Chapter 71

Chapter 71

Upon Yun Lu's arrival, he found several wooden frames, each about two arm-lengths long, erected inside the cave. The uppermost wooden rods were densely strung with hemp threads, their ends secured to logs on the ground, all stretched perfectly taut.

Usually, gatherings of the young ones were bustling and lively, but this time, an unusual quiet prevailed.

Yun Lu approached, observing them working in pairs: one threading the weft, the other beating it tight.

"High Priest."

"Uncle Yun Lu."

Seeing Yun Lu, everyone greeted him. Yun Lu nodded, gesturing for them to continue their work, which they promptly did, immersing themselves once more in weaving.

Everyone was busy, except for a small arctic fox, unable to shift into human form, who was relegated to resting nearby.

Xue Tuan lay languidly on Zhong Yan's lap. Zhong Yan sat cross-legged, one hand gently massaging the little arctic fox, while the other assisted Bing Qiu. As Bing Qiu threaded the weft through most of the warp, Zhong Yan would deftly beat it upwards, ensuring the intersecting threads were tightly interwoven.

The little arctic fox lifted its head, yawned, then rested its chin on its paws, eyelids half-closed, watching Bing Qiu and Zhong Yan's coordinated efforts.

This time, the beastmen had sourced "Y"-shaped branches of similar size, aligning and embedding them into the earth. The natural forks at the top perfectly cradled a straight wooden beam, which served as the anchor for the "warp" threads. The denser the warp threads were arranged, the finer the resulting weave would be.

Indeed, the collaboration between Bing Qiu and Zhong Yan mirrored the manual process of "throwing the shuttle and beating the we weft." Bing Qiu skillfully guided the "weft" thread back and forth through the fixed "warp," while Zhong Yan manually straightened and tightened the "weft."

Once proficient, one person could weave independently. In a few days, with the workshop's primitive backstrap looms completed, individual weaving would become even faster.

At this stage, the focus was on grasping the principles of weaving. As their skills matured, the elders' treadle looms would likely be ready for production.

Currently, only Ye Cong's group found the weaving relatively smooth. Novices often missed one or two warp threads, and perfectionists would painstakingly unravel and restart their work on the spot.

Bing Qiu was determined to avoid redoing his work, so his concentration was absolute. He had barely begun threading when beads of sweat already dotted his brow.

Wiping his forehead, he grumbled, "This demands even sharper eyesight than weaving fish traps."

"These gunny sacks are incredibly light, you know. We can use them when we trade with other tribes in the future," the little arctic fox chimed in idly.

Bing Qiu suddenly remembered the very reason he was weaving these things—they were supposed to be light, durable, and capable of holding goods!

"Alright, I'll push through!" Bing Qiu encouraged himself, accelerating his hand movements. He was determined to finish one today. "Zhong Yan, don't hold me back."

"Nagging." Zhong Yan didn't even glance at Bing Qiu, his attention almost entirely on the little arctic fox. He only diverted his focus when his assistance was needed to smooth the threads.

Bing Qiu automatically filtered out Zhong Yan's remark and diligently continued threading.

When Yun Lu approached their group, he was genuinely surprised by the youngsters' diligence—it was a rare sight.

However, Xue Tuan recalled that Yun Lu and the others were supposed to be trading with the Brown-Eared Leopard Tribe, weren't they?

"Uncle Yun Lu, has the trade with the tribe been completed?" Xue Tuan inquired.

At this, Yun Lu remembered the good news and replied, "Yes. And..."

The little arctic fox looked up. Why was Uncle Yun Lu being so secretive?

"Our two tribes have decided to merge," Yun Lu announced with a smile.

"Wow! We're merging with the Brown-Eared Leopard Tribe?" The nearby young cubs gasped in astonishment.

Xue Tuan finally understood—was this the riddle the adults had been discussing in the cave some time ago?

Absorbing the Brown-Eared Leopard Tribe was indeed excellent news for them, and the reason was simple: they desperately needed more labor.

The people of the Brown-Eared Leopard Tribe seemed to genuinely like their tribe, making it a mutually beneficial arrangement. As for the specific details, Xue Tuan trusted the adults to handle them.

