The Primitive Adventures of a Chipmunk 101

Chapter 101

After a night of restless thoughts, Hua Shi’an had only fallen asleep in the early hours of the morning and had, unsurprisingly, overslept.

After washing up and strolling out, there were only a few people on the grass in front of his door. The scorching sun, hanging high in the sky, was radiating heat like a big red fireball. It was clear that it was not early.

Chang Qing was reliable. She had just said last night that she would help him borrow people from the Great Chief, and now the matter was already settled. Although there wasn’t a single beastman in the camp, there were more than a dozen bundles of fresh green bamboo and six large trees as thick as a thigh piled up.

The efficiency was quite high. They had brought back so many materials in one morning.

The stove was built, and the materials were ready. The kitchen could be started. Hua Shi’an stretched, found the charcoal and bamboo ruler that he had left at the foot of the tree yesterday, and started to draw the frame around the stove.

Like the stove, the kitchen was only for temporary use. It would be idle after the family was divided. Hua Shi’an didn’t want to go to the trouble of fussing with wood and planned to use bamboo to build the kitchen and woodshed directly.

There had been bamboo houses since ancient times. As long as they were built with the right method, the sturdiness of a bamboo house was not bad. And bamboo was easier to obtain and process than wood. It could be used as soon as it was cut, which saved time and effort.

Of course, there were also disadvantages. Bamboo was light, so the bamboo house would also be relatively light. It was not impossible for it to be overturned by a strong wind. But this problem was easy to solve. Before building the house, he would dig a foundation pit and bury the main frame a little deeper.

He measured and drew. Hua Shi’an quickly drew a standard rectangle around the stove. The area framed by the black line was not large, about the size of a small classroom. It only framed the stove and the workstation, leaving a walkway on each side.

Washing vegetables and meat was done by the river. The kitchen was mainly for cooking, which was enough.

Now he could really start working. Hua Shi’an put down the charcoal and bamboo slips, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and dragged his hoe to the edge of the black line.

Just as he was about to swing his hoe, a few muffled thuds suddenly came from behind. Before Hua Shi’an could turn around, a surprised cry followed, “Oh my, Lord Priest, what are you digging for? Put down your hoe quickly. We’ll do this kind of dirty and tiring work.”

This voice, this tone, who else could it be but Yan Qiuyu?

He hadn’t expected to have a familiar person come to work today. Hua Shi’an stuck his hoe in the ground and turned around with a smile. “Come, hurry up. Don’t just talk and not—”

His words came to an abrupt halt. Hua Shi’an looked at the camp, and the smile in his eyes froze.

Sunlight shone through the gaps in the branches and leaves. The bright and clean camp had six more trees and six more sweating beastmen. Besides the familiar Great Chief, Yan Qiuyu, and Ju Ming, there were two other beastmen whose names he couldn’t recall, and then there was the culprit who had kept him up all night and was still sullen, Mo Huaishan.

What’s the meaning of this? He had deliberately separated them when he wanted to see them, and now that he had finally made up his mind, he had called the beastman over to work, making everyone feel awkward. Hua Shi’an’s brow furrowed in displeasure, and he turned his gaze to the Great Chief, silently questioning him.

One moment he was smiling, and the next he was stern. It didn’t look good…

The Great Chief wiped his sweat and pretended not to see Hua Shi’an’s confusion. He turned and waved to the beastmen. “Don’t just stand there. Go, go. See what the Lord Priest is digging for. Go and help.”

“No way, Chief. We just carried the trees back. Look at all the sweat on my forehead. Let us rest for a while.” Yan Qiuyu, who had been the most enthusiastic just now, fanned himself with his hand, his little mouth pouted.

Ju Ming muttered in a low voice, “Exactly. We haven’t even caught our breath.”

The Great Chief pushed the two of them irritably. “What are you resting for? Digging a little mud is not tiring. Just consider it a rest. Hurry up and go.”

