I am a Primitive Man Chapter 792: The Little Ice Age

Chapter 792: The Little Ice Age

“Damn!”

Walking between two points that are very far apart and out of each other’s sight—and without roads or any markers—trying to walk a straight line is extremely difficult.

Take Han Cheng now, for example. Even with the diplomatic expert Mao assisting and a good navigator beside him, the trek still ended up being more than ten li (about 5 km) away from the Copper Mountain Residential Area.

After finally confirming their own location and the location of Copper Mountain Residential Area, they spent nearly half a day before they actually arrived.

From far away, seeing the very distinctive mountain peak of the Copper Mountain Residential Area, Han Cheng wiped the sweat off his forehead.

If it weren’t for Mao’s exceptional navigation skills, Han Cheng thought he would have gotten lost for sure this time.

Getting lost while trying to find the way—just thinking about it is speechless…

Blinking repeatedly, he saw the tall flag still raised, and it was steadily approaching them.

The sentry glanced toward the road from the main tribe to here.

It was empty—no sign of anyone.

Then he shifted his gaze again toward the direction where the flag appeared. This time, what came around the woods was not just a flag.

Beneath the flag were people carrying weapons, accompanied by wolves and deer. Their weapons gleamed dazzlingly in the sunlight.

This was their tribe’s standard traveling gear!

Although he didn’t know why the tribe members were suddenly coming this way, and not even by the main road, the sentry quickly pulled out the wooden clapper at his waist and began striking it loudly.

While striking, he jumped and shouted excitedly, “They’re coming! Someone’s coming from the tribe!”

Immediately, the entire Copper Mountain Residential Area boiled with excitement.

When the crowd at the wall recognized the disheveled leader as the respected Divine Child, the excitement in Copper Mountain Residential Area intensified, crackling loudly like cold water splashed into a boiling pot of oil.

No one in the Copper Mountain Residential Area had expected the Divine Child to lead people over from another place at this time.

Because it was so unexpected, when it really happened, it was greeted with an even greater surprise.

Because of Han Cheng and his group’s arrival, the previously dull Copper Mountain Residential Area instantly became as lively as during a festive New Year.

After Han Cheng and company each downed two big bowls of herbal tea, took a proper bath, and explained the purpose of their visit, the already joyful Copper Mountain Residential Area became even more so.

“Really?”

Third Senior Brother’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Han Cheng, his face full of excitement as he asked.

Though he knew there could be no falsehood from the Divine Child’s words, hearing such news suddenly still made Third Senior Brother want to confirm with Han Cheng again.

Because what the Divine Child had just said was just too thrilling!

Not only Third Senior Brother, but the rest of the people stationed in Copper Mountain Residential Area also looked at Han Cheng with bright eyes.

A new, straight, close, wide, and flat road had been rebuilt from the main tribe to here, along which ran the newly invented two-wheeled donkey carts pulled by donkeys that could carry many goods…

Previously, it took at least five days to travel from the main tribe, but with this road and the faster donkey carts, the journey was reduced to three days.

According to the Divine Child, one person riding a donkey, leading three donkeys, could start at dusk and arrive the next morning!

How could they not be excited?

If all this was true, it would be so much more convenient for them to visit the main tribe! They could make several trips a year without trouble!

The Green Sparrow Tribe people had an extraordinary sense of belonging to the main Green Sparrow tribe.

Even though the Green Sparrow flag flew here, and the Divine Child had said more than once that this was also their Green Sparrow tribe’s land, the people living in the Copper Mountain Residential Area still felt less comfortable than in the main tribe.

There was always a feeling of instability, like being adrift outside.

In such a situation, suddenly receiving this kind of news—how could they not be excited!

“Yes! It’s all true! Once this road is completed, it’ll be much easier for you to travel back!”

Seeing these hopeful faces looking at him, Han Cheng spoke with a serious tone.

“Hahaha…”

After Han Cheng finished speaking, Third Senior Brother paused a moment, then suddenly threw his head back and laughed heartily—usually a serious person, now laughing wildly.

Others standing guard around also fell into extreme joy; some even cried and laughed at the same time.

Seeing this scene, Han Cheng felt a little emotional.

“Divine Child! We’ll start building the road right away!”

Stopping his wild laughter, Third Senior Brother looked at Han Cheng excitedly, wishing he could grab his tools and start immediately, building this connecting road in just one day.

Although the others did not speak, just by looking at their glowing eyes and clenched fists at this moment, Han Cheng knew precisely what they were thinking.

Han Cheng felt that if he said now that building the road required first killing a tiger as a sacrifice, Third Senior Brother and the others would immediately grab their weapons and, without hesitation, loudly go searching all over the world for a tiger.

“We will definitely finish building it as soon as possible!” Han Cheng said firmly to everyone.

Then he added, “However, this road project is enormous. It cannot be completed overnight. Before construction begins, the route needs to be planned carefully first…

Let’s rest now. Once the route is confirmed and the road-building methods are decided, I will arrange for someone to notify you.

