I am a Primitive Man
Chapter 918: Sister, Run!
The autumn silkworms were growing very well, and over the years, the tribe’s hemp crops—carefully selected and cultivated—had become taller and stronger than before. With the increase in planting area, they would soon be able to peel even more hemp bark.
For Bai Xue, who loved weaving cloth, this was excellent news. Every year at this time, she would feel a surge of happiness.
But this year was different. Although she was happy, it wasn’t with the same intensity as before. Her heart felt somewhat empty, lacking support.
Moreover, she often appeared lost in thought, as if burdened with worries.
Bai Xue indeed had worries—and significant ones.
Her concern stemmed from Han Cheng leaving for Jinguan City to work on construction.
When he left, Han Cheng had made it clear that he would need to stay in Jinguan City for a long time, not returning until the following spring—essentially when he came back from the south.
At the very least, it would be six months.
Bai Xue had never been apart from Han Cheng for such a long period.
This little wife, whom Han Cheng had rescued from beside the fire and nurtured with care, had a strong dependency on him.
Although she now had two children, who demanded much of her attention, that sense of reliance remained.
Perhaps such dependency exists in every couple, varying only in intensity.
Indeed, in life, one’s closest confidant is often one’s partner.
Bai Xue was not naive. Having grown up in a communal family environment, she possessed a strong sense of collective responsibility. She understood that everything her Brother Cheng did was crucial to the tribe, even matters of life and death.
She understood and supported him—but understanding and support did not erase the ache in her heart.
And that unease grew with each passing day Han Cheng was away.
A few days ago, as these emotions accumulated, Bai Xue suddenly conceived a bold idea.
Brother Cheng had left the tribe for Jinguan City to help the tribe find a way forward.
The reason he did this was the colder weather, which was expected to persist and worsen.
In other words, if the weather hadn’t turned cold, Brother Cheng wouldn’t have had to leave the main tribe and travel so far to build Jinguan City.
As this thought took root, Bai Xue’s heart raced with excitement.
Of course, she hadn’t come up with any way to stop the cold—her era limited her understanding of such matters. She knew this was beyond her ability.
What she did think about was whether she could do something herself to respond to the situation.
Could she give the tribe stronger resilience against the cold?
Not just staying in the main tribe, while Brother Cheng worked tirelessly in the south.
Being the most skilled in the tribe at raising silkworms, spinning hemp yarn, and weaving hemp cloth, her thoughts naturally turned to her area of expertise.
If she could create warmer clothing, even as winter grew colder, her tribe could still carry out outdoor activities and work.
This idea thrilled her.
But after the initial excitement, she gradually calmed down, slipping into the thoughtful, sometimes absent-minded state she now frequently wore.
Many can identify a problem, but few can provide a solution—they are entirely different levels of thought.
Bai Xue was now facing this challenge.
Her thought was correct, but when she tried to put it into practice, she realized it was far more difficult than she had imagined.
So far, aside from grass and leaves—which were too cooling—there were three main materials for making clothes in the tribe:
Animal hides and furs.
Hemp cloth
Primitive silk woven from silkworms (scarce and precious)
Two of these were created with Brother Cheng’s guidance.
Previously, she hadn’t thought much about this, so it hadn’t seemed difficult. But now that she had to create something new and warmer than fur, she realized just how challenging it was.
This made her appreciate the wisdom of Brother Cheng, who had effortlessly introduced two new fabric materials suitable for clothing.
If only Brother Cheng were still in the tribe—his wisdom would surely provide a solution.
Bai Xue, lost in thought once more, silently realized she was relying on him again.
She shook her head. She had promised herself she would solve this herself, without troubling him—so why was she thinking of asking for his help again?
In the courtyard, seven or eight geese—formerly wild swans with clipped wings, now part of the Green Sparrow Tribe—wandered leisurely.
Bai Xue tried to bring Xiao Xing-er and the little panda Tuan-tuan (with Xiao Wan-dou) back inside the courtyard.
The two parties met at the doorway, eyes locked across the barrier.
Previously, Xiao Wan-dou had been traumatized by these domineering creatures, thanks to their unscrupulous father.
Seeing the geese blocking the path, he instinctively wanted to retreat.
