I am a Primitive Man

Chapter 392: Stung to death?

Under Han Cheng's persistent questioning, the shaman explained the reason.

A long time ago, two members of the Green Sparrow tribe were gathering food and accidentally disturbed the flying insects that Han Cheng referred to as bees. Both of them died as a result, and their deaths were particularly tragic.

Primitive people's knowledge was often hard-earned, with many lessons learned at the cost of lives. After those two deaths, the tribe's shaman recorded that these flying insects' gatherings were deadly and passed this knowledge to the next shaman.

Due to the different names used in the shaman's tradition and Han Cheng's terminology, the shaman didn't realize that the bees and honey Han Cheng mentioned were the same insects that had caused deaths long ago. It wasn't until they followed Little Fu to the bees' nest that he understood.

Upon this realization, the shaman shared this old memory with the group, causing those eager for honey to feel a deep sense of caution.

Seeing Little Fu's pitiable state and recalling the shaman's words, everyone's appetite for honey diminished significantly.

"Stung to death?" Han Cheng understood. No wonder the shaman reacted so strongly; the tribe had a grim history with these insects.

However, Han Cheng thought it unreasonable to avoid bees entirely due to past incidents. Not all bees were highly venomous; some, like those producing honey, posed less danger.

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The bees they had found primarily produced honey and weren't particularly venomous. Little Fu's survival despite multiple stings was proof.

Han Cheng shared his thoughts with the shaman and the others, but he shook his head resolutely, refusing to let Han Cheng take the risk. No matter how delicious honey was, it wasn't worth endangering Han Cheng.

Realizing that he'd end up like Little Fu without proper preparation, Han Cheng didn't insist and retreated from the forest with the shaman and the others. However, he memorized the location of the hive.

Springtime, with flowers in full bloom, meant the bees had plenty of pollen, and there would be abundant honey in the hive. Han Cheng couldn't let such a bounty go to waste.

Back in the fields, he saw that everyone had mastered plowing and sowing, so he handed over the reins and hurried back to the settlement.

He went to his house, where he used a stone pen on a clay tablet to sketch out the basic design of a beehive. Then he brought the tablet to Lame, who was doing carpentry in the yard. Han Cheng put down the tablet and asked Lame to temporarily stop his current work and start making the beehive, explaining its structure.

Han Cheng had some knowledge of beehives from his childhood experiences with beekeepers.

Han Cheng's recollection of a beehive was roughly a wooden box about half a meter wide and less than a meter in height and length. From the top of the beehive, you could pull out pre-made slats like drawers, each covered with honeycombs. With one slice of a bamboo knife, thick, golden honey would slowly flow out, falling into the prepared container below...

After focusing on weaving and carpentry for so long, Lame's skills were quite impressive. He was also used to deciphering Han Cheng's less-than-perfect drawings.

After Han Cheng's explanation, Lame confidently assured him that he could build the box. He then began cutting the wood and making the basic wooden boards.

Han Cheng stayed for a while, and seeing that Lame was working diligently and effectively, he left feeling reassured.

Next, he went into the house and pulled out a large roll of linen. Totaling over sixty meters, this linen resulted from the Green Sparrow tribe women's labor from the previous winter to this spring. About a quarter of it was produced by Bai Xue, a little child bride who enjoyed raising silkworms and weaving. Although all the linen was mixed, Han Cheng could easily identify Bai Xue's work. Her linen was neat with few loose threads and very dense, far surpassing the others, which had many small square holes.

Bai Xue's finely woven linen was ideal for making clothes, and Han Cheng was reluctant to use it carelessly. However, the less refined cloth also had its uses in specific circumstances.

Han Cheng selected the coarsest cloth for a veil and went outside to find Bai Xue, who intently watched silkworms eat mulberry leaves. When Bai Xue noticed someone approaching and saw it was Brother Cheng, she immediately smiled, showing her white teeth. Her front teeth had already been replaced, and the big tooth on the bottom left had just fallen out a few days ago. Only those familiar with her would notice that this didn't affect her speech or smile.

Han Cheng patted the now slightly taller Bai Xue on the head and smiled, "Go get the needle, thread, and iron knife. I need you to make something for me."

Bai Xue happily agreed and quickly ran into the house, returning shortly with a small pottery basin containing needles and thread.

"Brother Cheng, what are we making?" Bai Xue asked as she began measuring the cloth against Han Cheng.

Putting on the straw hat he had brought, Han Cheng pointed at it and said, "Sew a circle of cloth around this hat, down to my waist."

Bai Xue, her hands deftly working with the cloth, asked, "What is Brother Cheng making this for?"

"Do you like the canned fruit we made?" Han Cheng asked with a smile.

Bai Xue nodded vigorously, recalling the sweet and tangy canned fruit she still fondly remembered, feeling it was even better than wine or vinegar.

"With this, in a few days, I'll bring back something even better than those canned fruits," Han Cheng explained.

Hearing this, Bai Xue's curiosity and excitement grew, and she focused even more on the task at hand.