Becoming a Leader in a Primitive Otherworld - Chapter 11

Carrying baskets were traditionally woven from bamboo strips, but there was no bamboo growing in this area, hence Yun Nai’s remark.

Though there were no bamboo groves, the forest might offer alternative materials. With daylight still lingering, searching the forest’s edge posed little risk. Xie Yu hurried to catch up with Yun Nai, walking shoulder to shoulder as they planned their next steps.

“You point, I’ll chop,” Xie Yu said. “Your hands are covered in that stuff, so it’s not convenient for you.”

After searching for some time, they found supplementary materials like vines and willow branches for binding.

Weaving a fine carrying basket was no simple task. Beyond the manual labor, the real challenge lay in splitting bamboo into thin strips. After all, this era lacked advanced tools; stone knives and spears were too crude for such delicate work.

An idea struck Xie Yu. “What about using softwood?” Softwood was readily available and easy to slice into thin strips. Some pieces could even be torn apart with just a small incision.

Yun Nai’s eyes lit up at the suggestion. While softwood wasn’t as durable as bamboo, it was still sturdy enough for a carrying basket and wouldn’t chafe the skin.

A few minutes later, a cork tree about the thickness of two fists crashed to the ground. Unlike hardwood, its fall produced a soft, almost cushioned sound.

Xie Yu kicked the log toward the thatched hut. The force of her kick, combined with the wood’s lightness, sent it rolling nearly a quarter of the distance in a single thump.

Yun Nai, standing behind her, paused in surprise. She was used to seeing her tribespeople work this way, but Xie Yu’s efficiency and speed were remarkable.

After five or six powerful kicks, the pair returned to camp. By then, the tribespeople were moving freely, and most had already finished their evening meal.

After a quick meal, Xie Yu summoned two people to process the cork tree.

She planned to make a prototype first, then begin mass production once it was perfected.

As dusk settled, fires blazed near the main hut, while a smaller fire crackled beside the side hut. The two workers sat beside the flames, surrounded by long strips of cork.

Yun Nai tried to recall the weaving technique for the back basket. To be honest, her memory was hazy, but she figured she could remember as she worked.

“Priest, you’re so skilled!” Xie Yu chimed in, showering Yun Nai with compliments while helping with small tasks within her capabilities.

Before long, the outline of the basket began to take shape in Yun Nai’s hands. Though not particularly large, it was already capable of holding a substantial amount.

Yun Nai had only intended to create a rough prototype to refresh her memory of the weaving process, so she was more than satisfied with the result.

She handed the basket to Xie Yu, who stood up and slung it over her back. The soft cork straps were remarkably flexible and resistant to breaking as she took a few steps forward.

“I’ll reinforce it later,” Yun Nai called out from behind her.

Xie Yu perked up her ears, convinced she had heard a hint of amusement in Yun Nai’s voice. She turned to look, but Yun Nai’s expression remained utterly composed, showing no trace of laughter.

Yun Nai held her hands over the fire for warmth, the flickering flames casting dancing shadows across her face.

She had indeed been smiling earlier. Xie Yu’s first few steps with the basket had reminded her of a child proudly showing off a new backpack.

Dismissing the thought, Xie Yu set the basket down and returned to Yun Nai’s side. “This is wonderful! It will make gathering supplies so much easier for the Tribe.”

In the past, when the tribespeople went out to gather fruit, they wrapped it in large tree bark, but the fruit would often spill out during transport, wasting time on retrieval.

With the introduction of the back baskets, efficiency would skyrocket. Moreover, the baskets could also be used to store supplies, eliminating the need to pile them haphazardly inside the huts.

They glanced at the tribespeople gathered near the main hut, spontaneously celebrating their relocation. Those who loved to sing belted out songs, while others pounded their chests in rhythm.

Yan sang the loudest and most terribly. The nearly two-meter-tall man strained his voice to bellow, but the others politely clapped enthusiastically.

After a while, a few people even began to dance—a simple, primal dance with only a few repetitive movements, mostly evolved from hunting gestures.

Xie Yu had already instructed them not to disturb her, as she had no intention of joining the tribespeople in their primal chest-pounding rituals.

Late that night, a few people stayed up to watch over the fire, while the rest retreated to their newly built, crude wooden beds and fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, except for the group dedicated to constructing the huts, everyone else followed the Chief’s instructions to cut softwood and strip it into long, thin strips.

A moment later, a crowd gathered around Yun Nai, eagerly trying to see how she was weaving. Even Xie Yu couldn’t squeeze through. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and shouted, “Everyone, step back!”

The crowd fell silent, realizing they were still an arm’s length away from the Priest.

They had thought they were far enough, but then they remembered that the Chief and Priest had already contracted. It was only natural that the Chief wouldn’t want them getting too close.

In unison, the crowd surged backward.

“Line up properly! Stop pushing—the people in the back can’t see,” Xie Yu urged, trying to bring order to the chaos. She felt satisfied, unaware that her actions were being interpreted in an entirely different light.

By teaching everyone together, Xie Yu hoped not only to spread the skill of weaving baskets but also to identify those with a natural aptitude for it.

