As the oars were rowed, the raft moved slowly on the water.
Little Pea, who was riding a raft on the water for the first time, shook his head in Han Cheng's arms and looked around with a look of curiosity.
But although it was new and novel, he was not afraid because his father held him in his arms.
A gentle lake breeze blew along the water, bringing bursts of coolness.
In the distance, on the wider lake, water birds were flapping their wings and flying. Sometimes they would suddenly fold their wings and rush down like an arrow, splashing water. When they flew up again, fish would rise into the sky with them.
Not far away, green-headed wild ducks swam forward with the raft, expressing their amazement at the monkeys that could swim in the water like them.
After swimming like this for a while, some wild ducks discovered some shortcomings of these diving monkeys, that is, they can only swim on the water surface but cannot dive into the water.
Then, one or two wild ducks began to dive into the water and then came out from somewhere else. Sometimes, some fish tails would appear in their mouths.
After showing off their special talents in front of the group of monkeys in the water, the one or two ducks flapped their wings in the water and quacked excitedly.
Junior brother Sha, who was on the same raft with Han Cheng, silently tied a thin rope to the tail of a feather arrow, tied the other end of the rope to the railing on the edge of the raft, then placed the feather arrow on the bowstring, pulled it open, and then let go of his hand, and the feather arrow with the rope flew out rapidly.
The wild duck that was flapping its wings happily let out a scream, struggled in the water a few times, and then fell silent.
While the other wild ducks were flying around in panic, the wild duck with a feather arrow piercing its body was pulled onto the raft by Junior Brother Sha using a rope.
It will soon become a roasted duck.
This incident taught everyone in the Green Bird Tribe a lesson: not only will the rafters who stick out get hit first, but also the wild ducks that like to show off their skills and get too close to the archers when showing off their skills will easily become roast ducks...
As the raft moved forward, lake water appeared on the raft from the gaps, forming small puddles that did not exceed the highest point of the raft. Occasionally, startled fish would jump out of the water and fall back into the water with splashes.
The raft moved slowly forward in the vast sea, and the novel experience of boating on the lake made everyone excited.
The only thing that makes people feel a little regretful is why the jumping fish did not land on the raft.
The raft moved forward, from the east side of the island to the north side, and stopped at the place where it first docked.
When the raft was about to reach the shore, someone standing at the front of the raft threw down a rope, and the people who had stayed on the island picked up the rope and pulled it tight, pulling the front of the raft tightly against the shore.
Most of the people in the tribe had never seen such a large beach. They got off the raft and walked barefoot on the clean beach, each of them extremely happy.
Looking at the blue sky, sunshine, and the vast lake, and then looking at the clean, large beach, Han Cheng suddenly felt that in the future, in addition to fishing, digging lotus roots and bird droppings on this island, he could also build a few pavilions here and put a few bamboo lounge chairs.
Barefoot and wearing linen shorts, when you get tired of walking by the water, you can lie down on a lounge chair, bask in the warm sunshine, take a nap, and when you wake up, watch the clouds in the sky...
You can't just think about this. As soon as you think about it, you'll feel so happy.
I can't wait to start implementing it now.
However, when Han Cheng's eyes fell on the beach farther away, and he saw the old turtle climb back onto the beach after he and others left and lie on the old turtle that was lazily basking in the sun, his face suddenly twitched.
Why, after seeing the state of these guys at this moment, Han Cheng felt that the wonderful life he had just drooled over was a bit like a curse on himself.
Sooner or later, you will catch these damn guys and stew them into soup one by one!
Han Dashenzi, who had scolded himself without realizing it, was looking at those old turtles who had nothing to do and always liked to come to the beach to sunbathe, and he felt very angry.
The beach is always a favorite playground for children.
In particular, Han Cheng filled a bowl with wet sand, patted it gently with his hands to make it firm, then turned it upside down on the beach, and gently took the bowl away, leaving an upside-down bowl made of wet sand in its place. The children who followed him immediately stayed on the beach and didn't want to leave.
Not only them, but some women who came with them were also attracted by this novel activity.
Upon seeing this, Han Cheng thought about it and asked several strong men who had been to the lotus pond and seen the guano to stay nearby with weapons to protect them. He and another group of people went to the west side and the middle of the island with Wu and the others to see the large area of lotus roots, as well as the guano and guano stone that were extremely important to the tribe.
For the witch and most people in the tribe, food that can be eaten and things that are of great use to the tribe are far more important than having fun...
