020 Venting Frustration

Contemplating the prosperous world she once knew and the civilized life she had experienced, Lin Yan felt her resolve waver once more when compared to her current circumstances.

The vitality of the people around her stemmed from ignorance; they were satisfied only because they had never known anything better. The true agony lay in having once tasted the best, only to have it all vanish, plunging one into a desperate reality that was agonizing to accept. She was now a vessel of knowledge with nowhere to apply it, her every ambition stifled by endless constraints.

Shuisheng urged her, "Lin Yan, what is it that you’re thinking about? You taught us how to count and write, and you solved the tribe’s food crisis. You are so capable—what is it that’s bothering you?"

After a long silence, Lin Yan replied, "You wouldn't understand."

"How can we understand if you don't tell us?" Shuisheng pressed, growing anxious. "Tell us, and we’ll figure it out together."

Lin Yan threw caution to the wind. "Fine, I’ll tell you."

"I want to live in a clean, tidy house, eat delicious meals, and wear comfortable, beautiful clothes. I don't want to use such foul-smelling toilets, I don't want to rely on my own two feet to get everywhere, and I don't want to live the life of a savage. I want to travel through space, fly to the heavens, delve into the earth, and live exactly as I please..."

"I want a laboratory, advanced equipment, a smart network, I want..."

She poured out all the dissatisfaction and resentment she had accumulated over these days, saying whatever came to her mind. "Do you know what the future of humanity looks like? Imagine people who have broken free from these shackles, capable of leaving Earth to visit other planets, or seeing someone instantly even across an infinite distance..."

Exhausted, Lin Yan finally felt a profound sense of powerlessness. "You know nothing. Without the breadth of experience, how could you possibly solve these problems?"

The group of children stared blankly, convinced that Lin Yan was rambling nonsense; they couldn't comprehend a word of it. Mushu, Lao Hei, and others had arrived at some point, and after listening to her outburst, they were even more bewildered.

Little Stone’s eyes sparkled. "Lin Yan, will those things you spoke of really exist in the future?"

"Yes, but unfortunately, you are destined never to see them," Lin Yan said listlessly.

"Why wouldn't I see them? As long as we work hard, one day it will come true," Little Stone declared, full of ignorant, fearless confidence.

Lin Yan dampened his spirit. "Realizing all of this requires countless years and the efforts of many generations, all backed by a solid foundation. We have nothing right now. Stop dreaming."

"If we don't have it, we can find a way to make it."

"Ha, easier said than done. If it were that simple, would I be in this state? Right now, I can't even manage to make a simple knife or a pot."

"What is a knife? And what is a pot?"

"Knives can be made of many materials, but they all share one trait: sharpness. See that tree? With a knife, you could easily chop it down and shape it into anything you want. A pot is a tool for cooking; if you want to eat well, a pot is indispensable."

"How is a knife made?"

Led by Little Stone, the children gradually steered the conversation in a new direction. Lin Yan grew increasingly excited, eager to spill everything from her mind. Her listeners were spellbound; they had never realized the world could be like that.

By the time Lin Yan was parched, she had taken them from the Stone Age to the Information Age, emptying everything she knew. Though it was only a summary, it was far too advanced for them. They didn't understand most of it, but their hearts were filled with longing.

Seeing that Lin Yan had regained her spirit, Shuisheng felt the problem was resolved. So, this was the reason she hadn't wanted to live.

Once everyone had calmed down, he said, "Lin Yan, what you described is very profound and difficult to achieve, but if we work together, we will surely succeed. Just like learning to write—whatever you taught us, we mastered. From now on, teach us more of what you know, and tell us what you want to do; we will do it together."

The children nodded in agreement, each promising to follow her lead and study hard.

Lin Yan smiled. "Alright. I want to make pottery. We don't have clay, so let's go find some."

"What is clay?" Shuisheng asked.

"What is making pottery?" added Little Stone.

After Lin Yan explained, the children set off joyfully to search for clay. Lao Hei handed her a red apple, and Mushu brought her warm water in a stone vessel. After drinking and eating the tart apple, Lin Yan felt like herself again.

Seeing a patch of hemp growing in the distance, she noticed it was ripe. "Let's go harvest the hemp."

She had kept only a few pounds of the first harvest for food and distributed the rest to the tribe, telling them where to plant it. A large patch had been grown near her home. Because of the unique environment, the plants thrived, and the hemp could be harvested once every three months.

The group spent over an hour harvesting a large pile, yet plenty remained in the field.

The next day, Huahong and Yezi joined in the harvest. Seeing the great utility of the hemp nets, the entire tribe placed high importance on the crop. They began planting it everywhere and, following the example of Lin Yan’s home, laid stone slabs to prepare for the harvest.

A vigorous campaign of harvesting hemp and twisting rope began. The domesticated pikas were breeding rapidly, so there was no fear of hunger. Everyone threw themselves into the work. Simple leather tanning techniques also spread, and there was no one idle in the tribe; everyone was busy with some task. Whether weaving baskets, tanning hides, or twisting rope, even the old, the weak, the sick, and the disabled all contributed.

More than a month passed, and Lin Yan finally accumulated another thousand contribution points. She urgently unlocked room number 0103.

Upon seeing the contents, she didn't know whether to be disappointed or pleased; there was little she could use immediately. It was another room full of books, but unlike before, these contained many illustrations. It was a comprehensive guide to weaving, filled with every pattern imaginable, including methods for weaving cloth. It also contained wooden tools for the loom.

Everything looked simple in theory, yet Lin Yan felt it was too difficult to implement. Perhaps only the simplest spindle could be tried. A spindle consists of a weight and a shaft; by attaching the fibers to the shaft and using the weight and rotational torque, the fibers are spun into thread. The weight and size of the spindle determine the thickness of the thread, while the rotation determines its strength.

Since they had harvested plenty of hemp, she decided to give it a try. She found Mushu and had him craft a crude spindle—a wooden stick for the shaft and a stone for the weight. She gathered some hemp fibers and began to practice.

The results were surprisingly good, far faster than twisting the thread by hand. With the experiment a success, she began processing the hemp fibers. The current fibers were from the stalks and, being unprocessed, were quite coarse, meaning the resulting cloth would be rough as well.