The Youth Who Came Home

When Yan emerged from the somber yet inspiring council hall, it was already afternoon. The warm sunlight bathed the bustling and vibrant valley. Instead of immediately returning to his lodgings to rest, or heading to the shipbuilding workshop that was about to become the center of attention, Yan turned and walked towards the other side of the valley, towards the Youth Team's camp.

Yan temporarily suppressed his grand concerns about the future of the tribe. At this moment, he was more concerned about the newly joined youths who represented the future of the Fire Tribe. The Fire Tribe's population had now swelled to 37,000, with over 7,000 warriors and about 3,700 Youth Team members. Among them, the 1,500 youths newly recruited from the upper reaches of the Fish River were the "results" of his recruitment trip to the upper reaches of the Fish River, and also a heavy responsibility on his heart. He needed to see with his own eyes whether these children, who had just escaped a life of extreme hardship and entered a new environment, had truly found belonging and hope here.

Before even approaching the camp, Yan could hear the orderly yet slightly immature shouts from afar.

Yan slowed his pace and stopped on a small hill at the edge of the camp. Without disturbing anyone, he quietly observed. On the spacious training ground, hundreds of teenagers were divided into several small teams, conducting drills under the leadership of their respective Xiaotou. Most of these teenagers no longer had the sallow complexion they had when they first arrived; their faces were now rosy. Although they were still rather thin, their eyes were focused, and they tried their best to straighten their backs, following the commands of the leaders in front, performing actions such as turning, marching, and halting. Although their movements were not yet perfectly synchronized and were somewhat clumsy, their earnestness was truly moving.

On the sidelines, Gubang, Daya, and Zhuangchai were patrolling back and forth with Orthodox God. Gubang would occasionally correct people's movements loudly; Big Daya was holding a wooden board marked with charcoal pencil, making notes on something, his eyes sharp; Zhuangchai was responsible for leading the group to maintain order, and would step forward to remind anyone who was distracted in a low voice. The three worked together seamlessly, as if they had already regarded this place as their own responsibility.

Yan watched for a while and nodded slightly in his heart. It seemed that Gubang and the others had indeed put in the effort, and this initial order and rules had been established.

When this batch of training came to an end, Gubang announced the end of the training and the boys dispersed in twos and threes to drink water and chat quietly. Only then did Yan come out from behind the earthen slope and walk towards the three of them.

"Boss!" Gubang, with his sharp eyes, was the first to spot Yan. A surprised smile immediately spread across his dark face, and he ran over in a few steps. "When did you get here? How long has the meeting been over? You guys are really awesome this time! You brought back so much grain from the Valley Tribe! I saw it from the dock; the ships were all weighed down!" His tone was excited, filled with undisguised admiration.

Daya and Zhuangchai quickly gathered around, their faces beaming with joy at seeing their "backbone."

Yan chuckled and patted the sturdy shoulder of the Gubang. "I just arrived a little while ago. Seeing you all so engrossed in your training, I didn't want to disturb you. This grain transport went relatively smoothly, but," he changed the subject, looking at his three companions, "Of the eight million catties of grain agreed upon with the Valley Tribe this year, only 1.5 million catties have been transported back. This is just the beginning; more grain will be arriving continuously."

He paused briefly, then decided to share some even more shocking news with these key partners—a gesture of both trust and encouragement. "Furthermore, we have already reached an agreement with the Valley Tribe on next year's needs—20 million catties of grain."

"Two... two million catties of grain?!"

"Next year?!"

"Oh My God..."

Gubang, Daya, and Zhuangchai all stared wide-eyed, their mouths agape, as if they'd heard something unbelievable. Although they were children of high-ranking members of the Fire Tribe, they were still young and wouldn't immediately know all the specific strategic plans and transaction details. Hearing this astronomical figure from Yan's mouth was incredibly impactful. After a long while, Zhuangchai murmured as if in a dream, "Twenty... twenty million catties... that's how many mountains of grain that is... how long will it take our tribe to eat?"

Daya was the first to recover from the shock. He blinked and keenly caught another piece of information. With a hint of nervousness and anticipation, he asked, "Brother Yan, with so much food, will our tribe... go to the upper reaches of the Fish River to recruit more people? If we recruit again, will our Youth Team... need to increase by a lot more people?" He voiced the common concern in the hearts of the three.

Upon hearing this, Gubang and Zhuangchai immediately snapped out of their shock at the grain figures, staring intently at Yan, their hearts pounding in their throats. Heaven knows how much effort, how many sleepless nights, and how many times they'd worn out trying to get these 1,500 new "brothers" under control and integrate them! Managing these teenagers from diverse backgrounds, with different habits, and even initially different accents, was far more difficult and stressful than they'd imagined. The credit and training were real, but this wasn't a job that could be easily accomplished with mere boasting; they dared not make promises as readily as before.

Yan found it somewhat amusing, yet also gratifying, to see the three of them so cautious and on high alert. It showed that they had truly grown up, understood the weight of responsibility, and begun to weigh and plan their actions, rather than acting solely on passion.

"Don't worry," Yan reassured them, "The tribe's fleet will set off again to transport grain to the Valley Tribe in a couple of days. There are no immediate plans to recruit a large number of people upstream. Even if we were to go, we would only consider it after this fleet returns fully loaded, which would be at least forty days from now."

"Phew..." The three of them almost simultaneously let out a long sigh of relief, their tense shoulders relaxing. More than forty days! With these precious forty-odd days, they would have enough time to completely digest and integrate the current 1,500 new members into the Youth Team. Only then would they have the spare capacity and more mature experience to welcome any potential new members.

