I am a Primitive Man
Chapter 884 – The Green Sparrow Tribe’s Deep Affection
When it came to kaolin, many people would immediately understand its significance.
The porcelain that dazzled in history, dazzling with splendid colors, and alongside silk, tea, and rhubarb, collected countless gold, jade, silver, and treasures from foreign lands to China, was fired from kaolin!
At this moment, facing what was very likely kaolin, Han Cheng could not help but be excited.
This meant his tribe would soon receive a large batch of valuable items.
Porcelain’s function largely overlapped with pottery, but its value far exceeded that of pottery.
Moreover, in many situations, when porcelain was available, people preferred light, beautiful porcelain to coarse, cumbersome pottery.
Even just considering bowls and plates, pottery could not match porcelain’s utility.
At present, porcelain’s value might not seem significant, but as the tribe grew stronger day by day, its function and worth would far surpass pottery.
Even just using it as a commodity for trade with other tribes could bring continuous wealth to their own tribe.
Faced with such a historically renowned and practical substance, Han Cheng, of course, could not remain calm.
He squatted down in front of the white clay brought by the Creek Tribe chief. After surveying it for a moment, under the worried gazes of the Green Sparrow Tribe members, he pinched some of the white clay and rubbed it between his fingers.
This pale clay was extremely fine, almost without lumps.
It made sense—if it were coarse, like ordinary dirt with a bad texture, the Creek Tribe, used to eating rough foods, would not have considered consuming it.
The Green Sparrow Tribe understood their Divine Child well. Seeing him squat before this white substance, the same expression he always had when discovering something valuable, the members immediately relaxed.
Not only that, they edged closer, hearts pounding with excitement.
After all, whenever the Divine Child showed such behavior, the tribe would obtain good things.
As for members from the original Huangguo Tribe (Dou) and the former Green Tribe (Gu), their expressions were even more excited.
Their experiences had taught them well.
Previously, the Huangguo, considered unpleasant and likely to cause bloating and flatulence, became a treasure in the hands of the Divine Child.
Now, the former Huangguo Tribe chief Dou felt uneasy if he did not eat some tofu or drink tofu pudding every few days.
Unlike the Divine Child, who liked sweet tofu pudding with honey or fruit sugar, Dou preferred savory tofu pudding with scallions and a sauce made from boiled yellow soybeans, salted and sun-dried in a clay pot.
Only this savory version felt flavorful.
From this, one could see that the divide between sweet-lovers and savory-lovers already existed in primitive times, though far less extreme than later disputes that escalated into labeling opponents heretics and roasting them on grills.
The wild grass spikes were even more extraordinary, becoming Green Sparrow’s staple food and forming the foundation of their tribe’s prosperity.
Now, the situation was eerily similar: the Creek Tribe had delivered their potentially lethal white clay, and the Divine Child displayed the same excited expression.
Although no one knew exactly what the white clay could do, experience told them it must be valuable.
“Bring the dung ladles! Give them a dose of manure!”
After Green Sparrow Tribe members crowded around, excited and impatient, Han Cheng, regaining his composure from the thrill of discovering kaolin, turned to the Creek Tribe members who were watching him anxiously.
Without hesitation, he shouted this command.
At once, a group led by Tietou became ecstatic.
Their excitement rivaled that of discovering a valuable new resource for the tribe.
Previously, using a method taught by the Divine Child, they had saved Liang, who had eaten toxic herbs, and Big Foot, who had been poisoned by tung nut fruit.
Now, the Creek Tribe members had been poisoned by trying a new substance, some even dying, and the Divine Child had issued this command—Tietou and the others could hardly contain themselves.
Especially since so many from the Creek Tribe were affected, everyone could participate in the great work of healing.
Under the continuous guidance of the upright Divine Child, their eagerness to heal was relentless.
Thus, a strange scene unfolded: Tietou and others dashed toward the tribe’s latrines without looking back, moving with a speed and precision that even top runners like Changtui could only admire.
The Creek Tribe chief, through explanations from other helpful Green Sparrow Tribe members, roughly understood that the Divine Child could remedy their symptoms.
Those who had outrun the hunting beasts were fetching the necessary materials to treat the patients.
Hearing this, the Creek Tribe chief and others were both excited and deeply moved.
This was the benevolent Green Sparrow Tribe!
They ran so fast for their sake.
All members of the Creek Tribe silently vowed to treat the Green Sparrow Tribe even better in the future.
Amid their gratitude, Tietou and his team soon returned, hurrying.
Tietou carried a dung ladle in one hand and a large manure container in the other, running at the forefront.
“Saving people is like putting out a fire,” the Divine Child had once told them, and Tietou took it to heart.
Not just Tietou, but several others followed the same procedure.
Because so many Creek Tribe members were poisoned, one ladle would not suffice, hence the need for multiple carriers.
Seeing Tietou and others running tirelessly, Creek Tribe members were moved to tears.
This was genuine kindness!