The lake breeze blew gently, blowing the vast expansion of green lotus leaves and branches swaying in the wind. The witch smiled like a toothless child.
The rest of the people from the Qingque tribe who saw the lotus root for the first time also laughed very happily, especially after hearing Han Cheng talk about the deliciousness of the lotus root and its high yield.
"Plant it somewhere in the tribe, plant it somewhere in the tribe..."
The witch was muttering there, and the others who heard it all nodded.
For the people of the Qingque tribe, they still subconsciously regard the Qingque main tribe where they have lived for a long time as their real tribe. When they come across good things, they always subconsciously want to bring them to the main tribe.
Only in this way can you feel at ease and feel that such things truly belong to your own tribe.
Han Cheng nodded on the side. He had originally planned to transplant the lotus roots to the main tribe. After all, there were many potholes around the main tribe over the years. If lotus roots were planted in all of them, he would be able to dig up a lot of lotus roots in winter.
Han Chengdu plans to plant lotus roots not only in the main tribe, but also in any suitable potholes along the entire Bronze Highway. He will not miss any suitable ones in the Tongshan residential area either.
Anyway, the present is different from later times. This era has a vast land and a sparse population. There are enough people in the main tribes to be able to handle the work, and large tracts of land can belong to their own tribe.
As for the possibility that there would be too many lotus roots to dig up in time, this was not even within Han Cheng's consideration.
Firstly, the lotus roots that grow under water can be dug up for a very long time, from summer to winter. Secondly, even if they cannot be dug up, it is very nice to just watch them grow there. When the time comes, you can walk along the Bronze Highway, smelling the fragrance of flowers all the way. It would be nice to create a hundred-mile lotus road.
After seeing the large lotus pond, Han Cheng took Wu and the others to see a forest that was covered with a thick layer of bird droppings and had a strong smell.
Then we went to the large amount of guano on the east side of the forest leading to the southern end of the island.
After seeing so much bird droppings, everyone in the tribe was so happy that they couldn't stop smiling.
With so much bird droppings, the food yield in the tribe will increase a lot.
After the visit, Wu's toothless mouth never closed, and he looked extremely energetic.
Everyone returned to the lotus pond, went down and got up more than 100 kilograms of lotus roots. After washing them with lake water, they returned to the beach.
Some people found dry firewood and built several bonfires on a beach.
A few stones were placed around the fire, and pottery jars brought from the ship were placed on top, and a simple stove was ready.
The freshly dug lotus root undoubtedly became the star of this meal.
After peeling, cut into dices about four centimeters long and one centimeter thick. Add the lotus root dices when the fresh fish soup or turtle soup in the jar is almost done.
There was no sliced lotus root for cold dish, because we were camping this time, and we didn't bring enough seasoning, especially no vinegar, so the lotus root slices were not tasty.
When the bonfire was about to burn out, Han Cheng buried some lotus roots in the fire and burned them with dark red charcoal.
“Delicious! Delicious!”
After the fish and lotus root soup and turtle and lotus root soup, which were similar to some dark dishes, came out of the pot, everyone picked up the lotus roots in their bowls and put them into their mouths.
The fully cooked lotus root cubes are very soft to eat. When you bite into them, they will reveal many white silks, which tastes very good.
Everyone in the Qingque tribe ate lotus root for the first time and praised it as they ate.
Especially Wu, who had poor teeth, ate more because the lotus root was more to his taste.
Han Cheng, who was eating lotus root, was also happy because the quality of the lotus root here was better than he had imagined, it was actually flour lotus root.
“Try this.”
After finishing the rice in the bowl, Han Cheng dug up the dimming charcoal pile, revealing the blackened lotus root buried inside.
He also broke off a thinner and clean branch and pierced one of the lotus roots with it. It didn't take much effort to pierce it. The feeling on his hand told Han Cheng that the lotus roots had been cooked.
Immediately, all the lotus roots buried in the ashes were dug out.
After picking up a piece and gently throwing it on the ground to shake off some of the ash covering the surface, Han Cheng handed it to the witch, indicating that the witch should peel off the outer layer of skin and then eat it.
Han Cheng also picked up a piece of the slightly hot lotus root and began to peel the roasted lotus root and eat it.
When using a fire to roast things like sweet potatoes, potatoes, taro, and lotus roots, it is best to put the charcoal pile in when the fire is about to stop.
Otherwise, if you put it in too early, the food being cooked will most likely be carbonized, making the whole or most of it inedible.
But don't put it too late, otherwise it won't be cooked through.
