The two dinophants had barely come ashore when they trotted over to Luo Chong's side. They sprayed him with the water they had just sucked up through their trunks, turning him into a drowned rat, then nudged him with their trunks.
Luo Chong helplessly wiped the water from his face and patted their trunks. "Since you've come to my territory and want to eat my food, you'll have to work for me. I won't raise you for free. Do you understand?"
Luo Chong had no idea whether they understood, but the two dinophants patted him on the head with their trunks in response. He had no idea what that was supposed to mean, either.
The women of the Fishing Team were startled when they saw the two enormous beasts running toward their chieftain. Then they noticed that the beasts weren't attacking him and instead acted as if they were old friends. This amazed them. Their chieftain was truly formidable—he could even tame such enormous monsters.
Qu Bing had already run over and was hugging Luo Chong's leg affectionately, completely unafraid of the giant beasts beside her.
Luo Chong told them that the newcomers were newly joined tribespeople, then led everyone back to the cave. He also placed little Qu Bing on Ximen's back and let him ride her around, while the two baby dinophants had already taken off, tearing wildly across the open ground.
The original members of the Tree Tribe and the Fishing Team looked each other over. The Fishing Team's eyes were mostly fixed on the eighteen blue antelopes, while Dashu and the others were inspecting the women of the Han Tribe—their hairstyles, leather boots, and the fish in their baskets, as well as the White-shafted Long Spear each of them carried.
These were the White-shafted Long Spears Dashu liked best. Every single one of them had one, which made Dashu green with envy. But then he remembered that he had joined the Han Tribe too, and felt a faint thrill of excitement. What the heck is this feeling?
The cave entrance was lively as well. It was dusk, and everyone in the tribe had gathered there. They had already seen Luo Chong returning, along with the two enormous beasts gamboling behind him.
"Chieftain."
Everyone stood ramrod straight. When they saw Luo Chong approach, they shouted in unison.
"Mm, I'm back. I brought quite a few things this time, and these people are new members of the tribe. From now on, treat them like your own people. As for those four-legged beasts, don't kill them. They're not for eating," Luo Chong instructed as he stepped into the middle of the crowd.
Everyone indicated that they understood. Luo Chong then told them to make dinner, and to prepare more than usual today.
Clever Qu Bing took it upon herself to become a tour guide. With her little mouth chattering away, she introduced all sorts of things to Dashu and the others, leaving them utterly bewildered.
There were dozens of pots even larger than the one Luo Chong used. There were also beautiful pottery bowls, jars, and crocks, all seemingly cast from the same mold. Dashu and the others were so embarrassed that they didn't even dare take out their wooden bowls.
Moreover, everyone in the Han Tribe had leather boots and wore their hair tied up, though Luo Chong was the only one who wore a hairpin.
The day's prey was piled up at the cave entrance: countless fish and a Wancchi Pig with more than a dozen holes pierced through its body. It weighed over a thousand pounds. It seemed the Hunting Team had learned to use spears with ease, which greatly pleased Luo Chong.
Dashu and the others also gained a rough understanding of the Han Tribe's strength. The food stored by this tribe was indeed enough to see them through the winter.
The children were hardworking too. They stood beside a "grass mountain," facing off against the baby dinophants. It was grass they had pulled up over the past few days. Judging from the size of the pile, there should be enough to feed the blue antelopes and the two dinophants for the entire winter.
Before Luo Chong left, he had arranged for them to clear the open ground outside the cave. The children had done an excellent job. Aside from some grass, there were no longer any bushes or similar plants on the open ground. Happily, Luo Chong rewarded each of them with two rabbit pelts, and the children went off rejoicing to find their mothers and have clothes made.
The baby dinophants finally embraced the "grass mountain," while the things on the blue antelopes were unloaded as well. Then they were all released to climb the grass mountain together.
A large pile of red bricks had already been stacked in an open area not far away. Lame reported to Luo Chong that he could fire four kilns a day. He had also made a tool for the children, which he proudly brought out for Luo Chong to see.
When Luo Chong saw the tool Lame had produced, he was left dumbfounded. Lame had given him a simple wooden rake with nails—well, something roughly resembling Zhu Bajie's rake—and even demonstrated how to use it to gather grass.
"Damn, so that's how the grass mountain came to be. Not bad, Lame. You've learned to invent things. Your mind's finally opened up. You really have the makings of an inventor." Luo Chong was shocked beyond words, but he was also delighted. This was progress!
