Chronicles of Primitive Civilization’s Growth

Chapter 14: Departure to the Jungle

Amidst the woman’s tearful sobs, Luo Chong held a piece of bone and scraped red marks onto the child’s body. The child, in deep slumber, still winced from the pain, his small mouth emitting cries continuously.

The mother of the child was held down by two women; she wanted to snatch her child back. She had no idea what the Chief intended to do but knew her child was in pain from the scraping and kept crying. She seriously doubted this peculiar treatment method, considering that the Chief was known for some strange eating habits, like boiled meat.

However, the Chief wasn’t as cruel as she thought. After scraping both sides of the boy’s body with red marks, he returned the child to her.

Luo Chong also wrapped them well in animal skins, then ladled a bowl of fish soup from the stone pot used for cooking meat. He fed the child spoonful by spoonful, blowing on each spoon before feeding it to the child. He also tore the fish meat into pieces and mixed it with the fish soup before feeding it to the child.

This child seemed to have been hungry for days, swallowing without chewing.

It was alright; the child could eat, so there was hope. Fortunately, they had brought these two back today; otherwise, if they waited another day, the child might have been abandoned. With half a bowl of soup consumed, all they needed was to sweat out a good amount, and the child would be saved.

The woman finally felt at ease. Though she didn’t understand what the Chief had done earlier, he personally fed the child, which couldn’t possibly harm him.

As she relaxed, she herself realized how hungry she was. Her stomach, having not eaten for two days, growled loudly, and she eyed the fish soup greedily.

Luo Chong served her a large bowl of fish soup, with a big piece of fish inside, along with two thin wooden sticks.

“Here, eat. From now on, we are all members of the same tribe.”

While comforting her, Luo Chong demonstrated the use of chopsticks, not caring whether she understood or not. He planned to teach them to speak when winter came and they had nothing else to do.

Luo Chong took the child from her arms, holding it tightly and wrapping it snugly in animal skins. Watching the clan members clumsily using chopsticks to eat, he felt deeply worried.

A minor fever could lead to death. For now, the food problem was temporarily resolved, but what about clothing? There were already few animal skins, not enough for everyone in the tribe, and now nine more naked people had arrived. The pregnant women would give birth within the next two months. What about the newborns? How many would survive?

They had settled here for many years, and there should have been plenty of animal skins accumulated. But since they didn’t know how to tan the skins properly, they all rotted after one or two years of use, leaving no stockpile.

He had been here for several days without venturing out. Every day, the hunting team only brought back lynxes, which were mountain cats, depending on luck. Otherwise, it was either gray-haired rabbits or groundhogs the size of rabbits. There hadn’t been any large animals he had hoped to see.

Of course, the hunting team lacked the ability and equipment. To kill large animals with wooden sticks alone required catching up to them first, which was nearly impossible without proper weapons. It was wishful thinking.

He had originally planned to make several spears, but the wooden sticks they found today were mostly crooked, with only two usable ones that were rough to the touch, wearing away the calluses on his hands. How could he use this?

If he went out, he would find materials himself to make weapons, set traps, and at least ensure everyone had clothes before winter came.

After everyone finished eating, the little boy had started sweating. Luo Chong fed him some warm salt water to replenish fluids. A good night’s sleep, and tomorrow he would be a fine child again.

As Luo Chong was feeding him water, the boy woke up, struggling within the animal skins, probably feeling too hot. Luo Chong held him tightly; getting cold again would be fatal.

Disliking the taste of the salty water, the boy closed his lips, frowned, and glared at Luo Chong with round black eyes. Luo Chong stared back, almost making the boy cry, who began calling for his mother.

Luo Chong handed him to the woman, instructing her to wrap him up and warning her that loosening the animal skin would result in the child’s death. Understanding this simple instruction, she hugged the child tightly.

The child squirmed in his mother’s arms, continuing to glare at Luo Chong, who smiled at him, angering the child helplessly. If the boy could curse, he probably would have done so already.

Luo Chong asked someone for a snake skin belt and, amidst the boy’s constant struggles, tied his hair up, naming him Qu Bing, a real name compared to the nicknames others had.

The woman was delighted. The new Chief was kind to them, saving her child who had been half-dead, now lively again. The Chief had even tied his hair like others, symbolizing their acceptance. She felt very satisfied.

Today, the newcomers completed their hair binding with the help of the Elder. Men wore topknots, while women wore ponytails, making them distinct from other tribes, looking much more spirited.

After finishing these tasks, Luo Chong began crafting his equipment. From among dozens of sticks, he chose a better one, inserted a spearhead made from a terror bird leg bone at one end, bound it securely with snake skin rope, and glued the seam with fish glue, creating a primitive bone spear.

There was an abundance of fish bladders, which were actually fish air bladders. They killed so many fish daily that there was always surplus.

In addition, a short knife was crafted from a terror bird’s beak. The beak was sturdy, and from its half-meter-long mouth, a dagger could be made with material left over. The Lame Man had taken the rest and spent the afternoon sharpening his short knife while firing pottery.

His equipment consisted of just these two items. Starting without dogs or gear, everything had to be made from scratch. Luo Chong felt he might be the poorest time traveler ever, and the era he landed in was destitute.

Early the next morning, after habitually practicing a set of Luojun boxing exercises, once the clansfolk were awake, Luo Chong assigned new tasks.

The Lame Man continued firing pottery, a task that must continue until everyone had at least one bowl.

Adult women were divided into two groups: one to gather wild fruits, the other to catch fish, while the remaining children stayed behind to help.

Luo Chong personally led the hunting party, a large group consisting of all hunting team members. This time, the Elder was left behind to watch the home due to his advanced age.

One-Ear, Shouya, Dali, Feather, Stone, Six-Fingers, plus Luo Chong, along with two companions who often followed him—Da Zui and Monkey—and the brothers Da Mao and Er Mao bought yesterday.

A group of eleven people marched toward the jungle under the rising sun.