Hemp Thread and New Fishing Nets
Holding that white, supple hemp thread between his fingers, Wang Yan felt almost as excited as he had when he fired pottery a few days earlier!
Pottery solved the tribe's need for things to use, precious vessels for storing and cooking food. But in Wang Yan's eyes, this slender hemp thread could solve even more major, practical problems!
"Hemp! From now on, this plant is called 'hemp'!" Wang Yan practically blurted out, giving this newly discovered treasure its name.
"Hemp?" Gubang and Shouchai leaned closer, curiously rubbing and twisting the fine thread between their fingers. It felt completely different from the bark cord they usually used, less prickly and especially tough. "Yan, is this stuff... really as amazing as you say?"
"Amazing! Of course it is!" Wang Yan nodded vigorously and began painting a picture for his two companions. "Think about it. The bark cord we use now is rough and stiff, and it snaps with one hard pull. Rope twisted from this hemp is soft and strong!"
He counted them off on his fingers, one by one:
"First, rope! If we replace our frog-fishing lines with hemp thread, we won't have to worry about weeds and rocks wearing them through! For weaving shrimp traps or making snares to catch wild animals, hemp rope will hold everything firmly and last!"
"We can weave nets, too!" Wang Yan picked up the hemp thread and gestured with it. "Haven't we always wanted to catch those big fish in the river? Fishing nets woven from this hemp thread will be lighter, finer-meshed, and stronger than bark-cord nets! Cast them into the water, and they're sure to catch more big fish!"
"And baskets!" He pointed at a vine basket nearby. "Use hemp rope to bind the rims and make handles, and they'll look good and won't fall apart so easily!"
Growing more enthusiastic as he spoke, he wound the hemp thread around his fingers a few times, lowered his voice, and mentioned the possibility that excited him most. "Most importantly, we might even be able to make clothes from this stuff!"
"Make clothes?" Gubang and Shouchai both froze, instinctively looking down at the somewhat ragged, crooked grass skirts wrapped around their bodies.
"Yes! Make clothes!" Wang Yan's tone was utterly certain. "Think about it. Animal-hide clothes are fine to wrap up in during winter, but how stifling are they in summer? And hunting is hard enough; good hides are even harder to get. Clothes woven from grass cord are full of holes, don't block the wind, prick you when you wear them, make you itch all over, and fall apart at the drop of a hat!"
Those words struck right to Gubang and Shouchai's hearts. Wearing grass skirts in summer, the grass edges were like little knives, scraping their skin red and itchy, and sweating made it unbearably uncomfortable. They, including Wang Yan himself, had long since had enough of that torment! Wang Yan missed even the most ordinary cotton clothes from before his transmigration terribly.
"With this hemp," Wang Yan said, shaking the thread in his hand, "we can make it a little finer, spin it into thread, then weave it into cloth the way the women weave mats! Clothes made from that cloth are called hemp clothes. They're lighter than hides, softer than grass clothes, breathable, and washable when they get dirty! They'll keep us cool in summer, and when it's cold, a few extra layers will keep us just as warm!"
Listening to Wang's description and imagining how those things called "hemp clothes" would feel on their bodies, Gubang and Shouchai's eyes lit up too. No more enduring the itch of grass blades or the rank smell and cumbersome weight of animal hides!
"Besides, I've seen a whole patch of this stuff growing on the hillside near the tribe! Once we start using more of it and have gathered everything nearby, we can find a good plot of land and grow it specifically, just as we grow food! Let it grow crop after crop, more and more of it!"
Although they did not understand the deeper implications of "grow it specifically," both immediately grasped the idea of "making more of it grow." That meant they would not run short of this good stuff in the future!
"We might even be able to trade this stuff to the Fish Tribe for good things someday, just like pottery!" Wang Yan added one final log to the fire.
Gubang and Shouchai were completely stunned. Behind one tiny hemp thread lay so many benefits! It could solve the major problem of clothing, make better tools, and even be traded for things! How did Yan's head hold so many amazing ideas?
But once Wang Yan calmed down and thought it over, making hemp clothes was a long-term goal. It required finer thread and more complex weaving techniques, not something they could accomplish in a day or two. Their most pressing need was still food. Although they now had a steady supply of frog meat, shrimp, and crabs, far better than before, they were still far from having "enough." With so many mouths in the tribe, especially growing children and hunters expending their strength, their demand for food was a bottomless pit.
He thought of fishing. The two old fishing nets his mother Qingye had brought from the Fish Tribe had once been an important source of extra meat for the tribe. But those nets were woven from a mixture of bark and coarse fibers, too, and were not strong enough. Big fish had already torn several large holes in them, and the cords themselves rotted easily after long periods in the water. They constantly needed mending, making fishing inefficient, with catches coming and going, very unreliable.
"Yes! Fishing nets first!" Wang Yan made up his mind. He remembered the various kinds of fishing nets he had seen before, such as cast nets and barrier nets, all much more efficient than the simple hand-cast nets the tribe currently used. Now that they had stronger, more supple hemp thread, this was the perfect chance to try!
"There's no rush to make clothes," Wang Yan told Gubang and Shouchai. "Let's twist hemp rope first and weave two new, better fishing nets! If they work well, we'll make more, so none of those big fish in the river can get away!"
"Good!" Gubang and Shouchai immediately agreed. Catching fish and eating meat-that was the most tangible benefit right before them!
They got straight to work. Wang Yan immediately led the two back to the hemp-covered slope, where they carefully harvested a large quantity of hemp stalks, taking only the stems and leaving the roots. Back at the tribe, they found a quiet corner and immersed themselves in processing them.
Soaking, pounding, rinsing... after several repetitions, the pale greenish-white hemp fibers separated out, becoming whiter and softer. Then Wang Yan taught them how to combine several fine hemp threads and twist them in the opposite direction to make strong, durable hemp rope of an even thickness.
The process required patience. At first, the ropes Gubang and Shouchai twisted were uneven in thickness and came apart easily. But under Wang Yan's guidance, they gradually mastered the technique, and their hemp ropes began to look increasingly proper.
As Wang Yan twisted rope, he pondered how to weave the new fishing nets. He decided to first try making a relatively simple "casting net," also known as a hand-cast net, that would be more efficient than their existing nets. This kind of net covered a large area when spread out and sank quickly, making it very effective against schools of fish.
He found some small stone flakes and ground them into evenly sized pieces to use as net weights. He also found dry, soft wood and whittled it into floats.
A few days later, enough hemp rope for two nets was ready, along with quite a few weights and floats. Wang Yan began weaving. Sitting there with his fingers flying, he wove the hemp rope according to the mesh structure and knotting method he remembered. Gubang and Shouchai watched from beside him, trying hard to memorize his movements.
Hemp rope really was far easier to use than bark cord! It was supple and did not slip easily, producing even mesh and firm knots. A brand-new hemp-rope fishing net, carrying the fresh fragrance of plants, gradually took shape in Wang Yan's hands.
When he tied the final knot and lifted the new hemp-rope fishing net, heavy yet full of hope, Wang Yan's heart brimmed with anticipation.
"Let's go!" He waved at Gubang and Shouchai, who were craning their necks in eager anticipation. "To the river! Let's try out our new gear!"