Then some of you will start building the road from here towards the main tribe…”

After hearing this, the people in Copper Mountain Residential Area were somewhat disappointed, but knowing the Divine Child’s words were valid, they could only bury their hopes deep in their hearts for now.

But just thinking about how soon they would be able to travel quickly between the main tribe and Copper Mountain Residential Area warmed their hearts.

After this matter was temporarily settled, the whole Copper Mountain Residential Area continued to be filled with joy at the arrival of visitors from the tribe — and the somewhat homebound Divine Child led those visitors.

Some sheep raised here were brought out and slaughtered, and a half-grown wild boar was also taken from its pen and bled…

To provide meat conveniently for the people of Copper Mountain Residential Area, Han Cheng had already arranged at the time the area was first established for some of the tribe’s livestock and poultry to be raised here, which had since multiplied over several years.

Usually, Third Senior Brother and the others didn’t like to eat much of the meat, but now that the Divine Child had come with a group from the tribe, everything was different…

Amid the lively busyness, the aroma of delicious food began to spread throughout Copper Mountain Residential Area.

Seeing everyone’s happiness, Han Cheng didn’t want to disappoint them and personally cooked a few hearty dishes.

A basin of braised pork that was oily but not greasy, over ten plates of steamed pork cuts, roasted lamb ribs…

Paired with golden millet dry rice, just the smell alone made people salivate uncontrollably.

“Gulp!”

Before even arriving at the entrance to Copper Mountain Residential Area, the old primitive men and five others had already swallowed their saliva with difficulty.

Everyone quickened their pace, and later even ran all the way toward Copper Mountain Residential Area…

A few old primitive men from the Wind Tribe arrived just as Han Cheng finished cooking the last dish, and everyone was about to eat.

Their timing was exact.

As a person from the future with good manners, when guests arrive at meal time, offering them food is a must.

In the future, some people might politely decline, saying they’ve already eaten.

But in front of these straightforward old primitive men, who were practically drooling over the food, such polite refusal was impossible to expect.

These guys each grabbed their share of food, buried their faces in the bowls, and ate without lifting their heads.

Two of them even made protective growling sounds while eating their food.

This scene oddly reminded Han Cheng of feeding pigs…

Delicious!

It was simply too delicious!

The old primitive men finished their large bowls of rice, pulled some meat strands stuck between their teeth with their dark fingernails, flicked them into their mouths, and kept sighing appreciatively.

They had thought the food they ate here last time was already delicious enough, but hadn’t expected the food this time to be even more flavorful.

The old primitive men were sure that if the tribe leader had served such food last time, no one would have left.

After eating and drinking their fill, the old primitive men noticed some differences in the tribe compared to their last visit.

There were many more people now, and most of the newcomers appeared to be strong adults.

This made them somewhat suspicious.

Especially when they saw the relatively young Han Cheng, their suspicion increased.

Because they found that everyone in the tribe respected Han Cheng very much.

Even Third Senior Brother, who they thought was the leader, showed the same unusual respect when facing Han Cheng.

Who was this person? How could someone so young have such a high status?

He looked to be the actual leader of this strong and wealthy tribe.

Due to the limited communication between the two tribes, the old primitive men knew very little about the Green Sparrow Tribe beyond what they could see with their own eyes.

They just thought that the Copper Mountain Residential Area was the entirety of the Green Sparrow Tribe.

Seeing Han Cheng and the others suddenly appearing, they naturally felt confused.

As the old primitive men looked at Han Cheng suspiciously, Han Cheng also observed them.

From what the Third Senior Brother had told him about their identities and by examining the furs they carried, Han Cheng understood the purpose of their visit.

“Mao, go ask if there are any other tribes around them.”

After observing the old primitive men for a while, Han Cheng said to Mao.

Because of the Flying Snake Tribe’s presence, most surrounding tribes had been devastated.

For the Copper Mountain Residential Area to develop better, having only this one tribe around was not enough.

That was why Han Cheng sent Mao to ask the old primitive men this question.

After Han Cheng finished speaking, Mao immediately moved with a strong presence.

Mao was not at all shy when interacting with outsiders.

After all, this was his domain to shine in, just like Heiwa with pottery and molds, and Lame with woodworking and weaving.

Third Senior Brother, who was more familiar with the old primitive men, accompanied Mao.

When Mao approached the old primitive man, he first extended his hand warmly and shook hands with them.

The old primitive man had seen this kind of handshake from Third Senior Brother before and knew it was a welcoming and friendly gesture of the tribe.

If not for that, they would definitely have been bewildered.

After this warm handshake, with the old primitive man watching with surprise and confusion, Mao, a flashy translator, began his performance.

At first, the old primitive men were still confused watching Mao’s wild gestures and strange behavior, not understanding what this bird-dance-like act meant.

Even after seeing this, the old primitive men instinctively crossed their arms.