"You all carry on. I'm heading to the elders' cave," Yun Lu said after sharing the good news. With a beaming smile, he set off to check on the progress of the other teams.

"Goodbye, Uncle Yun Lu." The youngsters waved farewell to the High Priest.

The little arctic fox resumed sprawling on Zhong Yan's lap, quietly observing their work.

It was intricate work, and the little arctic fox, flattened like a pancake, nearly dozed off just watching their movements.

It wasn't until a few excited exclamations broke the silence that his drooping eyelids snapped open. The little arctic fox shook its head to clear it, then bounded down from Zhong Yan's lap and trotted towards the commotion.

It turned out that after several hours, Ye Cong's group had already woven a piece of hemp cloth an arm's length long!

"Wow, is this hemp cloth?" Everyone reached out to touch it. "It's so light! And much easier to handle than animal hide!"

"If we weave it larger, can we carry a lot of things?"

"Leader Rong Shan said other types of mountain silk plants could be made into clothes. Could that be true?" They had never worn anything other than animal hides. If it were truly possible, they could have lightweight, breathable clothing for the hot season!

"Pu Ying, hurry back! Ours is almost done too!" Another sub-beastman, seeing the impressive finished product, couldn't wait to complete their group's remaining portion.

The little arctic fox was stuck at the edge of the crowd, unable to squeeze in or see anything. Then, suddenly, he felt himself lifted into the air and placed atop someone's head.

It was Zhong Yan. Now he could clearly see what was happening. The little arctic fox reached out a paw and ruffled Zhong Yan's hair as a "reward." Zhong Yan really understood him.

Zhong Yan didn't mind the little arctic fox messing up his hair; he was more concerned about the little furball losing its balance and falling off his head.

The little arctic fox leaned forward to peer down. Brother Ye Cong was indeed skilled. If they used finer ramie or flax, he could probably weave those too.

The hemp cloth woven from jute was still relatively coarse, but once the fabric took shape, the subsequent steps would be identical to sewing animal hide products.

This was because, during their trade with the Brown-Eared Leopard Tribe, Xue Tuan had repeatedly expressed a desire for lighter bags to carry things, but at that time, Rong Shan could only sew bags from animal hides.

Now, with Rong Shan's experience in sewing animal hide bags, stitching coarse hemp cloth would be even easier.

"Ye Cong, I'll help you."

Rong Shan cut the coarse hemp cloth and folded it into a bag shape.

"First, let's fold the edges inward a bit." Rong Shan meticulously folded the edges inward by about a finger's width. According to his clever little one, this hemming was to prevent the coarse hemp cloth from fraying with prolonged use.

After pressing the folds flat with a stone, Ye Cong held down the two bottom corners while Rong Shan picked up a bone needle threaded with hemp twine and began sewing the sides together.

Rong Shan inserted the needle from the inside of the coarse hemp cloth, passed it through the folded hem, then looped it diagonally back to the outside, forming a cross-stitch.

Watching Rong Shan's skilled sewing, everyone recalled the animal hide bags the arctic fox family had taken with them before—they were made using the same technique.

"Done!"

"This bag really is light!" Ye Cong turned the small hemp bag over and over in his hands. Even when he tugged hard on both sides, the bag only slightly deformed and was difficult to tear. "It works great!"

Shu Yi also came over to examine the finally completed hemp bag: "If we sew a strap on it, won't it be just like the small pouches the youngsters carry?" It would be much more convenient for carrying things around.

"You're right! Let's make a few more!" The sub-beastmen dispersed excitedly. With Ye Cong and Rong Shan's demonstration, everyone felt more confident.

The cubs, during their rest period, were sprawled motionless on the ground. They now realized how exhausting their fathers' usual work was; after weaving for the same duration as the adults, they were almost at their limit.

"Zhong Yan, you can go back and help my brother first," Xue Tuan said, then hopped down from Zhong Yan's side and bounded over to Ye Cong.

Ye Cong was about to start weaving the second piece of hemp cloth when he noticed Xue Tuan's arrival. He put down the thread he was holding and scooped up the aptly named little snowball cub.

