Chapter 12

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By a stroke of luck amid misfortune, the younglings were excellent at keeping secrets—none of them leaked any information. However, just because the younglings remained silent didn’t mean the secret could be hidden forever.

Many adult feathered tribe members of the Hundred Feathers Tribe noticed something peculiar: their young ones had been acting strangely lately. In the past, when they returned to the tribe, the younglings would emerge from all sorts of odd places—up the mountain, down the slopes, inside the forest… Before the younglings appeared, no one could tell where they had been playing.

But in recent days, the younglings always came from the same place. If it were just one, it might be dismissed, but it was a whole group emerging daily from the same direction, which aroused curiosity.

This pattern persisted for several days, and the feathered tribe’s curiosity grew rapidly.

Unaware that his secret base was about to be exposed, Bai Shuo had been busy recently. Besides tending to the transplanted and grafted seedlings, he spent the rest of his time observing other plants within the tribe, memorizing anything that might be useful. Over several days, he had indeed discovered quite a few.

Since it was the growing season and there were no herbivores around, the area near the tribe resembled a small botanical garden, rich in plant species—fruits, vegetables, seasonings, herbs… Though quantities were small, the variety was abundant, and many could be put to use. However, many plants were already mature and unsuitable for transplantation; they would have to wait until seed collection.

Bai Shuo carried lengths of hemp rope. Whenever he found a useful plant, he would mark it by tying the rope around the plant or a nearby tree, so other younglings would know not to disturb it. Later, when the plants matured, the younglings would notify him. With so many plants, it was easy to overlook some, but with the help of the ever-roaming younglings, the workload was much lighter.

After a day full of fruitful discoveries, Bai Shuo returned to the tribe in high spirits.

Yet, just as he reached the foot of the mountain, he saw a crowd gathered in a corner of the area that no one usually visited.

That spot was where he had transplanted the red berry seedlings.

Bai Shuo froze in place.

The feathered tribe members surrounding the red berry seedlings were equally stunned.

The picking team had returned earlier than usual and were discussing the younglings’ recent odd behavior during their journey. Growing more suspicious and worried, they decided to find out what the younglings were up to.

Instead of calling out to the younglings as usual, they quietly approached the area from which the younglings had been emerging these past few days.

Then, they all stood frozen.

A group of feathered tribe members rubbed their eyes in disbelief. What had they seen?

A whole stretch of red berry seedlings! An entire patch!

Most feathered tribe members knew how much food a single red berry plant could yield. Normally, when they encountered red berry seedlings, they would remember the location and return after the growing season to dig them up. Yet, despite searching all over the tribe’s territory, there were never many to be found. And now, in front of them was a small patch containing more than a dozen mature red berry seedlings, with dozens of smaller ones beside them.

Such a concentration of red berry seedlings together made them doubt their own eyes.

“I must be dreaming. I’m definitely dreaming,” one feathered tribe member muttered. “I dreamed of a whole patch of red berry seedlings.”

Before the words had fully fallen, another nearby feathered tribe member echoed, “It’s not a dream. I saw it too.” She could scarcely have imagined such a sight even in her dreams.

Others shared the same astonishment; they had never before seen so many red berry seedlings growing together.

Only Bai Yun’s reaction differed. She was searching for her own youngling.

Upon seeing the seedlings, Bai Yun immediately thought of her youngling, who had been unusually busy in recent days. She was convinced Bai Shuo had been involved.

Yet, while there were many younglings nearby, Bai Shuo was nowhere to be found. Bai Yun grabbed Bai Le, who was about to disappear into the group, and asked, “Where’s your brother?”

Bai Le shook his head vigorously. “I don’t know! I don’t know anything!”

Bai Yun was speechless.

Bai Shuo, just arriving, was also speechless.

Bai Le’s acting was poor; it was obvious something was amiss. Bai Shuo called out, “Amu.”

