Chapter 944: Planning for the Long Term

"Baifeng, why is this? Your sons must be quite old by now, yet I truly haven't noticed you growing much older."

Baifeng really wanted to show Baoxi what a true elderly person in Huaxia looked like, but the oldest person here was only Sanxin, and even Sanxin wasn't that old—he was only five or six years older than Baifeng himself.

However, perhaps because Baifeng had known how to protect himself from the very beginning, his physical condition remained the best among his peers to this day; illnesses like rheumatism had never afflicted him.

As for those who had struggled alongside him, now, whenever Winter arrived, they had to bundle up thickly, keep their rooms warm, and keep their heated brick beds burning hot so they could pass the Winter comfortably without enduring torment.

Coupled with the fact that scorpions were used in medicine last year, giving Huaxia plenty of medicinal Wine, most people were able to have medicine to find relief; all of this invisibly increased the average lifespan of the people of Huaxia.

"Baoxi, you shouldn't ask me why I don't grow old; instead, you should ask yourself why you grow old. Do you feel you have lived for a very long time? Do you feel you should be old?"

Baoxi was left bewildered by Baifeng's question: "Shouldn't I be? I am the Tribal Chief, able to enjoy the best things, so my body remains strong, yet other tribesmen, when they reached my age, had already begun to grow frail."

Baifeng said: "From birth, it takes a person at least twelve or thirteen years to be able to survive alone in the wilderness, but cattle and sheep can walk as soon as they are born and can eat Grass in less than a hundred days, so their lifespans are very short; even if they aren't killed by wild beasts, they can live at most ten years."

"Looking at it this way, isn't it very strange that humans can only live for thirty or forty years? If humans could really only live for such a short time, and still had to develop for so many years, how would the human race continue to propagate?"

"So that is definitely wrong. Humans should be able to live for over a hundred years, though it is currently very difficult to achieve. Perhaps a few people can, but I believe most people can live for sixty or seventy years, because we in Huaxia already have many people over fifty who can still work now, showing absolutely no signs of dying, their bodies still robust."

Baoxi expressed disbelief: "How is this possible? I have never heard of anyone who could live that long."

Baifeng pointed at Sanxin: "Look at him. How long do you think he has lived?"

Baoxi turned his head to look at Sanxin, while Sanxin smiled and stroked his thick, long black beard. Baoxi looked left and right, and since he didn't look too old, he said with some uncertainty: "He, has he lived for more than thirty years?"

Sanxin laughed happily, and Baifeng also said with a smile: "Sanxin, tell him yourself."

The amusement in Sanxin's tone was unstoppable, though perhaps he was just happy because Baoxi had made him sound so young.

"Tribal Chief Baoxi, before I met our leader, I, Sanxin, didn't know how to count. At that time, I didn't know how many years you had lived either, but back then, my body was at its strongest, and I seemed to already have many children. I think that at that time, I had already lived for at least twenty years."

"Then, from the time I met our King until now, I have probably lived for about fifty years, though it is very likely over fifty years."

Baoxi shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, I don't see a single sign of you being frail. You don't look like someone who has lived for fifty years at all."

"Baifeng, tell me, is this true, and how did you manage to do it?"

Baifeng drank some tea mixed with honey to line his stomach, then said: "Humans can certainly live for a long time, but because of long-term labor, poor sleep, not enough clothing, not enough food, and being exposed to wind, sun, and rain, the body accumulates many injuries and illnesses, preventing you from living to old age."

"Not brushing teeth and eating poor food leads to all your teeth rotting away; perhaps by the age of forty, many people can't even tear off meat. How can someone who can't eat continue to live?"

"Then there are falls, poisonous insects, wild beasts, and all kinds of diseases that cause people to die before they are even old, so it is very hard for you to see someone who is sufficiently long-lived."

"However, I think there are still people in your tribe who have lived for over fifty years, but they probably don't know how to count and don't even know they have lived that long."

"Baoxi, if we can let everyone live like we do in Huaxia—being able to eat their fill and stay warm, and having someone to treat them when they are sick—then a person can live for at least sixty years. At least in Huaxia, that is my goal."

"Sanxin and his generation have too many old injuries and illnesses, so most of them only lived for fifty-some years. I haven't seen anyone older yet because our Huaxia hasn't existed for that long, but I think our next generation will all be able to live past sixty, and in the future, we must develop in the direction of seventy years."

Baoxi's eyes burned with intensity: "Baifeng, do I have hope of living to sixty?"

Baifeng looked over Baoxi's body again; apart from looking slightly aged, there was nothing obviously abnormal. And counting it up, Baoxi was only in his thirties—in later generations, there were plenty of people in their thirties who weren't even married yet—so Baifeng said with full confidence: "As long as you are in Huaxia and live according to our methods, I guarantee you can live past sixty."

Baoxi was even happier and immediately made a firm decision, saying: "Good, Baifeng! As long as you agree, I can go back right now and bring all my tribesmen over!"

Baifeng felt a jolt of anxiety and hurriedly raised his hand to interrupt: "Hey, hey, don't be in such a rush. Think about it: the settlement and food for so many people is a huge matter. If you bring them over now, aren't you trying to kill me?"

"This matter is not urgent. Let's discuss it slowly, and then we can talk about it, alright?"

"That means you are willing to let us join Huaxia, even if it might affect your relationship with the Xuanyuan Tribe because of this, right?"

Baifeng's expression was troubled; this was the most difficult part. He wanted people—a population of two or three hundred thousand was a huge attraction to him and could instantly fill up the western region—but he couldn't let go of the trade and cooperation with the Xuanyuan Tribe. Those cooperative ventures were about to bear fruit, and it would be a pity to throw them away now.

Therefore, how to strike a balance was the hardest thing. Just then, the lunch, which had been reheated, finally arrived. Baifeng ordered the food to be served and said to Baoxi: "Alright, let's eat first. Let's eat before we talk. Go down and take a look around; you should stay here for a few more days and take a good look. We must plan this matter slowly and carefully."