042 — Deft and Ingenious
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Lin Yan waved her hand and said with a beaming smile, “Old Black, my family just finished eating. We had steamed eggs, and they were absolutely delicious. You should make yourself a bowl and try it.”
“How do you make them?” Old Black asked, instantly interested. If there was something even tastier, of course he wanted to try it.
Lin Yan explained the method, and Old Black immediately set to work.
Though he had just eaten, his anticipation of the steamed eggs made him move quickly.
Lin Yan directed him from the side while Old Black did the work. Once the eggs had been poured into the clay pot, she took up a stone slab and began drawing on it.
“This pot needs a lid,” she said. “Otherwise all the heat will escape. Old Black, can you make one for it, like this?”
Old Black studied the drawing carefully. “That’ll be easier to make than the pot. I’ll do it later.”
“Good. Old Black, you’re amazing. You can make anything.”
Old Black grinned. “You’re the amazing one. Without you, I couldn’t make any of these things.”
When the steamed eggs were ready, Old Black took one bite and could not stop.
Lin Yan was delighted to see him enjoying them. Good food was meant to be shared with everyone.
“Well, Old Black? I didn’t lie to you, did I? These steamed eggs are delicious.”
“They really are. It’s such a novel taste.”
“Hehe. The most important thing is the egg itself. Goose eggs taste wonderful too.”
“Goose eggs?” Old Black thought for a moment. “Do you want to go collect some?”
“Mhm. Old Black, what do you think?”
Lin Yan wanted to persuade people to go look for a flock of geese. Now that everyone had settled down, they only moved around the nearby area and did not dare venture far. Convincing them would not be easy.
Old Black asked seriously, “Leaving this place is dangerous. Do you really want to go?”
“I do. Old Black, if we stay confined to this little patch of land, there are so many things we’ll never be able to do. I want to help everyone live better. The outside world may be dangerous, but if we never explore it, we’ll remain exactly as we are now. You’ve seen it yourself—change is the best thing. Fire, houses, farming… all of these came from change. If we venture out, there will be even more changes. Finding the geese is only the first step. In the future, we’ll cross the Sun River and conquer lands even farther away.”
Looking at Lin Yan’s radiant face, Old Black was captivated by the grand ambition contained within such a small person. She was right. Without change, how could they ever enjoy a peaceful and secure life?
“All right, then. Let’s go. I’ll find some people.”
Having achieved her goal, Lin Yan happily returned home.
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Hua Hong was preparing to visit several neighboring households to tell them about steamed eggs and let everyone taste the delicacy.
Lin Yan did not go with her. She stayed home to prepare the things they would need for searching for the geese.
Before long, Cao Zhi arrived. Her family lived in Group Five, Twenty-Second Street, somewhat farther away.
Ever since moving into her new home, Cao Zhi had come to see Lin Yan several times, bringing along the new patterns she had woven and asking Lin Yan for advice.
Lin Yan liked Cao Zhi very much. She was clever, deft, and exceptionally gifted at weaving.
Lin Yan had to admit that she could not compare with Cao Zhi when it came to practical skill. Ever since she had introduced Cao Zhi to the world of weaving, the girl had left her farther and farther behind.
Room 0103 contained a complete collection of weaving manuals. Lin Yan was merely the one who brought the materials out for Cao Zhi, leaving her to study them on her own.
“Lin Yan, the spinning wheel has been made. Do you want to come and see it?” Cao Zhi asked excitedly. Ever since Lin Yan had told her about spinning wheels and looms, she had been studying them tirelessly.
After more than half a year of effort, she had finally achieved results.
“Really?” Lin Yan grew excited as well. She wanted to produce more hemp thread, and a spinning wheel was far faster than a spindle.
“Really.” Cao Zhi nodded. “We have Little Stone to thank. He’s incredibly clever. He fiddled with some pieces of wood for a while and managed to make it.”
“Little Stone made it?” Lin Yan asked in surprise. That little troublemaker was always unable to sit still. He was clever, certainly, but so lively that she had never thought he could settle down and work seriously.
“Yes, Little Stone. Oh, no—he wants to be called Stone Wisdom now. He chose the name himself, and even gave everyone in his family names with the surname Stone. He really is brilliant. I spent ages trying to figure it out and still couldn’t make one, so I asked Stone Wisdom for help. He built the spinning wheel in no time, and now he’s studying the loom.”
Whenever Cao Zhi spoke of Stone Wisdom, her eyes seemed to shine.
Only after the spinning wheel was completed did she understand why Lin Yan had insisted on making one. The increase in efficiency was enormous.
With a spindle, one person could produce a single ball of thread in a day. With a spinning wheel, that same person could produce three balls in one morning.
Lin Yan became interested at once. “Come on, let’s go see the spinning wheel. Stone Wisdom’s family lives on the same street as yours, so we can visit his home while we’re there.”
If it truly was as she said, Stone Wisdom would be extremely useful. He was young, but quick-witted and able to grasp things immediately. He would certainly be needed in the future.
The two of them left Lin Yan’s house and walked north along the central avenue, stopping first at Cao Zhi’s home.
Cao Zhi’s family was large, with more than a dozen people. Their houses stood connected in a row, and she led Lin Yan to her room.
The spinning wheel was made from several wooden strips fastened together, resembling a windmill, with a hand crank attached. It was extremely crude and primitive.
Cao Zhi excitedly demonstrated it for Lin Yan. She took some hemp fiber and spun it rapidly, producing a ball of hemp thread in no time.
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Lin Yan found it fascinating as well. It was the first time she had ever seen such primitive handcrafting.
“Not bad. With the spinning wheel, making thread will be much easier.”
“Yes. Spinning is much faster now. Once we make a few more spinning wheels, everyone will be able to wear hemp clothing.” Cao Zhi spoke as she continued spinning.
Hemp clothing was still made slowly, and many people did not yet possess even a single set. They still wrapped themselves in leaves, animal hides, and the like.
Now that people were raising pikas and collecting wild chicken eggs, their food supply had improved, and they had begun to care more about what they wore as well.
Cao Zhi spent every day spinning thread, weaving cloth, and making clothes for her family. She felt that the process was simply too slow.
Lin Yan nodded in agreement, then asked with a smile, “Little Stone even changed his name. Didn’t you change yours?”
Ever since last year’s cold season, when everyone had gathered together to study, most people had changed their names. Each family had adopted its own surname.
Cao Zhi smiled. “I chose a new name too. My grandmother had everyone in the family take the surname Red, so I’m Red Spirit now.”
“It sounds lovely. From now on, I’ll call you Red Spirit.”
As the two of them chatted and discussed how the spinning wheel could be improved, Red Spirit’s mother, Red Blossom, entered the room. She was carrying a large bowl containing several boiled eggs and two red apples.
Red Blossom said happily, “Lin Yan, come and eat something. You hardly ever visit our home.”
Lin Yan accepted with a beaming smile. She had no way to refuse everyone’s affection.
Red Blossom was even happier. “Teach Red Spirit more. She’s very clever and will certainly learn. If she doesn’t study properly, you must tell me.”
“Red Spirit is very clever, and she has wonderfully deft hands. She learns everything quickly. I can’t compare with her,” Lin Yan praised sincerely.
Red Blossom smiled even more brightly at her words.
Lin Yan was so intelligent that everyone in the tribe wanted their children to study under her.
People like Water Flower were quietly mocked by the others for being so foolish.
Everyone believed that any child who learned alongside Lin Yan would surely grow into someone extraordinary.
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