As the woods ahead gradually thinned out, the road became smoother and wider.
Soon, after walking out of the forest, there was a rolling low soil hill in front of me, and a small river half a mile away. Most of the women and the mother were scattered in the hilly area near the foot of the mountain, busy picking wild fruits and some plants similar to wild oats.
Seed.
Although these plants are in a wild state and there are no traces of artificial cultivation, they are mixed with some thorns and weeds in patches. They seem to grow lushly, but the yield is very impressive.
Xu Chen curiously found a few plants, picked off the ears and rubbed them apart. After blowing off the husks, there were only a few sparse seeds left in the palm of his hand. They looked similar to wheat grains and tasted slightly sweet, but
The skin is very thick, difficult to chew and somewhat difficult to swallow.
This kind of seed is the main component of the most commonly eaten cereals in the mountains.
However, it is usually mixed with some other seeds, mashed in a stone pit, added with water, kneaded into a rough dough, and then baked on a stone slab for consumption.
These seeds are too small to carry, so these women usually do not collect them in large quantities. Instead, they mainly pick wild fruits and dig out starch-rich roots. But recently, after Xu Chen invented rattan baskets and backpacks, mothers
Ba and the women focused their main energy on collecting these seeds.
A large number of this kind of plants grow in a large area from the foot of the mountain to the river beach. It is now in the mature season. If all of them can be collected, it will cost at least a thousand kilograms, enough to feed the entire tribe for several months.
But since then another problem has arisen.
There are not enough containers in the cave to store this food.
I got hundreds of kilograms of milk fruits a few days ago. After they were dried, I piled them randomly in the cave where I slept. I simply surrounded them with stones, put some dried leaves underneath, and covered them with some hay.
Although the cave seems relatively dry and stacking nuts is not a big problem, these seeds will definitely become damp and moldy if stacked like this.
What's more, as more and more food is collected, it is piled up everywhere inside and outside the cave, attracting many snakes, rats, and mosquitoes.
Through this period of observation, I found that the mountains are full of various animals, including flocks of wild birds, snakes and insects, and small animals similar to squirrels and mice. As soon as you enter the woods, there are figures running and crawling everywhere, and even
You can also see a group of monkeys climbing and jumping between the cliffs and the woods, whizzing in and out, which is very lively.
As for wild beasts such as wolves, bears, tigers and leopards, although they are not easy to see, the sounds of roaring and fighting can be heard from morning to night, and the situation is terrifying.
This is a barbaric era where animals are far more powerful than humans.
The situation of the human race is quite difficult.
Therefore, in order to better protect the collected food and protect these rations that are necessary to survive in the cold winter, we need to find ways to build strong and stable storage rooms.
It's easier said than done. With simple stone knives and stone axes, it's very difficult to chop down a tree, let alone make utensils.
So Xu Chen frowned and followed a group of men, thinking hard about how to better protect the food he had worked so hard to collect as he walked.
A group of men passed through the hilly area, drifted away from a group of women, and finally came to a river beach.
The water and grass along the river bank are lush, and you can see flocks of wild birds flying everywhere.
In the grass, there were sounds of crawling and running sounds of insects, snakes and small animals everywhere. Rabbits, hedgehogs, snakes, turtles, and even many species that Xu Chen had never seen before. It was like an animal paradise, so busy.
.
In addition to small animals, there are many animals grazing on the river beach, including wild deer, wild horses, wild sheep, and some unknown species.
These large and small beasts are high-quality meat, and there are many of them. However, for primitive people who only have a spear and some bone sticks and wooden sticks in their hands, it is extremely difficult to hunt one because they have not yet waited.
When humans get close, they will disperse in a rush, and when they are far away, they will stop and continue to graze.
The saying of looking at the ocean and sighing, and looking at the abyss and admiring the fish probably refers to this situation.
It's out of reach, so I can only watch from afar in frustration, without much opportunity to make a move.
