Traveling through the primitive world: I was a priest in the tribe

Chapter 139: Windy Season 3

Dayan smiled knowingly, knowing what Ji Lang meant. Sometimes he felt that Ji Lang was really strange. The old man was obviously a stranger who had nothing to do with him, and even wanted to kill him, so why could he be so magnanimous and not care? He asked himself if he could do it. He chose to help Acheng's father only because he had been taken care of by him when he was a child, but if the old man wanted to kill him, he would definitely not show mercy.

Maybe this is the priest's broad mind. He couldn't help but admire Ji Lang even more in his heart.

Just then, Li came out, and Dayan hurried over to tell her what he wanted to change.

Ji Lang, who had no idea that he had gained a loyal fan inexplicably just because he couldn't bear to do it, helped Dayan take out three sets of quilts and pillowcases from the tent, as well as a small down jacket, which was obviously for Ah Hua.

Dayan only wanted these. Li felt that he brought too many furs, so he got him a down jacket that Qingjiu could wear. Dayan's body shape was similar to Qingjiu's, so if Qingjiu could wear it, he could wear it too.

"This is enough, no need for so much." Dayan quickly refused.

Li helped him put the quilt on the backpack so that he could carry it back. Hearing what he said, he patted his thick shoulders and said, "You have packed this fur very well. It is soft and clean. We are taking advantage of you. Don't refuse it."

In fact, Dayan was thinking that there were still a few furs that he had not yet packed up, and he would change his clothes after they were cleaned up. He did not expect that he had changed enough clothes this time. He was very happy and felt that bringing the brothers of the tribe here was really the best decision he had made. Now everyone goes out hunting happily every day, and they are not idle after coming back. They are busy but very happy.

Dashu also had the same idea as him. When he was in the Dashu tribe, there were people who starved to death or froze to death every cold season. This was a very normal and common thing in this world. Capable hunters would get more furs and meat, so they would have a greater chance of survival with their partner and children. Those who were not capable or unlucky would not have such a high chance of survival. This was the cruel survival of the fittest in this world.

But when they arrived at the Taotie tribe, they felt as if everything had changed.

In every previous wind season, the big trees were busy like this, but they were also worried at the same time because they could not get enough food, and the wild vegetables they dug could not guarantee that they could survive the entire cold season, because no one could clearly predict how long this cold season would last.

But in just a short period of time here, they have witnessed two bumper harvests. Now everyone has a stockpile of pumpkins, potatoes, and corn, and there are endless flour fruits to pick. Thinking of the large flour forest, Dashu's heart is warmed. He wishes he could go and pick the flour fruits without eating or sleeping. After all, the rainy season before the cold season will cause the flour fruits that are not picked up to be soaked, which would be a waste.

Qing Jiu and his friends came back a little late today. The herd of goats they had been looking forward to the day before was attacked by some carnivorous wild animals at night and hid in the mountains. They climbed over another mountain to see if there were any lone wild boars, but they were unlucky. They encountered one, but it ran away. The group was unwilling to give up, so they hunted some small wild animals in the mountains and dug lotus roots by the lake, so they came back late.

It was Xiaoying who reminded Qingjiu of this. When they came back and talked about the food they brought back from the wild, Xiaoying asked Qingjiu why they had never seen that crispy potato with lots of holes again after eating it during the winter, and they didn't know where it came from.

Qing Jiu was stunned for a moment before he reacted. He said it was lotus roots. The lotus roots in the lake had been dug up long ago, but there were too many things to deal with and everyone had forgotten about it.

He explained the situation, and the group of people who had originally planned to go home hurried to the lake again.

The harvest is naturally very gratifying.

Ji Lang heard the noise outside, put down the weapon he was sharpening, and left the yard.

When he saw a pile of lotus roots covered with mud lying in the corner, he was stunned for a moment before he realized that Qingjiu and the others had actually gone to dig up the lotus roots. He had been farming and eating cannibals a while ago and had completely forgotten about these good things.

"Why did you think of digging lotus roots?" Ji Lang asked Qingjiu who was cleaning the bamboo basket by the sink. If Qingjiu had planned this matter in advance, he would have told him in advance. If he didn't, it meant that they also went there at the last minute.

Qing Jiu turned the rinsed bamboo basket upside down on the ground and knocked it with a stick to shake off the water on it. This way it would dry faster and could be used again later. "Xiaoying asked me why I didn't eat potatoes with holes this year, so I just remembered."

Potatoes with holes?

