Fishing and Hunting Advance Together
While the shipbuilding workshops were striving for future maritime power, the Fire Tribe's main battleground for obtaining food—fishing, hunting, and gathering—was also entering a fierce stage. The entire tribe was like a tightly meshed gear system, operating at full speed for a common and urgent goal: to obtain enough food at all costs to last until the autumn harvest!
The two Xiaozhou that exist now carry the tribe's greatest hopes. Dabang, the loyal and brave Personal Guard, was entrusted with an important task and personally led the Fishing Team. He selected the most experienced and best-swimming fishermen in the tribe, divided them into two shifts, and kept the boats running almost day and night in the thawed and increasingly full river.
Improved and larger hemp rope fishing nets were woven in large quantities. The fishermen's net-casting techniques became increasingly refined through repeated practice; the nets were cast wider, sank faster, and covered a far greater area than before. Although there were only two boats, thanks to this extreme dedication and constantly optimized skills, the daily catch remained at a relatively stable level, becoming the most reliable and popular source of meat on the current dining table. The shimmering heaps of fish were the best remedy for the anxious gazes of the people.
Meanwhile, the Hunting Team (Warrior Team) led by the two fierce generals, Dali and Dazhuang, displayed the powerful strength of the Fire Tribe like a sword drawn from its sheath. They temporarily set aside some of their guard and training tasks and devoted their main energy to the pursuit of large prey.
Hunting strategies have also been adjusted. They are no longer satisfied with sporadic hunting, but instead take more organized actions. Taking advantage of their numbers, they will drive and surround selected hunting grounds, forcing frightened deer, wild sheep, and even lone Bison into pre-set traps or dead ends, and then hunt them down in a concentrated manner. Each successful and fruitful large-scale hunt brings a small cheer from the tribe, meaning that there will be a greater guarantee of food for the next few days.
The Hunting Team brought back not only food, but also a large quantity of furs and bones. The women worked hard to tan the furs, preparing them to sew new clothes or for exchange; the bones were collected and crafted by skilled artisans in the tribe into tools such as bone needles, bone awls, and bone arrowheads, making the most of everything.
If fishing and hunting are the spears, then the Gathering Team led by Qingye is the Jianren shield for the tribe's survival. This team, composed almost entirely of women and teenagers, became the main force in searching for all edible plants. Like industrious worker ants, they set off in formation every morning, meticulously combing every hillside, every woodland, and every streambank inside and outside the valley.
Experienced elderly women served as the "eyes" of the team, accurately identifying which shoots were edible, which tubers were plump, and which mushrooms were non-toxic. The children, like agile sentinels, were responsible for scouting and relaying messages. Every day, the Gathering Team would return with a wide variety and considerable quantity of wild vegetables, tender stems, tubers, and early-ripening wild fruits. These plant-based foods not only enriched the dining table and provided essential vitamins but also became crucial for filling their stomachs when meat was scarce.
Granny Cao's apprentices also followed the Gathering Team, partly to replenish the herb garden's reserves, and partly to constantly remind everyone to be aware of poisonous plants and dangers, ensuring the safety of the gathering.
This nationwide mobilization for survival inadvertently became the most effective catalyst for accelerating the integration of old and new clans.
In the shipbuilding workshop, newly joined young apprentices learn their craft from the Zhouya and Shuihen, respectfully calling them "masters." On fishing boats, veteran fishermen teach new crew members how to read water currents and identify schools of fish. During hunts, warriors from different tribes fight side by side, covering each other and entrusting their backs to one another. On the way back from gathering, women support each other, sharing their experiences in identifying wild vegetables and chatting about everyday life; language barriers gradually melt away in laughter.
The new members cherish this hard-won opportunity to earn dignity and sustenance through their labor more than anyone else. They repay the Fire Tribe's kindness in taking them in with almost desperate work. As for the older members of the Fire Tribe, seeing how hard these new members try to integrate and contribute, any initial doubts or rejections they might have had are gradually replaced by recognition and acceptance.
A sense of community, of "sharing weal and woe and getting through difficult times together," has taken root in people's hearts like spring rain through daily work and sharing.
Wang Yan moved between various work sites, coordinating resources, solving problems, and boosting morale. Looking at the busy and vibrant scene before him, he felt a sense of relief and confidence, even though he was still anxious about food reserves.
"Father, look," he said to Jianshi, who was also on patrol, "Although we are facing difficulties now, everyone is working towards the same goal. The wall between the old and new tribesmen is being broken down by our sweat. Once we get through this, the Fire Tribe will no longer be a simple population addition, but a truly integrated and unbreakable whole!"
Jianshi nodded heavily, his gaze sweeping over the hardworking people, over the nascent keel of the new boat, and over the lush green fields in the distance.
"Yes, the difficulties are temporary. With such a spirit and such drive, what obstacle can't we overcome?" He took a deep breath of the hopeful spring air. "By autumn, we will surely reap a different kind of the Fire Tribe!"