A group of men tried several times, but found that they could not get closer at all, so they had no chance to make a move. After several attempts, these beasts were frightened and fled in groups into the distant mountains and soon disappeared.
Xu Chen also enthusiastically followed a group of savages with a bow and arrow to join in the fun and shot a few arrows. However, either the accuracy was too poor or the distance was too far. Even if the shot hit, it had no effect at all. Instead, it made these beasts run away.
Faster.
This made him feel a little embarrassed.
This bow is indeed too weak. To be truly useful, a stronger bow with greater power must be made.
“Ho ho ho ho~~”
Seeing the prey fleeing, several hot-tempered savages jumped to their feet and roared angrily, but to no avail.
However, this situation should be normal, so after a while of frustration and anger, a group of people continued to walk downstream along the river beach, occasionally catching wild birds or rabbits along the way, or finding a few bird eggs from the grass.
Then we share the food directly on the spot.
Xu Chen's face kept twitching as he watched all the way.
Poor weapons are indeed the biggest obstacle to hunting.
But the hunting method of this group of primitive people is also very speechless, and they are completely in a state of random picking.
But you definitely won’t be hungry because there is so much food in the wild. Not to mention high-end foods like bird eggs, wild fruits can also be found everywhere.
Summer and autumn are the best times to gain weight. You can find food everywhere as long as you go out.
Therefore, Xu Chen followed suit and started to feel exhausted before he had gone very far.
And he finally began to understand the reason why these savages grew extremely strong even though they often failed to catch prey. That was because there was indeed too much food to eat in this era. This was the same as the reason why Africans had not evolved for a long time.
Pretty much, because I was too full and had no urge to evolve.
Of course, this also made Xu Chen feel very emotional. It seemed that he would still have to go out more often in the future. Because the food distributed while staying in the mountain was limited, he felt hungry all day long.
Thinking of Ye, a group of children and a group of old, weak and pregnant women staying in the cave, not having enough to eat every day, and when going down the mountain, Ye was still afraid of starving and secretly gave the saved rations to himself.
I put a few bird eggs for myself and some wild fruits I picked into my small backpack, ready to take them back as a meeting gift.
As the sun gradually rises, the temperature becomes hotter and hotter. Under the scorching sun, the air is filled with a strong hot and humid atmosphere, making people feel like they can't breathe.
This is a feeling I have never experienced in the mountains.
This climate is obviously suitable for the growth of animals and plants.
Moreover, it was very different from the southern climate that he was familiar with before crossing over.
The climate in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and Chongqing is also very hot in summer, but this is not the case after autumn. The climate seems to be hotter and humid than in Guangxi, and has the characteristics of a tropical climate.
Looking at the trajectory of the sun, it seems to be slightly southerly. The dimension here should be relatively high, not in the area close to the equator, but closer to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
Unfortunately, without a map or satellite positioning instrument, he could not accurately judge the location here, let alone whether the time and space he was currently in was still on the earth.
A group of people walked along the river beach in the southeast direction. Gradually, the mountains on both sides in front began to narrow, and they walked about a mile to reach a valley.
Because of the obstruction of the mountains, the river water washed and gathered here to form a huge pool.
On top of the cliff, there is a waterfall that flows down into the pool, making a rumbling sound and splashing water all around. The wind blows in from the mouth of the canyon, bringing the mist to your face, and you feel extremely cool.
By this time, everyone was dripping with sweat. A group of savages cheered, threw away their weapons and backpacks, took off their fur skirts, and jumped into the water.
Naturally, Xu Chen was not to be outdone. He stripped himself clean and jumped in.
The water in the pool is extremely clear. You can directly see the colorful stones at the bottom of the pool several meters deep. You can also see a large number of fish and shrimps swimming around in it. Even in the depths of the pool, you can see countless big fish shuttle back and forth.
A group of savages rushed into the water to chase fish and shrimps, but it was all in vain. They worked for a long time without catching a single fish.
