I am a Primitive Man Chapter 790: The Semi-Farming Tribe’s Donkey

Chapter 790: The Semi-Farming Tribe’s Donkey

Within the Green Sparrow Tribe, the carpenter Lame had been cheerful these past few days, as if injected with a shot of adrenaline, full of vigor and spirit.

Not only was he like this inside the carpenter’s workshop, but even when he returned home to sleep at night, he remained in such high spirits.

Even Tietou and Heiwa, who lived next door to Lame and were usually the most mischievous in the tribe and quite a bit younger than him, felt somewhat embarrassed in comparison.

Of course, Lame was excited. Under the Divine Child’s guidance, the ink line reel they made proved to be very handy.

Using it at work not only accelerated the production of items but also made the various components produced according to the ink line much more precise and neater.

Under such circumstances, it would be strange if Lame was not excited.

Stimulated by this new tool, what was initially expected to take at least five days to build—the carriage body—was completed by Lame in just three and a half days.

At this moment, Han Cheng was inspecting the brand-new donkey cart body together with Lame.

The real point of focus was the area where the wheels would be installed, which required more technical skill.

“Here, after the wheels are made, we will use axes, saws, and other tools to carve out a semicircular groove to hold the axle…”

Han Cheng carefully observed for a while, then compared it thoroughly to the ox cart body he remembered from home, and offered some suggestions.

After staying there for some time, Han Cheng left and went to the pottery area to check on Heiwa’s progress with the molds.

Meanwhile, Lame made some modifications to the newly made donkey cart body according to Han Cheng’s advice, then started making the wheels.

The wheels needed two circles—a large outer circle and a smaller inner circle.

Between these two circles, sturdy spokes would connect them.

The large outer circle would be the part that rolled on the ground, while the small inner circle would be connected to the axle.

Lame was currently making the large outer circle.

The smaller inner circle would be made later, after Heiwa and Second Senior Brother finished casting the bronze sleeves.

This way, the wooden ring and bronze sleeve could be tightly connected and would not readily loosen.

Mao’er and some other apprentices were seriously making spokes there, holding axes or planes.

The summer noon sunlight fell on the ground and people’s backs, leaving a burning heat.

Even hotter than the sun was the Green Sparrow Tribe’s bronze smelting furnace.

After nearly ten days of work, with cooperation between Heiwa and some potters, they finally produced molds for a batch of bronze axles, bronze sleeves, and other precision-required items.

After confirming the molds were completely dry and ready to be poured with molten bronze, Second Senior Brother, who had been impatient, immediately lit the smelting furnace with several helpers.

They put copper and tin in according to the proportions they had figured out over the past two years to make the hardest bronze alloy.

Then they turned the large bellows to fan the furnace and stoke the fire continuously.

Once the copper and tin inside the furnace were completely melted and blended, Second Senior Brother carefully and swiftly scooped molten bronze with a pottery crucible fitted with a wooden handle and poured it into the prepared molds.

“Crack!”

“Crackle~”

After the molten bronze cooled and solidified, Han Cheng, Heiwa, and others began breaking the molds that could no longer be reused with force.

As the molds cracked open, gleaming golden light shone from within.

The bronze rings were small and easy to cast.

The most difficult were the four one-meter-thirty-long bronze rods.

Because of their large size, they required a large amount of molten bronze and needed to be cast all at once, or else the rods would have defects affecting their strength.

To cast these four bronze rods, which would be used as axles, Han Cheng, Heiwa, Second Senior Brother, and others had to put in a lot of effort.

Fortunately!

Looking at these four shining bronze rods, which only needed some inscriptions to become a “Ruyi Jingu Bang” (Magic Golden Cudgel), Han Cheng was full of relief and joy.

Such large items were rarely cast in the tribe, so successfully casting all four at once was a great success.

After confirming all four rods were intact, Han Cheng picked up a bronze sleeve from the ground and tried to fit it onto one rod.

