I am a Primitive Man
Chapter 899: The Harvested Rice (Three-in-One)
The morning wind blew, carrying a chill that made people instinctively tighten their clothing.
The Green Sparrow Tribe’s flag fluttered lightly in the air, swaying in the breeze and producing soft rustling sounds.
Han Cheng, carrying a backpack and wearing leg bindings, turned his head to look back.
In front of the tall walls of the Green Sparrow Tribe, numerous people stood to see them off.
Among them, the little children, Xiao Xing’er and Xiao Wando, still waved their tiny hands repeatedly at him from beside Bai Xue.
Han Cheng waved back vigorously, then turned to continue forward with the group.
Fu Jiang, now showing a bit of age, walked alongside Han Cheng in step.
Having produced many offspring, it had become quieter, no longer as lively as before. Even back in the tribe, it no longer sparred with Deer Lord like it used to.
Compared to the previous expedition, the group was much larger this time.
Besides forty adult citizens, Han Cheng also brought sixty adult slaves.
Among these slaves, twenty were old, long-standing slaves of the tribe, while the remaining forty were new slaves who had joined the tribe in recent months, coming from the Black Stone Coalition.
In addition, twenty minors, aged roughly eight and above, were also brought along.
These minors could accomplish many tasks—for example, catching fish or shrimp with fish traps, using bamboo to catch loaches in the marsh, and helping the group acquire food.
No matter how much Han Cheng promoted education within the tribe, one undeniable fact remained: the tribe’s current production level could not support all the minors attending full-day schooling.
While attending school, these children also had to work, mastering basic life skills while learning some technical knowledge and exploring it further.
Except for a few who could advance further in scholarship, most would enter various production and daily life tasks in the tribe after completing the fifth year of primary education.
Having received exposure to language and mathematics, they could achieve more in their daily production and tasks than the original tribe members.
Learning was never the ultimate goal; mastering knowledge and applying it to life to make it better and work more accomplished was the true purpose of education.
Through learning, one could acquire knowledge or spiritual insight.
For this journey, Han Cheng brought along these twenty minors.
Of course, their schooling would not be interrupted. Once they arrived at the destination, Han Cheng, serving as the principal of Green Sparrow Elementary School—which had just built its framework but not officially started classes—would personally teach them.
Compared with before, the composition of citizens this time was different.
Mao, the living map, and Third Senior Brother, the skilled archer, accompanied them south once again.
Mao Er, along with two other carpenters, each carried tools within the southern-bound group.
In addition, there were several skilled potters, tile-makers, and two masons trained by stone and wood craftsmen.
Compared to the previous trip, there were more technicians this time.
However, due to limited numbers and the non-professional nature of the work, the Green Sparrow Tribe still adhered to the “everyone is a soldier” principle.
These technicians were also trained, but not as frequently; yet in crises, they could still take up arms and charge.
Furthermore, forty-eight donkeys and deer were brought for transport.
They also brought 150 live sheep, along with some wing-clipped chickens from the tribe, intended for raising in Jingguan City.
The sheep would also be raised there, but one immediate use was emergency food in case provisions ran low.
With dogs, deer, donkeys, and this large herd of sheep, Han Cheng’s party looked somewhat like a migrating nomadic tribe.
Amid the bleating of lambs and the barking of dogs running back and forth, Han Cheng’s group moved southward.
Behind them, the tall walls of the tribe and the people standing before them gradually disappeared.
As they walked, the sun rose, morning mist dispersed, and fields along the roadside slowly gave way to wild grass and shrubbery.
Those who had stayed at the tribe’s gates to see them off gradually dispersed to work in the fields, carrying sickles or setting up donkey or deer carts to harvest crops.
Many transported neatly cut piles of grain to the threshing grounds.
Morning moisture made this the best time to transport; grains were easier to load and less likely to spill.
Yesterday’s harvested crops had not yet been moved to the threshing ground.
At the threshing ground, people used wooden forks to push down the stacked grains, rakes to drag them, then piled and spread them into small heaps.
Once exposed to sun and wind, the heated grains could easily “pop,” and rolling stones pulled by donkeys or deer would cause many grains to fall off.
While Han Cheng’s group departed southward toward the second branch, Jingguan City, the main Green Sparrow Tribe, and Copper Mountain residential area continued their autumn harvest efforts.
In the south, a group wearing animal skins and holding simple weapons, led by an elder female primitive, left a mountainside cave and moved toward a designated location.
Along the way, the elder female spoke excitedly to the group, raising their spirits. Many responded enthusiastically, stretching their arms to indicate something significant.
