The next morning, the Huang Guo Tribe became lively. The aroma of food spread throughout the cave, and the sounds of laughter from adults and children echoed within.
They mostly had porridge for breakfast, as it was the most food-efficient way to eat. Moreover, in such cold weather, hot porridge helps warm the body.
The porridge they made today was not as thick as before. The trade team’s remaining food wasn’t much, and if it had just been them, they could have had the kind of porridge so thick it could hold up chopsticks, but with the addition of the Huang Guo Tribe people, that would no longer be feasible.
The amount of food put into the porridge remained the same, but now it was enough to feed almost fifty extra people.
Porridge was truly a magical dish.
While Shang and Mao thought it was too thin, the people of the Huang Guo Tribe, who had been used to meager meals, didn’t find it thin at all and ate their fill with satisfaction.
After a quick meal, Shang told the chief of the Huang Guo Tribe to have everyone quickly pack up the cave, as they needed to depart for the Green Sparrow Tribe.
Shang, Mao, and the rest of the Green Sparrow Tribe trade team didn’t want to stay there any longer. One reason was that the food was running low, and the other was that they were eager to bring the Huang Guo Tribe back, see their people's astonished faces, and receive praise from the divine child.
Just imagining that moment made Shang, Mao, and the others warm.
They picked out some useful weapons and gathered the most precious pottery. That was the extent of their packing.
Shang and Mao saw the large ceramic jar and suggested the Huang Guo Tribe leave it behind.
The jar was too heavy. Walking through the snow was already difficult, and carrying such a thing would only make it harder.
The people of the Huang Guo Tribe hesitated to part with it because it was their tribe's most valuable possession. If they left it behind, they would have nothing left.
Their most precious possession?
Once they arrived at the tribe, they would see how common such things were.
The trade team thought this but didn’t say it aloud.
Seeing that the Huang Guo Tribe wouldn’t let go of the jar, Shang and Mao didn’t push any further.
The group left the cave, and some of the trade team members went to lead the well-fed deer, placing grass, food, and cooking utensils on their backs, preparing for the journey.
Only then did the people of the Huang Guo Tribe realized they were probably leaving this place forever.
The joy and anticipation they had felt about moving to the new tribe, where they would no longer suffer from the cold and hunger, had temporarily suppressed their sadness. But now, that sadness began to surface.
The adults turned back to look at the cave they had lived in for so long, their faces showing reluctance and sorrow.
Two older members of the tribe even returned to the cave, walking here and there and touching the smoke-darkened stone walls with their hands.
The younger ones, however, didn’t share these complex feelings. Surrounded by warm furs, wearing warm hats, gloves, and socks, they were excited and only wanted to leave as soon as possible to reach the tribe they had been dreaming of.
At that moment, they couldn’t understand the adults’ behavior. A better, richer life was waiting for them in the distance, and yet the adults weren’t hurrying to leave. Instead, they seemed reluctant to leave behind the place that had made them suffer hunger and cold.
The thoughts of the adults were truly hard to understand.
Shang and Mao, who had once left a tribe they had lived in for a long time, understood how the people felt at this moment. Therefore, they didn’t rush them but quietly stood and waited.
Thinking back to their own experiences and seeing the reluctant expressions of the Huang Guo Tribe, both Shang and Mao smiled knowingly.
It felt difficult now, but once they reached the tribe and saw all the astonishing things there, they would forget their current discomforts and happily settle into life in the tribe, just as Shang and Mao had done in the past.
Thinking this, they waited a bit longer, and when they saw some people still lingering, they started to urge them to leave.
After a while, a much larger group than before departed from the cave, walking through the snow and leaving a trail of footprints that slowly led them farther and farther away.
Some people in the group looked back occasionally, trying to get one last glimpse as if wanting to memorize every detail of the place.
As the group grew smaller and eventually disappeared from sight, only the empty cave remained. Its blackened entrance silently watched the footprints stretch further into the snow, heading toward the distant horizon.
The dark opening of the cave now resembled an eye socket devoid of its eyeball. After the Huang Guo Tribe's "eye" left, the cave seemed to lose its spirit and become desolate.
After walking for some distance, under the curious gaze of the Huang Guo Tribe, the Green Sparrow Tribe members took out a jar from their pack.
The people of the Huang Guo Tribe thought the jar contained food, just like the sweet and delicious jars of fruit they had been given before.
However, to their surprise, the contents of the jar were not food. When they dug out some white substance, they did not eat it. Instead, they rubbed it between their palms and then evenly applied it to their faces and hands.
What was this stuff? And why were they doing this?
The people of the Huang Guo Tribe were full of curiosity.
Shang took the jar, scooped out some of the substance with his finger, and applied it to the hands of the Huang Guo Tribe people, then gestured for them to do the same.
The people, who were still confused, awkwardly and clumsily copied the actions, applying the substance to their hands and faces. It stung when they touched the cracks in their dry skin, causing them to gasp in pain.
Once they had applied it, the group continued forward.
The people of the Huang Guo Tribe slowly began to brighten with realization. After applying the substance, their faces, which had been stinging from the cold wind, suddenly felt much less painful!
This was truly a magical tribe!
With so many wonderful things to resist the cold, no wonder they could walk in the snow for so long without much trouble.
The Huang Guo Tribe members, uneasy about walking in the wilderness for so long, now felt completely at ease.
By nightfall, when they settled into the warm snow shelters and drank a small sip of a sour, cold "water" that would warm up in their stomachs, their sense of awe grew even more.
Even before reaching the tribe, they had already experienced many new and useful things. They couldn’t imagine what life in the tribe would be like.