Siheyuan: tomb robbing? I am serious about hunting.

Chapter 781 Dawn

She knows that her food journey has just begun, and there are more delicacies waiting for her to discover and taste in the future. She also hopes that through her sharing, more people will understand and fall in love with southern food and China's colorful food culture. This story depicts the blogger's wonderful southern food journey. If you think the presentation of food in the story, the rhythm of the plot, or other new ideas need to be adjusted, you can always tell me.

The twilight of the flint fire was like a thick ochre paint, slowly spreading over the rolling hills. Ah Ye squatted by the stream, scraping the bone knife with a sharp flint, and the cold stream water flowed over his calloused soles. In the distance, the howling of wolves came one after another, startling the wild geese in the reeds. He subconsciously tightened the stone axe at his waist and glanced around vigilantly. This was the seventh moon he had led the tribe to migrate. The river valley where they once lived was submerged by a sudden flood. Twenty-seven tribesmen squeezed into a makeshift straw hut and survived by gnawing on bitter tree bark. Ah Ye looked up at the night sky. The three stars of Orion were looming behind the clouds. They were the "Eye of Sky Fire" that guided the direction in the legend of their ancestors. "Ah Ye!" The hurried call interrupted his thoughts. Axia ran over on the wet soil, her rattan backpack filled with freshly picked wild fruits, and a few maple leaves in her hair. "We found a large area of ​​ferns in the valley to the east, enough for the tribe to survive this month." Aye stood up and rubbed the bone knife on the animal skin, leaving a dark blood mark. Three days ago, when he was hunting wild deer, he found that this forest was full of dangerous traces - huge claw marks, broken rough wood, and the stench of some rotten meat. But hunger gnawed at everyone's will like a venomous snake. He clenched the stone axe and said in a deep voice: "Gather everyone and set off at dawn." At dawn, the forest was shrouded in mist. Twenty-seven tribesmen lined up in a row, with older women carrying pottery jars and children holding roughly polished wooden spears. Aye walked in the front, and the flint arrowhead shone coldly in the morning sun. As the team entered the valley, Axia suddenly grabbed his animal skin skirt and pointed to the bushes on the slope: "Look, what is that?" Dark red liquid was dripping along the dead leaves, winding into a strange stream on the wet soil. Aye held his breath and led a few young men to follow the blood trail. When the last bunch of vines were pulled away, everyone froze in place - a half-rotten bison carcass lay beside the boulder, its internal organs were hollowed out, and the bones were covered with interlaced tooth marks, and the edges of the wounds were still steaming. "It's a saber-toothed tiger." Aye's voice was hoarse, and his fingers stroked the deep scratches on the rock. This beast is three times larger than an ordinary tiger, and its sharp canine teeth can easily pierce the skull of its prey. Behind him came the suppressed gasps of children, and several women had begun to pray in a low voice. At this moment, the crisp sound of branches breaking came from afar. Aye raised the stone axe suddenly, and his heartbeat made his eardrums ache. The bushes shook violently, and a pair of dark green eyes flashed in the shadows. "Retreat!" He shouted and pushed the nearest child to the back, but he was tripped by vines and fell to the ground. The saber-toothed tiger pounced like black lightning, and the fishy wind blew in his face. At the critical moment, Axia rushed forward waving a sharpened wooden stick, and the stick stabbed into the tiger's flank fiercely. The beast roared in pain, turned around and slapped Axia away. Aye took the opportunity to turn over and hit the tiger's hind legs hard with a stone axe, and the splashing blood sprayed on his face. In the melee, someone ignited the dry thatch. The flames crackled, and the saber-toothed tiger retreated repeatedly in fear of the flames. Aye seized the opportunity and tied the burning thatch to the stick to form a simple torch. The fire illuminated the battlefield, and he found that the tiger was covered with old wounds and its left front paw was still bleeding - this was an old beast abandoned by the tribe, and it risked attacking humans in order to survive. The saber-toothed tiger finally disappeared into the depths of the jungle with a wail. Aye collapsed on the ground, looking at his bleeding arm. Axia crawled over, holding her scratched shoulder, and applied crushed herbs to his wound: "We have to find a safer place." Her voice was still trembling, but her eyes were unusually firm. That night, the tribesmen sat around a makeshift campfire. The firelight illuminated everyone's tired faces, but the aroma of roasted hare could not dispel the heavy atmosphere. Aye threw the charred bones back into the fire, and sparks flew, illuminating the murals left by the ancestors on the rock wall - those hunting and gathering scenes were vivid, but they could not answer the dilemma at hand. "The cave in the north." The silent old man suddenly spoke, his wrinkled fingers pointing to the distant mountain peaks, "I took shelter from the rainstorm there when I was young. The cave entrance is narrow and easy to defend but difficult to attack." Aye looked at the dark night sky, and the three stars in Orion became brighter and brighter. He remembered his father's words before he died: "Survival is not waiting, but creation." Holding the stone axe tightly in his hand, he made a decision. The road to migration is full of hardships. The tribesmen made simple stretchers with vines and tree trunks to carry their injured companions; the women ground wild fruits into powder and mixed them with wild vegetables to make porridge; the children were responsible for collecting dry leaves and dead grass for making fire. Aye and several young and strong men took turns to be on guard, ready to deal with the attacks of wild beasts at any time. When they finally arrived at the cave, everyone was exhausted and collapsed on the ground. The cave was spacious and dry, and the entrance could only accommodate two people side by side. Aye led the tribesmen to block the entrance with boulders, leaving only a narrow observation port. When night fell, the bonfire burned in the cave, and the warm firelight dispelled the chill. However, greater challenges followed. Continuous heavy rains made the mountains and forests muddy and difficult to collect. Aye decided to lead several young people to try a new way of survival - fishing. They used vines to weave fishing nets and set traps in the shallows of the river. At first, they always failed, but after continuous attempts, they finally succeeded in catching the first big fish. The aroma of roasted fish filled the cave, and the children cheered happily. Aye looked at the satisfied smiles of his tribesmen, and his heart was filled with a sense of accomplishment. But he knew that this was just the beginning. In order to store food, Aye and his tribesmen made pottery jars and pickled the excess food; they also reclaimed land near the cave and tried to grow the wild grains they collected. Although the process was difficult, everyone was full of hope. One morning, Aye discovered the secret of sparks produced by the collision of flints while patrolling. He ran back to the cave excitedly and called the tribesmen. After countless attempts, they finally learned how to make fire artificially. The jumping flames not only brought warmth, but also made the food more delicious and gave the tribesmen a sense of security at night. As time went on, the tribe gradually grew stronger.