022 The Cold Season Is Coming Again

Seeing someone fishing by the river with a basket and having a bountiful catch, Lin Yan was stunned. Truly, one should never underestimate anyone.

She asked with a smile, "How did you come up with this method?"

The old fisherman chuckled, "It’s all thanks to you. One day, I saw how the hemp nets were used to catch hares, and I thought that fish in the river could be caught with nets too. But since hemp nets are hard to spread out in the water, I wove a basket to scoop them up instead. It worked on the first try. Everyone near our home fishes this way now. The fish we catch are both large and plentiful."

The old man took the fish out of the basket, placed a few into a smaller one, and handed it to Mao Mu. "These are for Lin Yan. If it weren't for her, I never would have thought of such a good way."

Lin Yan was watching the contribution points in the Science Museum steadily climb. There were six types of fish in the old man’s basket, all of them species she had never seen before.

"I don't need the fish, but may I stay here and watch you fish?"

"Of course you can." The old man was very welcoming. Lin Yan was the lucky star of the tribe; she had enabled the people to live lives they never dared to imagine before.

The old man was quite talkative, chatting with Lin Yan as he fished.

"You are so young, yet you know things we never even heard of. All the elders in the tribe are grateful to you; they think you are like the Sun God, capable of anything."

Lin Yan hurriedly waved her small hands. "The Sun God is the tribe's deity. I am just a child; you cannot compare me to Him. What is your name, old man?"

"Old Lin. Our names both have the character 'Lin' in them." Old Lin was cheerful and very fond of Lin Yan.

"That's right, Old Lin. What were you called when you were young?"

"Back then, I was called Little Lin. As I grew older, I became Old Lin."

Lin Yan smiled. "Many people in the tribe are named like that."

"True. But ever since you taught everyone the written language, naming people isn't as difficult anymore."

Despite his age, Old Lin had a heart eager to learn. Whenever he had free time, he would seek out the children who were learning from Lin Yan to study with them. Now, he could write dozens of characters. Not only that, but he had also learned to identify many things.

"That’s good. The language was taught to everyone so it could be used. Old Lin, how many people are left in your family?"

"Just me and one boy. He used to be called Little Lin, but after learning to write, he changed his name to Lin Yun. Lin Yun is grown up now; he can go out hunting and do chores."

"And Lin Yun’s mother?" Lin Yan asked curiously. Families like this were rare; to carry on the bloodline, men usually chose to form families with women.

The hand holding the basket paused, and Old Lin said in a low tone, "Her? She didn't live in a good time. If she were alive today, she would be enjoying life. Lin Yun’s mother died hunting a long time ago. Lin Yun was still very small back then, and I’ve been raising him ever since."

Lin Yan quickly said, "Old Lin, you are truly amazing to have raised a little child on your own."

People in the tribe took great pride in raising a child. Hearing Lin Yan’s praise, Old Lin was immediately overjoyed.

Looking at the increasing pile of fish, Lin Yan said happily, "Old Lin, let me teach you the names of these fish. Each one has its own name."

"That would be great." Old Lin was very willing. Previously, they only knew how to call them "red fish" or "black fish"; it would be much better if he could identify them more accurately.

Next, Lin Yan went through each fish in the basket one by one, leaving Old Lin and Mao Mu amazed at how many different kinds of fish there were.

Old Lin diligently memorized each one. When he caught more, he would point to the ones he recognized and name them for Lin Yan to confirm, then set aside the ones he didn't recognize.

Lin Yan introduced the new varieties one by one.

The three of them spent a happy morning together. Old Lin ended up with two large baskets full of fish, a wide variety, all of them large.

He told Lin Yan to pick whatever she wanted.

The rest would be taken back for his own consumption, and the surplus would be traded with others in the tribe.

Not only did Old Lin have a fruitful day, but Lin Yan also gained a great deal.

Among the caught fish were three rare species, each rewarding 15 contribution points. With the addition of the other types, she received a total of 85 points.

If she could have such harvests every day, it wouldn't take long to save up enough points.

She had already reached an agreement with Old Lin that he would bring any fish he didn't recognize to her. Old Lin was, of course, more than happy to do so.

Their home was filled with a pile of pottery—various plates, bowls, cups, and jars. Looking at the harvested hemp seeds, Lin Yan had a new idea.

The stalk bark of the hemp had been put to use, but apart from being seeds, the hemp seeds should have other uses as well.

Lin Yan found a small bowl, shelled the hemp seeds, and used a stone to grind them into a fine paste. Gradually, a layer of oil emerged.

The paste and oil mixed together into a thick, gooey substance.

She touched it with her fingers; it was very greasy. All she needed to do was separate the oil.

Although they lacked iron pots for stir-frying, this still had great potential.

They had clay jars; some were heat-resistant and could be used as pots for boiling food, which was much better than stone pots.

With the hemp seed oil and paste available, it was quite an improvement.

"Mother, we are eating something new today."

Hua Hong smiled immediately. Her daughter had come up with so many new things lately that she was very expectant. "What are we having?"

"Look in the bowl. It’s hemp seed paste. Once the meat is boiled, we can drizzle this over it."

Lin Yan took out a lime-like fruit and squeezed the juice out to set aside. Since there were almost no seasonings, she had to make do with the acidity of the lime.

After the meat in the clay pot was cooked, she took it out, shredded it by hand, drizzled it with the hemp seed paste, and added a bit of lime juice, stirring it well. The shredded meat salad was ready.

It was Hua Hong's first time eating like this. She watched for a while and only started eating after seeing Lin Yan take a few bites.

Upon the first bite, she was hit with a mix of flavors. It wasn't just the plain taste of meat; the mixture was much more flavorful.

"Delicious."

"Right? Eat more, Mother." Lin Yan held her own small bowl and stopped after only a few bites.

A small appetite was one thing, but the main issue was that the food here was too difficult to swallow.

She had never been a picky eater in her past life, even when she was buried in various experiments and ate simply, but she had never eaten anything so crude and poorly made.

Heaven knows how she endured every meal.

In order to survive, she had to force herself to eat just enough to fill her stomach.

Hua Hong wasn't picky at all and finished all the boiled meat with the sauce.

After eating, she tidied up the bowls and chopsticks and took out a pile of hides to air out.

Lin Yan was stunned. "Mother, have these old hides been tanned?"

"Yes, Mu Shi helped me with them. You have to admit, after being re-tanned, these hides are much softer and don't have such a strong smell. The cold season is coming soon, so it's good to air them out for use."

"Ah, the cold season is coming?" Lin Yan was surprised. The weather hadn't changed much in all these days; there had only been one season, and she had grown accustomed to it.

"It’s coming soon," Hua Hong said while busy working. "The cave is very dry after being smoked with fire, so it’s not cold to live in anymore. We can roast by the fire in the cold season, so it won't be hard to endure. A few days ago, Cao Zhi sewed a suit out of hare hides. It looked very good, so I’m going to learn how to do it later and turn these hides into clothes."

The hides were all old and had been stored for a long time; there wasn't a single complete piece, and they were full of holes.

In fact, the hides in the tribe were mostly like this. Hunting was difficult, and skinning the animals took a lot of effort, leaving them riddled with holes.

Lin Yan ignored her mother's chattering and only cared about one thing. "Mother, when exactly does the cold season start?"

"Hard to say, but soon."