Protesting was useless. The five sweating beastmen picked up their hoes and walked towards Hua Shi’an.

There was a lot to do. Hua Shi’an couldn’t be bothered with the awkwardness. When the beastmen had all come over, he lifted his hand and pointed to the black line on the ground, instructing, “Dig along the black line on the ground. Just dig a shallow pit as wide as a palm and as deep as a middle finger. Pay attention to the four corners of the black line and the places with black dots. Dig a pit here, a deep pit as wide as a bowl and as deep as your knee.”

“One, two, three…” Yan Qiuyu walked around the stove, counted the black dots on the ground, and then ran back to the crowd excitedly. “It’s not bad, not bad. Including the four corners, there are only ten pits. The five of us can dig two pits each. It’s easy.”

Digging pits around the stove was definitely not for fun. Ju Ming was very excited. He eagerly picked up his hoe and walked to a black dot, quickly urging the crowd, “Come on, come on. Let’s hurry up and dig. The sooner we finish, the sooner we’re done. I really want to see what the house the Lord Priest was talking about looks like!”

“So we’re digging pits to build a house? I’m suddenly not tired anymore.”

“Let’s go, let’s go. Let’s get to work. Let’s hurry up and build the house.”

They had all heard a little about building a house, but no one knew what a house looked like. The curiosity for new things had ignited the beastmen’s passion. One by one, they found their spots and deftly swung their hoes.

There was one person who had not moved for a long time. He stared at Hua Shi’an without blinking, his lips slightly parted as he called out in a low voice, “Shi’an.” But Hua Shi’an acted as if he hadn’t heard, not even lifting his eyelids. He picked up his hoe and turned to leave.

The Great Chief, who had seen this from a distance: It’s over!

He didn’t go to dig pits with the beastmen. The Great Chief sat on a tree trunk to catch his breath, waiting for Hua Shi’an. As he had wished, Hua Shi’an walked over, but as soon as he squatted down to untie the rope on the pile of bamboo, his eyes were full of work, and he had no intention of getting angry or questioning him.

Compared to a great rage and a loud questioning, this kind of quietness was the most terrifying.

The Great Chief could no longer sit still. He quickly got up and squatted beside Hua Shi’an, stammering, “Lord Priest, you, why don’t you scold me a few times? I was wrong about this. I shouldn’t have been so nosy. I shouldn’t have interfered in your private affairs. It was me, I’m sorry.”

He had figured it out after just one night? Hua Shi’an raised an eyebrow in surprise, but his tone was calm. “The Great Chief is joking. Why would I scold you? Speaking of which, I should thank you. Thank you for helping me see the reality and stop my losses in time.”

The Great Chief’s heart “thumped.” “Don’t, Lord Priest. Don’t say that. I, I was just confused for a moment. I thought I was doing it for the good of the tribe, for your good. It wasn’t until old Mu told me last night that I realized how wrong I was.”

“Although I am the chief and I manage the affairs of the tribe, I really shouldn’t have interfered in the private affairs of the tribe members and deprived them of their freedom to choose a mate. Not to mention that the Lord Priest has done so much for the tribe. If I can’t even grant you this small wish, then, then I’ve been too much of a failure as a chief, too inhuman.”

The Great Chief sighed, the guilt in his eyes deepening. “I was wrong in the first place. It’s only right that you’re angry. But can we agree on something first? If you’re angry, you can vent it on me. You can scold me, or even hit me. Just don’t keep it in your heart.”

His words were sincere, and his attitude was proper. This seemed to be from the bottom of his heart.

It was rare for a superior to be able to recognize his mistakes and correct them in time. Since he had said so much, Hua Shi’an no longer put on airs. He turned to the Great Chief and smiled, saying quite solemnly, “Great Chief, I am indeed angry, but not to the point of hitting or scolding you.”

“What’s past is past. I’m not a petty person. I won’t hold a grudge against you for this. I also told Chang Qing last night that this matter was started by you, but the final result was not caused by you. Just don’t do it again in the future.”

