Chapter 190: Another Year of Winter Solstice

The long-awaited day of Winter Solstice had finally arrived. Although the tribe was relatively prosperous this year and the harvest had been abundant, the population had increased significantly, so Baifeng did not intend to make things too extravagant; they couldn't afford to be extravagant anyway. If they went too crazy this time, they might find themselves in a tight spot during the winter.

Because they hadn't caught any cattle this year, they had no choice but to slaughter a few of the sturdier, ill-tempered, and less affectionate cattle they had raised themselves to celebrate. It was also a way to give the tribespeople some closure; they couldn't just keep so many cattle without killing them, as if they were ancestors to be worshipped.

They also slaughtered over fifty chickens directly. It seemed that due to the change in their living environment, the breeding cycle of the chickens they raised was no longer as regular as that of wild ones. They had produced an extra clutch of eggs this year, and it was not impossible that they might eventually start laying eggs every few days.

Therefore, the number of chickens in the Baifeng Tribe was now quite large, and they consumed even more grain. Slaughtering some chickens could be considered a way to lighten the burden on the tribe. The tribespeople who raised the chickens did not show the same reluctance as those who raised the cattle; instead, they felt as if a heavy burden had suddenly been lifted from their shoulders. Raising so many chickens was truly too difficult for them.

Changxu was also one of the chicken keepers, though his work was more complex. Ever since he had been beaten by Baifeng, he no longer held such strange feelings toward various birds, and chickens had successfully become food in his eyes. However, his bird-training career progressed slowly, and he had yet to select a suitable bird breed. He had found pigeons under Baifeng's guidance, but there had been no results yet; he had only managed to attract a few, but could not get them to nest and stay.

As for other food, there was no way to let everyone eat to their heart's content. They could only increase the variety; this time, they could only ensure everyone was full, not let everyone eat to their complete satisfaction.

A few days in advance, Baifeng had the women in the tribe who knew how to cook prepare a large amount of flour and make countless noodles. Fortunately, the temperature was low now, so there was no fear of them spoiling; even if they were kept for a long time, it wouldn't matter if the taste suffered slightly.

Starting on the day of the Winter Solstice, water was constantly boiled in pots to cook noodles, and then bone broth was added to the noodles, which were continuously served to everyone. Each person could eat a large bowl of noodles, something that had been unthinkable in the past because making noodles was too troublesome, so the number of times the tribespeople could eat them was very limited.

Besides noodles, there were also plenty of steamed buns and flatbreads prepared, and the tribespeople didn't have to worry about these things being too dry, because there was an endless supply of soup.

The celebration activities began in the morning, though the morning only provided them with some food. Baifeng still had to hold a grand meeting to reward those tribespeople who had been the most diligent throughout the year. The real celebration would only begin in the evening, when they would start cheering and dancing, and the Wine would be distributed to everyone.

The people who made the greatest contributions throughout the year were always the same few, though occasionally a few newcomers would make significant contributions and, after receiving rewards, would be able to step into the wealthy class from then on.

This class system was intentional on Baifeng's part, because only by seeing the gap would the tribespeople strive harder to improve their own standard of living and status within the tribe.

Last year, the Baifeng Tribe had no Slaves or Free Persons, and the new Slaves who had arrived this year were not qualified to attend the celebration. However, an exception was made today to give them a little more food. The Free Persons could participate in the celebration together, though the food given to them was not as sumptuous.

After seeing the rewards at the celebration, those Free Persons finally believed what Baifeng had said before, and they thought to themselves that they would work even more wholeheartedly for the Baifeng Tribe in the future, hoping to make contributions soon and become true members of the Baifeng Tribe.

Because there were truly not many types of things that could be given as rewards, Baifeng had considered rewarding the Slaves to those people as well, but after a period of careful consideration, he dismissed this idea.

Because doing so might lead to many troublesome matters; only he treated Slaves as people, while in the eyes of other tribespeople, Slaves were merely property. Perhaps after handing them over, they would not cherish the Slaves.

Moreover, Baifeng felt it was better for the Slaves to be controlled by the entire tribe—owned collectively by all tribespeople or by him personally. After all, he still had a policy of granting freedom to Slaves who performed outstandingly or made contributions, and this policy would not be easy to implement once they were handed over to individual tribespeople.

By evening, the square was already piled with countless firewood, as well as highly flammable pine resin. This time, Baifeng had also mixed Saltpeter and Charcoal Powder together and circled it under the firewood, wanting to do something different when it was time to light the fire.

Just like that, they waited until the moment the sun set. Baifeng held a Torch in his hand and lit the loose Grass used for kindling under the bonfire. The moment Baifeng placed the Torch on the Grass, the mixture of Saltpeter and Charcoal underneath exploded into flames instantly, emitting a sizzling light. Immediately after, the fire rose rapidly, igniting the pine resin-rich bonfire. The fire grew larger and larger, and bursts of sparks flew into the Heaven.

Because the square was large enough now, they had lit this one huge bonfire to dance around. The smaller bonfires around it were for sitting together to play and drink after getting tired from dancing.

Baifeng beat the large Drum from above, letting everyone follow the rhythm to dance. When Baifeng was tired and came down, other Leaders would take turns beating it, though they only beat smaller drums; the largest drum could only be beaten by Baifeng. This was a rule everyone tacitly agreed upon. The dancing had to continue, but it was impossible for Baifeng to beat the drum alone the whole time.

There was still plenty of Wine brewed last year, enough for the tribespeople to drink to their heart's content at this celebration. After all, not one of them had a tolerance of even half a jin. This year, the Baifeng Tribe did not brew any more Wine because they intended to keep the Sorghum as food for the Slaves; they couldn't afford to be that extravagant now.

First, they danced, and after getting tired, they would hold their jars of Wine and find a small bonfire with their friends to sit around, chat, and drink.

However, Baifeng felt that everyone's entertainment life was too monotonous, and just drinking Wine was meaningless, so he had long ago taught the tribespeople some small games so they could play together in their spare time.

Baifeng didn't teach them anything too difficult, as they wouldn't be able to learn it, and even if they could, Baifeng didn't want to waste that time. So, he taught them games that could be played with just their hands, like rock-paper-scissors and Tic-Tac-Toe, though now they played that whoever won got to drink Wine, and the loser got none.

The square was bustling with noise and excitement, and cheers were constant. The Slaves in their rooms listened to the sounds with immense envy, occasionally peeking out to look at the firelight in the distance, but they dared not stay outside for long. If they were discovered by the patrolling Soldiers, they would be beaten; they were not qualified to leave their rooms at night.

Among the pile of Slaves, a dark-skinned, thin, and weak young girl looked at the firelight in the distance with a dazed expression, holding a yellow powder she had taken from her leather garment and kept hidden, not knowing what she was thinking.