Xu Chen's water quality was not as good as that of these primitive people, so he did not participate in this futile game. However, he still suffered from the occupational disease of perennial geological surveys, so he kept diving into the water to pick up some colorful stones to distinguish their materials.
However, he was very disappointed. Most of these stones were ordinary stones such as limestone or quartzite, fluorite, without any trace of metal ores.
It was close to noon at this time, and it was already about ten miles away from the cave.
After taking a bath, a group of primitive people found a shady spot near the waterhole to lie down and rest. After gathering enough strength, they continued to move forward through the mouth of the valley.
After leaving the valley, a large river appears in front of you.
Only then did Xu Chen discover that the place where these primitive people lived was actually in a closed canyon. As long as they stayed at the mouth of this canyon, they would be very safe inside. It was definitely a unique environment.
The small river flowing out of the valley is actually a tributary of the big river in front of us.
At this time, there is a wide open area in front of us. The mountains on both sides of the river are rolling. The wild grass is lush on the river beach. From a distance, you can see groups of herbivores foraging on the river beach.
Under the strong and dazzling sunshine, there is no trace of artificial construction in the vast sky. From the mountains far and near, the roars and roars of beasts come one after another. It is a completely green and primitive natural style.
But here, a group of primitive people became much more cautious.
Judging from the situation, this place should be outside the sphere of influence of this group of savages and have reached the real wilderness.
And here is the real paradise for hunters.
Because just the animals that can be seen on the river beach in front of you are so densely packed that it feels like you have suddenly arrived on the Serengeti savannah in Africa.
Of course, the hunters here are not only primitive humans, but also beasts that are good at hunting.
Because not far away, Xu Chen saw seven or eight wild wolves quietly approaching a herd of bison.
These bison were huge in size, with thick hooves and sharp horns, but wild wolves were not small in size either. Each one was as strong as a calf, with green fur and black back, and sharp claws. It was not a breed that Xu Chen was familiar with at all.
"Ouch~~~"
The leader of the wolf pack gave the signal to attack.
Seven or eight wild wolves lurked close to the herd and attacked almost simultaneously.
The cattle were frightened and fled in all directions.
A group of wolves started to divide and surround one of the cows with a calf. Soon, the mother and baby bison were separated. Strong bulls in the herd kept coming to harass and rescue them, but several times
None of them succeeded, and within a few minutes, the calf was successfully captured by the wolves. A group of wild wolves swarmed up and threw the calf down in the grass, while the cow mooed and fled helplessly.
The escaped cattle stopped again a few hundred meters away and gathered together to graze, as if they had not seen this cruel hunt.
A group of wild wolves gathered around to bite their prey, and they seemed to have discovered Xu Chen and others, so they gave out threatening warnings while eating.
A group of savages seemed to be accustomed to what they saw in front of them, but Xu Chen was frightened by what he saw.
It is indeed a world of the weak and the strong.
Relatively speaking, humans rely on this primitive instinct to hunt for food. The methods are much worse. They have neither sharp claws nor violent speed and strength. Therefore, a group of savages can only swallow their saliva and look at a group of wild wolves.
Eat so much that your blood will be splashed everywhere.
Next, a group of people bypassed the wolves and continued to approach the river beach. Feng and the others were also constantly communicating and making gestures, probably hoping to deal with a group of smaller deer-like animals not far away.
This animal has brown fur and is about the same size as a wild deer. Its number is not as large as that of a herd of cattle, and there are many young animals among them.
Xu Chen ate this animal twice, and it should have been the main hunting target of primitive people.
However, it is obvious that the killing of wolves has caused all animals to be wary. A group of people tried several times but failed to approach the group of wild deer. They hunted several times without success. Instead, the group of animals fled far away.
So after nearly an hour of busy work, a group of people returned without success. They could only find a shade tree to stop and rest to recuperate their blood. They were all sweating profusely and tired, as if they were lying on the grass panting.