029 Working Hard Together

Mu Shi wanted to bring Ye Ya and Lin Yan along to gather some vines; he needed to weave more baskets.

Lin Yan readily agreed; she was eager to get out for a walk.

"Where are we heading?"

Mu Shi replied, "To the Sun River side; it’s safe there."

He dared not wander aimlessly with two children. The area by the Sun River where they used to live had been devastated by a herd of beasts, and while no one lived there anymore, the vegetation remained, and it posed no significant danger.

The distance from the riverbank to the tribe's new housing area was about two or three miles. This stretch was overgrown with plants, making it easy to find the vines they needed.

Old Lin was also heading to the river to catch fish with his son, so they went together.

"Old Lin, your son Lin Yun is growing even stronger. Your fishing skills are getting better and better," Mu Shi said, looking at Lin Yun with envy. The young man was sturdy and robust. "If my Ye Ya could grow up like that, I’d be satisfied."

Ye Ya immediately chimed in, "Father, I will definitely grow up tall and strong."

Old Lin laughed heartily. "Ye Ya is still young. Now that we have better food, he’ll surely grow well. This boy Lin Yun, he’s getting more and more of an appetite. If I didn't catch so many fish, I’m afraid it wouldn't be enough for him."

Lin Yun looked dissatisfied. "Father, I’m hungry; I have to eat. I can hunt now, and in the future, you can just wait for me to provide for you."

"Good, good, good. I’ll wait for you to provide for me." Old Lin looked at his son, his face full of contentment.

Lin Yan smiled as well. "Old Lin, you are truly blessed. Lin Yun is very capable. His craftsmanship was excellent when we were building the houses; I’d like to ask for his help to renovate mine."

"Really?" Old Lin’s eyes lit up. If Lin Yan praised him, it had to be good. "How do you want to renovate the house?"

He felt the current houses were perfectly fine—no concerns about them collapsing, no damp, musty odors, and they were spacious with plenty of room for storage. The benefits were numerous.

Mu Shi also looked over, curious about what more could be done to such a good house.

Lin Yun grinned broadly. "You really think my wall-laying skills are good?"

Lin Yan nodded affirmatively. "Yes, you are very skilled at laying walls. When conditions improve in the future, we will build even better houses. For now, just help me renovate this one; your skills are more than enough."

"No problem. Tell me how you want it done, and I’ll do as you say."

"Good. Once I have Old Hei fire some bricks, you can help me pave the floor, build a stove, and construct a table."

Lin Yun’s eyes gleamed. These were new things he had never made before. Once Lin Yan created them, others would surely follow suit.

Upon arriving, everyone busied themselves with their own tasks. Lin Yan followed behind Old Lin, watching him set his nets to catch fish.

The Sun River was teeming with various types of fish, all colorful and plump. She had already cataloged over twenty species.

Contribution points were hard to earn, and she did not want to miss this opportunity.

Last year, by leading the tribe to build houses, she had been rewarded with 300 contribution points. Now, she was still 124 points away from the 1,000 required to unlock the room numbered 0104.

The things inside would definitely be useful; they were the most fundamental knowledge. To bring about change required effort in every aspect. Lin Yan never considered herself omnipotent.

In her past life, she was immersed in scientific research, always standing on the shoulders of giants to explore new things. But now it was different; her foundation was zero, and she had to rely on herself for everything.

The existence of the Time Science Museum gave her some confidence. It held the essence of human civilization's progress; as long as it could be applied in practice, it would create a prosperous age.

They had houses now, a temporary shelter. The next step was to defend them and turn the tribe into a sturdy fortress to withstand the beast herds.

Watching Old Lin pull up the net, the fish inside jumping incessantly, Lin Yan spotted something unusual with her keen eyes.

She immediately leaned in to get a better look.

"Old Lin, quick, quickly pour the fish into the basket."

Old Lin was nimble; he and his son lifted the net and emptied it into the basket.

As the fish tumbled out in a flurry, Lin Yan found what she had caught sight of earlier.

"What is that?" Old Lin asked, having also seen it. It clearly didn't look like a fish. "What kind of thing grows so many legs? Is it to walk faster?"

Lin Yun chuckled. "Father, this thing has so many legs; it probably doesn't need to walk in the water."

As he reached out to grab it, Lin Yan quickly warned, "Hold it by its shell, not its legs. Those pincers will pinch you; it’s very painful."

Following Lin Yan’s instructions, Lin Yun picked up a green crab the size of a plate. He looked at it while asking, "What is this? It’s so strange, and it really does have a lot of legs."

"This is a green crab, a type of crab. It’s said to be delicious," Lin Yan said, listening to Pang Bao’s explanation while observing the large crab.

She had never seen such a large crab either and didn't know what it tasted like.

"Can you eat it?" Lin Yun asked skeptically. "It’s all hard shell and no meat. How do you eat it?"

"Uh, there is meat. Let's wash it clean, take it back, steam it, and we can all have a taste."

Seeing Lin Yan’s certainty, Old Lin and Lin Yun believed her.

Seeing a crab for the first time earned her 5 contribution points, which satisfied Lin Yan. She looked at the fish in the basket, but they were all ones she had seen before.

By noon, they had caught four full baskets of fish. Old Lin gave five large fish to Lin Yan. He planned to dry the rest to store, so that if anyone wanted fish, they could trade for them.

Mu Shi had gathered a large pile of vines, making three trips to bring them home, resulting in a massive mound.

Hua Hong didn't return at noon, so Lin Yan had a meal with Mu Shi. In the afternoon, he was busy weaving baskets and didn't plan to go out.

Lin Yan didn't go out either; she stayed to teach Ye Ya how to read.

Ye Ya was very clever, possessing an almost photographic memory. Everything she taught him, he mastered after seeing it once.

"Ye Ya, have you ever thought about what you want to do in the future?"

Ye Ya paused, thought for a moment, and said, "I want to see the world you talk about—where there's no worry about food, and one lives freely and at ease."

"That, I’m afraid, we won't see," Lin Yan said with a touch of melancholy. "Realizing that world is very difficult. It can't be done by us alone. It requires countless people to dedicate themselves to it, continuously exploring and moving forward."

"How do you know it can't be done if we haven't tried? Lin Yan, didn't you say everyone is smart? If you teach us more, maybe we can do it."

Looking at Ye Ya’s optimistic and expectant expression, Lin Yan didn't want to dampen his spirits. "Alright, then we will work hard together. Many things cannot be accomplished by my teaching alone; they require everyone to explore together."

"You can do it." Ye Ya firmly believed she was capable of anything. "Just tell me what you want to do, and I will definitely help you achieve it."

There was too much Lin Yan wanted to do, but she knew that with current conditions, she had to take it one step at a time. She said, "Let's first work together to ensure that everyone has enough to eat and wear, can live comfortably, and won't fear the arrival of the beast herds."

Looking at the overgrown, uneven courtyard, Lin Yan said, "Let's start by pulling out the weeds in the yard. When Old Hei returns, I’ll go find him to fire some bricks."

The two young children squatted in the yard, struggling against the weeds. Their strength was limited, and pulling the grass was quite difficult; they spent a great deal of effort but hadn't managed to clear much space.

By evening, Hua Hong and Ye Zi returned. They had a good harvest today; each had managed to get a plump pika, enough to eat for a few days.