I am a Primitive Man
Chapter 261 – Warm Wind Blows, Spring is here
The accumulated snow on the ground slowly melted, and the thick ice on the river was gradually thawing. At some point, the swollen river began to flow steadily downstream, occasionally accompanied by the sound of ice colliding.
The roots had turned green, and some impatient blades were already poking their tender yellow heads out of the soil, trembling in the lingering chill of the spring breeze.
Standing atop the walls of the Green Sparrow Tribe, one could see a layer of faint green over the surrounding expanse of yellow, a sign of the season where green willows seemed to contain smoke, and the grass looked closer yet out of reach.
In this somewhat chilly wind, the spring of the fourth year of the Green Sparrow had officially arrived.
Despite Han Cheng’s anticipation and the preparations he had made throughout half the winter, his journey did not commence immediately.
Firstly, spring had just arrived, and because of the melting snow, the river had swelled significantly. It wasn’t safe to travel by boat in such conditions.
Secondly, the temperature hadn’t risen yet, neither in the air nor the river.
In this season, falling into the water could cost someone their life.
In other words, it wasn’t the right time for a downstream journey.
Thirdly, and most importantly, Han Cheng was feeling somewhat hesitant.
As winter gave way to spring and the river began to thaw, his once eager desire to explore suddenly tinged with unease.
He didn’t know what awaited him further afield.
On one hand, he longed for the civilized world beyond, but on the other hand, he felt apprehensive about it.
He didn’t know what to do when he discovered the civilized world outside or how to handle his relationship with the people of the Green Sparrow Tribe.
Should he leave the tribe behind and return to civilization alone, or should he return to the tribe’s embrace? Or perhaps he should take the tribe’s people with him?
These were things he had considered before but hadn’t profoundly considered. As the weather warmed up, these thoughts weighed heavier on his mind with each passing day.
Ah, humanity.
Ah, Han Cheng.
Truly complex and indescribable.
Han Cheng procrastinated on the journey because these thoughts weighed on his mind, and there were unfavorable external conditions for travel.
Let’s wait a little longer, until the weather warms up some more, until the silkworms are ready until the millet is sown.
By then, the water will be much warmer. Even if the canoe capsizes and one falls into the water, they can fight for their life. It wouldn’t be like now, where falling in would freeze them stiff and likely cost them their life.
After making this decision, Han Cheng felt considerably relieved.
As he was thinking this, he suddenly heard faint crying behind him.
And it wasn’t just one person crying.
Han Cheng was taken aback, confusion rising within him. He had been here for three years and hadn’t seen many people in the tribe cry. What was happening today? Why were they suddenly crying?
And it wasn’t just one person crying. Could it be…?
These thoughts swirling in his mind made Han Cheng’s heart uneasy. Suppressing his wandering thoughts, he turned to look into the courtyard. He didn’t see anyone crying, but he could tell the direction of the sound—it was from that row of houses!
He followed the ladder that had been inspected and tidied once, quickly descended the wall, and hurried towards the house.
Circling the house from a distance, he saw the scene unfold before him: several older children from the Green Sparrow Tribe, including Xing, Chen, Xiao Mei, and Xiao Li, had gathered under the eaves, their cries emanating from their mouths.
Seeing only them, given that their location wasn’t the doorway or inside the house, Han Cheng’s heart relaxed slightly.
“What’s wrong?” Han Cheng asked aloud.
“Divine Child…” They looked up upon hearing his voice, and upon seeing Han Cheng, Xing cried out with tears in her eyes.
Han Cheng shivered slightly. He always found it annoying when women cried; they wouldn’t stop once they started, making him irritable.
Seeing Xing and the others tearfully looking at him, he felt somewhat overwhelmed.
Moreover, it wasn’t just the girls crying; even the boys like Cheng were teary-eyed. What was going on?
After inquiring about the situation, Han Cheng soon understood the whole story.
The root of the problem lay in the empty wooden frame he was holding in his hands.
Originally used to hang wind chimes, the wooden frame couldn’t withstand the warmer weather, and the wind chimes made of ice eventually melted.
Xing and the others especially liked the transparent and melodious wind chimes. Seeing them melt and break, they couldn’t help but cry in sadness.
Even the boys like Cheng also liked these wind chimes. At first, they didn’t cry, but later, influenced by Xing and the others, they shed tears, too.
“I put it in the water, but it still melted,” Xiaomei said, choking back tears and unable to hold them back.
Han Cheng felt a headache coming on. This was indeed a complex problem. There were no refrigerators, and the tribe didn’t have saltpeter. How could he magically produce ice?
Looking at these tearful and expectant faces, Han Cheng regretted bringing out the wind chimes in the first place.
Seeing Han Cheng pondering silently, Xing and the others knew that the wind chimes were beyond saving.
The warmer weather meant the ice and snow would melt. They understood this but couldn’t bear to see such beautiful wind chimes disappear.
“Divine Child…” Xing spoke up, indicating they didn’t need the wind chimes anymore. But to their surprise, Han Cheng, who had been silent and contemplative, suddenly smiled and said he could fix the wind chimes.
This surprised and delighted them, and they were also curious about how Han Cheng would fix the wind chimes, especially since the ice had already melted.
Han Cheng naturally had a solution. He instructed the children to find some broken pottery pieces.
These were plentiful in the Green Sparrow Tribe, especially near the clay pits near the river.
After a while, the children picked up a small pile of pottery pieces.
Han Cheng then directed them to drill holes in the pottery pieces.
As soon as the children understood what Han Cheng was doing, their eyes lit up.
Yes, they had only thought of using ice to make wind chimes, but they forgot that other things could also be used!
Inspired by Han Cheng, Heiwa had already mastered a simple method of glazing pottery: brushing a layer of wood ash water onto the clay embryo, firing the pottery, and the surface would become very smooth.
The pieces the children brought were all shiny and glazed.
The ropes on the wooden frame were now adorned with pottery pieces of various sizes. When they collided with each other, they produced even more pleasing sounds.
Seeing the wind chimes gently swaying in the breeze, the children smiled individually, cheering around Han Cheng.
Han Cheng also smiled.