Yan then inquired about the specific situation of the 1,500 new youths. Gubang immediately puffed out his chest and gave a clear and organized report, a hint of pride on his face. "Boss, these new brothers are basically settled now! They've mostly memorized the rules of our Fire Tribe, as well as those simple words and numbers. They know how to speak and act in daily life. These days, we haven't rushed into intensive training; we've just had them play games with the veteran members, compete in teams, talk more, and work together more. Now their accents are almost the same as ours! Most importantly, their bodies have improved a lot; their faces are fuller, their eyes are more lively, and they're no longer the dull-witted people they were when they first arrived. Starting these days, we've added some basic physical training to their curriculum—short runs, strength training, standing in formation, etc. After a while, once their foundation is solid, they can be fully integrated with the veteran members and undergo formal formation, physical, and basic combat skills training together!"

Listening to Gubang's clear and confident report, Yan was very satisfied. These companions had indeed lived up to his expectations, handling things in an orderly manner, being principled yet knowing how to proceed step by step, and full of human touch. This was exactly the wisdom that the Fire Tribe needed to integrate new members.

"Excellent work!" Yan praised without reservation. "The three of you have done a great service this time! I will report this situation in detail to the leader and recommend you for commendation!"

"Thanks, boss!"

"Thank you, Brother Yan!"

The three of them beamed with joy. To receive Yan's personal commendation and affirmation made them feel that all their hard work had been worthwhile.

Then, as if remembering something important, Gubang hurriedly and carefully took out a smooth bamboo board tied with a rope from the inner pocket of his inner hemp clothing. He handed it to Yan with both hands and said in a low voice, "Boss, here's this too. You asked us to keep an eye out for kids with special talents in various areas... We've been training and observing them at the same time, and we've even done some small tests, like seeing who runs the fastest, who has the best eyesight, who's the strongest, who's the most dexterous, who learns rules the fastest, and who's the most resourceful in games... This bamboo board has some notes on the promising talents we've initially selected. We've briefly noted down each person's characteristics and general performance. Take a look first, and if you think they're suitable, or if you have any other ideas, then let us know!"

Yan took the still-warm bamboo board, feeling its weight. It was covered in dense charcoal markings and simplified pictographs. A thought struck him; this was precisely the important task he had been entrusted with—to cultivate future specialized talent for the tribe. He carefully put the bamboo board away, nodding and saying, "Alright, thank you for your hard work. This list is very important; I will review it carefully."

Remembering the important event of tomorrow, a smile spread across his face. He said to the three of them, "Oh, by the way, I have some good news for you. Tomorrow morning is the official launch of our Fire Tribe's first ship with a carrying capacity of 10,000 jin! If you're free, you can come and see it together and witness this special moment."

A massive ship weighing tens of thousands of kilograms? Launching it tomorrow?!

"Great! We definitely want to go!"

"We absolutely have to go! This is a momentous occasion for our tribe!"

The three men's excitement, which had just subsided, was reignited. They were so excited they almost jumped for joy. They had vaguely heard that the shipbuilding workshop was working on a large ship, but they never expected it to be completed so quickly! What an honor it would be to witness the tribe's first ship with a carrying capacity of 10,000 jin being launched!

Yan chatted with them for a while, learning about some details of life in the Youth Team, and reminded them to pay attention to the balance between work and rest before leaving the Youth Team's training ground.

Leaving the bustling training ground, Yan turned to the relatively quiet area on the other side of the tribe—the stables. No matter how busy or stressful things were outside, Yan could always feel a rare sense of relaxation and joy whenever he saw Chasing Wind and Treading Clouds.

These two excellent ponies, selected by Qingsui herself from the Horse Tribe, now live a life of luxury in the Fire Tribe. Their spacious, specially built stables are clean and tidy, with dedicated staff providing meticulous care. The best hay is always provided. With their superior bloodlines, and through Huo's careful training and regular riding, they have become increasingly magnificent, noticeably taller than the Fire Tribe's original horses. Their muscles are well-defined, and their coats are glossy and smooth. Naturally, they have become the "leader horses" in the herd, and the other horses treat them with great respect.

As Yan approached the stable, Chasing Wind and Treading Clouds immediately noticed him and let out cheerful neighs. Their large heads poked out from behind the fence, nuzzling Yan's outstretched hand affectionately. Yan smiled and took out the fine grains and tender grass he had brought. The two horses immediately ate heartily, enjoying their master's special reward. After feeding them, Yan led them out to the small racetrack outside the stable for a few laps. Then he carefully brushed their coats. Watching them stretch their beautiful bodies in the sunset, Yan felt much of the fatigue from the past few days' journey dissipate.

After dealing with these matters, it was already getting dark. Smoke rose from every house in the valley, and the air was filled with the warm aroma of food. Yan returned home to find his mother, Qingye, had prepared a simple dinner. There were no delicacies, only the taste of home. He ate quietly, then washed himself thoroughly with hot water, washing away the dust of the journey and seemingly washing away the heavy burden that had accumulated in his heart.

Lying back on my familiar and sturdy bed, beneath me lay dry, soft hay and animal hides, the unique, comforting scent of the wooden cabin filling my nostrils. Outside, I could faintly hear the laughter and chatter of my tribesmen and the rhythmic footsteps of patrolling warriors. Here, there was no infighting in the Valley Tribe's council hall, no uncertainty or risk of long voyages, only the peace and a sense of belonging of home.

This finally allowed Yan's long-tense nerves to relax completely, and a deep sense of exhaustion washed over him. He quickly fell into a dreamless slumber.