The rainy weather enveloped Roseburg. A long and thorough rain spread over a wide area. While soaking the earth, it also brought many inconveniences.
Fortunately, the tribe's first blast furnace, which had made great contributions, was temporarily shut down due to exhaustion of raw materials. The wooden shed that covered it was quickly rebuilt, and the weatherboard made of wooden boards greatly protected it from being eroded by wind and rain.
.
The rain made the grass grow even more wildly, and the cool wind not only caused the temperature to drop sharply, but also really dampened the Russian people's enthusiasm for fishing.
The wind and waves in the sea are really strong, and fishermen who have tried it all know that the herring that are so plump in the weather take refuge in the deep sea in large numbers. Of course, fishermen still have the opportunity to catch cod, but the risk is really fatal.
For a time, there was an obstacle to the food supply of the entire Ross tribe.
So what can be done?
The tribesmen only stock up on food when winter is approaching. In August, no one is willing to stock up on food. It is definitely not their laziness. The biggest obstacle is that people rely heavily on salt to keep their catch fresh during the warm season.
There is no oats grown in the area of Rossburg. It has only been in the past two years that the tribesmen have been able to obtain a large amount of oats to eat at a relatively low cost.
Even Rurik had to consider the tribe's food supply problem again.
This is obviously a commonplace problem, but Roseburg itself does not produce grains. Grains such as oats, as long as it is provided with a dry environment, there will be no problem in storing it for two or three years.
Storing catches is really a technical job.
Maybe it will be canned, even if it is sealed in a glass bottle, its storage time can be greatly extended to several years. Or it may be baked desperately until it becomes a "dry stick", just like smoked bonito.
Don't even think about crushing it with your teeth.
"I only have some smoked fish as dry food. I had the conditions to eat haese in winter, but now I can only sigh while looking at the heavy rain?!"
What makes Rurik a little uneasy is that the rainy weather has been going on for a week and it shows no sign of stopping.
The whole world was cold, and Rurik could only stay at home with his family, burning some charcoal in the fireplace and trying to keep his home dry and warm.
Roseburg became muddy, the cold wind blew against the sea, and the waves crashed on the sea.
The leader's family had a hard time due to the rain, and the ordinary family could only endure in the cold.
Only some families have truly received Rurik's blessings, and their living conditions have been significantly improved.
A large number of families have at best added a few odd little items to their lives. However, during difficult times, such as a glass that the husband of the family spent a huge sum of money to buy mainly for showing off, has really become useless now.
Only when their stomach growled and they opened the door to face another rough wave, did the family remember that with the money they finally got from defeating the enemy, they should have bought more food and stored it to deal with the current troubles.
Rurik knows that the majority of his tribe is suffering, so what can he do?
According to experience in normal years, it is mid-August, when merchants from the South should row their boats north to Fort Ross to sell their goods.
The two main ways for the Russians to obtain grain were from Sorgon and from southern merchants.
According to the current situation, the sea is rough, and the merchants will never dare to let their clumsy cargo ships go into the big waves. Besides, the weather this year is indeed very abnormal. Not to mention the long rain, the sea began to loosen up only at the end of April.
Ice, at that time people estimated that this year would be abnormal.
The team of the great leader and Sorgon are still far away, and the news from the messenger is that they will definitely return during the Novgorod grain harvest.
Food and vegetables from the south should be the first to enter Roseburg. Faced with the waves, people gave up the idea of seeing the merchant fleet at the end of August.
Everyone's most urgent hope is that the damn rain will stop, so that the skin and clothes that are getting moldy can see the sun.
If there was anything that made Rurik happy in the rainy weather, it was the birth of a child.
It was a boring afternoon. Rurik stayed at home with nothing to do. Facing the bonfire, he was forced to nestle in the arms of his biological mother Niya. Like a kitten, his head and golden ponytail were ignored by his mother.
Stop stroking.
In addition, sisters Carlotta and Kovin girl Sepolava, the three of them got together and played some stone-throwing games. Their joyful laughter made boredom more fun.
In the whole family, perhaps Rumia is the most hard-working person.
The tidy High Priest Vilia, her body was like a candle that could be extinguished at any time. She was using her last experience to order Rumia with stringent requirements to transfer all the items stored in the chief priest's house in rune letters.
I can memorize all the carved incantations, and I will be asked questions afterwards.
That was no longer just a matter of Rumia, but also of the little Coven girl named Rumi.
The rain didn't seem to interfere with Rumia's study. She studied hard just to fulfill one promise - to be the new high priest and a good servant of Rurik.
There was a fierce sound of treading water outside, and an old man with a beard was stopped by two mercenaries who were ordered to stand guard under the eaves.
The person who came was none other than Klavason.
"Sir, the blacksmith is here."
The mercenary shouted, which instantly cheered up Rurik, who was about to fall asleep. He broke away from his mother's arms and looked at the closed wooden door.
"Is it the blacksmith?!"
"It's me! Clavarson."
Just from this voice, Rurik heard the happy mood of an old guy, as if he had closed his eyes. Yes, good news should be coming to the Klavasen family in the near future.
"Open the door."
