I am a Primitive Man
Chapter 916: They’re… Eating Again…
With a smile on his face, Han Cheng watched as the elder woman completed another round of trading, exchanging all the remaining rice for the pottery and salt that Han Cheng’s group had brought.
Han Cheng beamed at the large pile of rice belonging to his tribe. The elder woman, seeing the exquisite pottery and the delicious salt they had obtained—and imagining how they could trade these items for even more food from other tribes—couldn’t help but smile as well.
Both sides were extremely pleased after this exchange.
After this trade, much of the pottery Han Cheng had brought was gone—but that didn’t matter.
Within the Green Sparrow Tribe, there were already many people skilled in making ordinary pottery. Those who had come this time also brought a pottery workshop.
Once a kiln was set up here, the pottery used would be replenished quickly.
This exchange had also greatly improved relations between the two tribes.
At least now, the Green Sparrow Tribe would no longer think of capturing these people as slaves. The elder woman also realized that these seemingly strange, wealthy people were not malicious.
Not only had they not stolen anything from the elder female’s tribe, they hadn’t killed them, even though their group was occupying the caves. Instead, they engaged in trade and even shared a method for quickly acquiring food.
By the time these matters were settled, a long time had already passed—mainly because communication between the two sides was slow, requiring elaborate translation.
Originally, the elder woman planned to return to drop off the newly gathered small fruits before going back to collect more.
But after all the back-and-forth, time no longer allowed it, so they decided to gather food in the nearby area instead.
As for the valuable pottery and the white substance called “salt” by the tribe, which they had just obtained in exchange for the fruits, at first she had planned to keep them with her at all times.
However, carrying it around would be extremely inconvenient, and during food gathering, it could easily be damaged.
After some consideration, she decided to leave these newly acquired, incredibly valuable items in the cave they had been staying in—a cave that now belonged to this strange tribe again.
Many in her tribe worried that the pottery and salt might be taken back by the Green Sparrow Tribe, given how precious they were.
But the elder woman went ahead with their decision.
Besides the inconvenience of carrying them, another reason was that she trusted the tribe wouldn’t do such a thing—they already had plenty of such items.
What was extremely precious to her tribe seemed less valuable to the Green Sparrow Tribe.
More importantly, if the tribe had intended to seize everything from them, they could have done it directly—there was no need for such complicated arrangements.
Undoubtedly, the elder woman was very discerning.
This also reaffirmed the saying, “Old people are cunning, old horses are slippery.”
What the Green Sparrow Tribe didn’t know was that this act of trust significantly improved their impression of the elder woman’s group, raising their esteem.
Trust has power.
Because the group didn’t venture far to gather fruits, but stayed nearby, they could further observe the wealth of this so-called Green Sparrow Tribe.
Even just the sheer number of sheep and deer driven in from afar amazed them.
They had never seen a tribe with such an abundance of game at once. Even the eldest among them had never heard of such a thing, let alone seen it.
Han Cheng’s group ignored their astonishment, instead using bronze axes to chop branches and other materials, then setting up fences near the slave huts to pen the sheep, donkeys, and deer.
This would keep the livestock contained at night and protect them from potential wild animals.
Small fences were also set up for the chickens, while the skinny, emaciated rabbits were temporarily placed in large pottery containers.
These animals were expert diggers; careful containment was necessary.
In two days, stones would be gathered for the pens’ bases.
Meanwhile, Han Cheng had tents set up outside because the number of visitors was large and the existing slave huts weren’t enough.
They could have built semi-subterranean dome houses for temporary accommodation, but Han Cheng postponed that.
He preferred to wait until the elder woman left before starting construction, to prevent sensitive information from leaking.
As for the fenced animals, it didn’t matter if the females saw them. Learning to raise animals might even benefit her tribe in the future.
The more resources her group had, the more they could trade for goods from other tribes.
Time flew, and it was already evening.