The first sleeve wouldn’t fit, which made Heiwa’s face turn a little green.

Luckily, the second sleeve fit just right.

These molds were all handmade by Heiwa.

Although standard sizes were followed, there were inevitably some errors during production.

Han Cheng and Heiwa had prepared for this, so they made twelve bronze sleeve molds.

After testing, nine of the twelve sleeves were usable; among the three rejected, two were too large, one too small.

But the remaining nine were enough—four axles, two sleeves each, with some left over.

By then, Lame had already made three large outer circles, and the apprentices had made many spokes.

Upon hearing that the bronze sleeves were finished casting, they immediately began making the small inner circles.

As for the cast bronze sleeves, they were directly embedded into the small wooden rings.

In the following days, the carpenter’s workshop became the most focused-on place in the Green Sparrow Tribe.

The minors would come here whenever they had free time; those working in the fields would check the carpenter’s workshop first thing when they returned, eager to see how the donkey cart was progressing.

Even if they couldn’t see it, hearing others talk about it was good enough.

“The spokes on this wheel are done!”

“The spokes on the other wheel are done too!”

“Mao’er almost hit his hand while hammering the copper nails onto the wheel…”

With this ongoing little “tribal news,” even those who didn’t visit the carpenter’s workshop knew the progress of the donkey cart.

Ding ding dang!

When the last copper nail fixing the spokes was hammered in, the two wheels were officially finished.

Then, under the watchful and somewhat excited eyes of Han Cheng, Shaman, and Senior Brother, Lame and Heiwa brought over an axle and carefully threaded it through the bronze sleeves in the two wheels, connecting the two independent wheels.

After more hammering and clanking, the two wheels were firmly fixed on the axle.

“Divine Child!”

Lame put down his axe and looked at Han Cheng, shouting excitedly.

Han Cheng was also excited as he stepped up to the wheel studded with many shiny copper nails.

Of course, he was excited—since he was seven or eight, he hadn’t pushed his family’s ox cart wheels around the yard for fun, and now he was about to get back into it. How could he not be thrilled?

Han Cheng had someone bring some melted animal fat oil and pour plenty between the axle and the bronze sleeves to serve as lubricant, reducing friction.

After this, he bent down, grasped the axle with both hands, and, under the watchful eyes of the Green Sparrow Tribe members, he put his full force into pushing the wheels—his childhood favorite game.

With his effort, the two wheels began rolling on the ground.

The sight of the revered Divine Child bent over pushing wheels with such vigor made the tribe’s minors’ eyes sparkle, all eager to try it themselves.

Even the adults watching wanted to jump in and push the wheels themselves because it really looked fun.

After pushing the wheels around the open space, Han Cheng stopped.

“This wheel is unstable—it wobbles left and right when pushed and needs reinforcement,” he said, pointing to the left wheel as Lame, Heiwa, and Second Senior Brother watched eagerly.

So Lame and the others hammered and clanged some more, reinforcing the wheel.

After a while, Han Cheng bent down again and tested the wheels once more.

This time, no issues were found.

“Let’s install the carriage body!”

Feeling confident that the wheels were OK, Han Cheng released the wheels and told Lame and the others.

Everyone who had been waiting for this command immediately acted.

Several big hands lifted the donkey cart body, which had been worked on for several days without much effort, and placed it onto the axle.

After a bit of adjustment, the round axle snapped into the semicircular groove carved in advance under the cart body.

Once the position was set and the distances between the body and the wheels were equal on both sides, Han Cheng gave the order, and Lame and the others started securing the body and wheels with leather straps, sticks, and copper nails.

Securing the body and wheels was crucial; otherwise, if the donkey pulled the cart on the road and the wheels detached while running happily, the cart body without wheels would flip over on its back in a roadside ditch.

Thinking about that scene made everyone smile.

After another round of hard work, the cart body and wheels were firmly connected.

