RPS – Chapter 44 The Effect of Cracks

There’s only one way to put an end to rumors — and that’s to suppress them with another narrative or event.

Li Feng understood this now. Ever since Mi and the others came to learn how to weave straw hats, the praise directed at Li Feng had also started to spread. While the compliments weren’t grand, people are like that — as long as someone mentions something good about a person, others will start to think and talk about it too. There are always those who lack their own judgment and just follow the crowd, echoing whatever they hear. Gossip and rumors thrive among such people.

Unfortunately, these types of people exist everywhere. They’re tools waiting to be used — once a small bit of gossip starts, they’ll ‘amplify’ it with their mouths. This time was no exception. The various techniques and benefits Li Feng had brought were not unused, not unappreciated, and definitely not without personal gain. Once someone brought them up, it naturally reminded others: the homes they lived in now were thanks to Li Feng. Otherwise, they’d still be living in damp, cold caves. Compared to that, these houses were a massive improvement.

While the rumors couldn’t be dispelled instantly by the words of a few, people were beginning to change their negative views of Li Feng bit by bit.

Li Feng had never liked going out much, and since the rumors started, he stayed in even more. His courtyard was large and full of things to do. He didn’t need to go out every day — staying home was more than enough to fill his time meaningfully.

With every autumn rain, the weather cooled a little more. After the latest rainfall, there was hardly any lingering heat in the air. Li Feng had planned to water the newly opened plot of land and sow wheat, but heaven helped him out and took care of the watering.

He and Nuo turned the soil over again, mixing in all the fertilizer. After a day of cloudy drying, the ground was no longer sticky. It was the perfect time to sow wheat seeds. Despite the ongoing rumors, nothing could stop his plan to plant crops — this was about future survival and food supply. It was non-negotiable. Although the seeds were limited, it was better than having none. After this experience, he had no intention of asking anyone to trade seeds again. He didn’t even know how much yield a single mu (about 1/6 acre) could produce. Before, he was so happy to find wheat that he evaluated things through a modern lens, assuming a mu of land could feed a family. But now, he suddenly remembered — this was primitive society. Forget the environmental conditions; just the lack of proper tools and fertilizers was already a major issue, especially the seeds, which were the biggest problem.

The wheat seeds were wild — smaller grains and longer awns. He had no idea what kind of yield they would produce. All he could do was rely on luck and his own cultivation techniques, hoping nature would be kind and grant them a good harvest.

“Nuo, should we tell the chief and the others how to plant wheat this time?” Li Feng looked at the freshly sown seeds, feeling a bit hesitant. Initially, he’d wanted to experiment first and then share it with the chief. But now that they already knew wheat could be planted and had sown their seeds, if they delayed planting any further, it might be too late. Farming isn’t like other tasks — delay it by even a day, and the yield will be affected.

Nuo didn’t fully understand all of this, but he knew the chief had deliberately allowed the rumors to spread throughout the tribe, making their situation awkward. They wanted to speak up, but feared it might bring more gossip or trouble. Yet if they stayed silent and the others planted late and yielded nothing, wouldn’t they be blamed again? It really was a dilemma. “I… I’m not sure either. No matter what we do, we’re stuck in a bad position. Why don’t we wait until Li and the others come back and talk it over? If we decide to tell them, let Li do the talking.” Nuo suggested this because Li went out hunting with the tribespeople every day, so it might be easier for him to communicate. If they tried to explain, it would just feel too awkward.

Li Feng agreed. Now that everything was already out in the open and people knew wheat could be planted — even if they didn’t know how to eat it yet — he would’ve been willing to teach them the methods if they’d been willing. But things had gotten so tense, how was he supposed to bring it up? Was he supposed to go door to door explaining it? Or go to the chief first? He didn’t feel capable of that — not with the tension still lingering and the rumors continuing. Either way, Li Feng had no desire to go. If anyone went, it would be Li.

Truthfully, Li Feng still wanted to teach them. After all, the wheat seeds would just go to waste if only eaten like that. Who knew how far they’d have to go to find more next time? If they planted now, they might be able to harvest more next year. Since he hadn’t been able to trade for more, they might as well grow it themselves.