After half a day’s work, the Green Sparrow Tribe members returned with fruits, finding many essentials already set up. By tomorrow, they could officially begin construction in Jinguan City.
On the open ground outside the city, small fires were lit on makeshift stone stoves.
Golden millet was washed, boiled with water, and supplemented with dried fish saved from the journey.
The dried fish were chopped into small pieces with sharp bronze knives.
Before serving, wild vegetables and a bit of salt were added for flavor—delicious beyond words.
While the Green Sparrow Tribe’s “chefs” were busy cooking, the elder woman also prepared meals nearby.
Compared to the Green Sparrow Tribe’s food, theirs was simple.
Previously, they occasionally cooked rice, but after trading all their rice for pottery, they had only water-cooked wild vegetables and some gathered fruits.
However, thanks to the several gourds of salt they had just received, they added a bit to season their otherwise plain meal.
In the past, even such simple food was a great delicacy for them.
Salt alone, even without vegetables, was a rare treat.
But now everything felt different.
After tasting the flavorful meals provided by the Green Sparrow Tribe, returning to their own plain vegetables felt tasteless.
The elder woman struggled through their meal, watching the tribe members enjoy one bowl after another of delicious food, while they ate bland wild vegetables in gourd bowls—how could it not feel dull?
It was the pain of comparison.
The elder woman thought: if only we could eat like the Green Sparrow Tribe every meal, filling our stomachs freely.
With this deep envy, their eyes fell on the pottery and gourds of salt beside them, strengthening their resolve.
If they brought their people to trade with other tribes, using these items to acquire food, eventually their own tribe could enjoy such meals too.
With this thought, their hearts burned with determination.
The next morning, after another dose of envy, the elder woman took their tribe to gather more small fruits from the unharvested area.
They intended to exchange these fruits with the generous tribe for more pottery and salt, then trade those for even more food.
After the elder woman left, Han Cheng’s group got busy as well.
Some tended the sheep and donkeys, while the younger members set fish traps in the water.
Han Cheng specifically instructed that the female’s tribe must not see the traps or learn their true purpose.
Fish traps were highly effective tools for this era, and it was better to control access to them.
As for the traps the females had previously taken to use as hats, Han Cheng didn’t reclaim them—though he couldn’t help laughing at the sight.
If their tribe endured long enough, these could even become a cultural symbol.
Meanwhile, others began preparing for the construction of Jinguan City.
Han Cheng initially planned to build houses first, then walls, for convenience in material transport.
However, learning that a nearby tribe also had bronze changed the plan completely.
Walls had to be built first.
Any difficulty in constructing houses later was acceptable; security came first.
Construction was adjusted: a small inner courtyard wall would be built first, then used as a base for the larger outer wall.
Once this plan was set, Han Cheng and some others measured the inner courtyard and immediately began digging the foundation.
While the walls’ foundation was being dug, some chopped trees nearby, brought them over, and carpenters turned them into wooden beams for tamping soil later.
Jinguan City, previously quiet, became bustling and lively.
By noon, when the elder woman returned with gathered fruits, the city had already changed dramatically.
The flat ground had been dug into trenches; moist soil with grass and roots piled along the edges.
The elder woman gaped in astonishment.
Not just at the drastic change, but because—again—they were eating!
Hadn’t they already eaten this morning?
Shouldn’t they wait until evening to eat again?
Why were they eating now?
And the food smelled so good, looked so appetizing…
The most crucial thing: watching them eat made the females’ own stomachs grow painfully hungry.
Especially after tasting the generous tribe’s food in a gourd, their hunger intensified.
Rinsing the gourd with water and drinking it, the elder woman quickly led their tribe away—not just to gather more fruits, but to avoid the temptation of eating when it wasn’t yet mealtime.
Only after moving far from the Green Sparrow Tribe did they slow down.
She touched her growling stomach and sighed—eating like the Green Sparrow Tribe was far more difficult than she had imagined.
0 Comments