I am a Primitive Man
Chapter 154 – The busy and Quiet Tribe
“Pa, pa, pa.”
Mu Tou squatted on the ground, holding a small piece of stone in his hand, smashing it against the large stone in front of him.
Fine stone chips or powder separated from the large stone, gradually forming a shallow pit. The position of the pit coincided with the circle drawn by Han Cheng earlier.
Han Cheng was not idle either. He used fire to burn the bottom of the door pivot, then took a small, rough stone and crouched down to polish it.
Smoothing the bottom of the door pivot could reduce friction, making the opening and closing much smoother.
The teacher of the gods’ writings and language in the cave, Shi Tou, had already concluded his lessons for the day. The younger, underage individuals, who had just run out of the cave, gathered around, curiously observing the Divine Child and others creating things.
Some watched while unconsciously putting their fingers into their mouths, nibbling. When they noticed the Divine Child turning to look at them, they slightly froze and, upon realizing it, quickly withdrew their hands from their mouths, hiding them behind their backs.
Not far from the cave entrance, a few plump women held infants still nursing in their arms, lounging in the shade. They lazily observed everyone working while enjoying the coolness, and the aroma of food wafting from the cave made them even more content, shrouded in an indescribable feeling.
Observing the drastically transformed yet oddly comforting tribe, they occasionally teased the infants in their arms.
Some shameless ones even pinched the little private parts of the infants.
Most of these infants being nursed weren’t their own but belonged to others. With their bodies gradually becoming unwieldy, there were many things they could no longer do. Since the Green Sparrow Tribe was now relatively prosperous and food was abundant, these plump women were enjoying a period of comfort.
They didn’t need to do much; they just had to take good care of the children in the tribe, allowing those who had given birth and retained lighter bodies to handle the tasks.
Constantly huddling together for warmth and living interdependently, they lacked selfishness.
Occasionally, women who had gone elsewhere to work, those whose breasts were swollen with milk, hurriedly returned. They would pick up their children and feed them before offering their abundant milk to other infants.
After feeding their children, they would nurse other infants if their milk supply was plentiful.
The Eldest Senior Brother, who had spent years leading the tribe in hunting and tirelessly working for the tribe’s continuation, sat on a stone, turning his head to look at all this. A smile involuntarily appeared on his face.
This kind of life now was something he had never dared to imagine in his dreams.
After resting, he resumed carrying stones to build the wall. He knew that to make the tribe better, besides the blessings of the gods and the guidance of the shaman, they needed to work with their own hands.
The person in charge of cooking came out, saying the food was ready. The Eldest Senior Brother placed the stone he was carrying onto the stone wall and called everyone to eat.
The person pulling stones from the west wall, hands cupped to the mouth, shouted towards the northwest stone quarry, conveying that it was time to eat.
Hearing the call, people busy at the stone quarry quickly abandoned their tasks, heading swiftly towards the tribe to enjoy their meal.
After toiling for half a day, they were already hungry.
The tools were brought back; none were left at the quarry.
Although there were no other tribes around the entire Green Sparrow Tribe that one could reach in a single day, and there was no chance of people from other tribes coming to steal their tools, they still brought them back because it was the command of the Divine Child.
Han Cheng had already polished the door shaft, but the stone pit and the hole on the lintel took a bit more effort, and only half was completed.
Han Cheng didn’t have the habit of making people work overtime. He believed that when it was time to eat, one should eat, and other matters could wait until after the meal.
Therefore, Han Cheng called away the Lame, who was determined to make the hole through the lintel and had been busy for half a morning. The fellow was covered in sweat and dirt, with black and gray on his hands and face.
Not eating to replenish energy and rest like this could work.
Han Cheng trained this guy to be a master carpenter. Han Cheng would feel extremely regretful if he were to be damaged over this small hole.
The pregnant women holding children set up some washing basins filled with clear water by the water channel on the west side of the cave. Those who returned from work and were preparing to eat didn’t need anyone to instruct them; they instinctively walked over to wash their hands and faces before entering the cave.
After everyone had washed, the water in the basins became muddy.
Although the Green Sparrow Tribe was now prosperous, the meal rules hadn’t changed. Han Cheng still got the first share of the food, followed by the shaman.
Due to the hot weather, Han Cheng didn’t want to eat anything too greasy. He specifically instructed the Eldest Senior Brother to give him more vegetables and less meat when serving the meal.
If he didn’t specify, the Eldest Senior Brother, who always wanted the Divine Child to eat well, would serve him a big bowl of meat.
After lunch, it was time to rest. The people who had toiled for the morning welcomed a leisurely time. Some leaned against the wall in a daze, while others lay in their usual sleeping spots.
The Lame was about to continue making the hole through the lintel after eating, but Han Cheng stopped him, not allowing him to go, instructing him to rest with everyone else.
The Lame, who had claimed not to be tired while pounding his chest, leaned against the mountain wall and soon fell asleep.
In the afternoon, after more than half the time had passed, the Lame finally completed the hole on the lintel, pointing at the hole covered in black and gray and grinning at Han Cheng.
Han Cheng scolded him with a smile, and the carpenter brought over the already chiseled stone to measure it inside the threshold.
After marking the approximate position, they used wooden chisels and bone shovels to dig a hole. After digging the hole, they moved the stone and filled it with earth to seal it.
The stone was about one centimeter higher than the ground as a whole. This was to prevent debris from falling into the pit, affecting the door’s opening and closing.
The pits on the stone corresponded to the hole on the lintel.
The excited Lame, without the help of the carpenter, brought the door over by himself.
Under Han Cheng’s guidance, the upper part of the door shaft was first inserted into the hole inside the lintel. Then, with force, the door was lifted upward because the Lame had already cleared the hole. Thus, the upper door shaft could be fully inserted.
There was a gap below, and the shaft, which had been blocked and couldn’t reach the pit below, could now be placed in it.
Both were fixed with holes on top of the lintel and pits on the stone. The wooden door would no longer move around recklessly. After trying to push and pull a few times, Han Cheng felt it was still good but not smooth enough.
After Han Cheng let go, the Lame also came to push and pull. While doing so, he looked up and down at it. His face showed even more joy because he had learned something new.
Like a child who had just received a new toy, the Lame, who wanted to express his joy to the Divine Child, found that the Divine Child did not seem as happy as expected.
Before the Lame could speak, the Divine Child turned and left the door, heading towards the cave.
The Lame opened and closed the door several times, then looked at the Divine Child who had hurriedly left. Confused, He scratched his head, thinking the wooden door was already installed well enough. Why did it seem like the Divine Child wasn’t particularly pleased?