The issue was, in this primitive society, everything had to be reported to the chief. The land by their home was already known by the chief, and it was fine to grow a few small things there. After all, others wouldn’t know what exactly was being planted. But now that the wheat incident had blown up, if anyone else wanted to plant wheat, they’d likely have to ask the chief for permission — and who knew if the seeds would end up being redistributed?

After all, when the people from Ka’s tribe came here, the chief had already redistributed a lot of supplies to them. Although they were temporarily staying in other people’s homes, the chief still shared things with them. So these wheat seeds would likely be divided up too.

If that happened, and everyone only got a little, it wouldn’t be enough to grow meaningfully. A tiny patch for each person would be a waste — too few plants meant they wouldn’t pollinate properly. Wheat mostly self-pollinates, being monoecious (both male and female on the same plant), but if there aren’t enough plants, there won’t be enough pollen, and pollination will be uneven. Naturally, this would result in poor yields.

“Do you think the chief actually wants to collect all the wheat and plant it together?” Nuo asked, as they finished sowing the seeds and sat in the courtyard. The vines on the fence were starting to wither — autumn had truly arrived.

“I don’t know. Maybe.” Li Feng answered distractedly, as he bathed Mo and the baby, who were covered in mud from playing. The sun was still warm outside, so Li Feng took the chance to heat up some water for their bath. It got too cold at night, and he was worried they’d catch a cold if they weren’t washed properly.

Nuo had originally intended to bathe Mo, but Li Feng handed him the baby to hold and started washing Mo himself. The basin was a clay one — it couldn’t support a person’s weight without breaking — so Li Feng used animal hide soaked in warm water to gently wipe Mo down. Mo, who had once looked so thin and frail, had started to put on some weight, and his skin had lightened a bit. He no longer looked like a starving refugee from Africa.

Although Mo was still young, he already knew how to be shy. When Li Feng tried to bathe him, he resisted. In the end, however, Li Feng overpowered him and wiped him down from head to toe. The kid looked like he’d been rolling in dirt—the water in the basin turned murky in no time. Luckily, the clay basin was naturally an earthy color, so it wasn’t too obvious.

After cleaning up Mo, Li Feng started preparing to bathe the baby. The baby was almost four months old by now. When Li Feng first arrived in this world, there were no concepts of time, calendars, or seasons, so he had no idea what month it was. But judging by the weather and vegetation back then, it was probably around May or June. Now, four months had passed—it was harvest time for corn and sowing season for wheat, roughly around September or early October.

Li Feng marked the days by carving tally marks into wood in the courtyard to keep track of time. Otherwise, he’d feel like he was drifting through life aimlessly, not knowing what year or day it was—a waste of a life. Li and the others often saw him scratching at the wood and didn’t understand it. When they asked, Li Feng simply said he was doing it for fun. He didn’t dare reveal the truth. Dates, time, numbers, writing—those were too complicated to explain in his current identity. Sure, it would benefit the tribe greatly, but Li Feng wasn’t willing to expose himself. As the saying goes, “What’s unusual is often seen as demonic.” Creating small, useful things was one thing—that could be explained as practical innovation. But the introduction of writing and math was on another level and much harder to justify. He wasn’t about to risk being burned at the stake, drowned, or beheaded. Ancient people often labeled what they didn’t understand as witchcraft, and that never ended well.

So Li Feng decided to keep things low-key, using primitive methods to track time. Occasionally, he’d casually mention concepts like numbers and days in passing to subtly introduce the ideas. They didn’t find it strange, and only then did Li Feng feel at ease. He had been worried when he first started, afraid they’d ask questions. If he hadn’t considered them family now, he would never have said anything.

“Oh my, look at this little guy—he’s so squirmy for his age!” Nuo placed the baby into the big basin. Since the baby was still small, they weren’t worried about him breaking it.

Maybe humans are naturally drawn to water. As soon as the baby was placed in the basin, he started splashing and kicking joyfully, his little hands sending water everywhere. All three people around him got soaked, especially Mo, who had just been bathed. His face was dripping, but he didn’t get mad. Instead, he wiped his face and grinned happily at the baby.

