I am a Primitive Man
Chapter 180 – Taking Advantage
Han Cheng determined that there was no basis for the Sheep Tribe to have engaged in animal husbandry, evidenced by the sheep they brought. For animal husbandry to be sustainable, attention must be given to offspring and females, as they are the foundation for its development.
The sheep brought by the Sheep Tribe consisted mostly of immature lambs and ewes, with only one adult ram. Han Cheng concluded that the Sheep Tribe had not established large-scale animal husbandry.
The wounds on the sheep further supported his judgment. The wounds varied in size and location, appearing inflicted during hunting. Domesticated sheep would be much easier to kill, and such injuries would not be present.
After ruling out animal husbandry, Han Cheng became even more puzzled. How could they bring fifteen sheep for exchange? It made him wonder how many sheep the Sheep Tribe still had in their tribe.
Could it be that the people of the Sheep Tribe lived among the flock of sheep?
As he pondered, the leader of the Sheep Tribe observed the nearby tribe’s Divine Child, silently examining the prey they brought. The leader’s initially confident heart began to waver.
After contemplating, Han Cheng shook his head with a sly smile. Surviving in this era required some wisdom, and there was no reason why his tribe could easily obtain a large quantity of fish while the Sheep Tribe couldn’t have many sheep.
Moreover…
His gaze shifted to the three live sheep trapped nearby.
He had already sneakily observed them before. These three lambs, two ewes and one ram, seemed to have minor injuries and could survive. As long as these three lambs could reproduce without issues, it was sure that the Green Sparrow Tribe would have a flock of sheep in the future!
Han Cheng nodded to the Eldest Senior Brother, indicating everything was fine. He then smiled and nodded to the leader of the Sheep Tribe as a form of greeting.
Regardless of whether the leader of the Sheep Tribe understood his intentions, Han Cheng left directly.
When verbal communication faced obstacles, body language became crucial. Some gestures, such as a smile, might lead to misunderstandings, but many were universally understood.
Seeing the child-like Divine Child deep in thought, the leader of the Sheep Tribe, after a brief contemplation, smiled back, calming down his initially anxious heart.
The two leaders and the Eldest Senior Brother stopped asking about each other’s tribe’s secrets and went straight to the point of trade, discussing the matter.
Indeed, the leader of the Sheep Tribe showed significant interest in the large pot that could cook enough soup for many people in the Green Sparrow Tribe. At the beginning of the discussion, he made it clear to the Eldest Senior Brother that they wanted the big pot.
Leading the Sheep Tribe leader toward the area near the cave, the Eldest Senior Brother pointed to various pottery items that Han Cheng had specifically instructed Hei Wa to produce for trading with neighboring tribes.
The latest ones had been out of the kiln for at least two to three months and were finally being put to use.
There were four big pots of different sizes, nearly twenty jars, and six large stacks of bowls classified into three sizes: large, medium, and small.
These items were all placed upside down to prevent rainwater and other things from falling into the containers.
The Eldest Senior Brother directed someone to start turning over these pottery items, and the initially hesitant leader of the Sheep Tribe instantly became delighted upon seeing these familiar items.
The people from other Sheep Tribes who brought sheep were also amazed when they saw the numerous pottery items. These items, which were only one per household in their tribe, were unexpectedly abundant in this neighboring tribe!
With such thoughts, they looked at the sheep lying at their feet, and their shocked hearts calmed down a bit. Their tribe had many sheep, and this neighboring tribe did not have as much.
The leader of the Sheep Tribe circled the four big pots, touching this one, patting that one, and appearing reluctant to give up any of them.
After observing for a while, he turned to the sheep left by his people. Four adult ewes were placed in front of one big pot. Then, patting the edge of one big pot with grandeur, he signaled to the Eldest Senior Brother that he wanted all four big pots.
Having experienced several trades, the Eldest Senior Brother, a primitive person accustomed to worldly matters, was not angry after understanding the leader of the Sheep Tribe’s intentions. He moved the other three sheep in front of the remaining big pots to the side.
Throughout this process, he maintained a smiling face, showing no hesitation regarding action.
The leader of the Sheep Tribe, who initially appeared grand, suddenly lost his air of magnanimity. His facial expression twitched involuntarily.
“￥%……3SD@”
While dragging a sheep towards the other big pot, he said something to the Eldest Senior Brother.
A transaction with a very primitive style was about to begin.
After a considerable amount of bargaining, the trade was finally concluded. The leader of the Sheep Tribe exchanged six adult ewes for two big pots from the Green Sparrow Tribe.
He exchanged the ram for three large-sized pottery jars, and with two lambs, he obtained one pottery jar. The remaining six lambs were exchanged for twenty-one bowls, with three dead lambs traded at one for three bowls and three living lambs at a rate of one for four bowls.
During the exchange, Han Cheng instructed the Eldest Senior Brother to give one extra bowl to emphasize the value of life. This was meant to encourage the Sheep Tribe to bring more live animals in future trades.
While acquiring these items, the leader of the Sheep Tribe always followed the principle of choosing the larger ones, be it pots, jars, or bowls.
Seeing the three lively lambs, Han Cheng had someone bring a pair of chopsticks and hand them to the leader. Imagining how they would scoop things out of the soup, Han Cheng felt a bit uncomfortable.
It seemed that during the previous trade, the leader of the Sheep Tribe was not treated lightly by the Eldest Senior Brother. Upon seeing Han Cheng offering him chopsticks, he hastily waved his hands to decline, indicating they had nothing to exchange.
It was only after learning from the translating Eldest Senior Brother that these were complimentary that he accepted them with some hesitation. He placed them in one of the pottery jars, glancing at Han Cheng and the Eldest Senior Brother occasionally, worried that they might suddenly raise the price.
After completing the trade, the people from the Sheep Tribe did not linger for long. They left with the equally weighty pottery items they had exchanged.
The Eldest Senior Brother appeared somewhat unhappy as they departed, deliberately showing it. Earlier, Han Cheng had instructed him not to appear too pleased after a trade.
This made the traders believe they had gained an advantage, encouraging them to return for future trades.
The Eldest Senior Brother’s performance made the leader of the Sheep Tribe happy. Seeing the leader display a satisfied expression, he silently praised Han Cheng for his insight while also presenting a more displeased appearance.
The leader of the Sheep Tribe, who had initially felt a bit unhappy, suddenly became more cheerful when he observed the displeased expression of the neighboring tribe’s leader. Thinking about the many pottery items taken away by his tribe, he could understand the Eldest Senior Brother’s mood. After all, they only brought a small number of sheep, yet they exchanged for almost half of the pottery items. It seemed they had taken a significant advantage in this trade after careful consideration.