The house they were currently living in was the most remote on the northern slope. Besides their family and Hui's family, there were three siblings living at the western end, the eldest of whom was called Fang.

Fang was only thirteen years old. His father had died hunting three years earlier, and his mother had remarried, taking his newborn brother with her. At ten, Fang had gone hunting with his tribe in the mountains to support his eight-year-old brother and five-year-old sister.

Fang's younger brother, Shi, had also started going hunting in the mountains with the adults when he turned ten last year. However, since there were no able-bodied men in the family, they were often overlooked, and when the houses were divided, they were assigned to this remote house on the north slope.

Hearing the noisy complaints from next door, Shi quietly asked Fang, "Brother, what are the pottery team, the breeding team, and the carpentry team?"

Fang said: "Have you seen the pottery bowls in Shu's family? I guess the pottery team makes pottery." This Shu was a partner of theirs in the Shanyin tribe.

"Ah." Shi exclaimed, "Pottery is so valuable, the potters must be given a lot of dried meat, right? If only we could go and make pottery, we would never go hungry again."

"Don't even think about it." Fang shook his head. "That kind of easy, high-paying, and safe job is definitely not something we should be able to do. The people from the Dragon Tribe have already done it."

"That's right." Shi, whose voice had not yet changed, sighed.

Eleven-year-old Ishi was the same age as Koizumi, but due to malnutrition, he was short and tiny. He was only able to go hunting because his uncle, his father's good friend, and his mother's new husband interceded for him. They took him with them out of pity.

There were three people in the family. Although he and his brother went hunting in the mountains, and his sister gathered wild fruits, they were young and didn't contribute much. Sometimes they needed the protection of the tribe members, and their share of meat was very small. In the past, when only Fang hunted, the three siblings could barely survive. Last year, when Shi was able to hunt as well, their life became a little better.

Xiaoyuan, the younger sister who had been keeping silent with her eyes wide open, suddenly spoke up. "Brother, they're doing great here. The house they live in is so solid! I just punched the wall a few times, and it didn't budge at all. Living in a house like this, we'll definitely be safe from the summer rain, and it should be warm even in the snowy season."

Before we had time to take a closer look at the houses we had just been assigned, and before we had any time to get excited, we were drawn to the women making a scene and ran out to watch. We were then driven back in. It was already dark, and the sky was overcast with no moon. We ate a quick bite and went to bed.

When Xiaoyuan mentioned it, Shi finally remembered this and became excited again: "Brother, this house is really solid. I don't know what the walls are made of, it looks like mud, but also like stone, anyway, it's very solid. Xiaoyuan is right, from now on we won't be afraid of strong winds and heavy rains. We won't be afraid of freezing to death in the house during the snowy season."

The Shanyin tribe's housing was unplanned. Such a large tribe offered a variety of living arrangements. Those living near the mountains dug caves to live in. When there were no more caves, they found a vacant lot and built treehouses out of branches. With no architectural knowledge, these treehouses were simply haphazardly constructed from trees, tied with vines, and stuffed with thatch. They leaked in the spring and summer, and were drafty in the winter. The only time they could live safely was in the clear, cool autumn weather, when there was no wind or rain.

So even though the Shanyin tribe was a large tribe, these people still had some sense of superiority before coming to the Long tribe. But when they saw these solid and neat houses, their sense of superiority disappeared.

Especially when Qiao Yu mentioned the pottery team, the livestock team, and the carpentry team—even though I didn't understand them, they sounded impressive. The Dragon Tribe leader paid them no mind, driving them away whenever he pleased, not giving them the slightest thought. The men and women of the Dragon Tribe were especially impressive. At the sound of the whistle, they quickly lined up, even counting—a look at how skilled they were at fighting.

After seeing these before going to bed tonight, the last bit of superiority that the Shanyin tribe members had left was shattered to pieces.

Fang was only thirteen years old. Although he had shouldered the burden of the family at an early age, he still had a strong curiosity. He tried to open his eyes wide, trying to see the house clearly in the dark, but on a moonless night, it was futile.

He reached out and touched the kang (kang) beneath him, exclaiming in admiration, "I wonder how their tribe got by. People don't sleep on the ground, but on this thing called a kang. If it rains and the house leaks, the straw and animal skins we lay on won't get soaked."

"I heard from the people of the Dragon Tribe that during the snowy season, you can light a fire under the kang, so that you will be very warm when sleeping on it and not cold at all." Shi Dao.

Xiao Yuan was surprised when she heard this: "How can someone sleep on the kang when there's a fire burning underneath? Wouldn't that burn them to death?"

Shi scratched his head: "I don't know either, I just heard them say so."

"They definitely won't burn anyone. They're not that stupid." Fang comforted his sister.

"No matter what, I like it here." Shi said, then said angrily, "Hui and the others are so despicable. They almost got us kicked out. I hate them."

Fang quickly shushed him, "Stop talking now, or they might hear you."

Shi and Xiaoyuan quickly held their breath.

"You guys need to be careful tomorrow. Don't let them take the opportunity to beat or scold you." Fang warned worriedly, "Especially Xiaoyuan, be careful."

Hui's family, relying on Hui's position as an elder, bullied many children in the tribe. However, the Fang siblings' former residence was considered a shanty town, far from Hui's cave-dwelling family, so they were not bullied.

Now that they live next door, and the Hui family has suffered so much, it is inevitable that they will take their anger out on these fatherless and motherless children.

Xiaoyuan also went to see the excitement tonight. She said, "If they bully me, I will tell the people of the Dragon Tribe. I think the people of the Dragon Tribe hate their family very much. If they knew they were bullying others, they would definitely come and scold them."

"What's the point of scolding them? They'll come and bully us in private. It's better not to provoke them. If they scold you, just ignore them. If they hit you, just run away."

"Okay." Xiaoyuan sighed and agreed.

Many people in the Shanyin tribe, like the Fang brothers and sisters, were curious about the new place and lamented the events of the night. Everyone stayed up late, especially those who had been punished, who tossed and turned until late at night before falling asleep.

But just after they closed their eyes for a moment, they heard a sharp whistle, followed by the sound of footsteps running past their house.