After confirming everything was fine, Han Cheng had someone place wooden boards as the floorboards on the cart body, completing the construction of a sound donkey cart.

At this time, Senior Brother led the tallest and strongest donkey in the tribe over.

Seeing Han Cheng nod, he brought the donkey to hitch it to the cart.

With sleds, seed drills, bronze plows, and other equipment in the tribe, the people were familiar with hitching carts.

After a spring plowing season, the donkeys were tamer and more accustomed to pulling carts; they showed no resistance to the freshly built donkey cart.

“Ha!”

Once the cart was hitched, Han Cheng signaled, and Eldest Senior Brother pulled the donkey’s long face rope and shouted, then began to walk.

As the donkey walked, the two wheels turned with a rumbling sound, and the cart moved forward.

Those gathered around watched the donkey pulling the cart with bright smiles, and the minors shouted joyfully.

“Take it outside and test it—go a longer distance!”

Han Cheng, smiling broadly, shouted to Eldest Senior Brother.

Speaking loudly was necessary because the area was filled with joyful chatter.

Hearing Han Cheng, the Eldest Senior Brother, who was about to circle twice more, agreed and led the donkey outward.

People blocking the door stepped aside, letting the Eldest Senior Brother lead the cart in front, with others following through the tribe gate onto the stone-paved road outside.

Some bold minors tried to climb onto the donkey cart, as they had on sleds before, but Han Cheng stopped them immediately.

The donkey cart was still in testing, and the stability was not yet certain, so it was better not to have anyone riding it to avoid accidents.

Fortunately, the tribe’s children were obedient and stayed away from the cart, instead walking and jumping happily alongside and behind it with the adults.

This lively, festive scene suddenly reminded Han Cheng of the illustration in his history textbook about the first Liberation brand car test success in New China.

Though the Green Sparrow Tribe wasn’t as populous, their enthusiasm and excitement were no less.

“Put grain on it!”

When Eldest Senior Brother circled the tribe’s stone road and returned to the gate with the cart all intact, he excitedly waved and called out to Han Cheng.

Waiting here for a long time, Second Senior Brother, Shang, and several others loaded three full leather sacks of grain onto the donkey cart.

The three large leather sacks of grain weighed about three hundred jin (~150 kg), and Shaman watched tensely from the side, hands clenched tightly.

Because his idea was to load the grain bags one by one onto the cart, first confirming the donkey cart could safely carry one bag of grain, then adding another bag, and pulling two bags at once.

But Han Cheng didn’t listen to Shaman’s suggestion this time.

If this newly made donkey cart couldn’t even handle 300 jin (about 150 kg), Han Cheng wouldn’t feel sorry for it being damaged at all—in fact, he would be pretty happy to help it break even more thoroughly, turning it to ashes.

As a donkey cart, if it couldn’t carry even 300 jin, what use would it be? It would be better to destroy it and use the wood for cooking.

Perhaps sensing the threat from a certain watchful Divine Child, this newly made donkey cart turned out exceptionally sturdy. After placing three sacks of grain on it, it was as if there was nothing there at all.

The Eldest Senior Brother led the donkey, which pulled the cart with effortless ease, making a big loop outside the Green Sparrow Tribe.

Shaman was so happy watching this that he clenched Yuan’s hand tightly. Lame, the Eldest Senior Brother, and the others also smiled broadly with joy.

The result before their eyes showed that this new donkey cart was a success and ready for use.

Even if it could only carry 300 jin, since it used animal power, it was still much easier to use than the tribe’s old wheelbarrow.

Moreover, 300 jin was not even the cart’s limit, as the Divine Child had once again placed two more bags on it.

With 500 jin of grain on the donkey cart, the mule no longer looked as light as before, but this weight was still clearly within its carrying capacity.

Amid cheers, the Eldest Senior Brother led the donkey—a mule with a dull red cloth flower tied on its forehead—around the stone road in front of the Green Sparrow Tribe once more.

