The Valley Tribe's Banquet

Yan and Qingsui continued walking slowly along the banks of the Fish River, shoulder to shoulder and hand in hand, neither wanting to break the rare tranquility by speaking first.

"Yan," Qingsui said softly after a while, "Your Fire Tribe is really amazing. It's only been a few years, and you've developed like this."

Yan smiled and said, "It's alright, mostly just good luck."

"Luck?" Qingsui tilted her head and looked at him. "Your Fire Tribe originally only had a little over two hundred people, and they were almost starving to death. You led them to find food, and later taught them farming, shipbuilding, pottery making... This isn't luck, it's skill. My father even said you're a capable person and told me to learn more from you. He also said the Fire Tribe will definitely become stronger and stronger in the future, and he wants our Valley Tribe to get along well with you."

Yan's heart stirred; Daiyue's words didn't seem like casual remarks.

"And what about you?" Yan looked at her. "What do you think of me?"

Qingsui's face flushed slightly, but she quickly regained her composure and looked directly into Yan's eyes.

"I think you're great," she said. "Much better than those young people in our Valley Tribe. All they know is how to compete—whose horse is faster, whose knife is better, whose leather armor is more beautiful. Unlike you, you think about how to feed the people of the tribe and how to make the tribe stronger."

Yan was taken aback by her words and was momentarily at a loss for words.

Qingsui continued, "My mother passed away early, and my father raised me alone. He often said that when choosing a man, you can't just look at his appearance; you have to look at his heart. If his heart is good, then he is a good person."

She looked at Yan, her eyes shining. "I think you have a very good heart."

A warm feeling welled up in Yan's heart. He held Qingsui's hand tightly. Qingsui smiled, her eyes curving into crescent moons. Just as the two were chatting happily, a warrior from the Fire Tribe rushed over.

"Young Chief!" he shouted, "Dali has sent someone to see you! Chief Fengren of the Valley Tribe has arrived, saying that Chief Daiyue has invited you to a banquet!"

Yan paused for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, I'll go back right away."

He turned to Qingsui: "Shall we go together?"

Qingsui nodded. "Okay."

The two walked back quickly. On the open ground by the dock, the Fire Tribe's temporary camp had been set up, with dozens of tents neatly arranged. A campfire was lit, and wisps of smoke rose from it. Next to the camp stood a group of people. The one in the lead was none other than Fengren, the leader of the Valley Tribe. He was burly, with a resolute face, wearing an exquisite linen robe and a bronze dagger hanging at his waist. He was Daiyue's confidant, and Yan was always received by him when he came.

Standing beside Fengren were Dali and the two leaders, Feiyu and Bailin.

"Young Master Yan!" Seeing Yan approach, Fengren greeted him with a smile, "Long time no see! Our Chief of Daiyue has prepared hot food and invites everyone to the banquet."

Yan clasped his hands in a respectful greeting. "Fengren, you're too kind! Leader Daiyue is too hospitable. I'll make my preparations and go with you right away."

Fengren nodded. "No rush, take your time preparing."

After he finished speaking, he turned to Qingsui with a gentle smile on his face.

"Qingsui, you're here too."

Qingsui nodded. "Uncle Fengren, I'll talk to Yan."

Fengren smiled and didn't say anything more.

Yan walked over to Dali and asked in a low voice, "Did Leader Fengren say anything else?"

Dali shook his head. "Leader Fengren has been here for a while, saying that Leader Daiyue invited us to dinner."

Yan nodded, then turned to Feiyu and Bailin and said, "Feiyu Leader, Bailin Leader, let's go together."

Feiyu and Bailin nodded repeatedly, their faces beaming with joy. Yan then had his men bring out eight loads of pottery—all fine pieces, exquisitely crafted, and clearly top-quality.

"Let's go," Yan said to Fengren.

The group walked towards the council hall of the Valley Tribe. The sun had completely set, leaving only a faint glimmer of light on the horizon. As Yan walked, he observed the surroundings in the afterglow. He noticed that the fields along the roadside were different from when he last visited. Many fields that had been on fallow had now been cleaned up, the weeds removed, the soil turned over, and some had even been leveled, ready for planting next spring.

