Because of the attraction of pottery and bows and arrows, the originally two-day tribal gathering lasted for three days.

Thousands of people gathered, food was a big problem, and a few simple agreements were reached before the various tribes separated.

The tribal gatherings continued every time the apricots were ripe, but because of the pottery rings and promises given by Chen Jian, the exchanges between the tribes gradually increased, and it was only natural that the place of trade was the village by the grass river.

Many tribes wanted to see what this so-called village and houses were like, but they were forced to return to the cave first due to the pressure of survival.

They learned how to make simple bows and arrows, learned to throw slings, and had plenty of food for a short time, so they rejoiced.

When they came, they were distributed, and when they went back, they tied their hair into a bun, and took the soap that Chen Jian gave them, and put it away together with the pottery ring clay tablet, for fear of breaking.

At the same time, there was also a bit of uneasiness, and Song told the tragedy of his tribe on the last day, and the meteorite tribe in the distance made each tribe feel like a man.

Fortunately, Jian Chen gave a promise, as long as everyone acknowledges that they originated from the same ancestor, as long as there is a conflict between the tribes that do not comb their hair and these tribes who comb their hair in a bun, Chen Jian's tribe will stand up and help.

If you can't resist the enemy, you can retreat to the grass river; You can also scatter the tribe that is obedient to the offense, and you can choose it.

Clever use of external threats transitions the bun from aesthetic to cultural identity. Jian Chen's words are clear that his tribe will only help people who identify with the same ancestor, that is, those who wear their ancestors' hair in a bun. The same goes for the exchange of clay pots, otherwise he has no reason to help the rest of the clans.

These tribes themselves migrated from the direction of the rising sun, and many of them were cousins and relatives in the old grandmother's generation, and now they are scattered, and the same ancestor is easily accepted.

There were also some weaker tribes who wanted to follow the example of pine and acacia and merge into Chen Jian's tribe, but Chen Jian refused.

Now that nearly half of the population had joined, more than he could control, but he promised to seek help from his people if he was hungry to the extreme.

Song has no regrets, under the primitive moral system, since there is blood, he must abide by it, his mother's wail before dying is to let him live with his clan, and now the clansmen are living very well, he is very satisfied.

Sophora is a little more cunning, her idea is very practical - merging into the clan can share everything in the clan, there are too many women in the clan, and the next time the apricots are ripe, there are too many babies and women who need to nurse, and there must be a strong clan to ensure survival.

And she is very smart, she knows from the cocoons in the hands of the Chen family that this kind of life is not easy to come by, not blown by the wind, starting from scratch? She wouldn't be so stupid.

She looked at the stone tribesmen who kept their surnames, and said in her heart: "Your hands will also grind out such thick calluses!" ”

Jian Chen would not know what these people were thinking at this time, and he did not want to know that as long as the life of the tribe was rising, all kinds of contradictions could be suppressed.

There are many things to face, and after a year and a half, two ethnic groups with different surnames have lived together for a long time, and couples will inevitably appear, and things like love, jealousy, and murder will also be inevitable, and the contradictions brought about by the new way of life will also accumulate, and he is fantasizing about whether there is a system that can suppress internal contradictions without bloodshed.

After the rest of the tribes left, Jian Chen also led his tribesmen down the mountain to the saline-alkali land, thinking about his thoughts all the way.

The old grandmother looked at Jian Chen's sullen appearance and asked, "Good boy, what's wrong with you?" Is there anything you can't solve? ”

Jian Chen didn't know how to explain, thought for a moment and said, "I know that there is a fierce beast that may kill our people. But before this beast appeared, no one would believe that it would only appear after killing the clansmen, and it would have appeared. I wondered how I could restrain this beast. ”

When the old grandmother heard this, she laughed, and her old face was full of wrinkles.

She pointed to a grass in the distance and asked, "Do you know what that is?" ”

Chen Jian glanced at it, and felt that it was a little like the tuber he usually ate, but it was a little different, and he didn't know why the old grandmother asked so, so he had to shake his head and say that he didn't know.

"Son, this grass also has tubers underneath, very similar to the one we eat. But it is poisonous and will die if eaten. ”

Jian Chen lowered his head and listened respectfully, wanting to get an answer from his old grandmother's wisdom.

The old grandmother coughed, looked at the grass and said, "I was still young, and the tribe had just migrated here, and everyone was starving. In order to find food for the people, my mother found the kind of tuber that we usually eat, and she found this, so she died. ”

"Son, my mother was poisoned, but the people survived because of another tuber, and remembered that this tuber was not to be eaten. Death is also another kind of survival. The beast you said will appear after eating the clansmen, so if you kill it after you show up, the clansmen will remember the horror of this beast. And if it doesn't show up, how can you kill it, and how will the people remember this beast? ”

After finishing speaking, the old grandmother touched Jian Chen's hair and said lightly: "Child, the snails you said by the grass river, in fact, I have eaten them and they have not died, but I know that there must be a reason for you to say that." It's just that after a long time, there will always be people who forget your words and go to eat. Even if your words are right, they are not as deep as the memories that death brings to the people. Jian, you have to remember that death is not terrible, as long as this death can make the people remember one thing, then it is worth it. ”

Jian Chen looked at the old grandmother with some surprise, he didn't expect the old grandmother to think of this, the old grandmother waved her hand and said, "Go, child, let me see what kind of life our people will live before I die." ”

Watching Jian Chen retreat respectfully, the old grandmother looked at the sky, stunned. She thought about the events of her childhood.