Despite the worried expressions of Shaman, Senior Brother, and others, Han Cheng had two more bags brought and placed on the donkey cart again.

Compared to their worries, Han Cheng was not very concerned because he knew the strength of these animals.

Although the mule was smaller than cattle, horses, or mules, it was actually very tough. When Han Cheng was young, during harvest season or grain selling and delivery, it was normal for a mule to pull loads of 1,300 to 1,400 jin.

Because this weight was not all borne by the donkey itself, the greater pressure was borne by the two wheels at the back of the cart.

Of course, in later times, the wheels would be light rubber tires, and bearings would be more advanced, so it’s not the same.

But for Han Cheng, this was still very informative.

Besides, since this was a testing phase, it was natural to push the donkey and cart as close to their limits as possible.

Only by doing this could they understand the fundamental limits and have a clear idea when loading and transporting cargo in the future.

Shaman’s mouth opened wide, his wrinkled old face full of astonishment.

His aged hands gripped Yuan’s hands so tightly that it was like iron clamps.

Yuan’s mouth also opened wide, her expression stunned and full of disbelief, though she wasn’t focused on her painfully squeezed hand.

Lame the carpenter stood dumbfounded nearby, looking as if he was utterly stunned.

Not only them, but everyone present, except the experienced Divine Child Han Cheng, was dumbstruck.

One by one, they stared at the loaded donkey cart, eyes wide and mouths agape, lost in a daze.

The scene suddenly shifted from lively excitement to an eerie silence.

“Ten… eleven sacks!”

After a long pause, Yuan muttered softly, staring at the donkey cart fully loaded with grain bags, looking very dazed.

Eleven sacks meant 1,100 jin (~550 kg). For Yuan, who was gradually being led into mathematics by Han Cheng, the concept of 1,100 jin was more keenly felt than by most.

A single cart carrying such a weight was truly unimaginable!

Even those not sensitive to the weight could sense the powerful impact just by looking at the eleven grain bags arranged crisscross on the donkey cart.

Before the donkey cart existed, it would take eleven strong adults working together to move this much grain at once.

And those eleven people could not carry it long without stopping for rest, and eventually became exhausted.

But now, so much heavy cargo was transported by just one donkey and this newly made donkey cart!

In this process, people only needed to load the grain bags onto the cart and have one person lead the donkey to transport it.

Compared with carrying grain bags, sweating and running around, this was extremely easy!

This was why Yuan was so shocked.

She stared at the donkey pulling the cart, utterly disbelieving—as if she was seeing a donkey for the first time.

“Are these still the donkeys from our own tribe?”

Yuan murmured, rubbing her eyes repeatedly in disbelief.

Why, in her original tribe, people only rode donkeys for hunting and chasing prey, but now in this tribe, these donkeys had become all-purpose animals.

Not only could they pull plows to till large fields, but they could also pull seed drills that sowed seeds quickly, evenly, and neatly, making the crops grow lush and look good.

Now, they could even carry 1,100 jin of grain while moving around!

Such a vast change between then and now explained Yuan’s astonishment.

Standing not far from Wu and Yuan was Shi Tou, the next generation’s shaman of the Green Sparrow Tribe, now an adult.

Watching the donkey and cart carrying so much grain, Shi Tou was also deeply impressed.

Unlike others who stared intently in surprise, Shi Tou, as the tribe’s part-time historian, took note of the people’s reactions for his future records.

The successful making of the donkey cart was such an essential event that Shi Tou naturally planned to write a special, detailed account.

In this situation, Yuan’s shocked words and her eye-rubbing were clearly heard and seen by Shi Tou.

A few days later, sitting at his desk with brush in hand, excitedly recalling this unprecedented event, Shi Tou naturally remembered Yuan’s expression and gave it special emphasis in his records.

Many years later, as the Green Sparrow Tribe grew and prospered, their descendants would summarize this story into two sayings:

“Donkey left alone for three days, and one will look at it with new eyes.”