Seeing him return, Bai Yun released Bai Le and, with two younglings, moved to another corner. Only Bai Yun, Bai Shuo, and the reluctant Bai Le could hear what was said.

“Did you bring these here to plant?” Bai Yun’s voice was low.

She knew her younglings had planted several types of weeds recently and had thought it was just playful mischief, like raising little chirping birds—a form of harmless fun. Younglings liked to tinker; many in the tribe loved to roam or burrow. Compared to them, her younglings were relatively easy to manage—just fond of planting things.

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What Bai Yun had never expected was that red berry plants had been grown too. As a member of the picking team, she knew exactly what that meant.

Bai Shuo nodded, then shook his head. “A few days ago, when digging up onions, I saw these and wanted to transplant them down the mountain. My brother and Wu Yan said red berry seedlings shouldn’t be dug up recklessly. I was afraid Amu would be angry, so I planted the cut branches nearby instead.”

His words were half true, half false. When transplanting plants, he often broke off some branches to reduce water loss; the only difference was that this time, he planted the red berry cuttings.

In truth, Bai Shuo hadn’t expected to keep the secret forever. The part he had grafted a few days ago hadn’t rooted yet, so he hadn’t told the adults to avoid trouble. Now that the seedlings had taken root, he had no such worries. If they had just been digging up food recklessly, they would have been scolded. But since the younglings had unknowingly transplanted the plants and the seedlings were thriving without harming the tribe, no one blamed them—especially since there were now so many seedlings.

Bai Shuo looked at Amu’s expression and saw she was not angry. He quickly seized the opportunity: “Amu, I can tell everyone how I planted them, but I must get a share for myself, and some meat too.”

In recent days, Bai Shuo had keenly felt what it meant to be a half-grown brat out-eating his elders. The younglings playing with him were aged five to eight; including his three brothers and Wu Yan, there were sixteen younglings in total. The snacks for so many younglings were a significant expense. The few pieces of meat they initially traded for had long been used up, and with the tribe having learned to cook with oil and cure meat, processed goods were no longer necessary.

A clever housewife is helpless without rice. Without income, no matter how much Bai Shuo knew, he couldn’t produce food. His other assets, like the little chirping birds and wheat seedlings, couldn’t be eaten for at least three months. Although mature wheat was edible, it was still seed stock, and Bai Shuo wasn’t willing to squander it.

Though there were temporarily no snacks, the younglings followed his instructions. But he couldn’t keep promising rewards forever. Now that they had a planting method that could exchange for food, it would encourage the hardworking younglings.

Before Bai Yun could fully process this, she heard the last sentence and felt conflicted but said nothing, promising to discuss it with Chief Hua Yong.

That night, Bai Shuo received ten pieces of meat.

To prevent the meat from spoiling, Bai Shuo and Hua Yong agreed he would receive two pieces daily for five days, so snacks for the coming days were assured.

What pleased Bai Shuo more was that he taught others in the tribe how to cultivate red berries, receiving a tenth of the final harvest for himself and another tenth for the helping younglings. The previously grafted seedlings were also his. Hearing he wished to plant a ring of crops in the clearing, Hua Yong directly granted him the entire stretch of grassland from the clearing to the forest—land that was otherwise unused.

Except for the caves, all other land was communal property of the tribe. With Hua Yong’s words, Bai Shuo could freely plan this area. The younglings were thrilled too, as they now had a stable food income. While tribe food was shared, priority was given to hunting and picking teams, with younglings and elders receiving lower priority—quite different from this preferential allocation.

Bai Shuo first led everyone to make enlarged hoes. The previous ones were small with short handles—perfect for younglings but tiring for adult feathered tribe members. To dig up the red berry seedlings outside, proper tools were needed.

The method was the same as before, just larger. The tribe’s stone knives were unsuitable—short and narrow like daggers—so new materials were needed for the hoes.

Thus, Bai Shuo witnessed the entire stone tool-making process among the feathered tribe, which could be summed up in six words: simple, crude, efficient, albeit somewhat stone-consuming.

