Chapter 565: Clever Jiang Xuan (Please vote and subscribe)
The houses of the Youjiang family are all triangular tent-style stilt houses. The foundation is arranged on the ground with wooden piles, and then the floor is set up. The floor is made of tree trunks as thick as a child's arm, and a large platform is made. On it, a triangular tent frame is built with long branches, and finally covered with thatch and straw to make the roof.
It looks like a house one meter above the ground, with no walls and only two sloping roofs sitting on wooden piles. All the houses in the entire tribe are made in this way.
However, in the center of the tribe, there is also a circular altar made of stones, but there is nothing on it. It has always been bare.
At sunset, the women of the Youjiang family have already started cooking. They put a red earthenware pot with three legs and two ears on the ground, and lit firewood directly under the pot. Then put corn, water, meat, salt, and paste animal fat into the pot and boil them over a high fire. Even the stove is saved.
This is the staple food of the Youjiang clan, which is meat soup.
The children chased and played between the houses, and some of them took their toys, such as double-hole pottery flutes, and blew them like whistles.
The men were polishing stone sickles or bone sickles to prepare for the autumn harvest next month. These sickles made of bones and stones are very fragile, and those of poor quality cannot be used for an autumn harvest, so they have to prepare several in advance before the grain harvest every year.
The leader of the Youjiang clan, Xuan, was standing on a huge rock by the river, looking at the large millet field of his tribe, hoping that the last one and a half months before the harvest would be good weather and good harvest, and nothing would go wrong, otherwise it would be difficult to get through the winter. In addition, he was also waiting for the team that exchanged salt to come back. Calculating the date, if nothing unexpected happened today, they should be home, and there was no problem in previous years.
Just before the sun was about to sink into the horizon, a dozen figures came towards the tribe, supporting each other. Although Xuan was still far away, he could already hear the tribe members shouting to welcome them, so he hurried over.
"Yong, you're back? Did you have any luck on the road? Everyone is back, is Chi okay?"
Leader Xuan immediately went to meet them. He was not only worried about the team going to exchange salt, but more importantly, his younger brother Chi, who had just come of age, also went with them. The river was so wide, and every time he crossed it, it was a natural danger. He was still so young. If it weren't for the tradition in the tribe that if you can't swim across the river and bring back salt, you can't marry the most beautiful woman, he would definitely not let his younger brother go with him to exchange salt.
As a result, before Yong could reply, Xuan had already seen more than a dozen of them, and then he was immediately dumbfounded. He saw that among the dozen people, Yong and the others were all wrapped in white ribbons, and the ribbons were faintly bloody. Yong had a lot of them, including on his arms and legs, and the other one who was also wrapped in ribbons was his younger brother, who looked more seriously injured than Yong.
"You are injured, how did you get hurt? Who treated you?" Xuan asked again in surprise.
"Chief, can we drink some hot water first? It would be better if we have soup. We are all hungry." Yong said tiredly.
"Oh, yes, yes, sit down quickly, go sit by the altar. Someone, get them some hot water. The soup is not cooked yet. Don't worry, wait a while." Xuan called the tribesmen to prepare things, and then led Yong and the other dozen people to an open space next to the altar. This place is usually used by the tribesmen for sacrificial ceremonies. It is a small square, not very big.
Soon, several bonfires were lit on the square, lighting up the surroundings. Xuan, Yong, Chi and several other people sat around a large round tree stump. The salt that the dozen people carried back was piled on the stump, and the things that Youfu gave them were also placed on it.
Xuan was holding a delicate porcelain bowl and looking at the firelight, "So, that tribe wants to trade with us?"
"Well, it should be. They rescued us. At first, I wanted to give them some salt to thank them, but their leader refused and gave me these things, saying that we could exchange them and they would wait for us there." Yong began to introduce the situation to Xuan.
"What is this? It looks like the stuff you use to bandage wounds. How is this stuff made? It's so dense." Xuan put down the porcelain bowl and picked up the roll of linen and asked.
"This is what they use to make clothes. There are hundreds of them, all wearing clothes made of this stuff. Men also tie their hair on top of their heads. People with more status will also decorate their hair." Yong said, recalling what he had seen and heard.
"Anything else? Anything else?" Xuan began to be interested in the tribe that Yong mentioned.
"Well, there are many more. I don't know how to describe them, but all their things are new to us."
"Then just talk slowly, don't be in a hurry, just say whatever comes to mind. Come on, bring the meat soup over, let's talk while we eat, and by the way, use this bowl for me." Xuan handed the porcelain bowl to the person next to him. He also wanted to be extravagant today and eat with this beautiful container.
"Hey, let me think about it, let me think about it, yes, their things that can float on the water are all made of wood. The small ones can hold forty people, and they can move forward and dock by using a long-handled wooden board to paddle the water.
The big ones can hold hundreds of people, and the small ones can be placed on top of the big ones. I don't know how the things move, and they don't use wooden boards to paddle the water, but just pull a few ropes, and the things can move forward and turn by themselves."
Yong talked about what he saw on the boat this morning, and Xuan and the tribesmen around him were like listening to a book from heaven, completely attracted by the magical things described by Yong, and forgot to eat soup for a while.
"Yes, yes, yes, and when we were rescued on that thing, they also used something like a bone knife to pry open the fish's mouth. The knife was very sharp and shiny. I don't know what it was made of, but it was very fast. I saw that they could cut the fish's skin and flesh with just a slight cut." Another injured person also added.
"Can something made of wood float on the water?" Xuan asked doubtfully. It was not that he suspected Yong would lie to him, but his mind was limited. He couldn't imagine what it was, nor did he know what method was used.