Yan silently estimated that the paddy fields at the Valley Tribe headquarters, plus the paddy fields at the Little Valley Camp on the other side of the Fish River, could be planted with at least 80,000 to 90,000 mu next year. How much would one mu of paddy fields yield? Based on the Valley Tribe's farming level, 300 jin per mu per year should be no problem.

Eighty or ninety thousand mu, that's twenty-seven or twenty-eight million jin, or even thirty million jin. After deducting what they eat and what they save for seed, selling twenty million jin to the Fire Tribe would be more than enough. Yan nodded to himself. In order to achieve the twenty million jin trade next year, the Valley Tribe had already cultivated all the arable land. This was squeezing the potential of the land to the limit.

However, there are also problems with doing this. If they plant crops for several years in a row, the soil fertility will decline. After next year, the grain production of the Valley Tribe will definitely decrease unless they convert some of the good vegetable fields into paddy fields. Yan kept this idea in mind. After walking for a while, the group finally arrived at the Valley Tribe's council hall.

This was a huge wooden house, twice the size of the Fire Tribe's council hall. The roof was covered with thick thatch, and the walls were made of whole logs. Two carved wooden pillars stood at the entrance, and a group of people were waiting there. The one in the lead was Daiyue, the chief of the Valley Tribe.

He was wearing an exquisite linen robe, and behind him stood the seven elders of the Valley Tribe. Yan was secretly startled; all seven elders had come, which meant that the Valley Tribe attached great importance to this meeting.

He strode forward, clasped his hands in a respectful greeting, and said, "Chief of Daiyue! Elders! I'm late, I've kept you waiting!"

Daiyue laughed heartily, stepped forward, and shook Yan's hand. "Young Chief Yan, you're too kind! It's worth waiting a long time for friends from your Fire Tribe!"

He took Yan's hand and led him into the council hall. "Come, come, please come in! I've already had wine and food prepared; let's eat and chat!"

The crowd filed in, and inside the council chamber, several low tables had already been set up, laden with food—golden-roasted lamb legs, tenderly stewed fish, freshly picked wild vegetables, steaming rice, and several jars of fragrant fermented fruit wine.

Yan was seated next to Daiyue, while Dali, Feiyu, and Bailin were also seated in the honored seats. After everyone was seated, Daiyue raised his wine bowl.

"Come on, Young Master Yan, and all the leaders, let's have a bowl of wine first! This is to welcome you all who have come from afar!"

Everyone responded in unison, raised their wine bowls, and drank them down in one gulp. After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere gradually warmed up. Daiyue put down his wine bowl, looked at Yan, and had a satisfied smile on his face.

"Chief Yan," he said, "The trade of this year's eight million catties of grain has gone very smoothly. Your Fire Tribe has always brought plenty of pottery with you, and our Valley Tribe is very satisfied."

Yan smiled and nodded, "Chief Daiyue, you flatter me. This is what we should do."

Daiyue waved his hand. "It's not an overstatement, it's the truth. I've calculated with the elders that our Valley Tribe has made a lot of money from this transaction this year. Just the pottery we got from you, we resold to downstream tribes and got back a large number of good things in return."

He paused, then raised his wine bowl again. "Come, Young Chief Yan, let me offer you another bowl! Thank you for the generosity of your Fire Tribe!"

The two drank another bowl of wine, and after putting down their bowls, Yan handed them a wooden plaque engraved with symbols.

"Chief of Daiyue," he said, "This is the list of pottery we brought this time, valued at the equivalent of two million catties of grain."

Daiyue took the wooden plaque and carefully examined the symbols on it. Although he didn't recognize the Fire Tribe's script, he could still understand its meaning.

"Two million catties?" He looked up. "You're transporting two million catties this time?"

Yan nodded. "Yes, this time we brought forty 10,000-jin boats, one hundred and ninety 5,000-jin boats, and thirty 2,000-jin boats. With the assistance of the Valley Tribe, transporting two million jin at once will not be a problem."

