I Became The Chief of A Primitive Village

“Shaman, how do you make an umbrella? And what does it look like?” Gu Mu asked.

“Look at this piece of paper and you’ll see.” Su Bai handed over the Wolf Tail Grass Paper.

Gu Mu took it and began reading, growing more amazed – his already bright eyes shining even brighter.

His hands trembled as he exclaimed in shock. “Shaman, where did this come from? Did the Old Shaman leave it for you?”

The umbrella’s appearance and frame structure amazed him. This was truly excellent craftsmanship. No, it was divine craftsmanship.

The umbrella’s appearance and top slope were perfect. The rain would slide down the slope rather than accumulating heavily at the top.

The single handle was very convenient, needing only one hand and leaving the other free.

The umbrella could be made in different sizes, customised for different users.

This umbrella was practically perfect – hundreds of times better than using leaves. Such an excellent item made Gu Mu immediately think of the Old Shaman, as it seemed too perfect a design.

Though the new Shaman was excellent, he was still very young, and his ideas could not match the Old Shaman’s – at least that was what Gu Mu thought.

“No, I drew this myself.” Su Bai casually said, his expression very relaxed. As if this thing was quite simple, just needing a few sketches, not as mystical as the other claimed.

Gu Mu was shocked again, hardly believing his ears. He gripped the paper tightly.

Seeing the Shaman’s relaxed expression amazed him greatly, as if this item was trivial to him.

Gu Mu gulped and asked: “Shaman, how did you think up this excellent tool? The umbrella is truly wonderful.”

“I used them often before, so drawing it wasn’t that difficult.” Su Bai said.

“I understand,” Gu Mu nodded, thinking this umbrella must have come from a Large Tribe. Otherwise, it could not have been designed so well.

“The most important part of making umbrellas is the material selection – Hollow Tree and Smooth Skin Lizard Hide are the best materials.” Su Bai explained.

Gu Mu stood straight and said. “Shaman, please teach me how to make umbrellas.”

He was eager now. Such an excellent item must be made by his own hands!

“Yes, umbrella making is very intricate, all needs to be done by hand. As the saying goes, ‘Seventy-two and a half steps, not counting the moving parts’.” Su Bai solemnly said.

He had drawn an oil-paper umbrella. Making modern Earth umbrellas was not realistic in this era, but oil-paper umbrellas could be handcrafted and looked good too.

“Seventy-two and a half? Not counting?” Gu Mu was confused, not understanding these terms.

“The first step in making umbrellas is choosing the material for the frame. For this, wood from the Hollow Tree is the best material.” Su Bai picked up a Hollow Tree piece.

“Yes.” Gu Mu listened very attentively, his expression completely focused.

Su Bai held the Hollow Tree piece and continued. “The second step is making the frame, whittling the ribs, then soaking in water and sun-drying. This is the necessary technical process.”

“Making umbrellas requires so many steps?” Gu Mu asked in surprise.

“Not just that – the ribs need hole-drilling, assembly, threading, connecting the handle and top to make the frame. It’s a truly complex process.” Su Bai added.

Making umbrellas was not simple work. Just these steps were enough to make one’s head spin.

The most important was this second step – the most complex and tedious step.

Of course, this step was key to successful umbrella making, so it could not be rushed.

Though confused by many unfamiliar terms, Gu Mu tried his best to remember the steps.

He hesitated, asking. “Shaman, are those all the umbrella-making steps?”

“Not yet. The third step is making the canopy – fixing cut Smooth Skin Lizard Hide to the frame, then trimming the edges, shaping, and sun-drying to complete it.” Su Bai explained.

Actually, oil-paper umbrellas had more steps. There were painting designs and oiling; meaning drawing patterns on the canopy. Also, applying a layer of tung oil for water resistance.

However, that was for purely paper umbrellas. Animal Hide umbrellas were different, as Smooth Skin Lizard Hide was naturally water-resistant, they could skip these steps.

Su Bai had considered making paper umbrellas, but Wolf Tail Grass Paper was just not strong enough.

Without tung oil available in this era, using Animal Hide was simpler.

“Shaman, it sounds like there are a lot of steps. This can’t be done quickly, right?” Gu Mu asked.

“It’s difficult at first, but becomes much easier once you’re familiar with the steps.” Su Bai said.

“What should we do now?” Gu Mu curiously asked, eager to try.

“First split the Hollow Tree into strips to make the frame.” Su Bai instructed.

“Understood.” Gu Mu immediately took up a bone knife and began splitting the Hollow Tree.

*Crack snap…* After working, he had split out ribs of uniform thickness.

Su Bai raised his eyebrows, surprised that before he could say anything, the other party had split ribs to the proper thickness.

[As expected of an experienced carpenter. After one look at the design and brief explanation, he could already prepare the suitable materials.]

Gu Mu held the split Hollow Tree pieces, asking: “Shaman, are these umbrella ribs acceptable?”

“Very good. Split more for backup. Now, we’ll drill the holes.” Su Bai instructed.

“Alright,” Gu Mu nodded, continuing to split Hollow Tree with the bone knife.

Su Bai took a split piece and, following his memory, began drilling holes in the ribs.

The drilling section used a separate Hollow Tree stem, with holes drilled evenly around the end. This would allow the inserted ribs to form a circle.

This Hollow Tree stem would enable the sliding motion for opening and closing the umbrella.

With the ribs inserted, it formed a funnel shape, appearing very dense.

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