Chapter 17: Big Brother, full of surprise and excitement
Senior brother, eight men, and twelve women walked through the snowy landscape, enduring the biting cold that made them huddle and shiver.
A small icicle from his beard hung on the chubby face of the second brother, who liked to drool.
After a long and arduous trek through the snow, the harsh combination of cold, hunger, and prolonged walking had drained their strength and warmth.
The atmosphere in the group was somber.
All the strong laborers from the tribe were out, toiling in the freezing conditions for an entire day, and their efforts only yielded two scrawny mountain chickens.
In these circumstances, their spirits were understandably low.
The leader, the senior brother, appeared gloomy and burdened. As the tribe's chief, the lack of food weighed heavily on him.
Unable to provide sufficient sustenance, he felt the pressure on his shoulders increase.
It seemed like they would have to continue reducing food rations. Except for those initially assigned fewer provisions, the children and women were unable to endure prolonged activity in the snowy terrain, and everyone else would have to endure less food.
Giving the stronger members the available food was the only way to conserve strength for the tribe to search for more food and ensure survival.
This solution was not the leader's preference. If possible, he would want everyone in the tribe to eat their fill. However, reality forced him into this dilemma.
The familiar cave was in sight, with a warm fire, comfortable straw, and fur waiting inside, along with their fellow tribespeople.
Yet, the leader hesitated, reluctant to bring back the disheartening news of the lack of prey.
Suddenly, the blocked cave entrance opened, and a group of children and remaining women emerged, cheering and running towards the returning hunting party.
Witnessing this scene, the leader's spirits sank even further.
From the current situation, he could infer that those left inside the cave had been anxiously peering through the crevices, hoping for the hunting party to return with an abundance of food, ending the hunger in the tribe.
However, he had only brought back two meager mountain chickens.
As the jubilant crowd approached, the leader, for a moment, felt an inexplicable urge to escape.
Of course, not everyone was shocked beyond belief. For example, Second Brother immediately began drooling after the initial shock.
"Shaman, this, this"
Senior Brother, for a moment, didn't know what to say as he inquired about the situation from the shaman.
The shaman's face was full of smiles. He pointed to Han Cheng standing on the side, then pointed to the Lame, who seemed awkward then, and began to explain.
The flames inside the cave flickered, and the aroma of roasted fish spread throughout the cave. The previously oppressive atmosphere due to the food crisis completely disappeared, replaced by a cheerful mood infecting everyone.
Senior brother had a great time tonight, taking out forty fish. It was a satisfying feast for the people in the cave who hadn't eaten a decent meal for a long time.
After roasting the forty fish, they were all placed on the stone slab to store food on ordinary days, forming a high pile.
Senior Brother first picked a delicately roasted fish of suitable size and brought it to the deepest part of the cave to present it to the shaman.
Then he returned, not as before, taking some food and leaving with his family. Instead, he carefully selected a fish about a foot long, carried it with both hands, and walked towards Han Cheng.
He bent down to Han Cheng and said, "Fish, eat."
Han Cheng waved his hand at Big Brother, signaling no need for such formality. However, Senior Brother insisted, and Han Cheng had no choice but to accept the roasted fish with a smile.
Big Brother returned to the food pile again. This time, he picked out the largest fish, almost two feet long and nearly 10 kg in weight.
Just when everyone Senior Brother was going to take the largest fish for himself, something unexpected happened.
Senior Brother held the fish with both hands, walked to the outermost edge, and bent toward Lame, saying, "Fish, eat."
Lame was stunned by Big Brother's gesture, awkwardly shaking his hands and repeatedly shaking his head.
Big Brother directly placed the fish into his arms, saying, "Eat."
Then, he patted the Lames head with a smile before returning to get his food.
Lame stood there, holding the largest fish, in a daze momentarily. After a while, he suddenly burst into tears.