“First, arrange these vertical strips,” Yun Nai demonstrated. “Then weave the horizontal strips through them like this.” She slowed down her movements, repeating the process until the bottom of the basket was complete.

Some learned quickly, while others struggled, resulting in baskets of varying shapes and sizes.

Ke excitedly brought her finished basket to Yun Nai. “Now we can carry the hunting meat back in this instead of having to carry it on our shoulders or in our hands!”

“If there were a museum of oddly shaped artifacts, Ke’s basket would definitely be selected,” Xie Yu thought, picturing the ugly basket. Not wanting to dampen Ke’s enthusiasm, she waited until Ke had left before saying, “Yun Nai, yours would definitely be chosen too.”

Yun Nai didn’t respond immediately, glancing at her with a hint of exasperation. “Yours would definitely be chosen too,” she replied.

Maybe even ranked higher than Ke’s, she thought.

“But they didn’t have the Priest helping them,” Xie Yu said, her face remaining perfectly composed, her words carrying a hint of smugness. “My basket is the most beautiful in the entire Tribe.”

Roughly a fu had passed, and a large cluster of thatched huts had sprung up in the settlement. During this time, they had nearly finished constructing the personal huts for everyone.

Xie Yu had carefully planned the layout of all the huts, knowing they would be developing this area long-term. The huts couldn’t be built haphazardly, as dismantling them later would be a hassle.

For those who had formed bonds, their huts were slightly larger than the single-person dwellings.

To clearly distinguish each person’s residence, Xie Yu had them hang wooden plaques in front of their huts, listing their names and hut numbers in sequential order.

This system streamlined management.

The hut owners compensated the construction team with meat, wild vegetables, and fruits. In addition to these, some skilled basket weavers offered their woven baskets as payment.

They also presented many gifts to Xie Yu and Yun Nai. Several people were currently placing gifts near the thatched huts, calling out, “Chief, Priest!”

After a moment, Yun Nai emerged from her hut to accept the gifts, and they immediately said, “Thank you, Chief and Priest.”

Yun Nai smiled and thanked them politely. A man carrying another basket stepped forward. “Priest, Ping asked me to deliver this. She’s away and worried the fish might spoil.”

Yun Nai had smelled the fishy odor even before they spoke. She nodded, instructing them to place the basket by the door.

The fish flopped and wriggled, some still leaping.

After the men left, Yun Nai emptied the fish into her own basket. Ping had worked hard to make the basket, so she’d return it when Ping returned.

Ping’s gift of fish was the most thoughtful of all. It was clear she had carefully selected them—poison-free and with few bones.

Meanwhile, Xie Yu was talking with Gan and Zhi, the leaders of the house-building team.

“Did everyone receive their full payment today?”

Gan and Zhi exchanged glances. “Yes, everyone got everything they were promised.”

“Enough to feed us… for seven days!” Zhi exclaimed joyfully, never having possessed so much food before.

Gan nodded enthusiastically. “That’s right, Chief! There’s so much! The others in the team got their shares too.”

Xie Yu felt a flicker of curiosity but refrained from asking further questions. If they weren’t ready to share, she wouldn’t pry.

Back at the thatched hut, Xie Yu was startled to see a fish on the stone stove.

Yun Nai emerged from the hut. “Ping brought it.”

After returning to their camp, Ke had mentioned to Ping during a conversation that the Chief and Priest had caught fish by the river and added herbs, making it exceptionally delicious.

Xie Yu had plans for the river and its fish.

If the fish could be preserved through salting, it would provide a long-term food supply, ensuring they wouldn’t lack sustenance. Of course, this depended on whether they could successfully salt the fish.

Currently, they lacked both seasonings and sufficient salt, making preservation premature.

Salt is essential for human survival.

Before discovering salt, primitive peoples relied on consuming raw meat and bl00d to obtain sodium from the bl00d. Prolonged salt deprivation would be fatal.

The tribe’s ability to maintain relatively good health despite abandoning raw meat consumption was entirely due to the annual Great Trade, also known as the Great Market.

Nearly all tribes gathered at the end of summer to exchange resources they needed.

For example, coastal tribes would trade salt for food, animal hides, and other goods from inland tribes.

Small tribes like Shadow would use their accumulated meat to obtain coarse salt.

The tribe’s remaining salt was just enough to last until the next Great Trade this year.

Therefore, they couldn’t preserve fish or meat yet. Instead, they focused on stockpiling as much as possible to trade for more salt at the market.

Or, even better, if the tribe could discover a salt mine.

Lost in thought, Xie Yu felt Yun Nai pat the back of her head. “Go wash your hands.”

Snapping out of her reverie, Xie Yu nodded and resolved to focus on the immediate task at hand. Fortunately, as long as the tribe didn’t overfish, they wouldn’t run out of fish.

“When we have some downtime, let’s ask the Priest to take us to find those supplementary ingredients, okay?” Xie Yu said, sipping her soup and squinting. “We could plant them in large quantities around the tribe.”

Before that, however, she had a more pressing matter to address: improving the tribe’s sanitation.