The baby’s neck bones hadn’t fully developed yet and were still soft, so Nuo held him up from behind, supporting his neck, while Li Feng washed him. The little naked, chubby bun was having a great time in the water. For some reason, being in water always seemed to invigorate him—he became lively and full of energy, flailing around nonstop.

Li Feng planned to wash his body first and his head last to prevent him from catching a cold. Wet hair and a breeze were a bad combination, especially for a baby. Ever since the baby got sick that one time, Li Feng had been extra cautious, carefully preventing any issues at every step.

He took a soft piece of fur made especially for the baby, dipped it in water, and gently wiped him down. The water came up to the baby’s waist, so he wasn’t cold, especially with the sun shining overhead. The baby’s soft, squishy body made Li Feng worry about hurting him, so he poured water gently from a small bowl, first wiping his adorable face—from forehead to neck. The baby started waving his hands, trying to swipe away the cloth from his face—he couldn’t see!

With the face clean, it was time to wipe his little arms, plump like lotus roots. Li Feng playfully nibbled on one arm, making the baby giggle and drool again, messing up his freshly cleaned face.

Mo squatted by the basin, watching the drooling baby, and quickly wiped his mouth. He tapped the baby’s tiny nose and said, “Baby, you’re being naughty! I just cleaned your face, and now you got it dirty again.”

“Haha… Mo, the baby’s still little! You were the same when you were his age!” Nuo laughed from behind. Watching Mo scold the baby so seriously was hilarious—like the baby could actually understand.

Of course, the baby didn’t understand a word, but when Mo pointed at his nose, he grabbed Mo’s finger and wouldn’t let go. Then he tried to shove Mo’s dark little finger into his mouth. Mo quickly pulled back, worried. The baby loved biting his fingers, and those tiny teeth hurt! “Baby, you can’t bite my hand. If you want to bite something, I’ll find you a fruit, okay?” Mo offered his hand back, but this time didn’t let him put it in his mouth.

Li Feng couldn’t help but smile. Mo usually acted like a little grown-up, but when he played with the baby, he was a kid himself. The baby stared at Mo with wide, shiny black eyes, grinning with his four tiny white teeth showing, cheeks dimpled even deeper than usual, and babbling “ah ah” or “ya ya” like he was determined to eat that finger.

Watching Mo’s conflicted expression—torn between not wanting the baby to cry and not wanting to get bitten—made Li Feng and Nuo laugh heartily. It was just too adorable.

“Baby, come on, let’s skip the finger—it’s not tasty. Let’s finish getting you nice and clean.” Li Feng gently lifted the baby’s other arm and tickled his armpit, making the little one giggle uncontrollably and forget all about eating the finger.

There was no body wash or soap here. Normally, they just grabbed a handful of sand to scrub themselves clean of sweat and oil. However, since the baby was still little and not dirty, warm water alone was enough, which saved them quite a bit of effort.

The little bun’s hands and feet were constantly moving, kicking and splashing around in the water. His little arms flailed everywhere, sending water flying, and watching the adults scramble only made him laugh with glee. When Li Feng was washing his little butt, he even gave it a few playful pats. This cheeky little guy—he never behaves during bath time and insists on getting everyone wet before he’s satisfied.

The little bun didn’t feel any pain from the pats. All he felt was a ticklish sensation that made him want to laugh. Even while Li Feng was patting him, he was chewing on his tiny fists and giggling silly, with Mo squatting nearby and laughing along like a fool—not even knowing what he was laughing at.

Li Feng was incredibly relieved that the baby couldn’t crawl yet. If he could, things would’ve been much harder. A squirmy baby is no easy task—too gentle, and you can’t hold him; too rough, and he’ll cry. If the baby’s upset, so is Li Feng. The water in the basin had nearly been splashed out by now, but at least the baby’s body was finally clean. Now it was time to wash his hair.

Li Feng placed the baby on his lap with the little head tilted back and resting over a stone bench where the basin sat. Li Feng himself sat on another bench, gently supporting the baby’s head for the wash. Thankfully, there was no shampoo, so they didn’t have to worry about chemicals stinging his eyes. As a child, Li Feng had hated getting his hair washed. His aunt would wash their hair quickly, but sometimes a bit of foam would get into the corner of his eye—it stung and was very uncomfortable. That’s why he disliked others washing his hair, even as an adult, rarely going to salons unless he needed a haircut.