The tribes migrated here, and the old people tried different grasses to keep their tribe alive, because the young people could still have children, and they were already old.

Many old people died, but many more young people survived and remembered death and inedible grass, so the race continued.

That's survival. The old grandmother looked at Jian Chen's back and muttered to herself: "Child, you haven't seen your relatives die, don't be afraid, don't be afraid......"

In the distance, Jian Chen seemed to hear the voice of the old grandmother, and when he looked back, the old grandmother smiled at him and waved his hand to let him continue walking.

Chen Jian nodded, walked quickly to the front of the clansmen, looked up at the black and white flag, and let go of the childish fantasies that suddenly rose in his heart.

Chen Jian, who stretched his brows, led his people to the saline-alkali land of Shanyin, since life had to go on, blood and sweat would always flow.

The blisters of blood had worn out and soaked the stone hoes and bones, and large chunks of saline earth were packed into wicker baskets, which he had to carry back.

It is very inconvenient to boil salt here, and since it is not used as an exchange commodity for the time being, it does not need to be boiled too much.

The people of the stone tribe did not have tools and did not know what to do for a while. Jian Chen motioned for them to work together, and the salt would be distributed to their tribe as necessary.

Curiously, the people surnamed Shi learned to use stone hoes and bone rakes, and when they left, they carried wicker baskets on their backs, and they looked no different from Chen Jian's people.

It was night, and the original clansmen were worried about everything at home, and they didn't want to stay for a moment. The new clansmen want to see the village as soon as possible, and they can't wait.

Torches with pine branches lit up the night sky, and a long dragon meandered towards the Grass River, at which rate it would be possible to return to the village at noon tomorrow.

Several people took turns to replace the wicker baskets on their backs, stepping on the grass and night dew, and the moon in the sky was already round, pushing away the clouds to illuminate the way home of the tribesmen.

The home is in front and the road extends to the back.

Looking back, the dew-dropped-off grass winds its way to the black peak.

At noon, when they saw the white smoke rising from the village, the steps of the tribesmen quickened again.

When they saw the village, the people of the village also saw them and greeted them from afar.

Yu Qian'er was followed by two little wolf cubs, accompanying her by her left and right, walking on her short legs to follow the steps of the hostess to welcome these new families.

She ran to the back of Chen Jian, and reached out to hold the wicker basket behind Chen Jian's back, but she didn't know that the power that was originally scattered on her back was all pressed on her brother's shoulders, but it was even heavier.

Jian Chen just took a deep breath, straightened his body hard, and didn't tell his sister the truth that he was more tired now.

"Brother, brother, is there a new family here? We've heated the kang and we're waiting for you to come back. There was hot water in the clay pot, and salt was added to it, but I accidentally added too much and it was a little salty. ”

She held the bottom of the wicker basket hard, and said in a kaka-kah, "Also, last night a tanuki came to catch the birds, and was driven away by the little wolves, and I chased it for a long time, and stepped on its tail, and it still wanted to bite me." ”

These were trivial things, but the people next to them listened with relish and asked about the size of the tanuki.

"Brother, my aunts and I hoeed off the grass in the yard, and carried back the stones in wicker baskets, and covered them with sand from the river, which was soft to step on, as if stepping on the grass. Well...... By the way, last night I caught fish in a wicker basket, and there was a red one, but it was beautiful, and I put it in the pond. In the morning I saw it swimming in the water, and you can go and see it later, and it still has a beard. ”

The old grandmother walked to Yu Qian'er's side, reached out and pulled Yu Qian'er's braid to pull her aside, and did not tell her the truth that her brother was more tired, and asked her something else, which made the card Gege's voice stop.

Chen Jian pointed to the row of houses in front of him and said to the new people, "That's our home." Let's go, go see our home, put the basket here. ”

The men couldn't wait, put down the wicker basket, and the rabbit rushed to the front of the house, looking up.

Stand on the edge of the pond and watch the lotus leaf tips and fish in the water emerge from the water.

The little daughter of the stone took her mother's hand and pulled her mother to look at the string of porcelain wind chimes on the roof.

Under the thatched cover of the wind chimes, two dark swallows are pecking at their new home with dirt.

"Mother, look, the birds are nesting."

The stone raised his head, looked curiously at the string of broken enamel pottery shards that shone with sunlight, felt a little dizzy, and covered his eyes with his hand, only then did he see the two black swallows clearly.

So he picked up his daughter, pointed to the two swallows, and said, "Yes, we are going to build our own nest too." ”

"Is it the same as these houses? Is there even that jingle thing? ”

Shi was stunned for a moment, and looked back at Jian Chen, she didn't know why the thing made a clanging sound with the wind.

Chen Jian walked to the side, picked up the little girl and said, "Yes, that jingling thing, there will be it, just like these houses." ”