But Xiao Xing-er insisted on finding her mother.
After coaxing her unsuccessfully, Xiao Wan-dou mustered courage and thought quickly.
“Little sister, wait here! I’ll chase the geese away!”
He released Xiao Xing-er’s hand, went behind Tuan-tuan the panda, and pushed its backside to clear a path.
Given the panda’s size and strength, dealing with the geese shouldn’t be a problem.
But this formidable panda was scared out of its mind.
It had previously suffered at the beaks of these geese, losing patches of its treasured fur.
It had even experienced a painful sourness, leaving it shaken.
Despite its cute, clumsy appearance, it was actually clever.
Seeing the aggressive geese ahead and their young master pushing from behind, it instinctively resisted moving forward.
Without Xiao Wan-dou pushing, it could barely maintain its composure. Now, forced forward, it retreated instead.
Xiao Wan-dou was small, no match for the massive panda, which stumbled backward despite his efforts.
Even comparing their strength to children of the same age competing at silly games wasn’t enough—the chubby Tuan-tuan overpowered them.
Xiao Wan-dou had experienced the geese’s menace; young Xiao Xing-er had not.
When Xiao Wan-dou held her hand, she could be guided.
But now, released and determined to reach her mother, Xiao Xing-er ignored her brother and ran into the courtyard.
The geese, standing still and observing, were stunned until Xiao Xing-er reached the flock.
The female geese were relatively gentle, but the aggressive males, keen to display strength, gave chase.
Flapping their damaged wings and stretching their necks, they honked and lunged at Xiao Xing-er.
Xiao Wan-dou froze, fists clenched, and charged at the chaotic geese.
“Sister, run!”
“Die!”
“Flap flap, honk~ ugh~ ugh~”
“Waa… waa…”
Bai Xue, previously lost in thought, instantly recognized the voices: her son’s shout, her daughter’s cry.
Hearing the geese, she immediately knew her children were in danger.
Her previous worry vanished.
She jumped from the wooden stump and dashed like the wind toward the chaotic scene.
Inside the goose flock, Xiao Wan-dou shielded Xiao Xing-er, running forward.
Two geese flapped their wings and stretched their necks to chase, one pecking at Xiao Wan-dou’s hair, the other at his rear.
The seemingly fearless panda, wearing sunglasses and looking like a big brother, quietly retreated, raising a paw in front of its eyes in a “I can’t watch” manner.
Bai Xue’s anger surged.
Unlike Han Cheng, she had no desire to incite her children to challenge the geese. Birds protect their young—how could she, as a mother, stand by?
She sprinted forward, kicking one goose mid-air.
This goose, clipped since birth, experienced flight for the first time—not pleasant at all.
The takeoff hurt, the landing hurt, feathers flew everywhere, and it crash-landed painfully.
The other goose, pecking at Xiao Wan-dou’s rear, experienced the same fate.
Even a so-called rural tyrant goose could not withstand the wrath of a protective mother.
After one kick, the arrogant geese scattered in panic, wings flapping, heading for the outer courtyard—led by the two show-off males.
Tuan-tuan, momentarily distracted, got a few pecks from the retreating geese.
The goose attacking his rear seemed to have learned a trick, hitting his key areas.
The normally quiet adult panda suddenly cried out, flexed, and sprang into action.
He ran at unprecedented speed out of the tribe, heading for the bamboo forest.
This place was terrifying—not only the humans, but even the geese were vicious.
The green bamboo in the forest seemed far safer and friendlier.
Bai Xue, usually calm, had gone into a frenzy, stunning the panda and silencing crying Xiao Xing-er. Xiao Wan-dou, taking in the scene, looked at his mother in awe, eyes sparkling.
Still fuming, Bai Xue kicked at the fleeing geese two more times, then hurried back to check on her children.
Xiao Xing-er was fine, mostly frightened; her brother blocked the attacks.
Xiao Wan-dou had lost some hair, but his rear was fine.
Thanks to his age, Bai Xue had switched to a warmer pair of pants—otherwise, this encounter would have been disastrous.
Seeing all was well, she plucked a stray feather from Xiao Wan-dou’s head and finally felt relieved.
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