"That thing is like a big house, yes, a big house made of wood that can float on the water, and it can also walk. The wood they made is amazing. Brother, look at this, it's made of wood, how beautiful it is." Xuan's younger brother Chi also slowed down at this time and joined the chat. He also held the small wooden box used to hold brown sugar to show his brother.
Xuan had seen that thing a long time ago. At first, he thought it was just a square wooden lump, so he didn't care, but now Chi shook the wooden lump, and there was actually a sound of something shaking inside.
"Is it empty? What's inside? How do I open it?" Xuan asked as he took the box.
"It's food. Their leader took one out and ate it. I watched him eat it." Yong, who was standing by, helped open the box and showed the brown sugar inside to the leader.
Xuan pinched out a piece of brown sugar and looked at it against the firelight. The red translucent sugar looked like a gem. It must be very beautiful when facing the sun during the day. He couldn't associate it with food. However, he glanced at the small bag of salt next to it that looked as white as snow. Maybe the people of that tribe like to make food look better. They still eat the same food. What a waste of energy.
Xuan was secretly complaining about the obsessive-compulsive disorder of the Han tribe. He took a piece of brown sugar and put it in his mouth. As a result, he immediately smelled a strong plant sweetness and a faint burnt smell. It should be roasted from some plant. He guessed it instantly.
"This thing is very sweet, as sweet as our honey, but it tastes different from honey. You can try it too." Xuan invited others to eat it together.
Chi's eyes lit up when he heard this. He immediately took out a piece and put it in his mouth, tasting the unique sweetness of brown sugar. He even said that this thing was better than their own honey. This was probably because the monks from outside could chant sutras. Other people 's things were all good
. Xuan ignored his silly brother and continued to talk to others.
"This tribe has salt, which is whiter than ours. They also have honey, and it is dry, which is convenient for storage and can be carried with you when you go out. Their pottery is also better than ours. It can be made so thin and colorful, with some pictures and symbols on it. There is also this thing for making clothes. If we have this thing to make clothes, wouldn't it be possible to wear it except in winter?
We don't have to make clothes with grass leaves anymore. This tribe is amazing." Xuan saw these gifts and finally made a conclusion. "Then what do you mean, chief? Should we trade with them? If we trade, what should we ask them to exchange with? What should we use? They don't seem to lack anything, and we don't have anything to show for it." Yong asked the chief while drinking meat soup.
"Who said we don't have it? We have honey, we also have corn and sorghum. We can teach them how to grow crops. Who said we have to exchange them?" Xuan disagreed immediately. After all, the Jiang clan was a large tribe with a population of more than 2,000 people, but Yong said it was worthless, as if his own tribe was very poor.
However, after thinking about it carefully, his tribe really didn't have anything to show off. The Jiang clan was rich in pottery, but the other party's pottery was more beautiful. The Jiang clan had salt, and the other party also had salt, which was better than theirs. The other party had materials for making clothes, but they didn't, only animal skins and grass leaves. They also had sugar, but the Jiang clan had honey. Although it was not the same, it was still sweet food. I don't know if the other party would want it.
After thinking about it, it seemed that only the food of his tribe and the planting technology were available, which the other party should not have. At least he hadn't heard Yong say it. Yong had indeed never seen the Han tribe take out food. If the Han tribe didn't have it, then only the technology of growing grain was the most valuable. But such an important thing obviously couldn't be sold cheaply, and it must be exchanged for something good.
Xuan thought so, and so did Yong. If they had taken out the most important technology of the tribe, they should at least exchange it for an equivalent technology, otherwise it would be a big loss. So Yong asked beside him.
"Chief, if we teach them how to grow corn, what do we ask them for? If we don't exchange it for some equally important skills, then we will lose."
"Exchange skills? Why do we need to exchange skills?" Xuan glanced at Yong indifferently, thinking that this guy was really stupid. How could he come up with such an idea.
"But we are offering the skills of growing grain, and seeds. Shouldn't we exchange them for the same skills?" Yong emphasized.
"Are you stupid? Are you satisfied with just one thing? Our tribe only has this one thing that can be exchanged. If we don't ask them for more, where can we find such a good opportunity next time?"
"What do we want? We can't exchange this one skill of growing grain for much. Can they give us more if we ask for more?" Yong asked puzzled.
"That's why I said you're stupid. What is ability? Can it be seen or touched? It still needs others to teach it. If that's the case, why don't we just exchange a few people with them? As long as we can find a way to exchange a few people with them, we don't have to worry about not being able to learn any ability. When they join our tribe, they will have to use all their abilities. We can just learn from them. Isn't that better than changing a skill?" Xuan looked at Yong with contempt.
After hearing the leader's idea, Yong's eyes lit up and he slapped his thigh excitedly.
"Yes, ability is something that can't be seen or touched. It's all in those capable people. When the time comes, we can find a way to exchange a few capable people with them. Then their abilities will be exchanged back. It's worthy of our Jiang family leader. He is so smart. What's wrong with his brain?"
Yong thought excitedly in his heart, while looking at his own leader with admiration. No wonder Xuan could become the leader. His brain is so useful.
"Then let's go tomorrow. If they leave too late, we won't be able to find them then." Yong suggested immediately, wishing to go overnight.
"Why rush? They will definitely not leave so soon. Let's set out early tomorrow morning and take a few more people with us. We will bring some honey with us as a gift to them in return, and thank them for saving you today.
Then we will invite some of them to stay in our tribe for a few days. We will treat them well. Who knows, they may not want to leave when they see that our tribe has so much food and can farm. They have a stable food source." Xuan planned.
"What if they don't want to stay? How does the chief plan to exchange people with them?" Yong continued to ask.
"Exchange marriages, isn't that a very normal thing?" Xuan said confidently.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
