028 Moving House

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In barely five days, the temperature rose sharply, and the warm season everyone had longed for finally arrived.

The first problem to solve was food. The tribe’s able-bodied men and women formed hunting parties and ran across the pika plains with hemp-rope nets.

The new houses had been built east of the pika plains, making the hunting grounds somewhat closer than before—practically right outside their doors.

The houses faced south and stood in a continuous row from east to west.

As the temperature climbed, the plants sent out tender shoots. Against the expanse of green, the red walls and red-tiled roofs stood out vividly.

After several days of hard work, they caught batch after batch of pikas, and the food crisis was temporarily resolved.

Sixty courtyards were still far from enough, so the frenzied house-building project began anew.

The brick and tile kilns never ceased operating. Demand for red bricks and tiles was immense. Over the next three months, every household had to be provided with a courtyard.

First, they would complete the remaining courtyards from the original plan of one hundred. After that, they would begin constructing individual homes.

The census had long since been completed. The Sun Tribe had 1,451 households and a total population of 9,230 people. Children under ten made up nearly half the population.

There were eighteen households with more than twenty members. Only one household was as enormous as Huang Ye’s.

Eighty-six households had between fifteen and twenty members; 164 had between ten and fifteen; 382 had between five and ten. The rest had fewer than five members, including 220 single-person households.

Those single-person households were mostly families of elderly widowers and widows, old and frail, barely clinging to life.

With more than 1,400 households, that meant more than 1,400 courtyards to build.

Lin Yan discussed the matter with Huang Ye and the others. The houses could not all be built to the same specifications; they had to be adjusted according to the number of people in each family.

Apart from the hundred courtyards already planned—each consisting of four rooms around a large central yard—the remaining homes would be modified according to need. The four-room design was suitable for families of five to ten.

Single-person households would receive courtyards with two rooms, while three-room courtyards would suit families of two to five.

Larger families would receive houses with six rooms or more.

It was impossible for each family to build a house on its own. Now that the tribe was organizing the labor, working together would make the construction far more efficient.

After consulting the able-bodied members, they joined forces to build more than 1,400 courtyards, ensuring that every family would have a home.

The tribe would organize the people to erect the main structures of each house. The remaining interior arrangements would be the responsibility of the individual families.

Three months passed in a blur of activity, and every courtyard was completed.

The entire tribe had been planned and laid out in advance, with streets running from south to north. Most of them ran east to west, while a ten-meter-wide road had been left through the center along the north-south axis.

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According to the number of people in each household, families drew lots for homes of different sizes.

Lin Yan’s family consisted of only two people. Hua Hong drew Lot Eight, Street Eight, House Sixteen.

It was a three-room layout, twelve meters wide from east to west and ten meters long from north to south. A large courtyard lay in front, beyond which ran the planned Eighth Street. The street was about four meters wide, and beyond it stood the houses of Seventh Street. Ninth Street lay behind them.

In front of every house stood a stone marker bearing its number.

The rear walls of all the houses had no windows; only the front walls had openings for them.

The door to the three-room house was set in the middle. Doorways had been left in the walls on either side, leading from the central room into the two side rooms. Each of the eastern and western rooms had a window opening at the front.

For now, apart from the three empty rooms, the house contained nothing at all.

On March 26, after the houses had been assigned by lot, everyone immediately began moving.

From that day onward, they would no longer have to crowd together. Every family had a home of its own, and from then on, whether life was good or bad would depend entirely on them.

Hua Hong excitedly led Lin Yan into their new home. All their belongings filled seven baskets.

They had one stone pot, three clay jars—one of them especially large for storing water—five clay bowls, several bundles of hemp fiber, two baskets of hemp seeds, and two sets of ragged hide clothing. They were already wearing their hemp garments. There were also several straw mats and cushions, along with the stone slab Lin Yan had first used for roasting meat, stone knives, and other tools.

They even had two pika kits, a gift from Black Soil to their household.

“This will be our home from now on. It’s spacious and bright. Lin Yan, you and Mother will sleep in the eastern room. We’ll arrange the rest little by little. First, we need to build a hearth.”

Hua Hong spread the straw mats across the floor of the eastern room to use as bedding.

Lin Yan looked at the earthen floor, still somewhat damp, and hurriedly said, “Mother, this floor won’t do. It won’t be comfortable to sleep on. We should pave it with bricks. It will be cleaner and more comfortable.”

“All right. Once I’ve built the hearth, I’ll go find some food. You can plan everything else for now. When I’m finished, I’ll do it your way.”

Lin Yan watched Hua Hong bustle about with tireless energy and silently nodded.

This home was terribly poor. It lacked everything.

The mother and daughter were busy arranging their belongings when they were startled to see the families of Ye Zi and Mao Mu, along with Old Black, approaching.

Before they could ask anything, Ye Zi quickly said, “We’re neighbors again. My family has House Fifteen.”

Mao Mu smiled. “My family has Fourteen, and Old Black has Seventeen.”

“And me. My family has Eighteen.” Old Lin had come as well, bringing his son, Lin Yun.

Lin Yan stared in bewilderment. “What happened? Haven’t you already drawn lots? Weren’t you supposed to live somewhere else?”

Wild Sprout immediately explained, “It was like this. Everyone was used to living together, so Mother found the family that had originally drawn this house and exchanged with them—two baskets in return.”

Mao Mu added, “I did the same. I wanted to live next to your family.”

Old Black and Old Lin had thought the same way, giving up some of their possessions to obtain homes near Lin Yan’s.

Everyone was delighted to be neighbors with Lin Yan’s family. Old Black and the others had gone to considerable trouble before they finally managed to move there.

Old Black, especially, was entirely alone. His original house had only two rooms, so finding someone willing to exchange with him had not been easy.

He had gone to Huang Ye and A-Lan and explained what he wanted. Considering Old Black’s mastery of pottery and brick-and-tile firing, as well as all he had contributed to the tribe, they had ultimately agreed to let him move in.

Old Black was the only exception in the tribe. It would have been impossible for anyone else to do the same.

Afraid that others might try to imitate him, Huang Ye and A-Lan immediately made it clear that Old Black’s circumstances were unique and that he had received this special privilege only because of them. Everyone else could forget about it. If everyone acted the same way, the tribe would fall into chaos.

That day, several families moved in.

They were all familiar with one another, and living together would be a good thing. They understood each other and could look after one another.

That night, the people who had moved into their new homes were so excited they could hardly express it. Each family gathered together to discuss what they should do next.

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The next morning, just as Lin Yan opened her eyes, Hua Hong said, “Mother is going out to find food. Stay here obediently and don’t wander off. Mu Shi will stay behind to look after you and Wild Sprout.”

“All right. Go on, Mother. I’ll be good and do as I’m told,” Lin Yan replied obediently.

Their household was short of both clothing and food. Hua Hong was brimming with energy, and the days ahead would surely be busy. Lin Yan had matters of her own to attend to as well.

After eating the meat broth her mother had left behind, Lin Yan looked around the utterly destitute, exceedingly crude home and fell into deep thought.

She began planning in her mind how to transform the place.

The floor definitely had to go. The pitch-black earth was unpleasant even to look at. The red brick walls were still acceptable for the time being.

The courtyard was choked with weeds, and she would have to find a way to clear them out.

When she saw the two baskets of hemp seeds, Lin Yan realized that although moving here had been convenient, there was nowhere to plant ramie. She would have to find a way to clear and cultivate some land.

There was simply too much to do.

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