Besides, Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Mu, the two of them held wooden sticks with mutton, and hurried to the north with confidence, the first day was very smooth, the road was relatively flat, the two walked through a small meadow, did not see fire, and did not see animals. At night they entered a wooded field, and they found a large tree and slept on it for the first night.

Early the next morning, the two of them ate mutton and continued to hurry, and soon walked out of this wood, in front of which was a flat endless meadow, only some scattered trees, and found a lot of bison, wild horses, and a lot of unknown small animals eating grass and activities.

At noon they found a small river, the water was very clear, and they went to the river to drink enough water and continued to hurry. By the afternoon, there was still no sign of the fire. Xiao Zhuang wanted to do something, tomorrow is the third day, and he must rush back according to the time stipulated by Uncle Gao Shan, but he didn't find the fire, so he was unwilling to go back like this, it was really a bit of a dilemma. Xiao Zhuang thought for a while and said, "Xiao Mu, we haven't seen any trace of the fire so far, so let's sit down and eat something before we find a way." Xiao Mu said: "Listen to you, I'm tired and hungry, eat something." ”

The two sat down to eat mutton, and Xiao Zhuang said while eating: "We have been walking for two days, and we haven't even seen the shadow of the fire. ”

Xiao Mu said approvingly: "I haven't seen the fire at all after walking for two days, I can only go back, and I can only walk back the day after tomorrow, I don't know if a few other people have found the fire?" Xiao Zhuang stood up and looked into the distance, the sky was very clear, the sun was very big, although it was westerly, it still made people hot, the two discussed, and decided to go back after eating mutton.

At this time, Xiao Zhuang inadvertently saw smoke rising into the sky in the distance. Xiao Zhuang said to Xiao Mu: "Xiao Mu, look, there seems to be smoke rising in front of it." After looking closely, Kogi said, "Yes, it looks like smoke is rising into the sky."

Xiao Zhuang got excited and ran towards the place where the smoke was emitting, and said as he ran: "Xiaomu run, let's run closer." The closer the two ran, the more clearly they saw it, and sure enough, it was smoke, smoke from the fire. The two of them were so happy that they ran forward even more energetically. It's very close, it's really a big fire, and there are many people eating barbecue around the fire, and at this time, the people who are eating barbecue around the fire also found two uninvited guests running, and the leader sent two people, holding wooden sticks, ran forward to stop Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Mu, and asked, "Where are you from?" Where to go, what are you doing here? ”

Xiao Zhuang hurriedly said: "We are from the mountain tribe more than 200 miles away, our tribe's fire has been extinguished, looking for fire everywhere, walking for two days, only to find here, found that you have a fire, want to take fire from you to go back, light our tribe's fire." After hearing this, the two felt that the person who came had no malicious intentions, so they led Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Mu to the fire to meet the leader.

It turns out that this is the grassland tribe, there are more than 50 people in the tribe, the tribal chief is an elder in his 40s, named Uncle Meadow, this person is tall, with gray hair, square face, kind eyes, integrity, helpfulness, in the tribe, his prestige is very high. When he saw that the two of them were sweating profusely, he received them very warmly, so he handed them two pieces of roast horse meat, and said, "You are very tired, no matter how big it is, let's talk about eating."

The two of them were not polite, took the roast horse meat, and ate the fragrant roast horse meat that they hadn't eaten for a long time, and ate one piece after another, and the two of them were full and full.

Xiao Zhuang said happily: "We haven't eaten such fragrant barbecue for more than a year, thank you uncle for entertaining us."

Uncle Meadow said, "No thanks, I heard that you came from afar just to get fire?" ”

Xiao Zhuang replied, "Yes, we are here to make the fire. We are people from the mountain tribe, about 200 miles away from here, we found fire when the forest was burning, we started to use fire, and we also eat fragrant barbecue every day like you, more than a year ago, the heavy rain put out the fire, the flood washed away the fire, we lost the fire, dozens of people can only eat bloody raw meat, many people can't eat raw meat, and they are sick, more than a dozen people died of illness, my mother also died of illness because she couldn't eat raw meat. Speaking of this, Xiao Zhuang's voice was hoarse and burst into tears.

Uncle Meadow was also very sad when he heard this, and he persuaded: "Young man, your mother is dead, and she can't live anymore, don't be sad, speak slowly." ”

Xiao Zhuang wiped away his tears and continued: "There are still many people in our tribe who are sick, and the leader of our tribe arranged for eight people to go to the four directions of the southeast, south, and northwest to find the fire, and we went to the north and walked for two days to find the uncle There is fire here, we want to take the fire here and go back to light the fire, so that everyone can eat barbecue meat, so that the patient can get better." ”

After listening to Xiao Zhuang's story, the hospitable meadow uncle said: "I really can't imagine that after you lost the fire, there was a serious illness, and so many people died, which is really a bit miserable." Our tribe only discovered the fire after the thunder ignited the nearby mountains and forests not long ago, and there are many grazing animals here, and the fierce beasts include wild sheep, wild horses, and bison. Therefore, we are not harmed by wild beasts, and since there is a fire, wild animals are most afraid of fire, and we are safer. I sympathize with your plight, you come to fetch the fire, I welcome you to take it as much as possible, the fire is big, you can't go back today, leave early tomorrow morning." Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Mu were very happy after hearing this, and thanked Uncle Grass again and again.

