I am a Primitive Man
Chapter 46 – Salted meat and wolf
Handling livestock is a long-term endeavor that cannot be accomplished overnight. Han Cheng’s main instruction to the elder brother was to proceed within their means and not overly hasty.
Apart from concerns about injuries within the tribe, another crucial reason was that capturing too many animals would leave them with nowhere to keep them.
The cave was not small, but with many inhabitants and various jars and containers taking up space, the remaining area was not large enough. So, Han Cheng decided to explore outside the cave and create enclosures for pigs, sheep, and the like.
As the weather gradually warmed up, the abundance of game hunted yesterday presented a problem. They couldn’t store it for an extended period. Last night, the Eldest Senior Brother brought out a lot of meat for grilling or making soup to be consumed by everyone, leaving many feeling stuffed.
At first, Han Cheng didn’t understand the elder brother’s intention. He thought it was a celebration due to the abundant game. Only after the meal did he realize the Eldest Senior Brother was worried the food would spoil, prompting him to distribute it.
Han Cheng slapped his forehead, scolding himself for forgetting such a basic thing while being preoccupied with developing agriculture and animal husbandry. The Eldest Senior Brother took out the remaining food in the morning, intending everyone to finish it. However, consuming so much in one meal would be a severe waste.
Han Cheng stopped the elder brother and told him they couldn’t eat all the food. The Eldest Senior Brother smiled, aware that they couldn’t finish it all, but if they didn’t eat it quickly, it would spoil by night.
“I won’t eat, and it won’t spoil. I can keep the food from spoiling,” Han Cheng confidently assured.
Due to the spread of Mandarin, Han Cheng’s communication had become much smoother. Hearing this, the Eldest Senior Brother no longer insisted and returned half of the meat.
He didn’t ask about the method. He knew there must be a way if the Divine Child said so. In over half a year, the miraculous abilities displayed by the Divine Child had already made them convinced and almost blindly obedient.
After breakfast, Han Cheng had people bring a large pottery bowl and a salt jar. He instructed the elder brother to place the meat in the bowl and then continuously rub salt on it until every part of the meat was covered.
After salting the meat, it was left in the bowl for a while. Then, Han Cheng used a stone knife to create holes and threaded it with straw. He hung the meat on a tree branch from the cave entrance.
In a short while, the tree bore several large and small pieces of special “fruit.”
Han Cheng also hung two pieces of meat on the ever-burning fire in the cave, attempting to smoke them. He remembered that smoked meat stayed preserved longer than air-dried salted meat.
The people were somewhat stunned by the meat hanging in the sunlight on the tree. They hadn’t expected the Divine Child’s method for long-term meat preservation to be so simple.
With the availability of salted meat, this year’s winter wouldn’t be too difficult for the Green Sparrow Tribe, even if there were no fish. Usually, food storage only began in autumn, but now they could do it in summer, and it was meat that could resist hunger better than fruits.
Han Cheng’s plan to build various enclosures was not immediately implemented because he discovered another urgent matter – more urgent than improving the pottery kiln and creating enough planting space. This matter was building the wall.
It seems that in the past few days, continuous outdoor drying of cured meat attracted wolves to the vicinity of the tribe.
The wolves did not eat the meat hanging on the trees, as it was before the tribe’s cave entrance. During the day, someone was always guarding, and when it was not dark, the meat was brought back into the cave, denying the wolves the opportunity.
The real danger came last night. Xing’s younger brother, Chen, who was about six years old, was relatively small but clever. He was also learning under Han Cheng’s guidance, the son of Junior Senior Brother.
Yesterday evening, they had bone soup, and despite the availability of roasted meat, Cheng preferred bone soup. Greedy last night, he drank a lot, resulting in more nighttime visits to relieve himself.
For smaller children who cannot manage independently, adults usually accompany them when they go out at night. However, Cheng was past that age, so he went alone to solve the issue.
The first two times were uneventful, but trouble struck on the third occasion. Cheng had just stood outside when a black shadow suddenly leaped out from the darkness, pouncing towards him.
Cheng had no time to react. He instinctively let out a scream of panic, and he was already pounced upon. Fortunately, Brother Sandy was awakened by Cheng’s nocturnal activities and felt the urge to relieve himself. After Cheng went out, he followed suit.
Seeing the wolf pounce on Cheng in the dark, Brother Sandy, who had accumulated much hunting experience, completely ignored the urge to relieve himself. While shouting to scare the wolf, he bent over, randomly grabbed a handful of something from the ground, and charged towards the wolf.
Frightened by the commotion, the wolf ran away, and Cheng escaped from its jaws. However, he was left with a mark from the wolf’s bite – half of his right ear was missing, and there were a few bloodstains on his arm.
The blood stains on his arm might fade over time, but the missing half of his ear was a permanent mark that would stay with him for a lifetime. Fortunately, in the current society, and unlike in the future, beauty standards are different, and missing half an ear does not affect Chen’s marriage ability.
The next day, the Eldest Senior brother led the hunting team with weapons to search for wolf traces near the tribe.
Han Cheng’s daily running routine also stopped, and he and the other children stayed in the semi-covered cave. Several adult women were armed at the cave entrance, guarding against the sudden visit of wolves.
After a day of searching, they did not find any wolf traces.
However, the vigilance within the tribe did not diminish. At least two armed adults accompanied nighttime visits when children went out.
Han Cheng’s nighttime excursions became even more grandiose, with four people accompanying him, making him uneasy.
However, for the sake of not losing his life, he could only act in this way.
After three days of expanding the search range around the tribe, the Eldest Senior Brother and his team gave up trying to find the wolves. After all, they still needed to hunt, and it was not feasible to continue like this.