The raw materials came from a mountain a few hundred meters away. Unlike the mountain they lived on, this one had loose, blocky stones that could be lifted with strength.

A group of feathered tribe members flew into the air carrying large stones, stopping at suitable spots before releasing their grip.

“Bang—”

The sound of stones colliding echoed far. Others followed, dropping their stones.

Once all stones were dropped, they folded their wings and dove down to collect the shattered pieces. Soon, Bai Shuo was surrounded by stones and flakes of various shapes and sizes.

Bai Shuo was amazed by their efficiency. No wonder after using up his family’s three stone knives, Bai Xun brought back several more the next day.

He picked suitable stones for knives and hoes from the pile, along with some that could be crafted into stone axes. Some required polishing, which was no trouble for the feathered tribe—they brought the stones to the riverbank and began grinding on a large stone.

The grinding stone was unlike others nearby, probably brought from elsewhere. Feathered tribe members had great strength; a stone tool could be polished smooth in no time.

Bai Shuo first made a stone axe and handed it to Bai Xun to cut branches.

The younglings gathered fallen branches—either blown down by wind or broken off to avoid hindering flight. Most were too small for adult use, and even those with forks weren’t the kind Bai Shuo needed. Rather than rummaging through firewood piles, it was easier to cut fresh branches.

Stone axes were convenient; freshly cut branches had neat cross-sections. However, excessive force could cause the axe to jam or chip, requiring a new tool after a few cuts.

With branches and stones ready, Bai Shuo demonstrated hoe use. After a day, the hoe would loosen and need re-binding—a nightly task for him, Bai Su, and Wu Yan.

The feathered tribe’s learning ability was strong. After watching several demonstrations, they began imitating the binding. With many hands, seven hoes were made overnight, stopping only because of rope shortage.

Bai Shuo also produced hemp stalks and reminded the picking team to bring them back—they were raw materials for making hemp rope.

Bai Yun agreed, and the next day, the picking team returned with numerous red berry seedlings and hemp stalks.

Bai Shuo noticed more red berry seedlings near the tribe than elsewhere, and they were healthier. Since the picking team only brought back about twenty seedlings daily, some had even been nibbled by animals.

Seeing Bai Shuo stare at the bare seedlings, Bai Yun explained, “That’s from the grunting beasts.”

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The picking team’s foraging grounds were also home to prey animals. These creatures didn’t just eat weeds; they liked leafy vegetables and fruits too. Sometimes, to reach fruit on trees, they would break branches. This explained why, despite guarding a large area, the feathered tribe often lacked sufficient food—not only did they consume it, but so did the animals, some of which damaged immature plants and seedlings.

Bai Shuo said, “It’s okay. These will survive too.” Red berries were hardy. In the wild, they didn’t overrun because of competition from other weeds, tree shade, and occasional nibbling by beasts. Only a small fraction survived. But cultivating a single species on cleared land was different—just look at the wheat field that turned lush green in just a few days.

The red berry seedlings brought back by the picking team and those dug up by the younglings during the day were all transplanted or propagated by cutting side branches, following Bai Shuo’s recent method.

For easy care, they were planted within Bai Shuo’s newly designated area, just dozens of meters from the clearing at the mountain’s base. The patch was visible from the mountain. If prey animals appeared, they could be hunted promptly. However, prey rarely ventured near the feathered tribe’s dwelling; they were too clever to present themselves willingly.

After finishing planting, Bai Shuo led everyone to twist and braid hemp rope—a task requiring great patience but perfect for feathered tribe members with little to do after meals.

Hemp rope could be used not only for making tools but also for bundling items, replacing animal skin ropes. The tribe’s animal skins were obtained through trade and expensive, so they conserved them. Every scrap was used, and animal skin ropes were scarce. Having hemp rope made life much easier.

Bai Su and Wu Yan had helped Bai Shuo make hemp rope before; even Bai Le had lent a hand. This work didn’t require Bai Shuo’s constant guidance; two older younglings explained the process to others.

