Chapter 215: The First Time Eating Fish, a Fishbone Got Stuck

Yao was very grateful to Ying; had it not been for his self‑sacrificing rescue, Yao would still be suffering at Rongdi's place and might soon be devoured by Rongdi.

"Thank you."

The two who were once hostile, like water and fire, are now as close as brothers.

"That's wonderful—Yao has returned, the flood is over, and our tribe will surely be found again. What good news!"

Ashu chattered nonstop, and the tribe members babbled in an incomprehensible tongue; Nan Qinghuan frowned slightly—was this their Tu Tribe language? She couldn't understand a single sentence.

Yao only then realized something was amiss here.

"Ying, what are we…?"

"What place?" Nan Qinghuan hurried, "Yao, this is our home, the Tulou home you helped us build—do you remember?"

Last time Yao and Ashu finished constructing the house, they left; she felt quite embarrassed and didn't stay for even a single meal.

This time they must treat us properly.

Yao stared around dazedly, indeed it was a Tulou; he smiled, "You've moved in, and the house isn't bad."

Ying was proud, his brows radiating arrogance, "Of course it's good; otherwise why would we build a house? Yao, the wolf clan was flooded, A Qi also arrived; I intend to send people with you to go back and rescue. As for Rongdi, we'll settle the score later."

Ying knew this wasn't a good time for war; the tribe had just split and had many matters to attend to, and he wanted to wait until the tribe no longer lacked food or clothing, and until they had enough weapons before taking action.

Going to Rongdi this time was dangerous, but he also gave Rongdi a big gift—that was the price for capturing Yao.

Ying, after all, is a person who repays every grudge.

Hearing Ying's suggestion, Yao nodded heavily, "Alright."

That day, Yao returned and the tribe was delighted; at night, the Bonfire blazed brightly.

In the forest, the tribe sang and danced, celebrating the start of a new life; the Rainy Season had passed, they had settled their homes and claimed land, and now looked forward to a good future.

Building the Bonfire frame wasn't a simple task; it required layering—first they gathered trees to form a rectangular shape, then tossed some branches and dry weeds inside, and finally laid a layer of twigs, stacked layer by layer.

This type of Bonfire frame was also Nan Qinghuan's first sight; whenever she arrived before, they had already built it, so she had never seen the process. One must admit, the Ancient People still possessed valuable experience.

This Bonfire method is quite reasonable.

She wasn't idle either; she crouched beside the Bonfire, preparing to grill fish.

This time she wouldn't grill lamb or pork; she would grill fish so everyone could try something fresh.

All the fish were freshly caught from the pond; after removing the gills and scales, she skewered them with Copper Pins. No elaborate seasoning was needed—just Salt, pepper powder, and two strips of chili, brushed on for an exquisite flavor.

Nan Qinghuan was adept at grilling fish; before she came here, she often camped outdoors for scouting, so she was experienced in mountain life, and she also possessed an ancient skill of drilling wood to make fire.

But because she brought a lighter, there was no need, and now the tribe could make fire themselves, so she had no chance to perform.

The fish turned golden and sizzled with oil, its aroma drifting for miles; Axi and A Mu, along with several women, came to help, while Ashu, Yao, and Ying sat on stone stools drinking.

How joyous.

A few men chatted without knowing what they were saying; after the fish was done, she hurriedly brought the meat over, placed it in an Earthen Bowl, and said, "Stop just drinking, come taste the fish?"

Nan Qinghuan saw Yao drinking and, frowning slightly, stepped forward to take his wine bowl, "You shouldn't drink; you have a wound—have something to eat instead."

Hearing her say he couldn't drink, Yao felt a bit embarrassed but obediently nodded, "Yes, Spirit Woman."

"Qinghuan, come here."

Ying was suddenly jealous; how could she (Nan Qinghuan) interfere with another man? He wasn't here? Nan Qinghuan naturally knew he was jealous, and quickly went to Ying's side, "With a wound you can't drink, otherwise it'll heal slowly. How does the fish taste?"

"Fish?"

Yao's wolf clan didn't even have a concept of fish meat; seeing the contents of the bowl left him at a loss. Ashu had eaten fish before, as his people often fished, but their fish was never as fragrant as tonight's.

So he wanted to try it too.

"Yao, this fish is a delicacy, but you must watch out for traps—otherwise eating it could be fatal."

Hearing this, Nan Qinghuan was puzzled, and the tribe members stared at Ashu in alarm—delicious fish with a trap? "Trap? Ashu, what do you mean?"

Ashu was eating the fish when he precisely pulled a slender fishbone out of his mouth, "See, it's this thing, like a Fishbone Needle; last time our people were killed by it."

Nan Qinghuan almost laughed upon seeing the fishbone; Ashu treated it as a trap—indeed, the Ancient People spoke in an amusing way.

"That's not a trap; it's a fishbone, a fish's bone. Be careful when eating—never swallow it.

If it gets stuck, it'll be troublesome."

The words just fell, and the tribe members were at a loss.

No matter what was said, suddenly little A Tu let out a wail and began crying, clutching his throat, "It hurts so much, I…"

"Hey, what's wrong? You fell into a trap, Oumu, Ying, what should we do?"

