I am a Primitive Man
Chapter 134 – Fragrance
The rising sun cast its morning glow, accompanied by a chilly breeze that made the shaman wrap his fur coat tighter.
Wrapped in the fur coat, the shaman’s hands didn’t immediately withdraw. Instead, he let them glide up and down, savoring the smoothness of the fur and the softness of the hide.
The technique resembled the one used when he crouched near the rabbit pen, plucking a rabbit with distinctive dark eye circles by its ears and placing it on the pen wall. He then ran his hands from the head down to the short tail.
Initially, the peculiar-looking rabbit vigorously resisted such a demeaning act. However, how could its resistance matter to the shaman, who exuded a formidable aura? The shaman continued plucking the rabbit’s fur, completely absorbed and unable to resist.
This clever rabbit, learning the wisdom of embracing change and enjoying what couldn’t be resisted, gradually became calm and even addicted to such events.
Now, whenever the shaman approached the rabbit pen, this rabbit actively approached him, willingly subjecting itself to the shaman’s hands.
The shaman’s hands continued their rhythmic plucking, seemingly unable to control his fascination with the fur.
In theory, the shaman, who had dealt with fur since birth and had worn animal hides for a lifetime, shouldn’t behave like this. After all, he should be accustomed to the hides he wore.
However, the shaman’s hands continued their movements, and he lowered his head to examine the fur closely as if this hide was significantly different.
Indeed, these hides were distinct from the previous ones, the main reason being that these hides underwent a process – tanning.
Feeling the smooth and soft hide on his body, the shaman couldn’t help but recall the scene from a few days ago.
Divine Child entered the inner cave from outside, walking unusually.
Before Shaman could inquire, the Divine Child removed the fur wrapped around him, discarded the garment he called “pants” – something only he was willing to wear – and threw it onto the sleeping area. Then, he bent down and blew cool air.
The shaman vividly remembered stretching his neck to take a glance. The Divine Child’s little bird had become swollen and red.
Seeing this scene, the wise shaman understood exactly what had happened.
He smiled wryly, shaking his head slightly to indicate that he didn’t quite comprehend the Divine Child’s actions.
Since these “pants” were uncomfortable and could cause harm, why wear them? Wrapping oneself in a single piece of hide seemed much simpler.
Thinking this way, the shaman casually tugged at the torn hide skirt, covering up what was exposed.
Divine Child, who was so intelligent, couldn’t change his perspective on this matter.
The Divine Child, who usually disliked staying inside the cave, had remained there for a long time.
Initially, he blew cool air toward his little bird, but later, he sat there, staring at the discarded fur pants not far away, lost in thought and motionless for a long time.
Unaware of the Divine Child’s dilemma regarding the pants issue and worried about the situation, he put down his stone pen and walked over to call Divine Child a few times.
However, just when he was about to do that, the Divine Child, who had been sitting still, suddenly bounced up.
First, there was a burst of hearty laughter, and then the Divine Child exclaimed, “Got it, got it, hahaha, got it!”
Without waiting for the bewildered Worried to approach and inquire, the loudly shouting Divine Child suddenly fell silent. He swiftly picked up the discarded fur pants from the side and ran out like the wind.
Shaman stood in a daze momentarily, then hurriedly rushed outside, eager to see what was happening with the Divine Child. His behavior was so peculiar, completely contrary to his usual calm demeanor.
Before he could step outside, the Divine Child sprinted back, grabbing the previously discarded hide and wrapping it around his lower body.
After hastily securing it, he ran out again.
Imitating the Divine Child, Shaman sniffed a bit and then followed suit, wanting to understand what had happened to the Divine Child. Why was he behaving so strangely today, deviating from his usual composed manner?
When he stepped outside, the Divine Child was busy filling a large basin for dissolving salt with wood ash.
After filling almost half the basin, he added water and stirred it with a stick.
Once the mixture was well-stirred, he waited for the cloudy water to clear, then scooped the water from the large clay basin into the Divine Child’s usual foot-washing basin.
Watching this somewhat familiar scene, Worried suddenly realized that the Divine Child must have received instructions from God and found a way to create something new.
In the past, the Divine Child used a similar method to extract delicious salt from unappetizing stones. What could he extract from wood ash this time?
As Shaman stared wide-eyed, deciding to observe and record everything to write on clay tablets later, the Divine Child threw the piece of fur he held into the basin.
He used a stick to push it to the bottom of the water and placed a small stone on top, preventing it from floating, seemingly afraid it wouldn’t drown.
This unexpected scene left Shaman astonished. What kind of grudge could lead the Divine Child to treat something this way?
Soon, he remembered the Divine Child’s reddened little bird that had been rubbed. Shaman found his answer.
However, after this realization, a new doubt arose. Why did the Divine Child want to submerge this in water to vent his anger? It could simply be pressed into regular water. Why go through the trouble of using water filtered with wood ash?
Watching the Divine Child, Shaman waited until he returned to his usual self before asking.
The answer he received was that it made the tough hide soft.
Shaman still couldn’t quite understand. The hide was comfortable when worn as it is now, so why make it soft? Besides, wouldn’t it harden again after drying even if softened with water?
The shaman wanted to tell the Divine Child about this result but restrained himself, remembering the miraculous things the Divine Child had created. He realized he had misunderstood, and this happened three days later.
On the second day, the Divine Child retrieved the fur pants soaked in water for a day and night. After thoroughly washing them in clean water, he hung them on a tree branch in the courtyard to dry.
Shaman’s emotions were complex as he watched the Divine Child occasionally touch the pants. It was the kind of feeling where he knew the pants were likely to harden again but also felt a sense of anticipation for the mixed emotions the Divine Child might bring.
Shaman’s complex emotions disappeared when the Divine Child wore the dried fur pants and cheered, leaving only joy. The Divine Child once again did something beyond the reach of ordinary people, not disappointing anyone.
However, amidst the joy, Shaman felt that this matter wouldn’t significantly impact the tribe. He believed that whether the hide was soft or hard, it made no difference when worn.
Shaman touched the soft and smooth hide on his body and a genuine smile on his face. Wrapped in the comfortable hide, he was reluctant to take off and had already selectively forgotten his initial thoughts.