Becoming a Leader in a Primitive Otherworld - Chapter 27

In summer, nighttime rain became a common occurrence, torrential downpours washing away the heat and dryness inch by inch. Xie Yu seized the opportunity during the day to have the bamboo she had brought back used promptly.

This bamboo was exceptionally resilient, far superior to ordinary wood. The construction team, drawing on their past experience in bamboo processing, completed the task with remarkable efficiency.

Xie Yu left them to their work, instead taking a small section of bamboo for herself. After peeling off the outer skin, she shaped it into a cup.

Even unprocessed bamboo segments naturally form cups. The Tribe members quickly realized this and each took a section home to use for carrying water.

Xie Yu thoughtfully crafted lids for the bamboo cups. Though they didn’t fit perfectly, they provided basic protection against leaks.

She made two cups, one of which she planned to give to Yun Nai.

Drinking from stone bowls had become a habit, but the bowls were too cold and uncomfortable to hold. Though she had smoothed some of the rough edges, they still made her hands freeze in winter.

It was early morning, the sun still mild, when Yun Nai began teaching the children to read in the open clearing. Understanding the importance of gradual progress, she started with the simplest numbers. The cubs were quick learners, though they occasionally whined or complained, they ultimately absorbed the lessons.

Inside the hut, Xie Yu whittled bamboo while listening to their childish voices and the cubs’ soft pleas to Yun Nai, nodding frequently. Apart from occasional chores, the cubs spent most of their time playing by the river, catching fish, and building mud houses for pretend games. With so much free time, setting aside some for learning to read seemed only right.

Yun Nai’s Pharmacy had been nearly fully stocked thanks to the Tribe’s gatherers, especially the most frequently used herbs.

She had initially planned to teach the entire Tribe about medicinal herbs, but everyone was too busy. Some were preparing for the Great Market three months away, while others, like the construction team, worked daily. Few could spare the time.

So Yun Nai selected a few individuals who gathered herbs due to health reasons and taught them instead. This would train a few tribal healers, ensuring someone could provide emergency care when she was unavailable.

During the day, Yun Nai taught the cubs to read, and at night, when the others were free, she took them to the Pharmacy to learn about medicinal herbs.

Xie Yu, while carving bamboo cups, listened to Yun Nai’s voice and couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy. How could those little brats spend so much time with her, unlike Xie Yu herself, who had been missing her at every turn these past few days?

Her hands moved swiftly, her eyes fixed on the bamboo cup, when a flash of inspiration struck her: pottery!

She had a rough idea of how pottery was made. Even if her knowledge was incomplete, she could learn through trial and error.

Pottery jars, cups, and bowls would be indispensable items. As far as she knew, no tribe in this world yet produced pottery. If their tribe could be the first, and other tribes needed these items, they might gain valuable time for development.

Some of the pottery could be kept for their own use, while the rest could be sold at the Great Market, likely fetching a good price.

The more she thought about it, the more excited she became. She hurried to finish carving the bamboo cups, then raced to the riverbank to find several muddy pits.

Pure pottery clay might be hard to find, but soil suitable for firing into pottery was abundant.

In ordinary soil, removing surface impurities leaves behind common pottery clay.

However, this clay lacks high plasticity, making it unsuitable for firing high-quality pottery.

To find better clay, one must search in pits where layers of decayed mud have accumulated. The soil beneath these mud ponds typically has higher water absorption and plasticity, so Xie Yu decided to look for slightly better pottery clay near the mud ponds.

She had only explored the river’s immediate vicinity, never venturing upstream or downstream.

Finding suitable clay would be half the battle won. Xie Yu searched for mud pits, bending down to pinch and knead the muddy water while mentally reviewing the pottery-making process.

The clay’s texture felt poor, and Xie Yu rejected the idea of using it for pottery.

A tribesman passing by watched the scene curiously and approached Xie Yu. “Chief, are you digging for mud? Do you need help?”

Recognizing the familiar face, she realized he was Dong’s elder brother, who had remained remarkably well-behaved since Dong’s expulsion, likely fearing the same fate.

“No,” Xie Yu shook her head, then smiled as a thought struck her. “Check if Ping is still in the Tribe and ask her to come here.”

Hui felt a pang of disappointment. It seemed the Chief still didn’t fully trust him. But no matter, he would work harder to earn her approval. His inner monologue ran deep as he hurried back to camp to find Ping, secretly resolving to prove himself.

Hui was overthinking things. If Xie Yu knew his thoughts, she would have felt deeply helpless. It wasn’t about distrusting anyone; it was simply that Ping might understand the clay better than the others.

Xie Yu squatted by the riverbank, continuing to dig in the soil, waiting patiently.

“What are you doing here?” Xie Yu heard a familiar voice, but it wasn’t Ping’s—it was Yun Nai’s.

She quickly turned and took a few steps toward her. “How did you get here?”

It was summer, so Yun Nai’s animal-hide clothing wasn’t as thick as in winter. The stark contrast between her fair skin and the rough hide created a striking visual impact.

