Soon, a small flame danced in the combustion chamber, igniting the birch bark and gradually spreading to the kindling above.

Lin Yu’an didn’t immediately close the fuel inlet, but crouched in front of the stove, closely observing the flame’s state and the direction of the smoke.

Initially, due to cold air inside the furnace and smoke vent, a slight amount of smoke escaped from the gaps in the fuel inlet and stove opening.

But, as the temperature inside the furnace gradually rose, hot air began to rise, and the draft in the smoke vent became more apparent.

He walked outside the stone house with the camera, looking up at the simple clay brick chimney protruding from the wall. Sure enough, wisps of bluish-white smoke were gently drifting out from the chimney top, then dispersed by the breeze.

”Look, the smoke is beginning to travel up the smoke vent!”

”The smoke vent system is working properly!”

Lin Yu’an nodded in satisfaction, returning inside the stone house. By now, the smoke inside had mostly dissipated, with most of it effectively vented outside, although there were still some parts where smoke leaked.

He began making repairs, applying more slurry, and added more wood to the combustion chamber, making the fire burn more vigorously! Smoke leaks were within acceptable limits, and a thorough application of slurry would be done tomorrow.

By this time, night had fallen. Lin Yu’an ate some smoked fish jerky. Even though tired from a day of hard work, looking at the clay brick stove before him filled him with a sense of accomplishment and anticipation!