“I won’t, I won’t. Once is enough. This kind of thing will absolutely not happen again. I promise you.” The Great Chief pounded his chest twice to show his determination.

This matter was considered over, but another troublesome matter was still in front of him. Hua Shi’an didn’t want to make his love life public, but the Great Chief was responsible for arranging the manpower, so he had to say something.

Seeing the hesitation in his eyes, the Great Chief took the initiative to ask, “What’s wrong, Lord Priest? Is there anything else you need to say?”

“It’s not an instruction, but I have something to trouble the Great Chief with.”

Hua Shi’an organized his words and said softly, “In the future, you don’t have to deliberately put me and Mo Huaishan together to work. We have no relationship now. Being together will only be awkward and will delay things.”

“You don’t want him anymore?” The Great Chief shot up, his voice suddenly rising.

With a loud voice, the beastmen who were working in the distance all looked over. Fortunately, their faces were filled with confusion, as if they hadn’t heard clearly what was said.

Hua Shi’an glared at the Great Chief. “Lower your voice. Is it something to be proud of?”

“No,” the Great Chief was so anxious he was scratching his head. He squatted down again and deliberately lowered his voice several degrees. “Don’t you want him! Don’t you like the big oaf, Mo Huaishan? There are no obstacles now. Chief Mu and I both approve with both our hands and feet. You can become mates tonight!”

Hua Shi’an’s gaze turned cold, and a soft snort escaped his lips. “I thought the Great Chief was a man of his word. But it’s only been a short while, and you’re already interfering in my freedom again?”

The Great Chief’s brow furrowed tightly. “But, but—”

“There are no ‘buts’,” Hua Shi’an interrupted him and said indifferently, “Whether we’re together or not is our own choice. It’s better for the Great Chief not to interfere.”

The Great Chief held his head in his hands and pulled his hair, his face filled with despair. “You two originally liked each other and were planning to become mates. Now, I’ve forcefully separated you. I, haven’t I become a sinner? You two must hate me to death.”

So that’s what he was worried about. Hua Shi’an smiled and deliberately teased, “Wasn’t that your original plan, Great Chief? Why are you afraid that we’ll resent you now?”

The Great Chief shook his head vigorously. “That’s different. I was originally trying to separate you to find you a better mate. But now I see that besides him, you won’t have anyone else.”

Seeing his self-reproach, Hua Shi’an couldn’t bear to continue teasing him. He patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Chief. I don’t resent you. Didn’t I just say? It’s partly your fault, but not entirely.”

“What on earth is the reason? Why don’t you want him anymore?” The Great Chief got to the bottom of it.

He could have not answered, but it was really not good to keep it in his heart.

A sourness rose in his nose. Hua Shi’an’s eyes drooped slightly, and his shoulders sank. He forced a not-so-good-looking smile. “He was the one who didn’t want me first.”

“Impossible!”

The Great Chief slapped his thigh and said with certainty, “He’s been bothering me a lot these past few days. Whenever he has free time, he’s in my ear, telling me not to oppose you becoming mates. He said he’d work hard to hunt, work hard to become useful, and would be good to you… in short, as long as I agreed, he’d do anything.”

“And today, do you really think I specially had him come to cut down trees? He saw Chang Qing give you the animal skin last night and was so anxious. This morning, he came to me with red eyes, insisting on coming!”

“Whether the two of you can be together or not, the decision has always been up to you. That silly boy has you in his heart. At that time, to make him give up, I said some very harsh words, belittling him to be worthless. But even so, he still refused to give up.”

“I’ve also watched him grow up. His life has been hard. He’s been isolated and ostracized by the tribe since he was little, so his personality has become weak, and he doesn’t dare to resist. Since he was little, he’s done whatever the tribe members say, and he doesn’t dare to disobey the chief’s orders. But on this matter alone, he’s been resisting, he’s been fighting.”