Little A Tu had a fishbone stuck; his A Mu carried him over, and Nan Qinghuan quickly rose, "Let me take a look."

A Tu kept crying, his sobs breaking hearts; Nan Qinghuan hurriedly asked Ying to hold A Tu, the child in distress reaching repeatedly toward his throat.

"Oh dear, what should we do?"

Everyone gathered around, at a loss.

"We can only ask the Shamaness to pray to the gods; quickly bring the child to the Sacrificial Altar."

Ashu and his people had done this before, but it seemed ineffective; who else could they pray to? Axi was speechless, "Ashu, we have no Shaman here; Qinghuan is the Goddess."

"Look how confused I am, chief, look at this kid…"

"Don't rush; let me think of a solution."

Fortunately she had brought a flashlight; she asked Ying to hold A Tu upside down, to open his mouth, while she used the flashlight to inspect his throat.

Soon, she saw the tiny splinter in A Tu's throat—just a bit, but so small it was hard to remove.

"Without tweezers we can't pull it out; we have to try a Tu method. Axi, bring a steamed sweet potato."

"Sweet potato?"

Axi wasn't sure if it would work, but fetched it quickly; Nan Qinghuan asked Ying to set the child down and gently encouraged, "A Tu, bite a piece and swallow it forcefully—try it?"

A Tu was in pain but complied; he bit a piece of sweet potato hard, swallowed it as instructed, and Nan Qinghuan told him to keep eating until it was finished.

Soon, the sweet potato was completely eaten.

A Tu's mouth was all puffed up, and everyone was staring at him. What was going on? "A Tu, how is it?"

The woman was so anxious she was about to cry.

A Tu blinked his big eyes, then finally swallowed the last bite of sweet potato. After that, he grinned, revealing a childlike, innocent smile. "A Mu, the sweet potato is so sweet, it's delicious."

Hoo... Hearing this, Nan Qinghuan breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, that fishbone was very small and went down. If it had been too big, she would have had to find a way to enter the space and get tweezers.

Thank goodness, thank goodness.

"You little brat, you scared me to death. I told you to eat slowly, but you wouldn't listen."

A Tu just smiled at his A Mu's scolding. Then, he walked over to Nan Qinghuan and pulled out a small ornament made of bone from his person. "Goddess, thank you."

"For me?"

A Tu really liked Nan Qinghuan. "It's for your little one. It's really fun to play with."

"My little one?"

Nan Qinghuan was a bit embarrassed. Was this little kid also pressuring her to have a baby? Hearing A Tu's words, Ying quickly stepped forward and wrapped his arm around Nan Qinghuan's waist, teasingly saying, "Look, A Tu wants a little playmate. A Tu, when the little one is born, you have to protect him, got it?"

"I will. I'll carry him on my back to play and pick delicious wild fruits for him."

"Haha."

Ying was very happy and patted A Tu on the head. "Good, it'll happen soon."

These words made Nan Qinghuan even more embarrassed. Her period hadn't shown any signs of coming yet, but her pulse didn't indicate anything either. Could she really be pregnant? Thinking of this, she felt a stir of excitement in her heart and unconsciously touched her belly.

After everyone went off to sing and dance, Nan Qinghuan quickly coughed to clear her throat, preparing to start the meeting.

This meeting was about the development and future of the Tribe.

The three men all listened carefully to what she said. After she finished, Yao showed great interest. "Demonstration village?"

"That's right, a demonstration village. We've already taken shape. Look, the Tulou is built, the clan members have divided their households, and each family has their own land to be self-sufficient."

Hearing this, Yao had other concerns. Although he thought the Tulou was good, the division of households... "If the households are divided, what do we do if there's an invasion by outsiders? Have you thought about that?"

Nan Qinghuan looked at Ying. Ying laughed heartily. "That's simple. If outsiders invade, the men will go with me to resist them, and the women will stay behind to prepare food for us. Even though the households are divided, I am still the Clan Leader of the Tribe. That doesn't change."

"That's right, Ying is correct. Dividing the households has its benefits. First, everyone doesn't have to live crowded together. Second, having a home will make everyone work harder to get a better life. In the past, your tribe worked together, but you still couldn't solve the problem of your people having enough to eat and wear, isn't that so?"

They had to admit that what Nan Qinghuan said made sense. Yao and Ashu both deeply understood. Their people worked together, but come Winter, they lacked food and clothing, with some starving and some freezing.

It was very hard to endure.

Winter was the season all tribes feared most. They could use fire to keep warm, but an empty stomach was impossible to endure.

"Alright, since you've already done it, the Wolf Tribe will do the same. I'll go back tomorrow and mobilize the people to build Tulou."

"Building Tulou..."

Nan Qinghuan was in a bit of a bind. Youchao Xuan hadn't returned yet, and she needed his help.

Yao noticed her discomfort. "What's wrong?"

Faced with Yao's hope, Nan Qinghuan didn't want to disappoint him, but... She gritted her teeth and was about to say something, when unexpectedly, Ji Lei's delighted voice came from behind her.

"Oumu, Ying, look who's back?"