The Primitive Adventures of a Chipmunk 51

Chapter 51

The north wind raged through the forest, carrying withered leaves. The chill, like a tide, swept over the treetops. In just one night, the withered grass on the riverbank was coated in a thick layer of frost. The swaying treetops flung ice crystals, which turned into transparent ice blades and crashed to the ground.

The howling cold wind rubbed against the tree bark, and a low, gloomy wail pierced the silence and shot up to the sky, like the roar of a giant beast, making one’s hair stand on end and shiver from the cold.

“Hiss, hiss—so cold, so cold. My teeth are chattering.”

“It’s really cold. What’s with this weather? It got so cold all of a sudden.”

“It’ll probably snow in the next few days.”

“Cough, cough cough… I’m doomed. I think I’ve caught a cold. My throat is a little itchy.”

“The wind is too strong, it’s freezing. I think I’m not feeling well either.”

“Just bear with it. The chief said we can go back to our tree hollows after the food is distributed.”

…

The temperature had dropped sharply, and the frost-covered forest was no longer suitable for exploration. The hunting and gathering teams no longer went out. But at the start of a new day, all the young people of the tribe still got up early, rubbing their hands and stomping their feet as they stood outside the warehouse.

The cold wind was about to blow them away, but fortunately, food could give them strength.

Potatoes, pine nuts, chestnuts… the food stored in the autumn was brought out of the tree hollow warehouses one after another, basket after basket. The dazzling array of food warmed people’s hearts.

The tribe members ran back and forth, and a large amount of food was moved from the warehouses to the camp. Hua Shi’an and Chief Mu, along with a group of beastmen, also got busy, counting potatoes, scooping pine nuts… and distributing them with back baskets.

The food was divided into three portions, with the beastmen of the hunting team getting the most. Needless to say, there were enough pine nuts. As for filling foods like potatoes and chestnuts, each person got more than half a back basket. Five pieces of smoked cured meat, five smoked fish, two bamboo tubes of honey, two handfuls of dried blueberries and cranberries…

All in all, one beastman could get about two back baskets of food.

The sub-beastmen of the gathering team were second only to the beastmen. There were still enough pine nuts, but a little less potatoes and chestnuts. The meat and other less abundant foods were halved from the beastmen’s portion.

There was plenty of food, and no one would go hungry. The tribe members who stayed behind also got a lot of food, definitely enough to eat. It was just that for the hard-won smoked meat and fish, each person only got one piece.

The more capable you are, the more you work; the more you work, the more you get. This was the unchanging rule of the tribe.

Of course, this was not the food for the entire winter. This was just a part of it.

Although there was plenty of food, it was far from the point where they could eat and drink as they pleased. The chief was worried that the tribe members would not be able to control themselves, feasting for a while and then starving later. So he decided to distribute the food in small quantities and multiple times.

There were many people in the tribe, and packing the food was also a hard job.

After a lot of fuss, it was finally done by the time the sky was bright. Hua Shi’an shook out his slightly sore arms and looked up. The entire camp was covered with a dense layer of back baskets, almost drowning people.

And behind the layers of back baskets, the beastmen and sub-beastmen who had finished their work sat in rows. No one was talking or laughing, no one was fooling around. It was as if they were attending an important meeting. They were quiet, each sitting more upright than the last.

The food was not directly distributed to the tribe members. It was clear that a “meeting” was about to be held. Sure enough, just as Hua Shi’an was wondering, two soft coughs came from beside him, breaking the dull silence.

“Ahem!”

Chief Mu, who was sitting side by side with Hua Shi’an, suddenly stood up and cleared his throat a little deliberately. He lifted his chin and looked around, then waved to the crowd with great authority. “Well, is everyone here?”

“No, the wind is too strong today. Uncle Qing and the others are afraid of catching a cold, so they don’t dare to come out in the wind,” replied Hong Yinglan, who was sitting upright in the crowd.

Chief Mu nodded to show he understood, then turned to Hong Yong and gestured with his chin, instructing him gently, “The elderly and children can’t come. You beastmen will have to work a little harder and deliver the food to their tree hollows later.”

