Chapter 210: Old age has set in, but let's reminisce about our youthful extravagance.
Covered in a thick layer of fur, Han Cheng was awakened by the cold in the middle of the night. He considered lighting the heated bed or adding another fur, but the sleepiness and chill prevailed. Curled up in bed, he wrestled with his thoughts.
After struggling for a while, he couldn't longer resist the cold. Gritting his teeth, he emerged from the covers, grabbed some crude clothes, quickly put them on, and then groped his way to the window. He lifted the piece of animal skin, serving as a curtain, letting in a faint light that brightened the room compared to before.
Using this light, Han Cheng fumbled to retrieve a hand-cranked drill and some tinder he had made earlier. After a while, he managed to start a fire. Then he stoked the fire, grabbed some dry wood piled in the corner, and began to burn the heated bed. He squatted by the heated bed's edge, warming himself by the firelight.
Under his breath, he cursed the cursed weather.
It wasn't so cold when he went to bed last night. Why was the temperature dropping so drastically now?
Even Fu Jiang emerged from his doghouse, crouching beside the heated bed, propping himself up with his front legs, and watching the firelight with Han Cheng.
After burning for a while, Han Cheng felt the warmth with his hand. It was comforting.
He added more kindling to the fire, piled it up, and used a few clay pieces to block the fire pit, leaving only a small hole. He wanted to reduce air circulation and prolong the burning time of the fire. He didn't want to wake up in the middle of the night because the heated bed had cooled down or be kept awake by the blazing fire under the heated bed.
Lying in bed, with the warm heated bed underneath, the entire bed was warm. Han Cheng felt so comfortable that he wanted to roll over and sing praises to the wisdom of his ancestors.
When the heated bed was warm, it was easy to feel drowsy. Han Cheng yawned widely, adjusted his position, and prepared to sleep peacefully. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he suddenly remembered the shaman left alone in the cave.
On such a cold night, even he was awakened by the cold. How could an older person like him endure it?
Thinking of this, Han Cheng lost all desire to sleep. He hurriedly got out of bed, put on his fur clothes, draped a sheepskin cloak outside, grabbed an "oil lamp" from a nearby earthen platform, opened the mouth of the earthen heated bed, took out a small twig that was already burning, lit the oil lamp, blocked the mouth of the earthen heated bed again, and then carried the oil lamp to the outer room and opened the door to walk out of the house.
As soon as he stepped out of the house, he was surrounded by cold air. Han Cheng shivered, clutching his neck with one hand to protect the flame lest the oil lamp, which was already small, be blown out by the wind.
Third Senior Brother, wrapped in fur on the low wall on the west side, casually turned his head and saw this scene. He was a little surprised. Due to the distance and the darkness, he only saw some firelight and a silhouette and couldn't recognize that it was Han Cheng.
"Who's there?" Third Senior Brother asked, gripping his spear with gloved hands.
Fu Jiang also followed with a whimper.
Hearing Han Cheng's voice, the Third Senior Brother stopped questioning. He found it strange that the Divine Child was not sleeping in the middle of the night, carrying a lamp and running to the cave.
Han Cheng walked into the cave with the lamp. The cave was particularly dim because people had moved out, and only the inner cave where the shaman lived was covered with animal skins.
The cave, which used to be somewhat warmer, was as cold as the outside.
The cave was cool to live in during the summer but truly torturous in the winter. Han Cheng was determined to make the shaman move out of there!
As Han Cheng walked, he thought to himself.
Before he reached the entrance to the inner cave, Han Cheng suddenly stopped, listening intently.
In the quiet night, intermittent moans could be heard, and the sound source was the inner cave where the shaman lived alone.
After listening for a while, Han Cheng's expression suddenly became strange.
Was the shaman reliving his youth in this long night, entertaining himself to pass the sleepless night, or was there a female primitive person from the tribe
Thinking like this, Han Cheng's expression became even stranger, and then he gave a look of sudden realization.
No wonder he insisted on not moving out of the inner cave into the new house. The real reason was here.
Han Cheng smiled like a fox who had stolen a chicken.
I didn't expect, I didn't expect, the shaman had such a side!
Han Cheng was full of gossip. After thinking for a while, he put down the oil lamp in his hand and quietly walked towards the inner cave, wanting to hear more clearly.
As he got closer, the sound indeed became much clearer. After listening for a while, Han Cheng was already sure that only the shaman was in the inner cave.
However
He became puzzled. Shouldn't this be a happy thing? Why did the shaman's voice sound somewhat painful?
Could it be that he misunderstood?
Han Cheng walked into the cave with the lamp. The cave was particularly dim because people had moved out, and only the inner cave where the shaman lived was covered with animal skins.
The cave, which used to be somewhat warmer, was as cold as the outside.
The cave was cool to live in during the summer but truly torturous in the winter. Han Cheng was determined to make the shaman move out of there!
As Han Cheng walked, he thought to himself.
Before he reached the entrance to the inner cave, Han Cheng suddenly stopped, listening intently.
In the quiet night, intermittent moans could be heard, and the sound source was the inner cave where the shaman lived alone.
After listening for a while, Han Cheng's expression suddenly became strange.
Was the shaman reliving his youth in this long night, entertaining himself to pass the sleepless night, or was there a female primitive person from the tribe
Thinking like this, Han Cheng's expression became even stranger, and then he gave a look of sudden realization.
No wonder he insisted on not moving out of the inner cave into the new house. The real reason was here.
Han Cheng smiled like a fox who had stolen a chicken.
I didn't expect, I didn't expect, the shaman had such a side!
Han Cheng was full of gossip. After thinking for a while, he put down the oil lamp in his hand and quietly walked towards the inner cave, wanting to hear more clearly.
As he got closer, the sound indeed became much clearer. After listening for a while, Han Cheng was already sure that only the shaman was in the inner cave.
However
He became puzzled. Shouldn't this be a happy thing? Why did the shaman's voice sound somewhat painful?
Could it be that he misunderstood?
He thought like this, wanting to push open the wooden planks directly. However, he was afraid that the shaman was doing something inappropriate, and if he scared him and caused him to lose his happiness, it would be a big mistake.
After thinking for a while, he retreated, picked up the oil lamp from the ground, pretended to cough a few times as if his throat was uncomfortable, waited for a while, and then walked towards the inner cave.
When walking, he deliberately stepped heavily and walked slowly.
When he arrived at the entrance of the inner cave and listened, the moaning was still there, making Han Cheng's heart sink, feeling that something was wrong.
He hurriedly called out, "Shaman?"
Then, he used one hand to push the wooden planks.
"Divine Child?"
The moaning, which seemed painful, stopped momentarily, and the shaman's trembling voice came out.
The voice stopped, and then couldn't help but moan again.
By this time, Han Cheng had entered the inner cave. The bean-sized lamp dispersed the darkness in the cave, revealing the headdress, bone staff, and numerous clay tablets placed there, and the shaman curled up on the bed under the fur.
The shaman's face was pale, with sweat and a look of pain.
He saw Han Cheng come in and tried to sit up, but he couldn't get up because of the intense pain.
Seeing the shaman like this, Han Cheng couldn't help but be shocked, wondering how a fine person could suddenly become like this.
He put the oil lamp aside and hurriedly asked the shaman what was happening.
The shaman curled up in pain and said, "Leg"
Han Cheng lifted the fur covering the shaman's body and saw his hands tightly holding onto his left leg.
His left leg was curled up, his toes unnaturally spread, and there was a swollen lump on the calf!