However, the next moment, when they realized the pungent odor and understood what would be done to them, those very same Creek Tribe members began vomiting immediately.
Such intense affection was too much even for primitive humans to endure.
Unyielding as ever, Tietou and others continued their efforts. If the Creek Tribe members could not vomit, they poured clean water down their throats, using the dung ladles to induce vomiting.
Only after some time did the scene settle.
Watching the weakened Creek Tribe members, Tietou and his helpful companions smiled modestly, satisfied with their unrecognized good deed.
Many Creek Tribe members, unable to cry, especially those who had not eaten the white clay, felt frustrated.
However, seeing some of the white clay expelled with water, their spirits improved.
The method was cruel, but effective.
Some who had eaten the clay but had not vomited even forced themselves to drink water and lean toward the ladles.
Han Cheng, twitching slightly, observed. Seeing only a few expel some clay, he stopped those already weak from continuing.
Using dung ladles alone was insufficient; other methods were necessary.
From inquiries, Han Cheng learned they had ingested kaolin for a day and a half, over two nights.
Most had passed it into their intestines, beyond the reach of crude stomach emptying. Only by giving them something slippery could it exit another way.
Bananas would have worked, but there were none.
Rhubarb, historically prized by nomads for easing many ailments, was also unavailable.
But this did not trouble Han Cheng.
“Bring a basin of the tribe’s accumulated mutton fat, add some salt, and let those who ate the white clay consume it.”
Mutton fat can help induce bowel movements, as overeating fat can cause diarrhea.
Though luxurious for the era, considering the kaolin, it was worth it.
Soon, a pottery basin of salted mutton fat was prepared with spoons, ready for the Creek Tribe members.
Eating it directly was difficult; Han Cheng himself could barely do it.
If paired with warm bread, tearing it open and spreading the salted fat inside made it palatable.
Primitive humans’ stomach capacity was impressive—they could eat spoonfuls of pure mutton fat without prompting.
Han Cheng marveled, wondering if they could consume anything with salt.
“Where did you find this material?”
After the mutton fat was gone, Han Cheng asked the Creek Tribe chief.
Through translation, he learned of events near the Creek Tribe’s location.
Reflecting on these occurrences, he realized many events had both chance and inevitability.
For example, discovering this kaolin. Without the rain loosening the mountainside, the Creek Tribe would likely never have found it.
Even so, in history, kaolin would eventually be discovered and transformed into porcelain.
Now that Han Cheng is in the Green Sparrow Tribe, the process has accelerated.
“What is this white clay used for?”
Someone finally asked.
Before asking, the tribe had only guessed. With the Creek Tribe’s life-risking experiments, they knew it was inedible.
They assumed it could be used, much as limestone, which they had burned to produce quicklime.
But some, like Shaman and Shitou, thought differently.
If it were like limestone, the Divine Child would not have been so delighted.
“This is kaolin,” Han Cheng said with a smile.
Unfamiliar with kaolin, the tribe could not share his excitement.
“This clay cannot be eaten, but it can make exquisite items called porcelain, similar to pottery but more beautiful…”
Shaman, Shitou, and others were pleased but not as excited as when they first received pottery.
Their existing pottery was already very practical and beautiful.
Especially with Hei Wa’s ongoing research into improving the tribe’s ceramics, they produced a variety of well-made pottery.
For them, porcelain’s aesthetic improvement seemed minor.
But Han Cheng, from the future, knew the true significance.
He looked forward to seeing Shaman’s reaction when Hei Wa eventually fired porcelain under his guidance.
A slight improvement in appearance might seem trivial, but porcelain’s elegance was transformative—it would undoubtedly attract attention.
Shaman and others were not overly excited, but others were.
Hei Wa and his apprentices, learning from Han Cheng what the white clay could produce, were immediately ecstatic.
Hei Wa, passionate about pottery, had reached a bottleneck in his craft.
Upon hearing about the white clay and the exquisite items it could produce, his excitement was uncontrollable.
Kaolin and the porcelain it could create fascinated him more than meteorite axes fascinated Bo.
Hei Wa tightly hugged the clay package, eager to mix, shape, and fire it immediately.
“These you may experiment with; just don’t eat them,” Han Cheng said.
Hei Wa cheered, clutching the package, and dashed to the pottery workshop, followed by excited apprentices, eager to see new creations.
Han Cheng watched with a smile, not going to the workshop himself.
At this point, Hei Wa and his team were already more skilled than he was in pottery handling.
His guidance would be more needed during the firing process, not shaping.
Porcelain required much higher kiln control than pottery.
Meanwhile, those who had eaten the mutton fat were already reacting.
For convenience, Han Cheng had them relieve themselves in nearby fields, avoiding crops.
Soon, the first person returned, beaming. No further questions were needed; the problem was resolved.
“Divine Child!” she exclaimed, bowing in gratitude.
However, her devotion did not last long.
She had eaten too much mutton fat; before expressing further thanks, she clutched her stomach and ran back to the fields…