The Beginning of Animal Rearing

Wang Yan sensed the gaze behind him and turned around, just in time to see his father, Jianshi, standing there with a gratified smile as he watched him and the youths behind him, who were sweating like rain.

"Father, you're back." Wang Yan hurried over. Seeing the several sizable deer and the pile of rabbits, pheasants, and other game the hunting party had brought back, he too felt pleased with the day's haul.

Jianshi withdrew his gaze from the youths and settled it on his son, growing more satisfied the longer he looked. "Mm, we just got back. You've whipped them into decent shape. Good work." For once, he offered a direct word of praise.

Wang Yan smiled without dwelling too much on the youth squad. Another important matter concerning the tribe's long-term development had been on his mind all along.

"Father, how is that idea I mentioned last time coming along-catching some young animals to raise?" Wang Yan asked as he helped his father unload the heavy game from his shoulders.

At this, Jianshi's smile faded a little, giving way to a thoughtful expression. He motioned for Wang Yan to join him beside the clearing where the game was piled, where it was relatively quiet.

"I discussed it with your uncles, and we've been trying it all along," Jianshi began, his tone carrying a trace of knowledge gained through experience. "Adult wild animals, like wild sheep and boars, are too strong and fierce, and they get even more violent when injured. We tried catching them alive and binding them tightly with vines, but the beast struggled desperately the whole way. Even several men couldn't hold it down. Before we could drag it back to the tribe, it had nearly struggled itself to death. Even when we did manage to bring one back, it refused to eat anything and died within a couple of days."

Wang Yan nodded. This was what he had expected. Adult animals were wild and difficult to tame, with strong stress responses, so success was indeed difficult.

"So we tried a different approach," Jianshi continued, a glint of a hunter's shrewdness flashing in his eyes. "We set our sights on very young animals. When their mothers were away foraging, or we had lured them away, we moved quickly and carried the young back."

He pointed to one of the fawns brought back that day, which was still struggling faintly. "Look, today we tried bringing back two fawns. And a few days ago, Dali and the others took a litter of wild piglets from their nest. One died on the way, but the other three are still being kept in a shelter."

Wang Yan looked in the direction his father pointed. Sure enough, beside the pile of game, he saw two fawns huddled together, their coats still spotted and their slender legs trembling as they gave faint, mournful cries. Delight immediately rose in his heart!

"That's the right approach, Father!" Wang Yan affirmed. "Young animals aren't as wild, so they're easier to tame! As long as they're willing to eat, there's hope!"

"Yes." Seeing his son's agreement, Jianshi also breathed a sigh of relief. "But these little things are delicate and hard to raise. The shelter smells strong, and they're easily frightened there. I was just thinking of discussing this with you. Should we find a spot on the edge of the tribe and fence off an area with wood and stones, specifically for raising these young animals we catch? That thing you mentioned before... an 'animal pen'?"

"Yes! An animal pen!" Wang Yan immediately replied, inwardly impressed by his father's ability to put plans into action. He had been wondering how to explain everything in detail, never expecting his father to have already thought this far ahead. "The location is important. It needs to be close to water so we can fetch it easily, but not too close to where we live, so the smells and noise won't disturb everyone's rest. The ground should be relatively flat, preferably with some grass or shrubs like those in their original habitat."

As he spoke, he rapidly worked out a plan in his head. "The fence needs to be sturdy. It must keep the young animals from escaping and stop wild beasts outside from getting in to eat them. We can drive thick logs into the ground as posts, then weave thinner branches or bamboo strips between them. It has to be secure!"

Jianshi listened attentively, nodding from time to time. He found that his son's ideas on such matters were always especially thorough.

"Also," Wang Yan added, "different young animals may have different habits. For example, fawns like tender grass and leaves, while wild piglets might eat anything, and they also like rolling in mud. Once we've caught more, it would be best to raise them separately, dividing the pen into different sections with fences."

"Raise them separately? That much trouble?" Jianshi was somewhat surprised. As far as he was concerned, keeping them together so they could not escape was enough.

"Father, think about it," Wang Yan explained patiently. "Deer are timid, while pigs are wild. If we keep them together, the deer might get frightened by the pigs and stop eating. Besides, when they grow up and have young of their own, keeping them all mixed together will make a mess of things. Raising them separately will make them easier to manage, too. We can see which animals grow fast and which have tasty meat, then raise more of those in the future."

Understanding dawned on Jianshi, and the way he looked at his son changed even further. This was not simply a matter of catching animals and keeping them alive-there were so many finer points to it! Yan was actually thinking about long-term development and selection!

"Good! We'll do as you say!" Jianshi hesitated no longer. "Tomorrow, I'll have Dali and Dazhuang take the team that's resting to choose a spot and cut timber. We'll get the framework of the animal pen up first! As for the location, we'll follow what you said and find a flat patch downstream along the creek. It's neither too close nor too far from us-just right."

With the matter settled, a stone lifted from Wang Yan's heart. Success in raising animals would mean a more stable food supply for the tribe and a greatly improved ability to withstand risks. This was not merely an extra mouthful of meat, but a revolutionary experiment in how they produced their food.

As he looked at the two trembling fawns, he seemed to see a future scene of cattle and sheep in herds within the animal pens, chickens and pigs filling their enclosures. It would be a crucial step for the Fire Tribe, moving from relying solely on hunting and gathering toward a civilization of farming and animal husbandry.

And all of this began with the two fawns his father had brought back today, with the wild piglets the tribe's warriors had risked themselves to take from their nest, and with this seemingly crude "animal pen" plan. Through these small acts of practice and exploration, the Fire Tribe's road toward civilization stretched steadily forward.