Man is now the chief steward of the tribe, and he knows the situation in the tribe very well.
But he was a little worried: "What can we use to exchange for salt?"
In previous years, at the beginning of spring, everyone would go hunting in the mountains and bring the prey they had caught in spring to the trade fair to exchange.
But this year, no one went out hunting until mid-spring. After ten days of hunting, Qiao Yu returned, and everyone was busy setting traps around the tribe, only five teams went out hunting, with the sixth team staying behind to do various chores.
Although the traps and snares allowed them to catch more game than before, there were also more mouths to feed. After a winter and half a spring of fish, they grew tired of it. They used the fresh meat they hunted for broth every day, so they didn't have much dried meat left.
The yam is a valuable commodity. During the snowy season, I traded it for a lot of salt. Unfortunately, it's spring now, and the yam seedlings haven't grown very tall yet, so the fruit can only be harvested in the fall.
The same is true for chestnuts.
As for the rattan baskets, they traded out quite a few during the snowy season. They weren't difficult to weave; anyone who bought one could make one with a little research. By now, the streets were probably overflowing with them, and there was no way they could trade them out.
As for charcoal, if it were the snowy season, it would definitely be a hot commodity, at least the wealthy people in larger tribes like the Sun Tribe would trade for it. But now it was late spring, and summer was coming soon. Who would trade for charcoal?
So their Dragon Tribe had nothing to exchange.
"Don't worry, I've already asked Xiaoxi and the others to fire several kilns of pottery," Qiao Yu said. "We'll also have straw sandals woven by the women and shrimp powder ground from dried shrimp. We can also sell meat soup later."
This is also the reason why Qiao Yu does not restrict everyone from eating fresh meat.
Seeing that everyone was feasting and drinking after hunting, several elders also raised objections, but Qiao Yu persuaded them to stop.
Exchanging meat for something is too cheap. If you want to exchange something, you have to exchange it for something with technological content and added value.
In fact, there are many things in the tribe that can be exchanged, such as tables, chairs, and benches, which are all good things.
But Qiao Yu didn't want to attract too much attention. Straw sandals, like rattan baskets, were just new things and not difficult to imitate; shrimp powder was just a condiment and harmless enough not to attract the attention of a large tribe.
Tables, chairs, and benches were different. The mortise and tenon joint structure alone would frighten even the most prudent of tribes.
Before the Dragon Tribe grows stronger, it’s better not to be too high-profile.
Man was relieved when he heard Qiao Yu say that he was going to trade straw sandals and shrimp powder.
"Tell each team leader to select the best-performing members of the team to participate in the trade fair. In terms of personnel, there are more than 30 people from the Valley Tribe and more than 20 from the Boulder Tribe. A total of 50 to 60 people will go." Qiao Yu said.
"Huh?" Man was stunned. "Why? Why let the people of the Stone Tribe go?"
Although the Stone Tribe had behaved well recently, they were still captives. Who knew if they would escape if they went out to the trade fair? With just over twenty men, it wouldn't be hard to do anything.
Qiao Yu smiled and said, "Of course we're going to attend the trade fair pretending to be two tribes. If the other tribes knew we'd annexed the Stone Tribe and formed a tribe that was just as good as theirs, how could they feel at ease?"
She paused, her expression calm. "We've been very kind to the people of the Stone Tribe during this period. I believe they won't have second thoughts. If they really want to escape, it's better to let them go. People like them are a nuisance if they stay in the tribe."
When he heard about disguising themselves as two tribes, Man immediately put his worries aside and gave Qiao Yu a thumbs up: "Gao, your idea is brilliant."
Splitting into two tribes would not only conceal their strength, but also allow them to exchange more items without attracting attention, and they could also provide cover for each other. As for escaping, Man, like Qiao Yu, had the same confidence in his tribe. He believed that as long as the people of the Stone Tribe were not foolish, they would not flee.
How could they live a good life if they left the Dragon Tribe? Moreover, their wives and children were still in the Dragon Tribe.
The more Man thought about Qiao Yu's idea, the better it seemed.
"Let them get ready, we will set off in three days." Qiao Yu said again.
"Ah? Let's go now?" He hesitated. "Isn't it still early for the trade fair?"
At the Sun Tribe's trade fair, the Sun Tribe's witch had established rules: the first snowfall marked the start of the snow season, and the start of the spring trading season was the start of the cicadas and frogs. These rules were based on the start of snow and the start of the cicadas and frogs in the Sun Tribe. If it snowed in the Sun Tribe, the cicadas and frogs would start croaking. If it didn't snow in other tribes, or if the cicadas and frogs didn't croak, they would ignore it.
Anyway, the main participants in the trade fair are the three major tribes: the Sun Tribe, the God Tribe, and the Shanyin Tribe. The God Tribe and the Shanyin Tribe will be notified when the time comes. As for the smaller tribes, they don't care whether you come or not, or whether you can arrive on time.
Fortunately, the Valley Tribe was close to the Sun Tribe, so a heavy snowfall would generally cover them. As for the cicadas and frogs chirping in late spring and early summer, the shamans and chiefs would make predictions based on the cicadas and frogs' behavior and the sun's shadows. The tribesmen would also make predictions based on temperature fluctuations.
According to Man, the trade fair was still half a month away. The distance between the Dragon Tribe and the Sun Tribe was only eight days by sea and then by land.
"Let's take a raft to the Valley Tribe first and stay there for a few days. When we see that the time is almost up, we'll set off from there." Qiao Yu said.
"That's fine." Man said.
Man was quite excited at the thought of returning to his old tribe. "Yesterday, someone said it was a pity to leave all those traps we dug in the valley. We wonder if any wild animals have fallen into them. If we get a chance, we'll go take a look."
The branches and other things stuck in the trap must have been crushed by the snow, but the trap is so deep that maybe a wild animal passing by might have fallen in.
Qiao Yu also had the same idea: "Yes, that's what I mean. Then we can use the meat to make fresh broth to sell, instead of making dried meat soup."
Man nodded: "Braised broth with fresh meat is much more delicious than that made with dried meat."
The two men reached a consensus, so three days later they set out with more than fifty men and took a raft to the valley tribe.
Although the cave was deserted, it hadn't been there long, so it was still habitable. During the day, the men split into two teams to check traps and set snares, while Qiao Yu searched for yam seedlings.
Just in case, she planted six yam seedlings in two ceramic pots and brought them from the Dragon Tribe to the Valley Tribe.
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