Chapter 16: A lot of fishes
He stood there in a daze, then walked a few steps and squatted beside Han Cheng. He carefully examined the fish in his hands before confirming that it was indeed the fish they used to eat.
Holding the fish in one hand and pointing with the other, he looked at Han Cheng, appearing excitedly, and said, "This, this fish."
On the way back, Han Cheng thought about how the shaman would react upon seeing the fish. He thought the shaman would be surprised, but he never expected his reaction to be so overwhelming that he couldn't speak coherently.
Understanding his emotions, Han Cheng felt grateful to the shaman and quickly said, "Fish, there are fish in the river."
As he spoke, he gestured towards the small river outside the cave.
"Fish, a lot. A lot of fishes," Han Cheng added, fearing that his expression wasn't clear.
The shaman was a bit dazed and then stood up abruptly. He took Han Cheng's hand and hurriedly walked outside, showing eagerness. He wanted to verify what Han Cheng said about the river quickly.
If it was true, then the food crisis for their tribe this year would be completely resolved.
Although Han Cheng had brought back a fish, what he said should be true, the conflict with the shaman's understanding was too significant. The shaman couldn't help but want to see it with his own eyes.
To see if there were a lot of fish.
In his mind, he didn't need a lot of fishes. He just needed enough for their tribe to survive the winter.
Han Cheng quickly grabbed the shaman, trying to convey that they should stop first. He then ran into the cave, carrying a few hides and gesturing for the shaman to tie them around himself.
The shaman smiled. He was indeed too impatient and had forgotten about the cold outside.
Taking the hides from Han Cheng, he quickly wrapped them around himself and called the two female tribesmen present earlier. The four left the cave, walking through the snow towards the small river.
Han Cheng's face twitched into a bitter melon. He had just run back from there, and now, within ten minutes of entering the cave, he was going back there again.
Truly torturous.
The shaman walked quickly, wanting to see the scene described by Han Cheng as soon as possible. After suddenly learning about this news that could save the tribe from crisis, he forgot about his fatigue and old age.
"Splash."
Upon seeing nearly twenty large and small fishes arranged on the bank and fishes crowding at the hole in the ice, the shaman, now sure of Han Cheng's words, showed a joyful expression. He knelt in the snow, muttering something in his mouth, perhaps words of gratitude to the spirits.
This made Han Cheng, who was happy to be able to help the tribe, somewhat helpless as he rubbed his nose.
Seeing that the shaman was a bit uneasy, Han Cheng, after careful consideration, realized what might be bothering him. He smiled, tiptoed, and started grooming the hair of the slightly bent shaman to show his affection.
The shaman's uneasiness quickly disappeared. He looked at Han Cheng, and his face, which appeared somewhat aged, was filled with a smile.
Four more women who stayed in the tribe arrived.
They split into a group, one holding a fish fork and standing with Lame to spear the fish in the ice hole.
As for the others, Han Cheng chose several more ice surfaces at a distance and taught them how to break the ice and spear the fish.
The enthusiasm of the people in the tribe for food was admirable.
After breaking two more ice holes, along with Lame, six people were spearing fish.
Due to the fish being crowded in the ice holes due to lack of oxygen, it was much easier to spear them than usual.
Even the woman responsible for returning the fish to the cave couldn't keep up.
It wasn't until Han Cheng broke off a relatively soft branch from the side, threaded seven or eight fish from gills to mouth at once, and had her drag the fish across the snowy ground using the branch that she finally relaxed.
Han Cheng's seemingly effortless innovation, which could save effort and transport multiple fish at once, made the shaman look at him with more admiration.
It wasn't late yet, and the six had already speared enough fish for the tribe to eat for three days.
Lame, already frozen all over and with a darkened face, refused to move.
He and the other women who were fishing also refused to return.
It wasn't until Han Cheng repeatedly told them that the fish wouldn't run away and they could continue spearfishing tomorrow that they reluctantly walked back to the cave, hesitating and turning back several times.
Han Cheng, who was shivering from the cold, was secretly determined not to go out with them tomorrow, no matter what they said.
The small door in the middle of the cave was opened, and under the shaman's orders, the old tribesman in charge of the fire put a lot of firewood on the fire pit, making the fire burn vigorously.
Han Cheng and the others gathered around the fire, savoring the rare warmth.
Lame and the others would occasionally turn their heads to look at the pile of nearly a hundred fish together, then grin foolishly. When they looked at Han Cheng, who was roasting his feet, their eyes showed a strong sense of respect.
Unlike the joy inside the cave, the senior brother, who led the hunting party out, was unusually heavy-hearted.Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience
RECENTLY UPDATES
