I also started checking the holes that had been opened around me. I had detected many holes, big and small, until Daneel arrived. The door opened and our retired soldier entered.
"Young man, bring the clay basin from the kitchen and the pottery jar filled with hot water that I prepared in advance from the fireplace," said the old man.
I brought the materials he asked for.
"Well done son, now I want you to follow me. Listen carefully to what I say and don't hesitate to ask questions, okay?" he said seriously. I nodded in agreement.
"Young man, we will prepare adobe mortar to fill the holes in the wall. We will add clay soil, straw, and hot water to a clay basin and make the mixture. Then, we will knead the mortar by hand. If we compare adobe houses to houses made of stone, they keep the house cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The only disadvantage is that their lifespan is not long. A stone house can survive for generations without deterioration, but since adobe houses are made of soil, if they are not repaired, they will not see another generation. It quickly mixes with the soil. Is there anything you do not understand from what I have said?" said the old man.
"Why do we add hot water to the adobe mortar? Can't we just add normal water?" I asked. Daneel, who heard what I said, said the following.
"Good question, this repair process is usually done in the summer, but for some reason I did not do the repair. The water is cold in the fall. We use hot water so that the adobe mortar can mix better." he answered the question with satisfaction. Then he poured clay soil into the clay basin. He poured hot water on it and started kneading it with his hands. The kneading process was almost complete, but he hadn't waited for the straw.
"Daneel, when are we going to add the straw?" I asked playfully.
The man looked at me as if he didn't understand what I meant. He was strangely surprised. Then he said the following.
"Oh, son, I almost forgot to add the straw if you hadn't told me. Straw is an important ingredient in our mortar. It prevents the clay soil from falling apart and makes it stronger. Also, you don't have to put straw in the mixture, you can use fibrous straw instead. I preferred straw because there was plenty of straw in the barn." Then he added the straw to the clay mortar and kneaded the mortar for a while longer. I examined his work carefully.
"Son, I have now finished the mortar, and now I will give you the task I need to do. I want you to fill in the holes in this mortar with a trowel. "First I will show you how to use the trowel," said the old man. He took the clay lid he brought from outside and poured the adobe mortar into it by holding its handle. With the help of the trowel, he delicately covered the notch on the ceiling with the adobe mortar.
He was doing his job with mastery, with the experience he had gained over the years.He was obviously doing it slowly so I didn't understand, otherwise I was sure he would have figured it out quickly on his own.
"Alek, can you patch up the holes like I did? Can you do the task I gave you?" he asked.
"Yes, I can do it as you showed me," I said.
"Well then, here you go," the old man said. Then he handed me the lid full of trowel and mortar.
"Siri, can we imitate Daneel's skill? Can I do the same with the information provided by Daneel?" I asked.
"Daneel's knowledge has been recorded in past recordings. Memory files can be accessed. The video is playing. A matching experience has been simulated based on the video being played repeatedly. The simulated experience can be used. Save the simulated experience to the memory files?" Siri said.
"Yes, save the simulated experience to my memory, or as you call it, to the memory files," I said. Suddenly, the knowledge of how to renovate the simulated adobe house came to mind. Using the trowel and mortar, I began to patch the holes. I was closing the holes so fast and so well that anyone watching would think I had been doing it for years. That was one of the benefits of having a smart assistant. As long as there was enough data on the desired skill, you could master it instantly.
"Well done, son. You said you hadn't done it before. Even though it was your first time, you did a great job. You are naturally talented.
Anyway, I have work to do outside. Keep up the good work you are doing." Daneel said. He walked out with a satisfied smile on his face. I continued to do the task given to me.