The Survival of the Wild Tribe

107

Time flies, as winter arrives. The smoothly paved mud brick road appears slightly dirty under the stepped snow. A figure rushes past, leaving shallow traces. On both sides of the road, green pear trees, having shed their leaves early, scatter snow from their dry branches when the wind blows, creating loud noises.

Luo Zhen pushes open the heavy wooden door of the mud-brick house. Covered with animal skins, the door keeps most of the cold at bay. Inside, warmth greets him, and a small flaming red head emerges from the snug animal skin bag. It moves its stiff tentacles and turns its head, eventually climbing back onto Luo Zhen's collar. The previously dominant shoulders are now ignored due to the wet and cold from the falling snow.

Removing his outer cloak and hanging it by the door, Luo Zhen notices the dimness of the room, with only one vent for ventilation despite the closed doors and windows. Adding a few pieces of burning wood to the fireplace, he ensures that the smoke is directed into the fire kang, keeping the room warm enough for comfortable sleep, unlike the cold nights in the tribe.

The chimney, made of bamboo, is hollowed out and covered with mud inside and out to prevent burning. Most of the bamboo forest was relocated last summer, leaving a few bamboos in Luo Zhen's yard, the only greenery in the cold winter.

The two bedrooms and one living room are larger than Luo Zhen had anticipated, with wooden furniture stacked inside. Though rough in appearance despite being polished with stones, the furniture is sturdy, some reinforced with hard bone nails. Apart from tables and chairs, there are wooden boxes, wardrobes, and cupboards for dishes. In the storage room, tall wooden shelves hold various items.

Before going out, Luo Zhen had boiled broth in a stone pot, flavored with fragrant leaves. The room now carries an enticing aroma. After stirring and tasting the broth, he finds it a bit bland. Adding some white-brown fruit powder, made from dried and ground salted fruit without the cores, enhances the flavor significantly.

In the tribe, there stands a large stone mill next to the commandment stele in the center of the square. It has been gradually polished throughout the summer in Heiya. Currently, besides grinding salted fruits, it is only used for grinding cassava flour. However, this summer, there hasn't been a bountiful cassava harvest in the tribe. Only a few can be spared for children and the elderly. Luo Zhen collects the remaining cassava preemptively to avoid potential scarcity during the harsh winter months.

As the door of the house swings open, Ah Shui enters, his face reddened by the cold, carrying a small wooden bucket. Spotting Luo Zhen inside, he greets him with a wide smile, "Da Witch, you're back?"

"Why are you still fetching water in this cold weather? Just gather some clean snow from beside the house and melt it," Luo Zhen suggests, moving to help Ah Shui with the bucket.

Over the past year, Ah Shui has visibly grown stronger since Luo Zhen first met him, his once thin and frail appearance now replaced with defined muscles, particularly noticeable in his small arms. During the summer, he rode his antlers, racing around the board with agility, and honed his archery skills. However, his youthful enthusiasm sometimes leads him into trouble, like the time he tried to confront a jackal and had to retreat in embarrassment, saved by Kadotake.

To an outsider, Ah Shui might seem like a young orc warrior.

"The food cooked with stream water always tastes better," Ah Shui remarks with a grin. The local stream has a hint of sweetness and a refreshing chill. However, melting snow for cooking takes time. After melting a large bucket of snow, you only get about a third of the water compared to directly using stream water.

Unless there's no rush, Ah Shui prefers to collect and slowly melt snow. But once the stream freezes over completely, he'll have no choice but to rely on melted snow.

Helplessly smiling, Luo Zhen sets out a few clean dishes, placing a piece of meat on a wooden plate to cool before ladling a bowl of meat-filled soup for Ah Shui. Some soup drips onto Ah Shui's messy hair. "Has your hair grown longer?" Luo Zhen asks.

Accepting the bowl, Ah Shui uses his free hand to tousle his bangs. "It's getting a bit long. Would you trim it for me, Dawu?"

"Why not let your father do it?" Luo Zhen inquires.

At the mention of his father, Ah Shui's shoulders slump, and he replies with a sad expression, "He'll just end up cutting it all off."

Since the bone scissors were crafted, cutting each other's hair has become popular among the Riyao tribe for a while. This is because most primitive people never developed the habit of combing their hair, leaving it tangled, oily, and dirty. When Luo Zhen first demonstrated cutting, he shaved them directly and then taught them how to clean and comb their hair as it grew back.

Now, everyone in the Riyao tribe looks neat and tidy, though it remains a bit remote outside the city walls or in the wilderness. Learning to cut hair this way has probably become easier. When Ah Shui had his hair cut for the second time, it was a straightforward shave with horn bamboo. At that point, only the witch and the leader still had hair in the entire tribe. Ah Shui nearly cried, arguing that if it was just a short cut, why did it need to be shaved? He really wanted a nice hairstyle like the witch.

Luo Zhen also remembered this incident, especially considering it was summer. Otherwise, in such cold winters, a bare head would freeze even one's IQ by a few points.

"Alright, I'll give you a cooler haircut later," promised Da Wu.

"Thank you, Da Wu," Ah Shui cheered, setting the broth on the dinner table along with a few warm dishes. Now they no longer needed to sit on the ground; thick animal skins covered the chairs, keeping them warm even when seated.

"Lu Yi, join us for dinner," Luo Zhen called out to the flame ant tucked into his neckline, his head slightly tilted.

In the past, Luo Zhen had spent a long time with three soldier ants. To distinguish them, he named them one, two, and three. Though casual to Luo Zhen, it was an honor for the ants to be named by the queen. Lu Zhan couldn't understand, but seeing that Luo Zhen called the ant A Yi, he insisted on naming the big soldier ant Lu Yi. He didn't force Luo Zhen to accept this name; he just wanted the ant to be called Lu Yi in front of Luo Zhen. Eventually, Luo Zhen acquiesced, and Lu Yi became the ant's name.

After winter, the flame ants' activity decreased significantly. Luo Zhen wasn't sure if they hibernated, but it seemed necessary, given the scarcity of food and the ants' size. While not completely inactive, the ants mainly returned to their nest after the first snowfall to prepare for winter.

Throughout summer, Luo Zhen learned more about flame ants, even taking them hunting. Despite the danger, the flame ants faithfully executed Luo Zhen's orders. Over time, Luo Zhen grew to trust them, yet he also felt a deep sadness—they lacked a true flame ant queen.

Luo Zhen, as a human, couldn't birth flame ants, so if the colony faced extinction, he could only watch. Catching a queen from another colony was unrealistic; if rejected, the flame ants would be left without hope. The only option was to transform other female ants into queens who would obey Luo Zhen's orders.

Initially, Luo Zhen considered Lu Yi for this role, but the ant refused. Instead, Lu Yi urged Luo Zhen to consider the other two soldier ants. Sometimes, Luo Zhen suspected Lu Yi of being manipulative, but he still took the suggestion seriously.

However, Luo Zhen didn’t know how to transform infertile soldier ants into queens. Initially, he fed them a little blood, hoping for a change, but aside from improved communication and loyalty, nothing happened. It wasn't until the first snowfall that Luo Zhen saw signs of transformation.