Rubbing his hands, Bai Shuo pondered another matter.

The picking team usually only gathered leafy vegetables and fruits, carried in animal skin pouches. But now, with more types of items—including wheat, hemp stalks, and red berry seedlings—transporting them had become troublesome. Today’s leafy vegetable haul was smaller than usual—not because they hadn’t picked enough, but because there was no room to carry more.

The so-called animal skin pouch was more like a bundle—a piece or several pieces of animal skin tied together, lifted by its corners and carried on the back. It worked for fruits and vegetables but was inconvenient for fragile red berry seedlings, which couldn’t be compressed.

When the picking team returned, Bai Shuo happened to be at the tribe and saw everyone from his mother to the most agile sub-adult feathered tribe members walking as if carrying landmines, cautious with every move.

Clearly, using animal skin pouches was no longer feasible. Bai Shuo decided to make backpacks. With backpacks, not only the picking team but all younglings could carry things more easily.

Many plants could be used for backpacks, but Bai Shuo first thought of the willow trees by the river. There were so many willows, with drooping branches even he could reach. It was impossible to ignore such a plentiful resource.

Not wanting to waste such good material, Bai Shuo called out to Bai Xun, who was growing impatient among the crowd.

Just as Bai Xun broke a not-yet-finished hemp rope and was about to secretly toss it behind him, he heard Bai Shuo’s voice, startling him. He thought his little trick had been discovered, but soon heard the next words.

“Come with me to cut branches?” Bai Shuo asked. Climbing trees was already difficult for him, let alone cutting branches. Bai Xun, big and strong, was perfect for the job.

Bai Xun immediately dropped the hemp rope and stood up. “Let’s go. Let’s go.” Finally, no more rope twisting; cutting branches was preferable.

A short while later, at the riverbank, Bai Xun looked at the axe in his hand, then up at the tree. “Cut these?”

“Yes,” Bai Shuo nodded. “Willow branches. The more, the better.”

Bai Xun replied, “No need to cut this.” Then he dropped the axe, shifted into his feathered form, flew up the tree, and used his claws to slice branches, which fell in large swathes.

Bai Shuo envied him; those claws were incredibly useful. Unfortunately, after transforming into feathered form, Bai Shuo’s claws weren’t as large as others’, so he had no idea how long it would take him to cut willow branches that way.

Father and son soon returned with a pile of willow branches. By firelight, they stripped off the leaves, sorted the branches by thickness—rejecting those too thin or too short.

They selected eight branches of uniform thickness and suitable length, paired them in fours to form an “X” shape as the base, with Bai Le holding them down. Then they took a new branch, tied it at the center where the branches crossed, and began wrapping around it, securing the ends before starting the next. After creating a circular base about twenty centimeters in diameter, they bent the eight base branches upward and began weaving the sides.

Freshly cut willow branches were tough and flexible. With strong Bai Le’s help, Bai Shuo found the weaving effortless. After finishing, they closed the top, added shoulder straps from animal skin, and by the end of the night had crafted a miniature backpack. As a prototype, it was small—about twenty centimeters in diameter and slightly taller. Too small for others, but just right for Bai Le.

Though some areas were not tightly woven, it was undoubtedly a tool never before seen in the tribe. Bai Shuo placed several fist-sized stones inside. Bai Le easily carried it, happily bouncing around to show the other younglings.

Seeing Bai Le hop around without dropping a stone, Bai Shuo knew the backpack had good load-bearing capacity and decided to make more the next day.

Stretching and moving his limbs, Bai Shuo bent down to collect unused branches for disposal. Looking at the scattered willow twigs on the ground, he suddenly recalled something.

He vaguely remembered that willow bark and branches contained salicylic acid.

Salicylic acid was known to promote root growth, accelerate root development, and speed up plant growth.

Willow branch infusions were even called “natural rooting water.”