After giving an order, the loyal mercenary opened the wooden door.
Just when Klavason was about to step on the floor of the leader's house with his leather boots, he was caught by the mercenaries again.
Still, when he actually stood in front of Rurik, his feet were bare, and water droplets dripped from his wet leather clothes from time to time.
"Do you have something important? Is it about iron?" Rurik actually asked knowingly.
Klavason said with a smile on his face: "Sir, it's Lilia, her big day has finally arrived."
"It's now?!"
"Exactly now." Klavason put on a smile that made his wet beard fluffy again. "I'm here now to tell you this. I hope you can be by Lilia's side when the child is born.
Waiting. If possible, maybe the priest..."
For a moment, Rurik recalled a very familiar scene.
"You want me to be a witness? You want the priest to pray for her, and you want me to pray for her too?"
"Yes. I'm afraid this is a very presumptuous request. I very much hope..."
"You don't have to say anything. I will go immediately. Not only will I go back, but my family should also go." Rurik's decisiveness was so moved that Klavasen knelt down on one knee. He imitated the image of a warrior and expressed his hope to the future great leader.
Salute to the leader.
It was just this courtesy that made Rurik feel that Klavasen had become a stranger.
"Get up."
"As commanded."
Rurik slapped his clothes and wanted to follow Klavasen out, but unexpectedly he was grabbed by his mother Niya.
"My dear, do you have to go?" Niya's eyes clearly told her that going out this time was optional.
"Mom, you want to stop me?"
"I...oh, you have your own ideas, and I won't stop you. It's just that the girl is the blacksmith's wife, and you are obviously the leader of the tribe."
Niya said this bluntly, even though Klavasen was still standing here.
Klavasen's wrinkled brows turned into cracks. He didn't dare to refute anything, because in the entire tribe, the woman with the second most powerful voice was Otto's wife Nia. A once young and beautiful woman, now
She became an old woman full of wrinkles, time changed many things, and the girl also became arrogant.
"Mom, are you..." Rurik noticed the coldness of the atmosphere.
"Is it worth it?" Niya said with determination, "I would rather you stay in a warm home."
"I'd better go."
"Why?! After all, Lilia is a woman from the blacksmith's family. I know you will say that she is that Svetalana's sister, but has the contract break chosen by your father for you been recognized by the priest? You are still so young
, like a newly born fawn that needs to be cared for.”
For a moment, Rurik was speechless. He was quiet for a while and then asked: "Mom, have you always treated Lilia like this? I thought you treated all the women in Novgorod..."
"Have you become fond of them? After all, Peravina gave birth to a son for your cousin. She is considered a woman in our family. As for the others, it seems that now, forget it! Who would have known that your father was still here?
Novgorod, are you fooling around with beautiful local women? If you are smart, maybe you should think carefully about whether your father will give you several brothers."
How could she say such vulgar words?
Rurik thought for a while and quickly guessed the reason.
For Niya, who she is now is everything in her life! Her husband took a group of clan members to a distant place. He could have returned, but he found reasons to stop it.
What on earth was Niya thinking? When she thought of Peravina, Lilia and other married women from Novgorod, and even her son’s ten maids from there, all of them had beautiful faces.
.What kind of beauty is that? Her legs are longer but her strength is not small. She has the ability to do farm work and housework. After all, she is a woman who grew up eating wheat. They are naturally more delicate. This is the result of many fish-biting exercises.
In terms of her strong jaw muscles and square face, local women from Ross cannot compare with her.
It must be the instinct of any man to pursue beautiful girls.
Of course, in Roseburg's view, as long as a good man is capable, it doesn't matter how many women he marries. Niya can't deny that she is getting older, and her husband, who is in his fifties, is still ambitious.
Niya could not prevent her husband's possible betrayal. Even if he did have an affair with another woman, she would have to endure it. If the matter was only her own problem, it would not matter. The key to the problem now is, what if Rurik has another half-mother?
Brother, wouldn't it threaten Rurik's power? Even though Otto had already said that he would not do such a thing, he is a man.
She couldn't help but think about it. She was really jealous of the beauty of those young Novgorod women.
She didn't want to say anything more about what was in her heart. Looking at her son's eyes, she estimated that Rurik could guess some of her true meaning.
What did Rurik think? He felt that Niya had reached menopause and became suspicious. As for her prejudice against Novgorod women, Rurik had nothing to say.
After all, if the high priest Vilia hadn't given the deer herder girl Rumia a noble status, Niya's discrimination against her would have continued.
Rurik said bluntly: "Mom, I have to be a witness. I named the child who is about to be born. Lilia is my relative, I have a reason to go."
"You! Okay, okay."
Niya curled her lips and calmed down, and finally called Rurik to leave the room after he had changed his clothes.
"Mom, they left." Carlotta asked weakly.
Niya couldn't find anyone to express her inner cry to. A sweet call of "Mom" made her feel strong warmth in her loss.
"Carlotta." Niya's face returned to smile.
"Um?"
"Come here, into my arms."
Just like that, Carlotta, who also had blond hair, snuggled into her adoptive mother's arms like a kitten, still the same as before, and her beautiful blond hair was gently stroked by Niya, as if this could eliminate all boredom.