Then they thought for a moment and pulled over a female primitive from their tribe to stand in front of them.

This meant that if Mao wanted to do anything, he could only go after this woman—and better not think about their leader.

After this misunderstanding, tinged with a bit of fear, lasted for a while, the old primitive man suddenly realized with surprise that he seemed to understand what this somewhat dark-skinned guy meant.

“￥%…Fv”

He thought carefully for a moment and recalled some neighboring tribes that had migrated away before them.

Then, as he muttered in his own language, he gestured toward Mao with his hand…

“Are there really other tribes that migrated away?”

Mao, indeed, the Green Sparrow Tribe’s top flashy translator, quickly conveyed the message.

Previously, the two original trade team members had struggled to obtain even minimal information from the old, primitive men.

But now, with Mao stepping in, it didn’t take long before both sides were successfully communicating, and with quite a bit of complexity.

Hearing the message Mao brought over, Han Cheng couldn’t help but exclaim with joy.

“Ask him again if he knows where those tribes migrated to.”

After the initial joy, Han Cheng said again to Mao…

On the other side, after understanding what Mao conveyed, the old primitive man fell into doubt, wondering why this highly respected person called the “Divine Child” was asking about these things.

However, he did not really know where the neighboring tribe, which had migrated before, had gone.

After migrating northward, they encountered them during a hunting trip.

Moreover, when they decided to migrate back from the north, their leader had gone to invite that tribe to return together, but due to fear of the evil Flying Snake Tribe, that neighboring tribe did not come back with them.

When the old primitive man and the Wind Tribe leaders returned from the Copper Mountain Residential Area last time and found that the Flying Snake Tribe had disappeared entirely, and a kind and generous tribe had moved in, they even laughed at that cowardly neighboring tribe.

Because of their cowardice, when the heavy snow fell this year, it was likely that some people in that neighboring tribe would freeze to death again.

After thinking about this for a while, the old primitive man began communicating with Mao in his own way.

Listening to what Mao transmitted—the meaning expressed by the old primitive man—Han Cheng felt very pleased. This was excellent news for him and the Green Sparrow Tribe.

While feeling happy, he also realized a problem: the Wind Tribe, forced to migrate north, had risked being wiped out by the Flying Snake Tribe, yet still chose to return to their original residence despite the cold.

For several years, Han Cheng knew from stone records and the accounts of some older tribe members that winters had been gradually growing longer.

But he hadn’t given it much deep thought.

After all, thanks to heated kang beds, ample food, and thick clothing, the Green Sparrow Tribe was living more comfortably during winter than before.

Now, hearing the experience of the Wind Tribe and other tribes through the old primitive man, Han Cheng belatedly realized the impact such climate change had on nearby tribes.

The quality of housing, food, furs, and other material conditions of a tribe determined their ability to withstand disasters.

The fall of the Ming Dynasty wasn’t just due to Emperor Chongzhen’s stubbornness, the East Forest Party’s loud rhetoric and inaction, eunuchs and factional struggles, droughts, floods, locust plagues, and old slaves of Jianzhou; the arrival of the Little Ice Age was also a significant factor.

In Ming times, every winter, countless people still froze or starved to death—no need to compare with today’s era.

Given this, it was not strange that the Wind Tribe’s people had migrated back from the colder north to their original home.

Thinking of the Ming Dynasty’s Little Ice Age and the recent lengthening winters, Han Cheng felt a sudden heaviness in his heart.

If the cooling trend continued, would the place where his tribe lived become unsuitable for survival?

Would all the work he and his people had done be in vain?

The more he thought this, the heavier and more dispirited he felt.

After a long silence, Han Cheng suddenly smiled, feeling that his earlier worries had been overly pessimistic and needless.

As long as a person lives, they must do their work that day.

From birth, death is inevitable—that all know much.

But even so, few give up and waste their days; most strive hard to survive and to live a richer, more colorful life within their limited time.

This applies to people living in this world, and likewise to facing a gradually cooling climate.

One cannot simply stop doing things because the weather cools; that would be no different from giving up upon knowing death is certain.

Moreover, the cooling may not continue forever.

If one halts all progress now, and the place remains livable later, wouldn’t that waste many years of development?

Even if the climate continued to cool to the point where living here became impossible, the efforts made along the way would not be wasted.

At least it would provide the tribe with abundant material resources to better survive the migration and thrive again quickly after settling in a new place.

After pondering this for a while, Han Cheng’s initially gloomy mood gradually brightened.

Besides, this cooling trend was actually a great advantage for the current Green Sparrow Tribe, not a drawback!

The Wind Tribe, which preceded him, and another tribe known to have migrated north, were examples of the benefits brought by this weather.

These two tribes were unstable in moving back and forth, creating an opportunity for the Green Sparrow Tribe to expand and develop the Copper Mountain Residential Area…

Within this scope, as Han Cheng thought deeply, a silence fell.

Everyone stared at the Divine Child, whose expression kept shifting u