Han Cheng found some thick green leaves, folded them together, wrapped the lower half of the burning lotus root, held it in his hand, and began to peel the skin from one end.
As the outer layer of skin, which had been burned and turned a little hard, was peeled off, some of the heat trapped inside suddenly came out.
After peeling off the upper half of the skin, Han Cheng couldn't wait to take a bite. It tasted very good and was softer than the cooked lotus root.
Little Pea watched from the side, tapping his feet anxiously, opening his mouth and calling for his daddy non-stop.
However, Han Cheng still brought the lotus root in his hand to Bai Xuemei, and let Bai Xuemei eat two bites before giving it to Xiao Wandou.
Typical of parents who truly love each other.
The witch and some other people on the side also followed Han Cheng's example and picked leaves from a big tree. They wrapped one end of the roasted lotus root with the leaves, peeled it in their hands and ate it. They all praised the dish, especially those with poor teeth.
When everyone had almost finished their food, the sun was setting. From time to time, a flock of birds would fly in from afar and land in the woods on the island.
The island, which had seemed relatively quiet, suddenly became lively with the sound of birds singing.
At this point, it was time to leave the island.
There were quite a lot of people coming to the island, so just like before, they went back in two groups.
Han Cheng did not leave with the first wave. Instead, he sat on the beach by the lake, looking at the lake in the distance, waiting for the raft to come for the second time.
After a while of waiting, the raft that had left came back. Han Cheng and the people who stayed on the island boarded the raft together. Under the constant sliding of the oars, they left the island and headed towards the shore.
When the raft came out from the east side of the island, the last bit of light from the red sun in the sky disappeared.
The western sky was filled with sunset glow of varying shades, which reflected the calm lake surface into the color of the sky. Looking down, it was difficult to tell whether one was on the water or in the air.
In the western sky, birds soared into the sky, flapping their wings and flying. Against the sunset, only their dark outlines could be seen.
"The setting sun and the lone wild goose fly together, and the autumn water and the sky are the same color."
Standing on the raft and looking at the scene, I couldn't help but blurt out the famous lines from Wang Bo's famous works that had long been sealed in my memory.
By the time Han Cheng and his companions got ashore, the sunset had disappeared a lot and dusk was gradually falling.
Also shrouding the place was the coolness of the night.
At this moment, everyone trampled on the weeds, walked in the twilight, and headed towards the Longmen Inn which was under construction.
When we were about halfway through the journey, it was already getting dark.
After walking about two miles further, night fell completely. Stars twinkled in the dark blue sky, and a half moon also shone, taking over from the sun to provide illumination for those returning late.
Looking around, the scenery became even more desolate.
Little Pea was held in Han Cheng's arms, and several other minors who followed him. The younger ones were also carried by other adults, while the older ones, together with Han Cheng, Wu Baixue and their sister, were surrounded by tribal warriors holding rattan shields and other weapons, and walked forward.
The dogs that followed were walking on the periphery, keeping watch...
The next morning, the Qingque tribe's 'travel group', protected by more than a dozen armed men led by Junior Brother Sha, left the Longmen Inn which was under construction and headed towards the Tongshan residential area along the Bronze Highway.
The upper bridge on this section of road has not yet been built, and donkey carts cannot pass in some places.
But there is no need to worry. You can go around it from the temporary construction on the side. Although the road is not flat enough, it is still not a problem for short-distance driving.
This is just like the bridge on the asphalt road between counties that is damaged and under construction. When vehicles approach this place, they need to go down to the dirt road to bypass it...
"Oh~!"
On the bare Copper Mountain, someone looked into the distance and couldn't help shouting out loud, feeling particularly happy in his heart.
Sister Bai Xue and some others squatted beside the green or blue pools on the Copper Mountain, full of wonder, unable to resist touching the gem-like water with their hands...
At the foot of Tongshan, Han Cheng, Wu, Junior Brother Sha, Shang and others began to take a slow walk around the Tongshan residential area.
Go see the furnaces, go outside and measure the land around the Tongshan residential area with your feet.
Looking at the large tracts of farmland around and the crops such as millet and soybeans growing in the farmlands.
During the journey, Wu, who was visiting the Tongshan residential area for the first time, had a smile on his face all the time. He was cheerful wherever he looked, as happy as a little pea of a few years old...
The sun sets again, heralding the end of another day.
Wu climbed up the stone wall of the Tongshan residential area, looked at the Tongshan residential area shrouded in the setting sun and the large farmland outside with crops growing, with a childlike smile on his face.