“No problem,” Hong Yong agreed readily.

Another biting cold wind blew past. The tribe members sitting in rows shrank their necks and hugged their arms, shivering. Seeing this, Chief Mu no longer delayed. He faced the crowd and said quite solemnly, “Everyone has worked hard these past few days. I’ve seen it all. Since we came to the Giant Tree Forest, you haven’t had a proper rest.”

“Now that the weather is getting colder and colder, we can’t go out anymore. So from today on, everyone doesn’t have to get up early, doesn’t have to go out, and can just stay in your own tree hollows and get through the winter. Take this opportunity to have a good rest, recuperate your spirits, and continue to work hard next spring!”

They had been busy all autumn, up the mountains and down the rivers, without a moment’s rest. There was no one who didn’t want to rest. As soon as he said this, it was like poking a hornet’s nest. The crowd instantly erupted.

“Yay! We can rest.”

“It’s not hard, Chief. We’re not tired!”

“You’re just saying nice things. If you’re not tired, then don’t rest.”

“No need to get up early, no need to go out. This is simply too blissful! What a pity, if only it weren’t so cold.”

“You wish. If it weren’t cold, you’d be working. You still want to rest.”

…

One after another, Chief Mu’s voice was completely drowned out. He had no choice but to shout at the top of his lungs, “Are you not cold now? Shut up and stop arguing. Let’s finish this quickly and disperse. I’m freezing to death.”

When the crowd had quieted down again, Chief Mu pointed to a large tree not far away and arranged things in an orderly manner, “We should indeed have a good rest during the winter. But we’re raising red sheep and wild rabbits in the tree hollows, so we can’t just leave them alone. The Lord Priest and I have discussed it, and we’ve decided to take turns looking after them.”

“One beastman will lead two sub-beastmen. They will feed them and give them water in the morning and evening, clean up their droppings, and in the afternoon, when it’s not so cold, they will go to the riverbank to get some withered grass. For example, today, Hong Yong will lead the Lord Priest and Hong Yinglan. Tomorrow, it will be Yan Qiuyu leading Chang Yueyue and Yan Zhile—”

“I don’t want to be with Yan Qiuyu!” Yan Zhile protested with dissatisfaction.

Chief Mu’s face fell, and he glared at him angrily. “For example, I’m just giving an example! You can be with whoever you want. Just discuss it among yourselves and tell Hong Yong. As long as someone is looking after them every day, it’s fine. Don’t let me find anyone slacking off!”

It was too cold, and the wind was making his head spin. Chief Mu really didn’t want to waste any more words. He lowered his gaze to Hua Shi’an. “Lord Priest, would you like to say a few words? Is there anything else you need to say?”

“No, I won’t say anything.”

Hua Shi’an hugged his knees and curled up, shaking his head quickly.

“Alright.” Chief Mu no longer dawdled. He looked up at the crowd and waved his hand directly. “That’s it then. Come, come, line up to get your food.”

…

As the priest of the tribe, Hua Shi’an’s treatment was naturally the same as a beastman’s. He received the largest and most abundant portion of food. The privilege was very useful. While others were still in line, he had already run back and forth twice, unhurriedly moving his own food back to his crooked-necked tree.

Two full back baskets, not just a little heavy.

Hua Shi’an unloaded the back baskets at the entrance of the hollow and, like an ant moving house, took out all the food from the back baskets and moved it into the tree hollow, bit by bit.

The tree hollow was still too small. The longer he lived there, the more things he had, and he was running out of space to put them. Fortunately, there was still some space under the bed. Hua Shi’an lay on the ground, spread a layer of coir sheets, and stuffed the potatoes and chestnuts under it.

The pine nuts distributed today had been fried overnight. Worried that they would get damp on the ground, Hua Shi’an ran to the camp to get a small winnowing basket, first wrapped the pine nuts in a coir sheet, and then placed them in the winnowing basket.