After praising Lame a few times, Luo Chong told him that he didn't need to fire bricks tomorrow. Instead, he should fire another batch of pottery for the newcomers to use. Lame nodded to show that he understood.
When pottery came up, the Elder beside them indicated that he had something to say as well. He told Luo Chong that Baldy's tribe to the west had come to trade pottery again a few days earlier. The Elder had said they could exchange people, but Baldy had refused, saying his people still needed to gather food. He had proposed exchanging Salt Stone instead, and said they could offer double the amount.
The Elder had thought it over and agreed. He traded them one water jar and two pottery pots. Baldy paid a great deal of Salt Stone, enough for the Han Tribe to eat for a long time.
The Elder also reminded Luo Chong that Baldy's tribe had learned to weave baskets. The containers they had used to carry the salt this time were woven baskets.
At this, Luo Chong couldn't help but pause, but he soon smiled and said indifferently, "It's fine. Leave them be."
There was hardly any technical skill involved in basket weaving. Anyone clever enough could learn it after carefully examining a basket's structure. It wasn't difficult, and it was extremely practical. Let them learn it if they wanted. It didn't matter. It wasn't anything important.
After inspecting all the work, Luo Chong arranged places for the animals he had brought back. The rabbits were placed in a corner of the cave, where a pen had been built from stones and yellow mud and lined with dry grass. For now, they would spend the winter there.
There were over thirty rabbits, nine of them fully grown. Three of the rabbits were already pregnant. Not long after being placed in the Rabbit Enclosure, they began biting the fur on their bellies, exposing their nipples, while also using their fur to make nests and keep their soon-to-be-born kits warm.
Although the other rabbits were only one or two months old, they were already the size of Hami melons and growing very quickly. By the beginning of next spring, they would become new breeding machines, and the number of rabbits would explode dozens of times over.
The baby dinophants needed no arrangements. They had already latched onto Luo Chong, and judging from that "grass mountain," they probably wouldn't leave even if he tried to drive them away.
The blue antelopes were all tied to a tree not far from the cave entrance for the night. Tomorrow, people would build them a pen and a hay shelter so they wouldn't freeze to death in winter.
Once all that was done, dinner was nearly ready. Before the meal, Luo Chong held a simple ceremony for the newcomers joining the tribe: tying up their hair.
The original members of the Tree Tribe were not opposed to it. Being accepted by the new chieftain was a good thing. From now on, everyone would be the same, and the chieftain wouldn't deliberately target anyone. Besides, they themselves felt that tying up their hair made them look more spirited and far better than walking around with their hair hanging loose.
They had hunted a giant pig that day, so pork blood was naturally indispensable that evening. Along with meat and wild vegetables, it was stewed in several huge pots. There was also chestnut-stewed chicken made from the wild chicken Luo Chong had shot, a beggar's chicken, more than a dozen fresh grilled fish, and one sweet-and-sour fruit for each person.
The sumptuous dinner instantly drew the old and new members closer together. Everyone chatted and laughed, eating happily.
One had to admit, the dining-table social culture of my great Celestial Empire was truly something else. If you didn't know someone, no problem—eat one meal at a restaurant together, and you'd know each other. If you weren't close, no problem—eat another meal together, and you'd be familiar. If the bond still wasn't strong enough, no problem—down half a catty of baijiu, and they'd be guaranteed to call you their old drinking buddy.
There was nothing a bottle of baijiu couldn't solve. If one bottle didn't work, then make it two. Tsk, what a pity—there was no alcohol.
After the meal, Luo Chong instructed the "old hands" in the tribe to make leather boots for the newcomers and have the newcomers learn alongside them. They could communicate and interact more, and soon they would all be one family.
While some people made clothes and others made shoes, Luo Chong held a charred piece of wood and wrote and sketched across the cave wall. There were diagrams, numbers, and words.
Luo Chong stared blankly at those things, looking as if he were deep in thought. He didn't notice the astonished Elder behind him, the curious Qu Bing, or Dashu, who was growing ever more reverent toward him.
"This blue-skinned man is no ordinary fellow."
It was Thursday already, and I was third on the classified contract rankings. My backside was about to get kicked again. Everyone, please give me all you've got with your recommendation votes—aaaaah! Please support me with tips, recommendation votes, collections, comments, character likes, anything at all. Begging, rolling around, acting cute...
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