"Oh, the leader of the Ross tribe has run away now. You, the leader of the Ostara tribe, my daughter, you will never leave me."
Immersed in a strong sense of happiness, Carlotta's closed eyes tightly locked in tears, and the family love she longed for returned.
On the other side, Rurik was riding on the shoulders of a mercenary so that his beautiful boots would not be stained with any mud. In fact, the Klavasen family was not so particular. Even if they lived in a wooden house, the whole family followed Lily's instructions.
As requested by Ya, the bedroom should be kept as clean as possible.
Klavasen was a little surprised by Rurik's particularity and the fact that the mercenary had become a servile deer.
Rurik was wearing a piece of leather, which was well protected from the rain. He came to Klavasen's house, and soon after he entered the door, he heard a woman's painful howl.
"Difficult childbirth?!" A terrible thought came to Rurik's mind, and he exclaimed casually.
At this moment, Klavasen frowned: "My lord, she is indeed in a bit of trouble. I am a man, how can I understand? My wife said that Lilia is in a bit of trouble now, maybe she needs a prayer."
"Damn it. Damn it!" Little Rurik frowned deeply. He was afraid that something might happen to Lilia.
For a long time, women in Rosberg have often suffered tragedies in which one or two people died due to difficult childbirth. In the past two years, although there were reports of suspected dystocia in the Novgorod women who married, they all gave birth successfully in the end. Some people say
This is a blessing from God, and pragmatists believe that simply those women are in good health.
In terms of health, isn't Lilia healthier?
Upon hearing the sound, Rurik broke into the bedroom and saw Lilia, whose face was covered in sweat, and her husband, Kawi, who was waiting anxiously.
The Klavasen family is not that particular. Kawei, the husband, not only cannot avoid her, he also has to stay by his wife's side at all times to provide her with spiritual comfort.
Lyrica, who was in pain, felt as if her savior had arrived when she saw Rurik, and she forced a smile.
"Lilia, you..."
Rurik walked over in a hurry. As soon as he sat down, his arm was tightly grasped by Lilia's right arm. "Rurik, I'm in pain. I beg you, pray for me."
"this……"
"Please, maybe I'm going to die! Ah!" The strong contraction pain forced Lilia to scream suddenly, which frightened the mother-in-law who delivered the baby and didn't know what was happening.
"I...Rumia will be here soon. Maybe she is more suitable."
"I beg you!" Lilia used her strength to squeeze out her desire from the gap between her teeth, "Is this a test from your god to me? Rurik, I beg you to pray to God,
Let me end the pain now and let the child be born safely."
Rurik was panicking, fearing that Lilia would faint in pain, so he knelt beside her and clasped his hands together as if praying. After a while, Rumia, who had been late, finally arrived. She stepped into the bedroom with bare feet.
, I saw the owner’s weird behavior at first glance.
After a while, Rumia also joined the prayer team. What was completely different from Rurik's pretense was that Rumia recited the prayers vividly, which made the whole room feel more solemn.
Maybe Lilia could avoid this crime if she waited for another two years. In Rurik's opinion, Lilia, who was pampered in her hometown, was still too early to become a mother.
However, Rurik made a small mistake.
The crux of the problem was not that Lilia was too young at all. After a whole day of tossing, just when Lilia was almost exhausted, the cry of the baby finally turned the tense atmosphere into a carnival of welcoming new life.
The moment she looked at her grandson, Lilia's mother-in-law finally saw the problem: "Ah! This child is too big! Oh! It is indeed a boy. Oh! What a strong boy, he is the best blacksmith
!”
"A giant baby?!" Rurik immediately came over and looked at the crying baby. He was really quite big.
Lilia's pain disappeared instantly. Seeing her mother-in-law holding her son, she felt a strong maternal instinct to snatch him away from her arms and strive to take pictures of her weak body.
At this moment, Kawei sat down and gently supported his wife.
The child's umbilical cord was quickly cut, he was scrubbed clean with prepared hot water, then wrapped in a piece of sheepskin that had been sterilized by boiling water, and delivered to the mother's arms.
All the pain turned into instant joy. Lilia hugged the child and said, "His name is Kuzneslav, that's the name."
"I understand." Kawei nodded deeply: "I will call him Kudya, and I will give him a Novgorod-style name. I don't care."
The matter finally came to a perfect end, and the Klavason family recognized that Lilia's mother and child were safe because of Rurik and Rumia's prayers.
Rurik didn't want to say much about this, they were willing to flatter him, and there was nothing wrong with him taking advantage of the situation to put gold on his face.
But the newly born Kuzneslav was a giant baby. He was so big because Lilia still maintained a very good quality of life after marrying Roseburg. No, not long after the baby was born, breastfeeding started.
Maybe this child is really an auspicious person. On the first day after his birth, the continuous rainy weather finally showed a better trend.
The rain lightened up and almost stopped by the evening.
By the evening of the third day, the haze gradually dissipated and the sea calmed down. A large number of dormant fishing boats rushed to the sea like crazy to resume fishing, while magnificent fire clouds appeared in the west. Experienced fishermen believed that in the future,