Jilang was amused by this statement, "Are there more in the lake?"

"There are many more." Qing Jiu nodded. The lotus in this lake was very strange. Obviously, other plants did not grow well in such a hot climate at the beginning, but those lotus flowers grew much taller than before, and their stems were thicker. Even the lotus roots buried in the mud were larger than those in the previous cycle.

"I want to go too, and catch fish." Ji Lang's eyes sparkled.

Qing Jiu originally wanted to say that the weather was a bit cool and the water was cold, so he didn't want him to go. But seeing how he was pretending to be pitiful and obedient, he couldn't say anything. "We'll take you there after we come back tomorrow afternoon." There was sunshine during the day, and the water wouldn't be so cold after being exposed to the sun for most of the day.

"By the way, after dinner you and Brother Guo go to the next yard to help Dayan and the others. They are preparing to build a kang." Ji Lang remembered what Dayan had asked him for today.

Qing Jiu responded, "Okay, it's time to build the wall. It's getting colder day by day. Wear more clothes when you get up in the morning, and take them off at noon when you feel hot." It's easy to get sick in this climate where it's cold at night and hot at noon, especially Ji Lang. He had a fever last season, so he has to be careful this time.

Ji Lang turned up his sleeves to show him, "Look, I'm wearing something furry, so I won't be cold. Don't worry about me."

The two of them were like an old couple who had supported each other for decades, chatting about family matters.

For dinner, they had Jilang's favorite lotus root boxes. They now had chicken eggs and duck eggs, and Ye coated them with a layer of egg liquid. After frying, they turned golden yellow. When they took a bite, they first had fresh and crispy lotus root slices, and then chopped meat filling with diced mushrooms and spices. Jilang and Xiaoman accidentally ate too much again.

I originally wanted to lie down on the lounge chair in the yard, but was dragged up by Qingjiu who had already gone out but turned back.

"What are you doing? I don't want to move."

When the weather gets cold, Ji Lang becomes lazy and droops his body backwards like a spoiled child.

Qing Jiu didn't care about his little strength at all, and dragged him up, "You ate too much for dinner, come with me for a walk to help digest the food, otherwise you will complain about not feeling well when you go to bed at night."

Ji Lang reluctantly said, "Okay." Then he turned around and pulled up Xiao Man who was half lying on the chair, "Okay, let's go together."

Xiaoman, who ate too much and didn’t want to move at all, said: Can you please stop being a troublemaker for now?

The answer is obviously no.

The two people who didn't want to move, after going out, were the first to make a fuss. Sometimes they went to pick branches, and sometimes they wanted to catch insects. Guo Qi went to the next yard to check the conditions of the two cave dwellings, and then the three of them came in through the gate in a swagger.

Knowing that Guo Qi was now an expert at building kangs, Ji Lang and Qing Jiu did not follow him and waited for him to come out.

"These hunters all live in one cave, and the other one is full of food. We can just build a kang in one cave, and decide whether to build one or two. The women and children and Dayan's family all live in small caves, so we can build one each." Guo Qi came out and said to Qing Jiu.

Qing Jiu nodded. A small kang is easier to build, but a big kang can accommodate many people and will collapse easily if it is not built properly. He turned around to discuss with Dayan.

Ji Lang took Xiaoman into the yard, wanting to see Damao. These days, Grandma Xue had been out digging herbs, and Damao had followed her, so he had hardly gone to the next yard to play.

As soon as I entered the yard, I saw Damao squatting under the meat hanging on the rack, his saliva dripping so much that he was drawing a map on the ground.

Ji Lang: ... "Son, why don't we go? I don't think Da Mao is in the mood to play with us right now."

"Ah...why is this happening?" Xiaoman yelled, and ran over with his short legs to pat the furry back of the big cat.

In fact, Damao had heard it a long time ago, and his two wolf ears stood up, but he just couldn't bear to leave this fragrant place.

Xiaoman didn't care whether the dog paid attention to her or not. She went up and hugged Damao, and the man and the dog soon started playing together.

Grandma Xue was not in the yard. Instead, Xiao Liu was sitting on the ground with a small stone mortar in front of her. She was holding a stone pestle and grinding the medicine. When she saw Ji Lang coming in, she stood up a little stiffly and whispered, "Priest."

Ji Lang quickly waved his hand and asked her to do her own thing. After thinking for a while, he felt that if he didn't say anything, the little girl would probably feel uncomfortable, so he asked again, "Are you used to it here? If you are tired from working, take a break. Grandma Xue won't say anything to you."

