Chapter 444: Green Tribe leader constantly probing the edge of death
The weather was getting colder. When Han Cheng woke up in the morning, the sky outside was dark and overcast, with heavy clouds that looked like they were about to bring snow.
After having two bowls of thick, golden millet porridge, Han Cheng felt the chill in the air and decided to wrap himself up in his clothes and head back inside to continue sleeping on the warm kang.
However, Bai Xue wasn't willing to stay idle. After breakfast, she went to the "machine room" to continue weaving, accompanied by three other women from the tribe.
Initially, the elderly Fire One and Fire Two also wanted to join, but because the sky was so gloomy and the light in the room was poor, their eyesight wasn't good enough for weaving, so they didn't go.
Instead, they sat by the edge of the heated bed, which was heated by a fire, and began spinning hemp into thread using spindles, providing the raw materials for Bai Xue and the others' weaving.
Seeing that Bai Xue had left, Han Cheng quietly climbed from the bed, went to a corner of the room, and opened a sealed jar. He scooped out a bowl of something from it, gritted his teeth, and quickly downed it in one gulp. He held his breath for a while, and only after his tightly knit brows relaxed did he feel better.
After sealing the jar again, Han Cheng climbed back onto the kang.
What Han Cheng had just drunk was wine.
It was a fruit wine he had accidentally made. The alcohol content wasn't exceptionally high, but the reason for his reaction, as if he had just drunk strong liquor, was that the wine had been mixed with something—tiger penis!
As for why he had to wait until Bai Xue left to drink it secretly, there was a reason.
It wasn't that Bai Xue prohibited him from drinking alcohol, but whenever she saw Han Cheng drinking this tiger penis wine, she would become so aroused that she could barely stand still.
After several such incidents, Han Cheng had no choice but to drink the tiger penis wine in secret, like a thief.
He had to be sneaky because he was drinking it to replenish his strength, but each time, it ended up being more draining than beneficial, which was frustrating.
With the sudden drop in temperature, the people of the Green Sparrow Tribe stopped going outside the courtyard.
They had already stored enough food for the winter. Even if they had no other supplies, the stored grain would be enough for everyone.
No major construction projects needed to be done during the winter, so as the weather got colder, the tribe members rarely left the courtyard.
And it wasn’t just them. Most tribes in such weather would stay inside their caves, not venturing out to hunt or gather food.
I use the term "generally" because there are always exceptions to the norm.
Take, for example, the Green Tribe.
After being without salt for ten days and after much internal struggle, the Green Tribe's chief finally couldn't hold out any longer and made the decision he now regretted—taking some of the food collected in autumn and a small amount of newly stored furs, he went to the Green Sparrow Tribe to trade for salt during the best days for storing food.
At that time, he thought that it wasn’t sure the snow would come so early this year.
He believed that by trading some of the food he had gathered for salt, he could hurry back, continue gathering food, and still make it through the winter without much trouble...
But that kind of wishful thinking is always dangerous.
Often, even when you know something shouldn't be done, doing it can lead to severe consequences.
Yet many still test the limits, flirting with disaster.
The root of it is wishful thinking.
Most people believe that they are different from others, that they are a bit luckier than others.
The same thing that others failed at, they think will work out differently for them...
But the truth is, it's just an illusion.
Take, for example, the Green Tribe's chief, who was out in the cold, head down, leading his people in search of food, now caught in deep regret as the snow began to fall.
Snow eventually came down, starting with white snow pellets, then delicate snowflakes, and later a heavy snowfall.
At that moment, Han Cheng, who was drinking tiger whip wine, was doing push-ups on the heated brick bed.
Hearing the joyful shouts outside as the snow began to fall, he jumped out of bed without worrying about the cold and rushed to the door without even putting on his shoes, eager to see the falling snowflakes.
At the same time, the Green Tribe’s chief, still out searching for prey and fruits, cursed as he watched the snow begin to fall.
But no amount of cursing could fight the forces of nature.
After continuing to search for a while longer in the wild and seeing the snowflakes falling thicker, he finally ordered his people to return with their meager harvest.
As they headed back far away, the second chief of the Flying Snake Tribe stood at the entrance of a cave, watching the snow fall, looking eager to go out...