Understanding that discomfort, Li Feng was always extra cautious when washing the baby’s hair, not wanting any water to get in his eyes. He gently poured a little water from the forehead to soak the hair and began massaging lightly. Since the baby’s fontanel (soft spot on the head) hadn’t fully closed yet, he was very careful, barely touching it. Each time, he washed the hair quickly—just enough to remove any sweat or odor. The baby’s hair was still short, so a light rinse was enough.

Surprisingly, the baby seemed to really enjoy Li Feng’s gentle touch. He made little humming noises, not crying at all—in fact, he looked quite pleased. Li Feng loved this about him. His baby was so well-behaved, never crying during bath time or when getting his hair washed. Some kids would scream the house down just over a bath.

Finally, it was done. Out came a freshly washed, soft, clean little bun—glowing and tender. Now excited, the baby stood on Li Feng’s legs, trying to bounce, his little legs bending like springs. His bare feet stepped firmly on Li Feng’s thighs, surprisingly strong. “Aiya, baby will definitely grow up to be the coolest and most handsome little warrior,” Li Feng said as he kissed his smooth cheek, beaming with pride like the baby would become a warrior tomorrow.

Though he didn’t want to ruin the mood, the question from earlier still lingered. When he had asked before, Li Feng gave only a vague answer. Since they’d been busy bathing the baby, he hadn’t pressed. But now that they were done, it was time to talk seriously. “Li Feng, if the chief decides to gather all the wheat seeds to plant together, what do we do? And he’ll definitely want you to teach them…”

“What do you mean, what do we do? We’ve already planted ours—are we supposed to dig them up? As for teaching… if the chief wants me to, do I have a choice? Besides, I already planned to teach them anyway. It’s just a matter of time.” Li Feng kept playing with the baby as he spoke, not even lifting his head. His seeds were already in the ground—no way to take them back. And truthfully, he always meant to share the knowledge. It would be a shame to waste the seeds. Wasting food was disgraceful, especially in a place like this. “Didn’t we agree earlier to wait until Li and the others return before deciding anything? No point overthinking it now. Besides, this is our own home—we have the right to grow things, don’t we?”

“You’re right. Nothing we say now will help. Better to wait until they get back and figure it out then. After all, the chief hasn’t come to us—it’s us who are offering to teach them.” They had the upper hand, so why did it always feel like they were trying to curry favor? That strange sense of flattery—among tribe members who were supposed to be equal—was unsettling. They were all equals, weren’t they?

But were they really equal? If they were, how did those rumors start?

In the past few days, they’d learned a lot through Mo. That kid was like a little spy, playing with other children and eavesdropping on the adults’ conversations at home. Nuo had managed to dig out quite a bit. For instance, who was speaking the most ill of Li Feng? Who still remembered the good he had done and felt injustice on his behalf?

They realized that once rumors began to crack, they became easier to dismantle. Thanks to Mi and the others spreading positive words, many tribe members began to recall the benefits Li Feng had brought—gifts, knowledge, meat. But why had they forgotten all that before? Like their minds were clouded with pig fat, only remembering Li Feng’s so-called “selfishness”?

Now, some said that someone capable of teaching them such valuable skills couldn’t possibly be a bad person. But others remained suspicious. Even if Li Feng had done well before, who’s to say he wasn’t acting out of self-interest this time? Maybe he was just trying to win people over? And the idea of “exchanging” goods—wasn’t everything supposed to be equally shared? Why exchange? That’s not acceptable!

Yet regardless of their doubts, everyone still wanted to learn how to make the hats Li Feng invented. They were too useful. Even those who criticized him couldn’t help but follow his methods—and it was hard to criticize someone openly while using their skills. If they wanted to talk badly about him, they had to do it at home, or in whispers. No more public accusations.

So half the rumors had already been dismantled. The other half would take time—time to prove Li Feng’s character.

When Li and the others returned that evening, Li Feng had already prepared dinner. Their meals were more abundant now—no longer just roasted meat—and they ate well. Not wanting to spoil anyone’s appetite, Li Feng and Nuo decided to wait until after the meal to talk about more serious matters.