Xiao Liu smiled shyly, "It's not tiring. I like working. It's interesting to learn about herbs."

"I let her go out to play with me every day, and she just needs to learn from me occasionally. This child is very sincere and follows me around every day, which gives me, an old woman, a lot of free time." Grandma Xue lifted the door curtain and walked out, holding a bamboo cup in her hand. There should be jam in it, which looked pretty good.

She handed the water over, "Drink some water quickly. You've been sitting for a long time. Get up and walk around for a while."

Xiao Liu took it and said with a smile, "Thank you, Master."

Ji Lang noticed that after she came here, she smiled more often and looked very relaxed. Although she worked every day, she looked a little more childish.

"Priest, would you like some water? There's some in there. I boiled a pot." Grandma Xue asked Ji Lang.

"No... Forget it, give my son a cup." Ji Lang said, and then shouted to Xiaoman who was playing in the middle of the yard, "Son, come and drink sweet water."

Xiaoman rushed over like a little missile and hugged Jilang's legs, "I want to drink."

Ji Lang touched his round belly and said, "It's so round, can you drink water?"

"You can drink it, you can drink it." As if he was afraid that Ji Lang would go back on his word and disagree, he rushed into Grandma Xue's hut after saying that.

Grandma Xue followed him in and poured him a cup.

Guo Qi and Qing Jiu came over and helped with the construction for two days. When they saw that Dayan and the others had no problem with the work, they stopped following and waited until the kang was built and the walls were sealed before coming back.

Dayan and his companions slept in a cave some time ago. The entrance to the cave was wide open and they hadn't bothered to seal the walls. They usually just hung a tattered animal skin curtain to cover it. Now that the kang has been built, they can seal the walls and install the doors and windows.

The doors and windows had to be done by Jilang. He had done it many times and was now very skilled. With the help of Xiaoying and Feng, it was done in just two days.

The kang needs to be aired for a few days after it is built, and it needs to be burned for a few more days before people can move in. It needs to be checked for smoke leaks, and only after it is confirmed that there are no problems can people move in. It took more than half a month to complete all this.

Dayan also built a kang in the small cave house of Acheng's father. The old man was reluctant at first, but Dayan was not polite in his words. He said that since the old man was brought by him and they, the hunters, had received the old man's favor when they were young, and the old man had poisoned Ji Lang before, he should not have survived. But Ji Lang was unwilling to care about it and let Dayan handle it himself. Dayan was not an ungrateful person and was willing to take care of him in his old age. However, if the old man insisted on his own way or caused trouble for those he brought from the Baiyun tribe, Dayan would not be polite.

After listening to this, the old man was silent for a long time. Later, Dayan built a kang for him and sealed the door, so he stopped trying to stop him.

He was not as gloomy as before. He would occasionally help Ah Hua take care of the children and would even talk to them when he was with them.

He even went out and moved some large and small stones, mixed them with mud, and built a half-meter-high wall around his yard. Several children occasionally came here to play, and there was a cliff below the yard, so it would not be safe without a wall to block it.

After a busy day outside, Ji Lang came back and boiled some water for a hot bath. He then lay on the kang and tickled Xiaoman's feet comfortably.

Xiaoman was only a few years old, but his feet were not as white and tender as the glutinous rice balls of the children that Ji Lang had seen before. There were scars on his little feet, small calluses, and blisters that had formed at who knows when, leaving red marks after they healed. Ji Lang felt distressed every time he saw them.

Just when taking a bath, Xiaoman saw Ji Lang was sad again. Naturally, he noticed it and played with Ji Lang. While playing, the father and son started to tickle the soles of Ji Lang's feet.

Qing Jiu came back with the water and saw that the two of them had made so much noise that the quilt and sheets were rolled into a ball. "Didn't you just shout that you were so sleepy? How come..." Before he could finish the rest of the sentence, the cry of Liefeng was heard in the yard. It was not the kind of cry that threatened or signaled when encountering prey, but more like a reminder for everyone.

"What's wrong with Liefeng? Go out and take a look." Ji Lang said with some surprise.

The lights in the two caves of Xishi's family and Xiaoying's family next door had been turned off. They must have gone to bed, so Qingjiu didn't wake them up. He went out and took a walk around the outer yard, but didn't see anything strange. His senses were not as sharp as Xishi's. He was thinking about whether he should call Xishi out to take a look. There was food everywhere in the inner and outer yards, so he couldn't be careless.