I am a Primitive Man
Chapter 466 – The Eight Sufferings of Life
A magnificent meteor shower provided the people of the Green Sparrow Tribe with much to talk about. Several days after the event, the tribe’s members were abuzz with discussions about the spectacular meteor shower and the heroic display of the “Divine Child” during the celestial event.
The excitement persisted for five or six days before gradually dying down. However, despite all the talk, work did not stop.
About one-third of the adults, mostly women, were seen daily in the millet fields, weeding and loosening the soil with bone hoes. Compared to other tasks, working the fields was relatively light work. These individuals wore cool bamboo hats on their heads and had towels made from freshly woven hemp draped around their necks. From a distance, they looked very much like the people who toiled endlessly in the fields in later times.
Another group was engaged in land clearing on the other side of the small river, working a certain distance from the water. This was a long-term task. The land on the opposite side of the river was more suitable for cultivation than the land they had on their side.
The former members of the Green Tribe were now pushing stone slabs along the paved roads, moving from the quarry past the gates of the Green Sparrow Tribe and heading eastward. To the west of the tribe, a winding stone path had already been laid. Now, they were extending the path eastward, branching off along the ridges of the fields and continuing to extend it deeper into the farmland.
Han Cheng sat in the shade, watching a nearby spot where two trees, transplanted two years ago, had now grown to provide a vast expanse of green shade.
Bai Xue, dressed in short sleeves and shorts, placed freshly picked mulberry leaves into silkworm baskets. As she bent over, her clothes stretched tightly across her body. Although Han Cheng was already well-acquainted with the secrets hidden beneath those clothes, he still felt his heart race at the sight. But all he could do was keep those feelings in check.
Recalling Bai Xue’s wish made during the meteor shower, Han Cheng, not ready to become a father so soon, could only force himself to resist…
A sudden downpour swept away the oppressive summer heat. Summer rains come quickly and leave just as fast. The air turned cool, but the atmosphere within the Green Sparrow Tribe grew even more tense than before the rain.
It wasn’t because Han Cheng was about to become a father; instead, it was because someone in the tribe was nearing the end of their life.
Many people had gathered in a series of twelve connected tiled houses. In the room at the easternmost end, the crowd was even larger. The key figures of the Green Sparrow Tribe were present: Han Cheng, the Shaman, the Eldest Senior Brother, the Second Senior Brother, the Third Senior Brother, Shang, and Gu. They stood silently, their expressions filled with concern and sorrow as they looked towards the earthen heated bed built against the mud wall.
Lying on the bed was a frail figure—this person was Fire One. Beside her were two women, one holding a half-bowl of deer milk sweetened with honey and the other sitting on the bed, supporting Fire One’s head so that it tilted slightly upward.
The woman holding the bowl brought a spoonful of deer milk to Fire One’s lips, but the milk trickled down her mouth without being swallowed.
“Enough, don’t force her. Let her rest,” Han Cheng said solemnly. The woman put down the spoon and carefully wiped away the spilled milk. She gently laid Fire One back down and quietly got off the kang.
Fire One had been growing thinner for some time, mainly due to her advanced age.
Han Cheng, who wasn’t even a half-trained doctor, was equally helpless. All he could do was prepare some fine food for Fire One and ensure she was well accompanied.
Fire One had fallen into a coma the previous night, and it had continued until now. Strangely enough, after the two women got off the kang, Fire One woke up. She glanced around the room and tried to sit up. Seeing this, Han Cheng quickly went over to help. By now, Fire One’s body was so light it seemed almost weightless.
“Divine Child… Shaman… Leader…” she greeted them weakly. Han Cheng and the others responded with smiles.
Han Cheng pointed to the deer milk nearby and gestured for the others to let the Shaman handle it. The Shaman personally brought the bowl over.
“Drink some deer milk to regain your strength, and you’ll be able to get up and walk soon,” Han Cheng said.
Fire One nodded, and Han Cheng fed her. She slowly drank down half a bowl of deer milk. Seeing her awake and able to drink the milk, Fire Two, the Shaman, and the others breathed a sigh of relief. To them, being able to eat meant a healthy body.
Han Cheng wanted to be as optimistic as they were, but deep down, he knew this was a sign of the “final rally” before the end…
Fire One passed away about ten minutes after finishing the deer milk. She went peacefully, with a smile on her face.
The passing of life cast a deep sorrow over the Green Sparrow Tribe. The atmosphere in the tribe was weighty, and Han Cheng felt a deep weight in his heart.
Birth, aging, sickness, death, separation from loved ones, prolonged suffering, unfulfilled desires, and the inability to let go—these are the eight sufferings of life, and they are hard to avoid.
He squatted by the wall, silently lost in thought.
The Shaman approached and squatted beside Han Cheng. After a moment, he said, “Divine Child, Fire One lived a good life. She enjoyed a quality of life that no one in the tribe had experienced before… Compared to those before her, she lived a long life…”
Han Cheng nodded silently, knowing that the Shaman’s words were true, but he still felt sad. Fire One, who had been with the tribe since he arrived, was now gone…
“Let’s go, let’s send Fire One off on her final journey,” Han Cheng said after a long silence, rising to his feet.
Fire One was dressed in a new outfit, and her face had been washed. Some people felt that using newly made hemp clothing for the deceased was wasteful, but Han Cheng insisted. For the deceased, everything should be done with respect. It was their final journey, and it was fitting to be dressed well.
Fire One was placed in a wooden box hastily crafted by Lame and then carried by others to the western side of the tribe. The people of the tribe followed behind in silence.
A pit over a meter deep had already been dug not far from the millet fields. The wooden box containing Fire One was placed in the pit. Following Han Cheng’s lead, everyone began using bone shovels to scoop up soil and gradually fill the pit. The loose earth slowly covered the wooden box, forming a mound shaped like an overturned bowl.
In front of the mound, a small stone tablet was erected, inscribed with four characters: “Fire One’s Grave.”
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