That day, the charcoal in the fire pit still held residual warmth, and the morning sun slanted in through a gap in the cave, casting a bright band of light on the ground.
The Tribesmen were busy around the leftover dried fish from yesterday—some were stringing the dried fish with animal hides and hanging them in a ventilated spot, while others were carefully removing the fine scales from the dried fish, preparing them for today’s breakfast.
A He squatted nearby, clutching a piece of golden-brown roasted dried fish, but instead of gobbling it down as usual, he kept looking up toward the cave entrance, as if waiting for someone.
“Why isn’t Alex here yet?”
Mark looked toward the entrance while stringing dried fish.
Since Alex had used skill to defeat John yesterday and establish his position as Leader, the Tribesmen had grown accustomed to receiving his assignment of the day’s tasks every morning—whether it was collecting fish traps by the river, or polishing new stone tools.
Even the most sluggish Hunters had become diligent.
Just as he finished speaking, Alex and John walked in side-by-side.
Alex carried a newly polished stone hoe, its blade smooth and sharp, while John carried two sharpened Long Spears, and a clean animal hide was draped over his shoulder.
As soon as the two entered the cave, the warmth seemed to intensify.
“Today, we won’t be fishing or polishing stone tools.”
Alex placed the stone hoe beside the fire pit and patted the dirt off it.
“The snow has started melting, and the land at the edge of the mountain forest is exposed.
We are going to dig up some edible Roots and Tubers—they are more filling than Wild Vegetables and can be stored.
This will add more food to the Tribe.”
“Roots and tubers?” The Tribesmen who had gathered around were stunned.
In their understanding, the only things edible were prey that flew in the sky or ran on the ground, and Wild Vegetables that sprouted in the spring.
Most Roots and Tubers buried in the ground were hard and bitter, some even poisonous, so no one dared touch them.
Old Man Ku Mu walked over, leaning on his Wooden Staff, and said with a frown:
“Alex, I’ve lived for decades and seen many roots buried in the soil.
They are either too tough to chew, or they cause diarrhea if eaten.
Can that stuff really be eaten?”
Alex smiled and nodded, pulling out a Leaf he had specifically kept from yesterday—the leaf was heart-shaped, with fine serrations on the edges and clear veins.
He had found it at the edge of the mountain forest while surveying the terrain yesterday.
“Look at this, everyone,” he said, holding up the Leaf for the Tribesmen to see.
“The underground roots of a Plant with this kind of Leaf are called ‘Chinese Yam’ (Shan Yao), not only is it edible, but it’s also very filling.
When boiled soft, it smells better than Wild Vegetables, and when dried, it can be stored until summer.”
John leaned closer and examined the Leaf carefully, his brow slightly furrowed.
“I’ve seen this kind of Grass in the mountain forest before.
The roots underground were thick and long.
I thought they were useless.
You mean they can be eaten?”
“Not only are they edible, but they are also very nutritious.” Alex handed the Leaf to Yuna.
“Yuna, memorize what this Leaf looks like.
When we get to the mountain forest later, we’ll split up to search.
Mark down any Plants you see with leaves like this.”
Yuna quickly took the Leaf, carefully tucked it into a seam of the animal hide, and nodded in agreement.
After a simple breakfast of dried fish, Alex selected ten able-bodied men—John, Mark, and Ashi were among them, and he specifically brought Yuna along.
The Old Shaman wanted to go too, but Alex persuaded him otherwise:
“Please stay in the cave to look after the elderly and children.
We will return as soon as we find the Chinese Yam, and you can be the first to taste it.”
The Old Shaman couldn’t argue, so he repeatedly warned them to be careful of Wild Beasts on the way, and only felt reassured enough to let them leave after handing Yuna a treasured Wooden Plaque used for identifying Wild Vegetables.
Outside the cave, the snow had indeed melted considerably.
The ankle-deep snow had receded into scattered piles, revealing the damp Black Soil beneath, which felt soft underfoot.
It carried the earthy smell of soil.
The wind was no longer as biting; when it blew across their faces, it actually felt slightly warm.
Even the Pine and Cypress branches seemed a little greener.
“Head this way.” Alex led the team toward the east side of the mountain forest.