That night the meadow tribe was lively, the guests came, the hospitable people sang and danced, Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Mu adopted the method of the mountain tribe, beating the wooden sticks very modestly, the boys and girls had the company to dance more and more, this night was really happy.

After Xiao Zhuang and the others had a full meal, they were in a good mood because they found the fire, and they did feel too tired and tired, so they unconsciously slept around the fire.

Xiao Zhuang woke up in the middle of the night, he couldn't sleep anymore, he thought that he had finally found the fire, and he could take the fire home tomorrow. He remembered that when he had used torches to move the fire, he had failed to use the torches, and in the end, he had to burn nine small fires and use ten torches to move the fire back from the edge of Omori. He had no idea how to get the tinder home this time, and after thinking about it repeatedly, he decided that he could only use the torch to try.

At dawn, after everyone gathered around the fire and ate barbecue meat, Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Mu used dry branches to build seven torches. The uncle prepared a rich barbecue for the two of them to eat on the road, and asked Xiao Zhuang to bring a message to welcome Uncle Gao Shan to play in the grassland tribe. Xiao Zhuang and the two thanked the grass uncle and took the fire.

Uncle Meadow asked worriedly, "You two have to walk for two days, and you have to stay on the road for one night, can you use a torch to get the fire back?" Xiao Zhuang replied: "I have thought about it, it is difficult to get the tinder back with a torch, but I can't think of a better way, so I can only try it with a torch." ”

Others also couldn't think of a good way to come, and they all said that they could try it with torches. Only then did Xiao Zhuang light the torches, Xiao Mu held the six torches used on the road, walked back quickly, and the first torch was half lit and then extinguished.

Xiao Zhuang told Xiao Mu to rest and wait, and he returned to the grassland tribe to relight the torch, but this time he didn't go far and went out as well.

The torches are tied with six small branches, all of which are dry, so why do they go out? Xiao Zhuang was unwilling, he combined the two torches into one, thinking to himself, the 12 dry branches bundled should not be extinguished, he returned to the grassland tribe to light the torch for the third time, and quickly rushed back, but still did not go a mile, the torch was still extinguished.

Xiao Zhuang and the others were completely disappointed. Xiao Zhuang thought for a moment and said: "Xiao Mu, we have failed to make fire three times, and if we use a torch to make fire, we will also fail, this is expected, I think it is better to go back and report to Uncle Gao Shan, and find a way to get fire again."

Xiao Mu said: "I have to do this, after we go back, everyone will think of a way, and after thinking of a good way, we will come back to get fire." ”

The two hurried back, and on the way, Xiao Zhuang said to Xiao Mu: "Everyone is still waiting for us to take the fire back, I'm really useless, I found the fire but there is no way to get it back." ”

Xiaomu said: "It's good that we can find the fire this time, the road is too far, it is not easy to get the fire back, only after we go back, everyone will find a way." ”

The two of them hurried sullenly, and also found a big tree to sleep in the evening, and just after dawn, the two of them ate something and continued on their way.

On the afternoon of the fourth day, before dark, the two rushed back to the mountain tribe. Xiaohua kept looking at the road to the north when she was mowing the hay, she knew that this road was the only way for Xiao Zhuang to come back, how much she hoped that Xiao Zhuang would appear on the road, it was really long-awaited! It is most uncomfortable to wait for people and to hope for people. When Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Mu appeared on the road, they were seen by Xiao Hua, and Xiao Hua shouted happily: "Xiao Zhuang is back, Xiao Zhuang is back!" ”

This news alarmed all the people who fell, and they all came to greet Xiao Zhuang and the others. Especially Xiaohua was very happy, ran up quickly to greet him, ran to Xiaozhuang and hugged Xiaozhuang, and cried excitedly, crying while crying: "It's good to come back, it's good to come back, I'm so worried!" ”

Xiao Zhuang said distressedly: "Xiaohua, don't cry, don't you see that I'm fine." The people of the tribe surrounded Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Mu. After Xiao Zhuang reported the process of finding the fire and making the fire to Uncle Gao Shan, Uncle Gao Shan said happily: "It's good that you can find the fire, and you have a lot of merit, and we will definitely be able to get the fire back."

At this time, Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Mu took out all the barbecue meat that the uncle gave them to eat on the road, and handed it to Uncle Gao Shan, and said, "We are reluctant to eat these barbecues, bring them back for everyone to taste." Uncle Gao Shan smiled and said: "Xiao Zhuang is really thoughtful, Xiao Shan quickly cut the barbecue into small pieces and eat a little for each person." ”

People heard that there was barbecue to eat, but it was lively, I haven't eaten such fragrant barbecue for more than a year! When everyone was eating barbecue, Uncle Gao Shan put up a question: "This time Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Mu worked very hard, walked a lot, and found the fire in the north more than 200 miles away from us, but they couldn't get the fire back, I think as long as they found the fire, there is hope, how to get the fire back, everyone has to find a way, for our tribe, for our descendants, we must think of a good way, get the fire back as soon as possible, and light the fire......