023 Bold Words and Grand Promises

Hua Hong could not clearly state when the Cold Season would arrive. Lin Yan checked and realized that two hundred and fifty-one days had passed since the last one.

So much time had passed already.

Rumors had been circulating in the tribe for a long time that the Cold Season was approaching, but after seventy or eighty days had passed without any sign of it, Lin Yan had assumed it was still far off.

She reflected on the fact that although people were busy with other tasks, they had not forgotten to store meat. There had been a constant supply of dried meat strips, and later, they had started smoking meat as well.

It turned out they had been preparing all along. This was their experience—they were always busy storing food for the Cold Season.

With the Cold Season imminent, she suddenly felt there were still many things left undone.

Lin Yan stayed inside, earnestly contemplating what needed to be prepared.

Hua Hong quickly finished her chores and prepared to go find Cao Zhi, leaving Lao Hei to look after Lin Yan. Lao Hei had just finished eating and was planning to go fire some pottery, so he decided to take Lin Yan along with him.

"Lao Hei, is the Cold Season really coming?"

Lao Hei thought for a moment and said, "Yes, it’s coming soon."

"How many days left?"

"Hard to say." Although Lao Hei could count and understand how to track days now, he had never possessed such a concept in the past and had no idea how many days remained until the Cold Season.

Lin Yan fell silent. Was the Cold Season truly returning?

These past days had been the Hot Season. Although the temperatures were high, it did not hinder their work. But the Cold Season was different; to withstand the bitter chill, people would huddle in their caves and not venture out.

The last Cold Season had lasted ninety days, and this one would likely be similar.

To spend so many days doing nothing would be a waste. She had to find things for people to do.

After discovering fire, people had realized its benefits. They had used it to dry out their caves, making them less damp, and the smoke had also reduced the number of insects and pests.

The wood ash remaining after a fire, when sprinkled in the caves, helped prevent dampness and pests. They had also laid down straw mats and covered the walls with them to keep the earth from crumbling.

The current caves were livable, but they needed to find a way to keep fires burning inside throughout the Cold Season.

This was the first priority. Once they had fires and pottery, the problems of having hot soup and water would be solved. They also needed to prepare more firewood.

With her mind filled with chaotic thoughts, Lin Yan felt listless for the rest of the day.

On the way back, Lao Hei looked at her with concern. "What’s the matter? Is something wrong?"

"I’m afraid the Cold Season will be too cold."

"What’s there to be afraid of? With fire, the Cold Season won't be hard to survive," Lao Hei said, remaining optimistic. "We made it through before when we didn't have fire, so there's no need to worry now."

Lin Yan nodded, "It's just that we won't be able to go outside."

"Just endure it, and it will pass. It's too cold outside during the Cold Season; don't think about going out, just stay in the cave."

In the afternoon, Hua Hong returned. She grabbed a pile of hides and worked tirelessly, and before long, she had fashioned a set of clothes for Lin Yan.

The top was a round-necked shirt with sleeves, paired with trousers—the style Lin Yan had described to Cao Zhi.

Lin Yan tried them on. "Mother, your craftsmanship is excellent, and it’s very warm. Let’s make a set for you, too."

"Yes, yes, yes, Mother will make one tomorrow." Hua Hong was extremely satisfied. Wearing these clothes was much better than just wrapping oneself in hides; her movements were not restricted, and she was no longer afraid of the cold.

"Everyone in the tribe is making clothes, and we’re running out of hides. The hunting teams have already gone out to catch rodents and rabbits, and the harvest has been good."

"If hides aren't enough, don't we still have linen?"

"Linen is fine to wear during the Hot Season, but not for the Cold Season. It’s not as thick or warm as hide, and it doesn't block the wind. It’s not very useful."

Lin Yan hadn't considered this. The current linen was still very coarse and indeed couldn't block the wind; it served only to cover one's modesty. She said, "If you wear linen under the hides, like I'm doing, it should be better."

When she had tried on the clothes earlier, she hadn't taken off the linen shirt underneath; she had simply layered the new clothes over it.

Hua Hong observed this and agreed it was a viable idea.

She planned to make a few more linen garments to wear as underlayers. Since hides were difficult to clean, the linen would be much easier to wash.

"Mother, we have twelve rodents and rabbits raised at home. Will that be enough to eat during the Cold Season?"

"Not quite enough, but with the smoked meat and dried meat, it should suffice. Mother will go hunting one more time to store more meat. You just stay home and be good."

"Mother, we also need to prepare firewood and gather dried grass for the rodents and rabbits. There is so much to do."

Only when Lin Yan mentioned this did Hua Hong remember that with the Cold Season approaching, they needed to store dry grass for the rodents, or they would have nothing to eat.

"I won't rush to make the clothes; we have enough to wear for now. Mother will go gather some grass first." Saying this, Hua Hong grabbed her basket and hurried off with Ye Zi.

Mu Shi was busy weaving a basket while keeping an eye on Lin Yan and Ye Ya. His basket-weaving skills were excellent, and people often brought items to trade with him.

He seemed to have discovered a path to survival and put even more effort into his weaving.

Now that there were more novel items, people in the tribe had begun to trade goods, giving many elderly and frail individuals a chance to survive.

As long as one was not lazy, willing to put in the effort, and mastered a craft, one could trade for food.

A division of labor began to emerge in the tribe, no longer like before, where only the strong could survive while others struggled.

Lin Yan had noticed this phenomenon as well, and she thought it was a good sign; things would only get better.

In a tribe of nearly ten thousand people, needs were no longer singular, and naturally, various roles would emerge. This was an inevitable process for the growth and strengthening of a group.

Mu Shi was in poor health and couldn't do much before, but now he spent his days weaving baskets, twisting hemp ropes, and knitting hemp nets. Others in the tribe would come to him to trade whenever they had a need.

Lao Hei was a lame man with a frail body; living alone had been very difficult for him. Now, he was highly experienced in pottery and skilled at research, producing all kinds of pottery that were in high demand.

There were many people like them who used to merely scrape by but could now survive through their own skills.

With something to look forward to, people put more energy into their work.

Ye Ya whispered to Lin Yan, "My father is so busy now, he doesn't have time to take us out to play anymore."

Lin Yan looked at Mu Shi, who was weaving a basket, nodded, and sighed, "I wish I could grow up faster."

She looked down at her short stature and felt even more melancholy. She wanted to grow up quickly, leave this place, find more resources, and improve their living conditions.

Ye Ya sighed along with her, "I want to grow up, too, and go hunting. Lin Yan, does the world you talk about really exist?"

Ever since that time when Lin Yan had felt hopeless and vented her frustrations, the clever children all knew that she had seen the great world and was all-knowing.

They yearned for the world she described; they wanted to see it for themselves.

Ye Ya was no exception; he often followed at Lin Yan's heels, pestering her with questions.

Lin Yan nodded firmly. "It exists. Although it sounds incredible, it is all real. It is a world that humanity built up over many, many years."

"Shall we build a world like that, too?" Ye Ya looked at Lin Yan with starry eyes; he wanted to see such a world.

Lin Yan looked at their rudimentary living conditions. She also wanted such a world, but she could only imagine it.

There was no infrastructure, everything was lacking—what could she use to create a new world?

But looking at Ye Ya's sparkling eyes, she found herself nodding uncontrollably and said firmly, "Yes, we will create a new world together."

Lin Yan knew how difficult such a grand declaration was, but Ye Ya didn't know, and he smiled happily.