She brushed a stray strand of hair from her forehead. “Hui was frantically looking for Ping but couldn’t find her. I overheard and came to check if there was an emergency.”

“That’s good,” Xie Yu said, relieved. Yun Nai likely knew about the clay as well.

“Good?”

Xie Yu paused, then smiled. “It’s perfect.”

Her hands were still covered in wet, muddy clay, and when she realized this, she felt awkward, unsure where to put them.

Yun Nai glanced at Xie Yu’s muddy hands, thinking they looked like a child caught playing in the mud outside and being dragged home by an adult to wash up. On a whim, she playfully tapped Xie Yu’s wrist, as if scolding her.

“Ouch,” Xie Yu protested.

“Wash your hands,” Yun Nai said, tapping her wrist again and pulling her toward the river. She showed no intention of letting go, their four hands entwined in the clear river water.

This must be the classic “a slap followed by a sweet,” Xie Yu thought, feeling secretly pleased. But she wouldn’t dare break the mood.

Xie Yu opened her palm, relishing the joy of not having to wash her own hands, and began telling Yun Nai about her plan to fire pottery.

“I want to fire pottery. We could trade it at the Great Market. Even the worst pieces should fetch a decent price.”

Yun Nai nodded, her head bowed. “That’s true. Our immediate priority is finding good clay. I come to this river often.”

Finally, their hands were clean.

Yun Nai pointed to the ground. “The clay from this mud pit isn’t good enough. I’ll take you to a better spot.”

“Take me with you,” Xie Yu said, following behind her, trying to strike up a conversation. After a moment’s thought, she asked, “Guess what I made out of bamboo?”

“Do I get a reward if I guess right?”

“If you guess right, I’ll reward you. If you guess wrong—” she smirked, “—you’ll reward me.”

Yun Nai pondered for a while before replying seriously, “It must be something you’re planning to give me.”

Xie Yu paused, then stepped beside her, tilting her head to look at her. “You’re cheating!”

“Wasn’t it meant for me? Or was it for someone else?”

“Of course it was for you,” Xie Yu conceded, willingly falling into the novice hunter’s trap. She mused, “Since you guessed right, what should I reward you with?”

She gazed at Yun Nai’s clear, moonlit eyes. “To prevent you from falling, I’ll… I’ll reward you with—holding my hand.”

With that, Xie Yu tentatively extended her palm toward Yun Nai, waiting for her to take it.

Yun Nai raised her hand, feeling helpless at Xie Yu’s “grand” reward of holding hands. Was this truly a reward for herself, or for Xie Yu?

As Xie Yu’s face flushed crimson, Yun Nai’s fingertips brushed her palm. The peculiar sensation jolted Xie Yu back to her senses, and she immediately gripped Yun Nai’s hand in return.

Their fingers didn’t interlock; it was just a simple clasp. Yet Xie Yu felt a jolt of electricity surge through her hand, numbing it before climbing up her arm and spreading from her palm throughout her entire body.

Fireworks erupted in her chest, leaving her dizzy and barely able to walk straight.

“A very good reward,” Yun Nai remarked.

Xie Yu glanced sideways at Yun Nai, whose expression remained utterly calm, as if she were genuinely just preventing Xie Yu from falling, with no ulterior motives whatsoever.

Forcing herself to focus solely on walking, Xie Yu continued forward at a leisurely pace alongside Yun Nai, neither looking at the other.

Suddenly, Xie Yu felt an itch in her palm.

Without a doubt, it was Yun Nai’s fingertips.

Why is she scratching my palm? Xie Yu wondered, stealing a glance at Yun Nai from the corner of her eye.

Hmm, her expression seems perfectly normal.

Having finally reached their destination in this awkward state, neither woman showed any intention of letting go.

“This is the place. Take this clay back, filter out the impurities, and what remains should be high-quality clay suitable for use.”

Xie Yu mentally calculated the distance from their camp to this spot. Normally, it would take about seven or eight minutes to walk, but running would only take around two minutes.

Since there were no tall trees here, transporting the clay back to camp seemed impractical. It would be better to build a kiln right here.

She gently rubbed Yun Nai’s fingertips to signal that she needed to let go and examine the clay.

After releasing her hand, a faint warmth lingered on her fingertips. Xie Yu regretfully rubbed her index finger twice.

She crouched down and dug through the top layer of soil, revealing the clay beneath. It felt smooth and slippery to the touch, yet extremely sticky. This type of clay should produce excellent pottery if fired properly.

Yun Nai had already moved away, considering suitable locations for the kiln. Glancing back at the camp, she noted it wasn’t too far. If anything went wrong here, the camp could provide timely assistance.

Just as she was about to finalize her plans, she noticed Xie Yu standing there, her eyes fixed on her with an expectant gaze.

“What’s wrong?” Yun Nai asked, her voice softening with concern, assuming something had happened.

But Xie Yu boldly extended her mud-caked hands. “I need to wash my hands.”