Trying their hand at pottery

The delicious taste of shrimp and crabs lingered in the mouths and hearts of everyone in the Fire Tribe. Ever since Wang Yan had proved that these creatures were not only edible once cooked, but exceptionally tasty, the tribespeople's attitude toward these "hard-shelled bugs" in the water had changed completely.

Before, when they saw a crab scuttling sideways, baring its claws and waving its legs, they would steer clear in disgust. Now, their eyes would light up, and they would start figuring out how to catch it and bring it back to cook.

But problems followed.

They were delicious, certainly, but cooking them was too much trouble. The entire tribe had only one large pottery pot and a few small stone pots. The stone pots were thick and heated water slowly, so cooking anything took a long time. The large pottery pot worked well, but it was a communal treasure and could not be used to boil shrimp and crabs all day. As a result, the shrimp and crabs everyone brought back had to be cooked in several batches. Often, those at the back could wait until they had drooled themselves dry and still not get a turn.

Watching the tribespeople gather around the fire, waiting with longing eyes for a pot to become available, Wang Yan knew it was time to solve the problem of containers.

That evening, he went to find his father, Jianshi, and his mother, Qingye, again. They were taking stock of the dried frog meat accumulated over the past few days and preparing the equipment for tomorrow's hunt, their faces showing an ease rarely seen these past several days.

"Father, Mother," Wang Yan began.

"Yan, you're here." Jianshi looked up with a faint smile. "Do you want a few more people again? Today's shrimp and crabs really did taste good. I saw plenty of people wanting to go along to catch them."

Wang Yan nodded, then shook his head. "I do need people, but not all of them will be catching shrimp and crabs. I'd like another five older children. Some will keep fishing for frogs with Shibang, while the others will come with me to do something more important."

"Something more important?" Qingye asked curiously. "Have you found some new food again?"

Wang Yan took a deep breath and voiced the plan he had been considering for a long time. "Father, Mother, our tribe doesn't have enough pots anymore. I want to... try seeing whether we can make pottery ourselves."

"What?!"

Qingye cried out, stepping forward in excitement and grabbing Wang Yan's arm. "Yan! You... do you mean that? You can make pottery? You know how to make pottery?"

Her voice trembled slightly with excitement. She came from the Fish Tribe and knew all too well how precious pottery was. The large pottery pot she had brought with her was a tremendous treasure even in the Fish Tribe, a dowry only the chief's younger sister could have. The Fish Tribe could not make pottery themselves either. Only by trading large quantities of dried fish and precious animal hides could they obtain a little pottery from the distant Valley Tribe. And each time, all they received were small bowls and jars. Large pieces like that pot were exceedingly rare.

"Yan, do you know how valuable pottery is?" Jianshi's expression grew more serious than ever, his eyes filled with shock and anticipation. "If our tribe could make it ourselves, even if it's ugly and thick, as long as it doesn't leak and can be set over a fire... we could trade it for food, for everything we need! In winter... we'd never have to fear people starving to death again!"

For a tribe that so often struggled on the edge of having enough to eat and wear, the temptation was enormous! This was practically a skill that could turn stone into gold!

Once his excitement passed, Jianshi calmed down. Fixing his gaze on Wang Yan, he asked gravely, "Yan, this isn't like catching Hopping Beasts and hard-shelled bugs. Even the Fish Tribe treasures these things like jewels. How did you learn about this?"

Wang Yan had long been prepared. Letting just the right amount of bewilderment and uncertainty show on his face, he said, "Father, Mother, I dreamed about it too. In the dream, someone seemed to teach me how to shape mud into a jar, then fire it in a really hot fire... but everything in the dream was hazy. I don't know whether it'll work either. That's why I want to try."

Sure enough, when they heard that he had "dreamed about it," Jianshi and Qingye exchanged a glance, each seeing understanding and even greater anticipation in the other's eyes. The method Yan had dreamed of for catching Hopping Beasts had worked. This time, he had dreamed of making pottery. Perhaps... that would work too!

"Try it!" Qingye said without hesitation, her gaze firm. "Yan, how many people do you need? Your father and I will both help you! Whatever you need, just say so! Even if it doesn't work this time, we still have to try!"

Jianshi nodded emphatically as well. "Exactly! This matters more than catching extra Hopping Beasts! How many people do you need? We can assign people from the hunting team to you too!"

Wang Yan knew his parents were placing enormous hopes on him. Steadying himself, he said, "We won't need many people at first. Too many would only make things chaotic. Three to five will do for now, but they must be tight-lipped, hardworking, and reliable. Until we've succeeded, it's best not to let too many tribes know about this."

"Good!" Qingye agreed at once. "I'll have a few of your aunts help you! They're good with their hands and careful with their work. They're all our own people, absolutely trustworthy!" She meant the wives of Jianya, Dali, and Dazhuang. These women came from different tribes and had relatively broad experience. As members of the core families, they were also highly loyal.

"Thank you, Mother." Wang Yan nodded. "Then I'll start tomorrow. First, I need to find a special kind of earth, not ordinary mud. It needs to be sticky enough to hold together when shaped. Then we'll need to prepare a lot of charcoal. Firing pottery takes very high temperatures, and ordinary firewood might not work. Finally, we need to find a suitable place and build a... kiln specifically for firing pottery."

"A kiln?" The word was unfamiliar to Jianshi and Qingye.

"Yes, a place where we can put the shaped clay pieces inside and blast them with fire from every direction." Wang Yan gestured with his hands, trying to explain the concept of a simple kiln.

Although Jianshi did not quite understand, he made the decision without hesitation. "Good! We'll do everything as you say! Finding earth, preparing charcoal, finding a place-whatever you need, just tell us!"

The next day, Wang Yan reassigned his original team of ten. Shibang took four people and remained responsible for fishing for frogs, ensuring the tribe's basic meat supply. Wang Yan himself took Gubang, Daya, and Shouchai, along with the three aunts his mother Qingye had sent: Jianya's wife, who came from the White Pig Tribe and whom everyone called Aunt Baiya; Dali's wife, who came from the Bison Tribe and was called Aunt Niucao; and Dazhuang's wife, who came from the Deer Tribe and was called Aunt Luye.

When the three aunts heard that they would be making "pottery" with Yan, each was both nervous and excited. They had seen how precious pottery was in their original tribes. Being chosen to take part in something so important now made them feel that even their faces shone with honor.

Wang Yan did not start digging immediately. First, he led this small "pottery advance team" downstream along the creek, carefully examining the layers of soil along its banks. He needed to find suitable clay.

Meanwhile, he had Gubang and Daya take a few younger children and begin gathering large quantities of dry wood to make charcoal. For firing pottery, fuel was a crucial step.