After the shock, the woman from the Huangguo tribe, who was the first to exchange stones for salt with the Green Sparrow tribe, turned her gaze to the Green Sparrow tribe's trade team, examining them back and forth.
She quickly realized why these people could endure long walks in such cold weather without much harm.
It was because their heads, faces, hands, and feet—places most vulnerable to freezing—were tightly wrapped in warm fur, and the rest of their bodies were similarly covered.
The fur was thick and appeared incredibly warm.
Meanwhile, they had very little fur to protect them from the cold. They would surely freeze to death if they left the cave .
Huangguo voiced her thoughts, and the people of the Huangguo tribe grew quiet and somber.
Indeed, they lacked enough fur to fend off the cold. These kind-hearted people from the Green Sparrow tribe could survive in the snow and ice, but they couldn't...
Understanding the concerns of the Huangguo tribe, Shang and Mao couldn't help but laugh. They walked outside and brought in several bundles of fur, dropping them onto the ground.
These furs were what they had exchanged for salt and pottery from several tribes.
"These, you wear," Shang said, pointing to the furs and smiling at Huangguo and the others.
Huangguo and the others stood there, dazed for a moment. They looked at the furs, then at Shang and Mao, and hesitated. They didn't immediately rush to take them because, in their minds, these furs were precious, having been traded by the Green Sparrow tribe with valuable salt and pottery. They didn't feel right wearing them now.
"You've joined us now, and we are one tribe, so of course, you can wear these," Shang and Mao explained, understanding their hesitation.
Once the Huangguo tribe members understood this, their eyes brightened. Yes, from now on, they were part of the same tribe, so wearing these furs was no problem.
Although they had just declared allegiance to the Green Sparrow tribe, they hadn't entirely adjusted to their new identity yet. But now, they realized there was nothing wrong with wearing the furs.
Shang, Mao, and the rest of the trade team quickly unwrapped the bundles of furs and distributed them to the new tribe members.
These furs, although not as soft as those in the tribe, were still enough to shield them from the cold. After all, they wore rugged furs until the Divine Child revealed a method to soften them.
Huangguo didn't immediately wrap herself in the fur but first used it to cover the younger members of the tribe.
After they were wrapped, she then began to wrap herself.
Once the thick fur was on her, warmth immediately spread through her body.
Whether in the future or the present, putting on nice, new clothes was always a joyful experience for women.
Watching the women smiling and chattering while wrapping themselves in fur, Shang, Mao, and the leader of the Huangguo tribe couldn't help but smile as well.
They enjoyed seeing this scene.
Shang, Mao, and others from the Green Sparrow tribe didn't stand idle. After watching for a while, they began to use their copper knives, bronze axes, and even bronze spears to pierce small holes in some of the animal hides or to cut larger pieces of skin.
The sight of the trade team cutting the furs into small pieces and poking holes in them left the Huangguo tribe members both confused and heartbroken. Such valuable furs could have been traded for more salt, yet now they were being turned into little scraps with numerous holes poked in them. These pieces would no longer serve their purpose.
Unable to hold back, the leader of the Huangguo tribe finally spoke up.
Shang pointed to the primitive hats on their heads, the gloves around their necks, and the socks on their feet. The leader immediately understood what they were doing.
These people had genuinely thought of everything; they treated them as one of their tribe!
The leader was deeply moved, and his lingering doubts vanished instantly.
He and the other members of the Huangguo tribe, wrapped in thick furs, crouched down to watch how Shang, Mao, and the others turned the animal skins into "clothes."
Most of the trade team members were adult men, and sewing was not their forte. They didn't particularly enjoy such tasks. So, the items they made were not exactly beautiful.
They were rough, crude, and misshapen... All these descriptions could apply to the creations.
If this had been in the Green Sparrow tribe, the women would have laughed at the men's clumsy handiwork and sent them away to do something else, not allowing them to ruin the materials.
But now, in the Huangguo tribe's cave, even such crude craftsmanship drew gasps of admiration from the women.
This encouraged the men of the Green Sparrow tribe, who had long been mocked for their lack of sewing skills. Though they didn’t like doing such work, they were now motivated, feeling their skills had greatly improved.
The Huangguo tribe, who had been watching, gradually joined in making these odd hats, gloves, and other items, and soon the atmosphere was warm and cheerful.
They worked hard until well into the evening, and finally, by nightfall, the task was completed.
Everyone in the Huangguo tribe now wore a strange hat, gloves, and socks.
They touched these items, which they had never had before, feeling their warmth. They no longer feared the cold and snow outside.
As they imagined the great things awaiting them in the new tribe, many stayed up late, dreaming of how wonderful it must be. No one was kept awake by hunger or the dread of death, and everyone slept peacefully for the first time in a long while.
It was the most restful and secure night the Huangguo tribe had experienced since the beginning of winter, knowing their food supply was running low.
And all of this stemmed from the tribe they had yet to visit...