Daiyue gasped in astonishment. Forty ships weighing ten thousand catties each! One hundred and ninety ships weighing five thousand catties each, and thirty ships with a carrying capacity of two thousand catties each! The shipbuilding speed of the Fire Tribe was simply too fast! He looked at the elders and found that they were also exchanging glances. Daiyue took a deep breath to suppress his shock.

"Great!" He slapped his thigh. "Two million catties it is! There's plenty of grain for our Valley Tribe!"

He paused, then added, "Young Master Yan, when you come next time, will you be paying in advance for next year's pottery?"

Yan nodded. "Yes, once this grain is transported back, we'll bring a fleet back next time and prepay with pottery equivalent to five million catties of grain."

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the seven elders lit up: five million catties!

"Prepayment! That's a huge profit!" The Grand Elder couldn't help but exclaim, "Young Chief Yan, your Fire Tribe is truly... truly generous!"

Yan smiled and said, "Of course. The Valley Tribe is willing to cooperate with us long-term, so we naturally have to show our sincerity as well."

Daiyue nodded repeatedly, his smile widening.

"Young Master Yan, rest assured," he said, "Our Valley Tribe will take care of the 20 million catties of grain next year! We guarantee not a single grain will be missing!"

Yan raised his wine bowl. "Then Daiyue, Chief Daiyue!"

The two drank another bowl of wine. After putting down the bowls, Daiyue suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, Chief Yan," he said, "I truly admire the speed at which your Fire Tribe builds ships. It hasn't been long, and you've already accumulated so many ships."

Yan smiled modestly, "It's out of necessity. If we don't build more ships, we won't be able to transport those 20 million catties of grain next year."

Daiyue nodded, indicating his understanding.

He thought for a moment and said, "Chief Yan, don't worry. Even if you don't have enough boats of your own, our Valley Tribe will provide boats to assist with transportation. Although we have occasional friction with the Bear Tribe downstream, it hasn't reached the point of affecting grain transport. We guarantee to help you transport your grain."

Yan raised his wine bowl. "With Chief Daiyue's words, we are relieved! Thank you!"

The two drank another bowl, and after several rounds of drinks, Yan spoke again.

"Chief of Daiyue," he said, "I'd like to ask if your Valley Tribe can provide more food in the future?"

Daiyue paused for a moment. "More?"

Yan nodded. "Yes, our Fire Tribe is experiencing rapid population growth, and our demand for food will remain high in the coming years. If the Valley Tribe can provide more, we are willing to continue exchanging pottery for it."

Daiyue remained silent for a while.

He glanced at the elders, then at Yan, and slowly said, "Young Chief Yan, to be honest, our Valley Tribe will only be able to produce 20 million catties of grain next year, which will already be the maximum potential of the land. The year after next, the yield will definitely be lower."

He paused, then said, "However, if your Fire Tribe truly has a huge need, we will try to find a way, such as converting some good vegetable plots into paddy fields, or reclaiming some new land."

Yan raised his wine bowl. "Chief Daiyue's words are enough! No matter how much you can provide, our Fire Tribe will be grateful!"

The two drank another bowl. Then, Yan and Daiyue discussed the details of the grain and pottery handover, as well as the specific arrangements for the Valley Tribe to assist in transportation. Daiyue agreed to everything and asked the elders to write it down. When they had finished discussing everything, Yan stood up, clasped his hands in a salute.

"Chief of Daiyue, elders, thank you for your time today. It's getting late, we should go back to rest."

Daiyue also stood up and shook Yan's hand. "Young Chief Yan, you've had a long journey. Please get some rest. If you need anything tomorrow, feel free to come find me."

Yan nodded. "Thank you!"

Daiyue, accompanied by seven elders, escorted Yan to the entrance of the council hall, where Qingsui was already waiting.

"Father," she said, "I'll see them off."

Daiyue glanced at her, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Okay," he said, "It'll be good to give it to them."

Qingsui nodded, walked to Yan's side, and the group headed towards the dock.