The Shock of the Neighbors

The autumn wind swirled fallen leaves, bringing with it news that the Fire Tribe would be participating in the small market. Unlike the tribes determined to join them, the leaders of the Bison Tribe and the White Pig Tribe had far more complex feelings. These two tribes were relatively familiar neighbors to the Fire Tribe, and they had engaged in large-scale trade last year, exchanging calves and piglets for pottery and some grain from the Fire Tribe. This allowed them to barely sustain themselves and absorb some scattered populations, and now their tribes were approaching three hundred people each. However, this was the limit they felt they could maintain, a precarious existence.

The Bison Tribe is renowned for its domestication and hunting of Bison, and the sheer number of Bison surrounding the tribe is a source of their pride. The chieftain, Jijiao and as robust as a bull, was frowning deeply. He had just finished inspecting the tribe's food storage area, and the situation was far from optimistic.

"Chief, we don't have much cured meat left, and the dried meat strips will only last for less than two months. The children have already started to eat less," the tribesman in charge of food reported in a low voice.

Jijiao looked at the hungry calves in the pen and sighed. These were the future of the tribe, but feeding them required a lot of fodder, and most of the tribe's manpower was devoted to storing food for winter, so the efficiency of gathering fodder was not high.

"The Fire Tribe... I heard they just finished their autumn harvest." A young warrior couldn't help but speak, his tone filled with disbelief. "I saw their Hunting Team returning from afar a few days ago. They weren't carrying the most game, but those people... they all had ruddy complexions and walked with a brisk pace. They're nothing like our people; they need half a day to recover after a hunt."

Another tribesman chimed in, "It's not just Hunting Team! I went to the riverbank and saw that they have so many more big boats now! They even have leather sails on them! I heard they're constantly building new houses, much sturdier than our wooden huts! How much grain do they have stored up to support so many people? And how do they have the leisure to build houses and big boats every day?"

Mangu listened in silence. He knew in his heart that the Fire Tribe's population was probably approaching or even exceeding eight hundred. Eight hundred people! The Bison Tribe was already struggling to maintain its three hundred people; everyone was tightening their belts, food was always scarce, and they dared not waste a single drop. But the Fire Tribe's eight hundred people were not only not being eaten out of business, but were actually thriving! This huge contrast shocked him, and he even felt a sense of powerlessness.

"I heard they're willing to buy a lot of furs and herbs at this market," Jijiao finally spoke, his voice a little hoarse. "Take all the furs we've collected, and all the herbs we've gathered. Try to exchange them for as much fish and dried fish as possible. Fish can at least last for a while." He could only solve his immediate predicament first; as for the future... he looked in the direction of the Fire Tribe, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

The situation was similar for the White Pig Tribe. They were skilled at raising and hunting pigs, but pigs had enormous appetites, and the tribe needed to invest a lot of manpower to gather pig feed and find acorns, which in itself consumed the labor force that could have been used to obtain food for the tribe. Chief Binmao looked at the grunting pigs in the pen, his heart heavy.

"Chief, our own food reserves... will only last for two and a half months at most, provided we only eat one dry meal a day." The elder's words weighed on his heart like Shitou.

Three hundred mouths need to be fed, and the pigs in the pen also need to be eaten. Although pork is a precious food, the process of raising pigs itself consumes the tribe's resources. They tried to emulate the Fire Tribe and expand their livestock farming, but found themselves caught in a vicious cycle—the more pigs they raised, the more labor they needed to invest, and the less labor they had to gather food for people, unless... they had an inexhaustible supply of food like the Fire Tribe.

"The Fire Tribe... how did they manage that?" I was completely baffled. "I heard they not only have enough to eat for themselves, but they also raise countless chickens, ducks, rabbits, sheep, and deer! Where do they get so much food to feed all these things?"

Some members of the tribe went to inquire about the news and came back saying that the Fire Tribe had cultivated endless paddy fields and was growing a crop called "rice".

"Farming? How much can that yield? Enough to feed so many people, and enough to feed the livestock?" The chief found it hard to believe. He couldn't comprehend the leap in yield brought about by intensive farming and superior seeds.

"This time they're willing to trade pottery and grain for furs and herbs," the chief instructed his people. "Take all our stock and try to get as much dried fish as possible. Also..." He hesitated for a moment, "... see if we can trade a few half-grown pigs with the Fire Tribe for some more stuff."

The Bison Tribe and the White Pig Tribe, former trading partners and rivals during the Fire Tribe's rise, now clearly felt the despairing gap. They were struggling to maintain their tribes of three hundred people, while the Fire Tribe was still managing to maintain a size of eight hundred people with ease, and was even growing rapidly.

This gap is not merely a difference in the quantity of food, but a comprehensive lag in the tribe's productivity, organizational capacity, and development model.

Filled with envy, shock, and a hint of reluctant jealousy, they prepared to head to the small market. Their goal was practical—to exchange furs and herbs for some dried fish to alleviate their immediate food shortage. They hadn't yet realized, or perhaps didn't want to ponder, that the path the Fire Tribe was taking, leading to a more prosperous future, might be the direction they would eventually have to consider as well.