"This, I... it wasn't me!"
Zhou Niannian stared at the toppled frame, stammering incoherently.
With the heavy rain imminent, she was in a rush, and her words and actions carried a trace of impatience.
Jiang Fan, however, was not in a hurry; he still had the mind to tease her.
"It fell right after you said it, so who else could it be?"
"I..."
Zhou Niannian was still flustered. Her gaze flickered to the smile on Jiang Fan's face, and she immediately understood he was playing a trick on her, puffing out her lips in annoyance.
"You scoundrel, at a time like this, you're still playing games with me!"
"Hurry up and build the house!"
She wished she could punch him right then and there, but she restrained herself, only urging him on.
Jiang Fan knew that jokes should have their limits.
He had only teased her with that one sentence before turning to examine the collapsed bamboo.
He had merely been checking if the spacing of the frame was appropriate.
Having finished his measurement, Jiang Fan placed a few foundation posts into the dug holes and, using his strength, drove the bamboo into the earth.
Once he confirmed the bamboo's stability, he began to fill the gaps with soil and small stones, compacting them, and then pouring in some water.
One post after another.
Zhou Niannian watched him for a while and then understood. Seeing him drive in the bamboo, she actively offered,
"I'll fill the soil!"
"Alright."
Time was tight and the task was heavy. Jiang Fan did not refuse but instead instructed her.
"After the bamboo is driven in, the small stones and soil need to be compacted, then watered and pressed down. Wait for it to dry."
"Got it, got it."
Zhou Niannian made an 'okay' gesture and began working.
Seeing her actions were correct, Jiang Fan swiftly drove in the remaining three bamboo poles. He then dragged over another bamboo stalk, gesturing and whittling small bamboo strips.
Watching the small slivers of bamboo, the audience was perplexed.
"What is he doing? What's the use of such small bamboo strips?"
"Why hasn't Jiang Shen started the foundation yet? There are less than four hours left!"
"Ahhhh, I'm so nervous, can we speed this up? I'm anxious just watching."
"The lazy person is finally paying the price. This torrential rain is timely. This Jiang Fan should be eliminated directly; I don't even want to watch him."
"Shut up, you! Do you know how to speak?"
They urged him on in the comments. Whether they were slacking off or genuinely resting, their eyes were glued to the screen, waiting to see Jiang Fan build the shelter.
Earlier, Jiang Fan had used a parachute as a tent, a stunt that had astounded them. But what they couldn't understand was whether Jiang Fan could actually build a successful shelter.
Some felt he was being lazy before and was now facing the consequences.
Others believed building a shelter was child's play for Jiang Fan, and even with the tight schedule, he and Zhou Niannian could complete it within the allotted time.
Everyone argued their point, their discussions in the comments becoming heated.
The camera switched, and a storm formed over the sea.
Gloomy, colossal waves, gale-force winds, lightning...
It was almost enough to suck the very souls out of the viewers.
Under the low pressure, the storm began to churn, the waves raging like a fierce beast.
In this atmosphere, Lele and Bear Grylls also became tense.
The smile on Lele's face had considerably faded.
Looking at Jiang Fan, who was still unhurriedly whittling bamboo strips on the screen, she pondered for a moment, a guess forming in her mind.
"Is what Jiang Shen is doing now possibly a mortise and tenon joint?"
"I saw it in history books before; it's a method of connection that uses a concave and convex combination on two components."
"Without nails, if Jiang Shen and the others only use vines, it's inevitable that it will wobble. But with a mortise and tenon joint, it can restrict the components from twisting in other directions, achieving fixation."
She mentioned history books, but in reality, it was something Lele had read about in a historical novel.
Many ancient craftsmanship techniques have been lost. Contemporary young people often broaden their knowledge through novels.
This mortise and tenon joint was one such example.
However, she had only read about it and didn't have much understanding of this connection method; it was just a guess.
Upon hearing Lele's explanation, Bear Grylls couldn't help but exclaim.
"Is this the wisdom of your Dragon Country?"
"Creating all sorts of structures from pure wood or bamboo without nails is truly incredible."
His words made many viewers present feel a sense of pride, a surge of self-esteem rising within them.
Their resistance to watching Jiang Fan whittle bamboo strips dissipated, replaced by a sense of anticipation.
Was he creating the mortise and tenon joint that Lele had mentioned?
The answer, it turned out, was yes.
Jiang Fan whittled several finger-length wooden strips, then took the bamboo that had already been drilled and began assembling the frame.
Two bamboo poles, one horizontal and one vertical, were joined together. A bamboo strip was inserted into the circular hole and then hammered in with a wooden stick.
The audience watched as the bamboo, which had been freely rotating moments before, became fixed, just as Lele had said!
Jiang Fan then connected the other side.
After connecting one joint, Jiang Fan reached out and tugged.
He applied about half his strength, but the bamboo didn't budge an inch, as if it were firmly glued together!
Audience: "!!!"
"Holy crap, is this fake!!!"
"Am I watching an ancient craft documentary? Shocking!!!"
"What the heck? Did it really connect? Is this live broadcast? They didn't secretly glue it and then edit it, did they?"
"Director, come out! You're openly helping them cheat! Do you expect me to believe this kind of operation?"
"Although I don't quite believe it, thinking about it being Jiang Shen, it inexplicably feels somewhat plausible."
Lines of comments flashed across the screen at an extremely rapid pace, most questioning the authenticity of Jiang Fan's operation. Even Bear Grylls shook his head, expressing his astonishment.
"This is... incredible."
He murmured.
Where in the West would you find such a technique? To build such a sturdy structure using only bamboo?
Even he couldn't help but question the authenticity of the competition.
The director, watching this scene backstage, was also in disbelief and instinctively asked his post-production team.
"Did you edit this? No, they should only have their survival knives. Could they have cheated?"
He, too, began to doubt himself. Was it possible they used other materials for fixation?
How could bamboo achieve this? It's unscientific!
He wanted to shout that this must be fake!
But he was the director; he was the one who knew best. This was a live broadcast!
Where could any other tools have come from?
Could such a construction technique truly exist, allowing them to build a house without any nails or glue?
Regardless of the shock of those off-screen, Zhou Niannian, having filled several foundation posts, looked at the two bamboo poles Jiang Fan had connected and tentatively tugged at them.
"Can I try?"
"Go ahead."
Jiang Fan replied while gesturing and whittling bamboo strips.
If the house wasn't sturdy, it would surely not withstand the coming storm.
With this thought, Zhou Niannian didn't hold back.
She kicked and hit with all her might, even attempting to jump on it.
The resilience of the bamboo was fully displayed.
It didn't even bend!
The sturdiness was reassuring. Zhou Niannian jumped down and curiously peered at Jiang Fan, who was busy with the last bamboo pole.
"This is too sturdy!"
"How did you do it? It's so magical!"
Zhou Niannian voiced their collective question, as everyone wanted to know how Jiang Fan had managed this.
The camera zoomed in, magnifying his movements.
Jiang Fan inserted a bamboo strip into a hole, tapping and hammering to fill the larger gaps.
He then used even smaller bamboo strips to fill the smaller gaps below.
After completing the final step, Jiang Fan looked up with a hint of confusion and stated matter-of-factly,
"That's how it's done."