Chapter 47: A Little Strawberry Planted on the Neck

The women don't understand what sugar is, and Nan Qinghuan doesn't say much either, because no matter what she says they still don't grasp sugar; "When there's a chance later I'll definitely let you taste it."

She swiftly washed the fruit clean, chopped it, and then placed it into a sealed clay pot; she realized that these savages valued clay pots the most, meaning that to survive here she must craft her own household tools.

Soon the fruit jam was sealed, "Everyone, go back and wait seven days before opening it. Remember, don't open it during these days or the fruit will spoil. Understand?"

The women were delighted and thanked her one after another, "Thank you, Oumu, you truly are sent by heaven to save us. If we can make this fruit wine, we'll be able to drink alcohol in the future. Who says only the Rongdi Tribe has fruit wine?"

"Indeed, Qinghuan, you can even make wine. Who taught you?"

Axi thought that Ying finding Qinghuan was like finding a great treasure, that Qinghuan could do everything. Nan Qinghuan sat on the ground, her white robe making her look ethereal like a celestial; she smiled, about to speak, when A Yue slowly approached from behind, "I know how she could be?"

When those words were spoken, everyone stood up, watching A Yue with some wariness; the former Shamaness A Yue had been a sacred female in their hearts, but now they thought A Yue was inferior to the Goddess—A Yue couldn't make wine, nor could she make fruit jam.

She only waits for them to offer food.

"A Yue, why is it you again? Why don't you stay in your Cave and come here?"

A Yue glanced at the crowd, her gaze landing on the clay pots, and sneered, "What a bunch of brainless females. Don't be fooled by that strange‑eyed person; she has Wolf Fang, she might be from the Rongdi Tribe, and only the Rongdi Tribe's people know how to brew wine."

After saying that, A Yue turned and glared fiercely at Nan Qinghuan, "What exactly are you? Did you come to the Tribe to confuse Ying and try to wipe us out?"

"A Yue, you must not be disrespectful to the Goddess."

"Goddess? She's just a demoness, and you take her seriously."

"You, shut up."

Slap— Suddenly, Nan Qinghuan slapped A Yue twice, nearly sending her sprawling to the ground. A Yue covered her left cheek and glared at her viciously, "Nan Qinghuan, you dare hit me? I am a Shamaness chosen by heaven; you'll be punished by heaven. How dare you offend the gods…"

"To your grandpa's gods, A Yue, stop using gods to fool everyone. Let me tell you, I've tolerated you for a long time. As a Shamaness you don't seek blessings for the tribe, you spend all day opposing me. I am the Oumu of the Tribe; opposing me is opposing the whole tribe. You're courting death."

The crowd was shocked by Nan Qinghuan's words and her beating of A Yue; no one had ever dared to hit A Yue, except Ying!

"Goddess, calm your anger. A Yue, haven't you apologized to the Goddess yet? The Goddess came to help our Tribe; she is not a Plague God."

"Help us? Have you forgotten that I, A Yue, once helped you? So now that you're sick you go to Nan Qinghuan, and I'm useless, is that it?"

"A Yue, stop talking."

A Yue had intended to strike Nan Qinghuan, but she knew she wasn't their match. She covered her bruised left cheek and said harshly, "Nan Qinghuan, just you wait. I, A Yue, will not rest until we both die."

In an instant she ripped off the copper ring she wore around her neck and slammed it to the ground, looking as if she were mad. "You wait for me. I will definitely find your leverage and let Ying and the whole tribe see what kind of demoness you are."

After saying that, A Yue turned and ran. Watching her retreat, Nan Qinghuan pinched her own hand, muttering, "Damn it, that really hurts."

"Goddess, be careful. A Yue has broken her copper ring to declare her resolve; she wants to settle a showdown with you—she can't exist without you."

Everyone knew A Yue was picking a fight on purpose; it seemed that ever since Nan Qinghuan arrived in the Tribe, A Yue had been leaping about, looking for trouble.

Nan Qinghuan merely gave a cold laugh, scanned the crowd, and said, "It's fine, I'll wait for her to come trouble me. You all take the clay pots back and wait for a miracle to happen."

For the first time she felt a sense of pride in her work; even though she was dealing with a group of Ancient People, their yearning for a good life had never changed.

"Thank you, Goddess, thank you."

I have to admit, the sealing of these clay pots isn't great; Nan Qinghuan plans to wait for the right moment to make ceramic pots.

"When the opportunity comes, we'll make ceramic pots, so we can use more cookware and store a lot more things."

Hearing this, Axi didn't understand, "Qinghuan, what is a ceramic pot?"

Seeing Axi's curious expression, Nan Qinghuan quickly explained, "It's a lighter kind of jar, more useful than a clay pot. When the time is right, I'll give it a try."

She, being a modern person, has no experience shaping clay, but her hands‑on ability is strong; understanding the principle is enough. If the space can unlock a third‑level function, perhaps she'll obtain more auxiliary equipment.

Axi admired her wholeheartedly, eyes sparkling, "Qinghuan, what else can you do?"

Nan Qinghuan saw her naive expression and was about to speak when a frantic voice came from behind, "Oumu, come quickly and look at my child; he's about to die."

"What's wrong?"

As she spoke, a woman cradling a child rushed to her for help; seeing the child convulsing, she hurried forward, grabbed the child, and thought grimly, "Quick, take him back to my Cave."

Ying's Cave, after Nan Qinghuan's renovations, became a fine place; inside the Cave there was a bonfire, flowers, and some decorations.

Inside the Cave, the child kept crying; he was a boy, about three or four years old, his skin pitch‑black and very thin.

"He has a fever, Axi, go get some bupleurum and come back."

Axi, having learned from Nan Qinghuan what bupleurum looks like, went quickly, and then took the child's pulse, discovering the child suffered chronic malnutrition.

"What are you feeding the child?"

The woman stammered, "We eat whatever the Clan Leader gives us."

"Ying? What does he feed the child?"

"We all eat fruit, and occasionally some meat scraps, which I also give the child."

"Raw?"

The woman, realizing she wanted the tribe to eat cooked food, nodded, "Before you came, we ate raw meat; no one ate cooked meat."

Nan Qinghuan felt a tight ache in her heart; she had already devised a plan to change the tribe's way of life. First, she wanted to alter their habits; second, she wanted to alleviate the scarcity of cookware so that everyone could use bowls and chopsticks to eat. Yet she now suddenly realized that the most urgent improvement was the child's diet.

How can such a small child survive on raw meat and fruit? It's a terrible sin.

She thought for a moment, "Don't worry. The child can no longer eat raw meat and fruit; that will stunt his growth. He's probably about six years old now, right?"