Before coming here, he knew about the Tongshan residential area, that there were furnaces for refining copper and tin ingots here, and that there were farmlands around the Tongshan residential area.
But these are just what I heard from others, I have not witnessed it with my own eyes.
Now that he had come to the Tongshan residential area in person and seen it all with his own eyes, and saw that it was much better than he had imagined, the joy in his heart was really overflowing.
His eyes searched around and finally fell on the green bird flag in the courtyard, which was fluttering slightly in the sunset and the evening breeze.
This house and everything around it belong to their tribe!
Before leaving the main tribe to embark on this journey, Wu knew that his tribe was already very powerful. Now, after taking such a trip along the Bronze Highway, Wu has a more intuitive understanding of the strength of his tribe.
In the sunset, Han Cheng held Xiao Xing'er's arms with both hands and let his little girl walk for a while. Then he handed the girl to Bai Xue who was standing beside him, and Han Cheng walked up the stairs to the wall.
He came to Wu's side without saying anything, but just like Wu, he quietly looked at the Tongshan residential area under the sunset.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
After a long time, Han Cheng asked Wu with a smile.
"beautiful!"
Wu nodded vigorously and answered affirmatively.
"Our tribe will become even more beautiful in the future! In five or ten years, when you stand here and look at the surrounding scenery, it will be so beautiful that you won't even blink."
Han Cheng looked at Wu and said with a smile.
Wu nodded vigorously again. He believed in the words of the Son of God.
From the early autumn of the first year of Qingque, when he and his eldest brother and others brought the Son of God back to the tribe from the wild, to now, only nearly ten years have passed.
In ten years, his tribe has grown from a small tribe of dozens of people to its current size that is unimaginable.
Wu couldn't imagine how far the tribe would develop in another ten years, but there was one thing he was very sure of: with the Son of God around, his tribe would definitely undergo amazing changes again in another ten years.
The tribe will definitely become stronger and better.
You can't think about such things. As soon as you think about them, the witch will be full of longing.
But amid this longing, there is still some hidden worry.
I worry that I will get older and won’t live long enough to see these things.
"Witch, live well! I'm hoping that when the time comes, you can hold Little Pea's child just like you held Little Pea! When the time comes, we can go together in a car to inspect everything that belongs to our tribe."
Han Cheng looked at Wu and spoke seriously.
Wu seemed very excited, just like coaxing Little Pea, coaxing Little Pea's child. Of course he wanted to do such a thing, but he was afraid...
After all, he is still old. In another two years, he should be able to surpass Huo Er, the longest-lived person in the history of the Qingque tribe. In this case, how can he not be worried?
"Wu, don't worry. People can live for a very long time. Some people can live for more than a hundred years. You are still young!"
Han Cheng said to Wu with a smile.
Some people can actually live to be over a hundred years old.
Although they account for a small proportion, their existence also shows that people can still live to a ripe old age.
In the country where Han Cheng lived in later generations, because there was no war, food, clothing, housing, transportation, and medical and health conditions had all developed greatly. The proportion of people over 100 years old was not large, but there were still many people in their 70s, 80s, 80s, and 90s.
When Han Cheng said Wu was young, he didn't mean to be joking.
Because the tribe had a hard time in the past, many people in the tribe looked much older than the people we see in later generations.
For example, the witch who looks very old, according to Han Cheng's estimation, is actually less than 60 years old in later generations.
People of this age are still in their prime in later generations. When it comes to work, many young people can’t compare with them. How could they be old?
"Really? Can people really live that long?"
Hearing Han Cheng's words, Wu suddenly became excited.
"Of course it's true. As long as you have enough clothes and food, have good accommodation conditions, and are not injured by wild animals or venomous snakes, and don't get sick, people can live for many years. You are not old at all."
Han Cheng spoke to Wu affirmatively.
After living together for such a long time, Han Cheng knew what Wu was most worried about.
Han Cheng is also very clear about how much influence a person's psychological suggestion can have on that person.
So taking advantage of this opportunity today, Han Cheng said these words to Wu.
As for Wu, Han Cheng hopes that he will live a long life so that he can accompany him and the tribe more.
As the sun sets, the sunlight becomes softer, and if you don't look at the direction of the sun, you might mistake it for early morning.
Shrouded in the setting sun, Wu suddenly looked a lot younger, and he looked very energetic.
Even his hunched back straightened up a lot at this time.
Looking at Wu in this state, Han Cheng smiled sincerely...
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