Stockpiling Food

Catching the young wild boar this time proved that the hunting trap really worked, and it gave everyone more confidence. Any leftover meat was smoked dry, making it easier to preserve.

They had to stockpile as much food as possible before winter arrived. Once winter came, game would grow scarcer, and hunting would become harder. With so many mouths to feed, they would surely go hungry.

The women had not been idle either. They had scoured the nearby mountainsides, and there was little left that they could eat.

Dried fruit was fairly easy to store. Now that they had meat, they naturally ate it sparingly. They had saved some as well, hoping to make every little bit count.

Living in this deserted wilderness was like living as savages. They had no money to exchange for supplies in town, so Long'er thought gathering medicinal herbs would be their best option.

Whenever he had time, he also taught his young companions to recognize useful and valuable medicinal herbs.

Countless precious medicinal herbs surely grew in this untouched mountain forest. If they could dig them up and exchange them for supplies in town, they would certainly ease their current hardship.

They lacked tools for processing medicinal herbs, however. Even that could not stump them. Sharpened bamboo could be used to dig up herbs and serve as weapons as well.

That day, Long'er took several of his young companions into the mountains to gather herbs. They moved cautiously through the forest, their eyes carefully searching for medicinal plants.

Suddenly, Wenlong spotted an extremely rare medicinal herb. Just as he excitedly moved to dig it up, he heard a low growl from nearby.

A small black bear appeared before them, its eyes wide with fury, seemingly disturbed by their arrival.

His companions went pale with fright, and some even began trembling at the knees. Wenlong forced himself to remain calm. He remembered hearing the elders say that when faced with a black bear, one must not panic and run.

He slowly backed away while signaling for his companions to retreat at the same measured pace.

Just as the black bear was about to attack, Wenlong had a flash of inspiration. He picked up a length of bamboo and struck a tree trunk hard, producing a tremendous noise.

Startled by the sudden commotion, the black bear hesitated for a moment before turning and slowly leaving.

Everyone let out a long breath of relief. Even a juvenile black bear was not something they could afford to provoke. Though their herb-gathering plans had been interrupted, at least everyone was safe.

Wenlong discussed it with the others. They would have to be more careful when gathering herbs from now on, and find a way to make more effective weapons for self-defense.

Digging traps was still more effective. With that thought, Wenlong led his companions to check the fenced traps with their trigger mechanisms first and see whether they had caught anything.

The five of them reached the enclosure and found three young wild boars trapped inside. They were overjoyed. Another trap held two more young wild boars, so they quickly sent someone to fetch the adults.

Long'er had the others reinforce the fence while he lashed a dagger to one end of a wooden pole.

Then he raised the dagger-tipped end of the pole and brought it down on a young wild boar. Hurt, the animal charged wildly about. Fortunately, he had ordered the fence reinforced, or the young boar would have escaped.

After dozens of rounds of blows, the three young wild boars finally could not withstand any more and collapsed weakly to the ground.

Still uneasy, his young companions struck them several more heavy blows before daring to enter the trap and tie them up.

They did the same at the other fenced trap, killing the young wild boars before entering to bind them, then having the adults who arrived carry them back to the cave.

This time, the haul was plentiful. Everyone was delighted that they could stockpile a substantial amount of food.

Winter was approaching now, and game would inevitably grow scarcer and scarcer. More than fifty people consumed no small amount of food each day. They had to bring something back every day.

Otherwise, without enough food, people would surely starve to death over the winter.

The five young companions brought something back every day they went into the mountains. However, they no longer dared visit the hill where the black bear lived.

If the black bear attacked, it would be difficult for all five children to escape unscathed.

Safety had to come first. If someone lost their life, the gain would not be worth the loss.

Here in this wilderness, every member was a treasure of the Lineage.