He had nailed a row of bamboo nails on the wall of the hollow in advance, which was perfect for hanging the smoked meat and fish.

Hua Shi’an hung all the meat, which had been skewered with coir rope, and slowly retreated to the entrance of the hollow. He looked back at his tree hollow, which only had two pieces of furniture, and felt as comfortable as could be.

A small and cozy tree hollow, with food that he couldn’t finish in a short time. And most importantly, the collective life was over. The entire winter was his own, to do whatever he wanted.

The only regret was that it was cold, too cold.

He ducked out of the tree hollow, and a biting cold wind blew in his face. Hua Shi’an hugged his arms, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.

But the tribe members in the camp in front of him didn’t seem to feel the cold. After receiving their food, they didn’t rush to leave. They all squatted by the fire with smiles on their faces, happily piling up dry wood to make a fire, roasting potatoes, boiling chestnuts, and boiling cured meat.

Food doesn’t spoil easily in winter. They would cook some of the food and then take it back to their tree hollows. That way, they could eat and sleep, and eat directly after waking up, going out for a trip and staying at home for ten days.

The Chipmunk Tribe where the original owner used to live also spent the winter this way. Hua Shi’an vaguely remembered the roasted meat that had been cooked and then left for ten and a half days, which was harder than a stone. This further strengthened his determination not to live like this.

The tree hollow was a certain distance from the camp. It was too much trouble to run to the camp to cook every day. It was better to build a small stove himself. So Hua Shi’an carried his back basket and walked straight to the river, squatting on the bank and starting to pick up stones.

He picked the large and flat ones. In a short while, he had picked up half a back basket.

The stones were heavy. Hua Shi’an knew his own limitations and immediately stopped, shouldering his back basket and walking back.

As he climbed up the slope, treading on the gravel, Hua Shi’an saw the beastman standing foolishly in front of his crooked-necked tree from a distance. The beastman’s hands were full, one holding smoked fish and the other smoked meat, like a relative visiting before the New Year.

He seemed to have been standing in the cold wind for a while. Hua Shi’an quickened his pace, holding the back strap, but as he got closer to the beastman, he deliberately slowed down, tiptoed to his back, and suddenly patted him. “Hey, what are you doing?”

Unfortunately, the beastman was not scared. It was clear that he had known he was coming back. Mo Huaishan turned around unhurriedly, a faint smile on his lips. “Shi’an, you’re back.”

So boring. Hua Shi’an pouted. “Why were you facing away from me if you knew I was back?”

“I, I was cooperating with you,” Mo Huaishan explained slowly. “I heard someone running over, and I was about to turn around, but the sound suddenly became very soft and slowly approached me. I knew you wanted to scare me, so…”

“You’re quite smart. Then why didn’t you go all the way and pretend to be scared by me?” Hua Shi’an took off his back basket and teased with a smile.

Mo Huaishan nodded and said solemnly, “I’ll remember. I will next time.”

The beastman was honest and took his jokes seriously. Hua Shi’an couldn’t bear to tease him anymore. He looked down at his hands and pointed. “What’s with you? Five pieces of smoked meat, five pieces of smoked fish. Why are you bringing them all to me?”

Thinking he had forgotten yesterday’s promise, the smile on the beastman’s face gradually froze, and a trace of disappointment flashed in his eyes.

His joy and anger were written on his face. The beastman’s thoughts were too easy to guess. Hua Shi’an had guessed it, but he didn’t say anything.

He was rubbing his hands and breathing on them. The beastman looked nervous and at a loss. But after a short silence, he suddenly looked up, stared straight into Hua Shi’an’s eyes, and said very seriously with pursed lips, “We agreed yesterday to spend the winter together. Do you regret it?”

“I was originally thinking of bringing the potatoes and pine nuts over together, but I was worried your tree hollow wouldn’t be able to fit them, so I brought the meat over first.” Mo Huaishan held out the meat to Hua Shi’an, his gaze sincere and firm, not allowing for refusal, as if he had cut open his own chest and was handing over a beating heart.

“Shi’an, I, I want to spend the winter with you.”