The tribe’s members were initially very reluctant to engage in the rough cultivation of hemp, as practiced by the Fire Clan. They had learned a different, more refined method from their previous wealthy tribe.
The depth of soil tilling and other practices used by their current tribe were far inferior to those of the wealthy tribe. However, they soon accepted reality and, like everyone else, adopted this crude method due to the lack of time and manpower for more refined techniques.
Despite the Fire Clan’s less precise methods, life proved resilient. After a while, many tiny hemp seedlings emerged.
Huo Song and a few others who had visited the Green Sparrow Tribe looked at the tender little seedlings with broad smiles.
Outside the Fire Clan’s cave, a rough shelter made of straw and branches had been erected. This shelter was built by Fire Song and others from memory, imitating the shelters of the wealthy tribe.
Inside the grass shelter were three simple weaving looms anchored to the ground. Two women from the Fire Clan, who had learned weaving techniques from Bai Xue Mei, and another woman with mobility issues were diligently weaving fabric.
Although the repetitive work was monotonous, they didn’t find it tedious because the fabric they wove could be exchanged for many valuable items, including pottery, salt, and delicious, long-preserving millet.
Days flew by, and the once golden carpet of rapeseed flowers in the Green Sparrow Tribe had withered, turning into tender rapeseed pods.
Although the rapeseed flowers had withered, their fragrance was preserved in another form.
Han Cheng, dressed in a hemp hat and tightly wrapped, removed the beehives’ coverings and pulled out a wooden frame filled with honeycombs.
He used a bamboo knife to scrape off the bees gently, then applied slight pressure to let the transparent, sticky honey flow slowly into a jar placed below.
Tasting a bit of honey, Han Cheng felt the concentrated rapeseed flower aroma fill his mouth. A sweet sensation spread quickly, making him squint in pleasure.
The Green Sparrow Tribe’s beehives had expanded from one to two as a new queen bee had emerged. Naturally, a hive could not accommodate two queens, leading to the inevitable division.
Han Cheng was pleased with this development. Before the new queen and her followers could leave, he placed them in a new hive; thus, the Green Sparrow Tribe now had two hives of bees.
As he enjoyed the intoxicating sweetness, Han Cheng remembered how Xiao Fu looked when he was stung and was barely recognizable.
With the rapeseed nearing maturity, the Green Sparrow Tribe’s pigsty was finally completed. This was possibly the most extended construction project the tribe had undertaken, apart from the initial walls.
The sty was large, with an internal area of 150 square meters.
The pigsty was entirely made of stone, and its interior was covered with a layer of gray stone, giving it a very upscale appearance.
The seven wild boars, which had grown significantly since their arrival, were finally moved from their cramped old pigsty to the spacious, well-lit new one with a gray stone floor.
After getting used to the new pigsty, the boars no longer slept as much as they used to. Instead, they roamed around, seemingly admiring their new, beautiful home.
However, the boars’ enjoyment of their new environment was short-lived. After just a few days, they were moved back to the old, cramped pigsty.
The newly built spacious pigsty was once again undergoing renovations. That morning, when Han Cheng went to feed the pigs, one of them actually stared at him and bared its teeth!
Such behavior had severe consequences. The pigs quickly left their new home and returned to the old, suffocating pigsty.
After returning, the wild behavior they had recently exhibited soon vanished, and they returned to their previous routine of eating and sleeping.
It seemed they were not suited to living in an ample space—living large made them unruly!
Han Cheng looked at the boars and pointed at them in disapproval. Because of this, the previously completed pigsty was being modified once again.
The originally spacious area was divided into smaller pens. This would significantly restrict their freedom, allowing them to grow fatter with less exercise and be less temperamental due to confinement.
After harvesting the mature rapeseed and spreading manure on the cleared land, which was then raked and planted with the last grain batch, Fu Jiang, Dafu, and Sanfu also gave birth to their litters.
The Green Sparrow Tribe suddenly had twelve third-generation pups.
This development made Han Cheng both happy and worried. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before the tribe would have a large wolf pack, and in a few more years, it could become a problem.
Indeed, most things in the world have a dual nature, bringing benefits while creating some troubles.
Once the last batch of grain was planted, the people of the Green Sparrow Tribe could finally take a brief respite.
However, the break didn’t last long. After a two-day rest, the tribe members threw themselves into increasingly diverse tasks.
The most numerous were those using bone spades to weed the vast fields of grain surrounding the tribe.
These were the first-class citizens of the Green Sparrow Tribe.
The second-class citizens were busy prying up rocks from the nearby quarry, transporting them by hand, shoulder, or wheelbarrow to lay down two stone-paved roads leading from the front of the tribe to the left and right sides.
After the roads were paved with stones, they were comfortable to walk on and made pushing handcarts much easier.
Initially, the plan was to build the roads along the edges of the farmland.
But after experiencing the benefits of the stone-paved roads, others suggested extending them into the fields as well.
This would make it very convenient to transport crops with a wheelbarrow during harvest time.
It was indeed a good idea, though it was pretty labor-intensive. Fortunately, the Green Sparrow Tribe now had sufficient manpower, so Han Cheng thought it over briefly and agreed.