Even those initially reluctant to leave the cave grew cheerful.
Inside the cave, people came and went, carrying packages or fruit-filled fish traps.
Mao, wearing vine armor and holding a bronze short spear, guided the path.
“Take this way!” he called.
This was no longer the path they had taken initially, but the corrected route for their return.
In two or three months, grass and new branches had grown along the trail, though traces of the previous path remained, making navigation relatively easy.
Along the way, people cleared branches that obstructed the path with sickles and knives, widening it.
This was the sixth day since leaving the tribe. Following the straightest route southward, they had already left the Green Sparrow Alliance territory by yesterday.
After days of travel, the minors, once cheerful and curious, now appeared more solemn.
However, seeing the Green Sparrow flag and the “Divine Child” among them dissipated their fears.
The Divine Child and the flag were with them—what was there to fear?
Moreover, the Divine Child had already built some preliminary structures and discovered delicious rice and sugarcane.
This trip was to help fully construct the branch: build walls and houses, and plant fields of rice and sugarcane around it, similar to the main tribe.
The thought of this, along with the beautiful vision, excited the minors. They were eager to reach Jingguan City and begin construction, just as the initial leading tribe builders had.
Time shifted to the still-one-building Jingguan City.
With Han Cheng’s departure, tranquility returned, tinged with a primitive vastness.
Various water birds moved through the marshes—some standing motionless, others walking gracefully, and a few singing loudly.
A few balanced on one leg while stretching the other and spreading wings, appearing to stretch lazily.
Suddenly, shouting came from afar.
Among waist-high wild grass, some people appeared, wearing animal skins and holding simple weapons.
They were the elder female and her group, who had departed the tribe days ago.
Leading the front, the elder female pointed at the slave courtyard on the high ground and shouted with excitement and pride.
After all, this extraordinary cave had been discovered and tested by her.
The others followed her direction, seeing the unusual cave perched on the high ground.
Those who had received some news from her observed the cave with curiosity and excitement.
Indeed, the cave belonged to their tribe—a truly joyous discovery.
Excited shouts filled the air.
They ran, leaping through the grass, disturbing the birds.
Large flocks took flight, looking like moving clouds.
Some threw sticks and stones at the birds, but none hit—objects fell uselessly to the ground.
They retrieved the thrown weapons and continued downstream along the riverbank.
Upon reaching the opposite bank, they carefully stepped into the mud and plants to cross, eager to see the new cave.
They ignored the edible small fruits in the water.
After an arduous trek, muddy-legged, they reached the opposite bank.
They scraped off excess mud and, under the elder female’s guidance, headed directly toward the unusual cave.
Once close, they could fully appreciate the cave’s height.
Their previous mountainside cave, though larger, had blended with the peak and seemed less noticeable.
Now, this solitary structure stood alone in a flat area, appearing much taller.
It was like Mount Tai appearing enormous against flat land.
The elderly woman walked ahead.
The vines on the door knocker remained, untouched, confirming the cave had been abandoned.
She untangled the vines, pushed open the door, making the structure appear like a giant monster’s open mouth.
First-time visitors instinctively gripped their weapons, ready to flee.
The elder female, however, walked in confidently, smiling and beckoning the others inside.
The newcomers were amazed at her courage.
Unseen by them, she had subtly twisted her stomach before pushing the door open.
Under her lead, others who had been there before guided the group into the strange cave.
Curiosity ran high, reminiscent of the Flower-Fruit Mountain monkeys entering the Water Curtain Cave.
Those familiar with the cave shared their prior experiences, even guiding people to the fish-trap room.
After a lively period, everyone settled.
They placed their belongings aesthetically, then ate the fruits they had brought.
After resting, they followed the elder female out, closing the door behind them, and moved to the nearby water grasses.
Some spread animal skins beneath the plants while others stripped small fruits by hand.
Most fruits fell onto the skins; a few dropped into the mud.
The workers were skilled, especially the elderly female.
Gradually, the rice on the stalks was removed and collected.
After filling all the animal skins, she instructed them to carry the rice back across the water to the slave courtyard in Jingguan City.
They cleared space in front of the house, stomped it flat, and spread the rice on the ground.
The elder female demonstrated spreading small heaps evenly.
A novice female copied her method, though less skillfully.
After a while, they returned across the water to harvest more small fruits.
By evening, they had transported two more batches.
A substantial amount of rice now lay in front of the slave courtyard.
As night fell, someone crouched to start a fire by drilling wood.
Meanwhile, the elder female and her group re-gathered the rice, covering it with skins and weighing it down with stones.
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