"Good boy!" Ye Cong rubbed his forehead against the little one's, genuinely happy to see Xue Tuan back to his usual lively self.

"Brother Ye Cong~" Xue Tuan seriously suspected that if Ye Cong kept nuzzling him like this, the fur on his forehead would soon be bald. He quickly raised his paws to cup Ye Cong's face, creating some distance.

Xue Tuan began his "mischievous whisper," testing Ye Cong's limits: "Brother Ye Cong, try using that hemp thread over there!"

Ye Cong looked in the direction Xue Tuan's paw was pointing—it was another type of hemp thread spun from finer mountain silk grass. According to Rong Shan's new classification for the beastmen, he wondered if it should be called "ramie"?

"I remember your father said that type requires some kind of backstrap loom to weave cloth?" Ye Cong recalled Rong Shan mentioning it was for making a new kind of "beastmen's clothing," and he was looking forward to it.

"Yes, but I think Brother Ye Cong is so skilled, you could definitely weave it by hand!"

Flattered, Ye Cong gave the little one a hearty kiss.

"Hehe, because I also remember that bamboo sieve Brother Ye Cong made before—it wasn't always so useful..."

Huh? Ye Cong immediately felt something was amiss. The beastmen making pottery had been using that bamboo sieve just fine—how was it not useful?

"Tell me, what's wrong with it?" Ye Cong asked.

With a sly squint of his fox eyes, Xue Tuan said, "It's not good for filtering food."

Ye Cong was taken aback—he hadn't considered that. Remembering the cub's suggestion to use finer hemp thread, he asked, "Are you saying... you want to use this hemp cloth for filtering?"

Brother Ye Cong is quick to understand! The little fox smiled sheepishly, placing both paws on Ye Cong's forearm and replying obediently, "Uh-huh!"

"So that's it..." Ye Cong picked up the newly woven hemp bag, rubbing the surface with his fingers. The gaps were indeed finer than those in the bamboo sieve, allowing for more thorough filtration. For a moment, countless ideas seemed to flash through Ye Cong's mind, though they were hard to grasp.

But he said eagerly, "Alright! I'll weave it for you!"

"It doesn't need to be very big. If you're tired, Brother Ye Cong, you should take a break first." Xue Tuan patted Ye Cong's palm with his paw, urging him not to rush.

Ye Cong: "Hey, your Brother Ye Cong is full of energy! Just you wait!" Ye Cong rubbed his hands together—he loved a good challenge.

Brother Ye Cong was so agreeable! Xue Tuan actively nuzzled Ye Cong's palm with his cheek.

Ye Cong was pleased too, spending a little more time playing with the cub before diving back into "work."

With his mission accomplished, Xue Tuan skipped over to Rong Shan—he still had something to tell his father.

"Dad~"

"Coming, good boy." Rong Shan picked up the little snowball of a cub, cradled him in his arms for a look, and smiled seeing the little one still full of energy. "What is it?"

"The hemp bags we make could also have a drawstring at the opening," Xue Tuan said, nestled in Rong Shan's embrace, explaining his idea.

The edges of the bag opening could be folded and stitched to create a channel for a drawstring, then add a two-strand hemp cord and a fastener...

"This way, when you've put things inside, you can tighten the cord, and nothing will fall out."

Rong Shan pictured this type of hemp bag and, hearing his good boy's explanation, agreed that it would be great for repeated use.

If they followed his previous method at the Brown-Eared Leopard Tribe—sewing the bag shut after filling it and then unstitching it upon return—it was indeed a bit troublesome.

"Alright, Dad understands. We'll try it next time." Rong Shan picked up Xue Tuan and kissed him. "My good boy always comes up with such clever ideas."

"It wasn't me—it was the Beast God!" Xue Tuan kissed his father's cheek in return, squirming playfully in Rong Shan's arms.

Just then, a beastman called out at the cave entrance, "Is the Junior Priest Lord here?"

Hearing his cub being summoned, Rong Shan carried Xue Tuan to the entrance and asked, "What's happened?"

The beastman hurriedly replied, "Chief, Elder Mushi has asked the Junior Priest Lord to come over. He says the stone mill is ready."

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Author's Note: Thank you all for the support~ [Heart]