025 Rebuilding Our Home

Despite the sorrow in their hearts, they had to face the reality of their situation. This was how their ancestors had lived—migrating time and again, establishing new homes, and thus managing to survive to this day.

The caves in the tribe were almost entirely destroyed. The most urgent task was to find a safe location to dig new dwellings. Yet, a great migration was even more daunting; no one knew what dangers might be encountered along the way. Every migration saw many deaths, with even more children perishing during the journey.

Lin Yan, her small face taut, had Mao Mu carry her around the tribe. After long deliberation, she gathered the most respected members of the tribe. Huang Ye, the oldest living member of the tribe, held great authority and spoke first: "Lin Yan, why have you called us here?"

Everyone else looked at Lin Yan. Though she was small, she possessed countless brilliant ideas that had changed the current state of the Sun Tribe. People both loved and revered her; she had proven herself through her actions. That was why they were able to gather everyone together now.

According to tradition, facing such a situation meant they were destined to migrate. But this time, they hoped Lin Yan might have a better solution. Migration was too difficult, and the losses would be even greater. In recent days, everyone had witnessed Lin Yan’s capabilities; she was a natural-born leader who could guide them toward a better life.

Lin Yan looked around the circle and asked, "I want to know what you all are thinking and what you plan to do next."

"If there’s no other way, we have no choice but to migrate and start over in a new place," said A Lan. Seeing that everyone else remained silent, she stepped forward. "Lin Yan, do you have a way? If it’s possible, nobody wants to migrate. The cold season is coming, and without food or caves, we won't survive it."

Seeing everyone gazing at her with hopeful eyes, Lin Yan said, "There is a way, but it will require everyone to work hard for a while."

"What is the way? As long as it works, we don't fear hard work," Hei Tu said immediately. He looked at Lin Yan eagerly, hoping she could find a way to avoid migration. Migration meant starting from scratch, which signified death and endless risks. Having enjoyed some stability recently, none of them wanted to return to that life.

"Migration does not fundamentally solve the problem. Even if we reach a new place, there will still be all kinds of disasters that cannot be avoided."

As soon as Lin Yan finished speaking, Hei Tu agreed, "That’s right, that's exactly it. What is your good idea?"

Huang Ye scolded, "Don't be so hasty. Listen to what Lin Yan has to say."

Hei Tu quieted down and promised, "Alright, let Lin Yan speak. I promise not to interrupt."

The crowd grew silent, waiting for Lin Yan's solution.

Lin Yan did not dally and continued, "Since we cannot avoid these things, and it is the same everywhere, why don't we build a sturdy home ourselves? We can guard it together and resist the beast herds as one."

"How can we build it?" Huang Ye asked, hitting the nail on the head. She had experienced too much; it wasn't that their ancestors hadn't thought of building for themselves, but nothing could withstand the ferocity of the beast herds.

"Underground caves are not suitable for living, and they are easily collapsed when the herds come. We should build houses on the ground. Time is short, so we will first build a few large houses to get through the cold season. When the next hot season arrives, we will build new homes for every family. I want to build houses like this: the walls will be made of brick and stone, the roof will use wood as beams, covered with a layer of fencing, then topped with a layer of dry grass and mud for insulation, and finally covered with roof tiles..."

As she spoke, Lin Yan drew the structure of the house she described on a stone slab. "Everyone must participate. We will build the main structure first, and the interior can be finished slowly later. We must get the houses built before the cold season arrives."

"Are these houses strong enough?" A Lan asked hesitantly. Though they looked good and better than living in caves, it wouldn't do if they weren't safe.

"The beast herds are also afraid of the cold and are less active during that season. The houses will provide a certain level of defense, but to block the herds entirely, we will need to think of other methods. Besides, even a tree knows how to avoid a beast, and a beast isn't foolish enough to run headfirst into a wall."

Hei Tu laughed, "That's true, the herds aren't stupid. If these houses can be built, they will surely be good. Lin Yan, what are these bricks and tiles you speak of?"

Lin Yan explained as she drew, "Both bricks and tiles are made by firing. Bricks will be harder and roughly the same size, which will make stacking them much faster. Tiles are for the roof, making it easier for water to drain when it rains."

The group chimed in with their questions, and Lin Yan answered them one by one. After more than an hour, everyone made the decision: they would do it. The recent beast attack had killed thirty-five people in the tribe and injured over a hundred; no one wanted to see such things happen again. Since they had to build new dwellings anyway, building houses was a viable option.

With the decision made, they first began to clear away the ruins of their old home. They spent the afternoon sorting through the debris, salvaging everything they could use, especially food, which was vital. The others began to work.

Lin Yan, Huang Ye, A Lan, and Hei Tu began to formulate the construction plan. They divided the able-bodied members of the tribe into groups of twenty: ten groups to dig foundations, ten to cut wood, ten to fire bricks, and ten to fire tiles. The remaining people—the elderly—would be responsible for cooking and preparing food, while the relatively stronger individuals would take the children to cut grass.

Lin Yan was responsible for technical guidance, Huang Ye for directing the work, A Lan for logistics, and Hei Tu for leading the hunting parties to gather food. Suddenly, Lin Yan remembered Old Lin; he was skilled at catching fish, so she decided to have him lead a group to fish. There were many fish in the Sun River, and catching more would be helpful. Now that everything was in short supply, anything that could fill their stomachs was a treasure.

That night, everyone in the tribe knew they were going to build a new home, and their hearts were filled with anticipation. Although they didn't know exactly what their new homes would look like, after seeing Lin Yan's simple drawings and hearing her descriptions, they believed it would be good. Tomorrow would be a brand new day; if everyone worked together, they would surely be able to build the houses before the cold season.

Lin Yan's initial plan was to build one hundred courtyards. Since she didn't know when the cold season would arrive, they would build them in batches, starting with ten. The houses were not designed to be large; each courtyard would have four rooms, each eight meters long and about four meters wide, with open space left at the front and back.

The location was chosen at the Rat-Rabbit Plain, not far from Lin Yan's home. The grass in that area had been cleared, leaving an open space that was convenient to utilize, and it was not far from the Sun River. The reason she didn't build on the original site was the risk of the Sun River flooding and submerging the area. The Rat-Rabbit Plain was different; the terrain was higher, and with some future reinforcements, it could be protected from flooding. The area was large enough for their needs; for now, this was the plan, to be improved upon later.

The next day, as the sky began to brighten, those who were too excited to sleep rose and began to move according to the plans made the night before.