RPS – Chapter 13 Preparing Food for the Winter Starts Now

Ever since the wooden fence gate was installed, even though it was a bit heavy and troublesome to open and close every day, it was still manageable since they only needed to open it twice a day. The rest of the time, they could just leave it open.

After Nuo spread the word about it, more and more families in the tribe started installing their own gates. Some crafty individuals even decorated theirs or replaced the bulky wood with lighter materials.

Right now, Li Feng had become quite the popular figure. Though he was only introducing small inventions, they were all closely tied to daily life and extremely useful. In the past, Feng preferred to stay in his cave doing trivial tasks. Most people in the tribe barely ever saw him, let alone spoke to him. Naturally shy and reserved, Feng wasn’t someone who would strike up conversations.

But now things had changed. Since he created underwear, introduced salt, wove baskets, and invented the fence gate, people in the tribe often came to learn from him. Though Li Feng wasn’t someone who liked talking either—perhaps a habit from being a small-time magazine reporter in his past life—when someone actually did strike up a conversation, he could talk nonstop. Basically, the atmosphere never got awkward when he was around.

Nuo came by every day and loved to play with the chubby baby, often waking the sleeping child and then running off, leaving the mess behind. The forcibly woken baby would cry nonstop until Li Feng managed to rock him back to sleep, making Li Feng both helpless and heartbroken.

Seeing the baby’s red, tear-streaked face and sweaty head always pained Li Feng. He scolded Nuo several times, and though Nuo promised each time to stop, he always forgot soon after. Li Feng felt helpless. Li didn’t say much either—he could only glare at Nuo before dragging Bu into a behind-the-scenes “duel” of sorts.

After a few such scuffles, Bu never told Nuo the reason, but Nuo, sharp as ever, asked anyway. After all, the bruises were like badges of honor. Feeling guilty, Nuo held back a little, though he still glared daggers at Li whenever he saw him.

They all knew those fights were just for venting and not real brawls to the death, but it was still uncomfortable. However, after being comforted by Li Feng, Nuo instantly perked up. Bu was fighting for him—did this mean Bu liked him too?

Li Feng took some sweet potato vines he’d previously dug up and planted them around the cave to see if they’d grow. Although it was a bit late in the season, even a small yield would help. It could be something to eat in the winter.

Winters here were harsh, with little to no food available. Prey became scarce, fruits wouldn’t last through the cold months, and wild vegetables were practically nonexistent. There were no grains or legumes either. Every year, people died of hunger or cold. Without enough food to keep warm, not even fire could replace the energy needed to survive.

That’s why Li Feng was desperate to head back into the mountains and search for more food. He had to find something to get through the winter—for himself, the baby, and the rest of the tribe. Otherwise, the baby, being so young, might not survive the harsh winter.

He’d once thought about sneaking into the mountains on his own, but neither Nuo nor Li allowed it. They watched him closely. He tried to leave when Li was out hunting, but Nuo, coming to visit, caught him. Since then, Nuo came by every day. Though Nuo still had to hunt, he was young, and Li didn’t feel safe leaving Li Feng alone with his tendency to sneak off. So he asked Nuo to look after him. At this point, Nuo was practically part of their household anyway—mooching food daily but also bringing some with him.

There were still a lot of wild vegetables around. Li Feng couldn’t go out, but he had already scoured the entire area around the tribe. He harvested all the edible wild greens and turned them into pickles.

He also taught the tribe how to do this so the food could be eaten in both summer and winter. Though not a main food source, it added variety. The meat they couldn’t finish after a hunt was preserved into pickled or smoked meat, which would last until winter without spoiling.

During a few hunting trips when they divided up the meat, Li Feng noticed how much was wasted. The internal organs were all thrown away.

But organs and blood from herbivores were edible. Li Feng collected them and cleaned them thoroughly. It was a bit troublesome, but the results were still edible. Without seasoning, though, the taste was always a bit off. Li Feng figured he had been spoiled by delicious food in his past life and had become picky in this one. Even with salt and boiling water, without proper spices, the meat dishes tasted off to him.

However, others didn’t think so. They found it delicious and were surprised to learn those parts were edible. What a waste they’d made in the past…

Li Feng processed a lot of intestines to make sausages, but making sausages required both fatty and lean meat, which felt too wasteful, so he decided to wait until they had an abundant hunt.

Now, what he looked forward to most was the next fruit-gathering trip. The women in the tribe felt the same. Ever since they started using baskets and woven containers, gathering things had become far easier than using animal-skin bags. Animal hides were rare—how could they waste them on bags? The prey they caught was minimal, and after dividing it, there was barely anything left. They were even worried about not having enough for clothing.

But baskets were different! The area had plenty of hibiscus branches and other soft vines that were easy to weave. Baskets were much more practical.

Now, they carried baskets everywhere—whether picking fruit or gathering stones, it was way more convenient than using animal hides!

The tribe used many stone tools, so they often searched the nearby mountains for suitable rocks. But they didn’t dare go too far—wild beasts were everywhere, and without men, few women would return alive.

Li Feng knew it was dangerous too. He was just too anxious. Stuck at home with nothing to do, he was frustrated watching all the resources go unused. How could he not be? The baby had nothing to eat—only a bit of fruit juice each day. Even bone broth couldn’t be given too much. He had to find something—some grains or whatever—just a little, enough for the baby. He and the others could go without…