“When I surveyed the Water Source yesterday, I saw many heart-shaped leaf Plants here.
The terrain is gentle, making it easy to dig.”
John walked at the very front carrying his Long Spear, vigilantly watching the surrounding Woods—although there were fewer Wild Beasts after the snow melted, there were still lurking Wild Boars and Lone Wolves in the mountain forest, allowing no room for carelessness.
After walking for about half an hour, Alex suddenly stopped and pointed to a patch of low-lying Plants ahead: “Look, this is it!” This story is hosted at g.com.
The Tribesmen looked in the direction he pointed, seeing a patch of Plants about half a person’s height.
The leaves were indeed identical to the one Alex held.
The heart-shaped leaves swayed gently in the breeze, and the soil around the base was slightly raised, suggesting a sizable root or tuber hidden beneath.
Mark excitedly started to rush over, but Alex stopped him:
“Don’t rush.
First, let me teach everyone how to identify it—besides the leaves, you must also look at the Stem.
The Stem of this Plant is pale green and covered in fine Fuzz.
If you see a stem that is reddish or leaves with spots, don’t touch it; that is poisonous.”
He squatted down, pointing out the Stem of one Plant to the group, and then deliberately pushed aside a similar Plant nearby:
“Look at this one.
The leaves look similar, but the stem is red.
Eating the root underground will cause dizziness and vomiting.
You must distinguish between them clearly.”
The Tribesmen gathered closer to compare carefully.
Even the most careless Hunters widened their eyes, afraid of making a mistake.
After confirming everyone understood, Alex picked up the stone hoe and gently dug the soil next to a Plant:
“Dig slowly.
Chinese Yam grows deep and breaks easily.
You must slowly dig along the direction of the root; don’t use brute force.”
Holding the stone hoe, he uncovered the damp soil bit by bit, his movements gentle, as if tending to a treasure.
John and Mark also picked up stone hoes and imitated Alex’s digging.
At first, they were inevitably impatient, breaking two thin Chinese Yams.
Later, they gradually mastered the force, and their movements became gentler.
Yuna was responsible for marking the area—she found some colored Pebbles and placed them next to the confirmed edible Chinese Yam plants, to avoid confusing them with other Plants.
When Ashi dug up a particularly thick Chinese Yam, he shouted excitedly:
“Alex!
Look at this!
It’s thicker than my arm!”
Alex walked over to look.
Sure enough, that Chinese Yam was as thick as a forearm, with pale brown skin, covered in fine Rootlets.
It was still coated with damp soil when pulled from the earth.
He smiled and patted Ashi’s shoulder: “Well done!
This kind of thick yam is the most filling and tastes best when boiled.”
Just then, Yuna’s voice suddenly called out: “Alex, come quickly and look at this!”
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.
They saw Yuna standing not far away, holding a Plant, her brows tightly furrowed.
Alex walked over and noticed that the leaves of that Plant were somewhat similar to the Chinese Yam leaves, but the Stem was thinner, and the serrations on the leaf edges were sharper.
Yuna pointed to the root of the Plant: “I almost dug it up thinking it was Chinese Yam, but when I pulled it out, the roots were fine whiskers and white Sap started flowing out.”
Alex’s heart tightened.
He quickly told Yuna to throw the Plant far away:
“This is ‘White Sap Vine’ (Bai Zhi Teng), it’s poisonous!
Its sap will make your skin itch, and if eaten, your stomach will hurt severely.
Luckily, you didn’t dig it up or touch the sap.”
As he spoke, he used a Branch to push aside the soil around the Plant, allowing the Tribesmen to clearly see its Rootlets—completely different from the thick Roots and Tubers of the Chinese Yam.
The roots of the White Sap Vine were a messy tangle of fine whiskers, slowly oozing white Sap.
The Tribesmen all broke out in a cold sweat.
Mark patted his chest:
“Thank goodness, Alex, you taught us how to distinguish them, or I almost dug up the wrong one just now!”
“That’s why you must be careful when digging.”
Alex squatted down again, comparing the leaves and Stems of the two Plants once more.
“Remember, Chinese Yam leaves are wider, and the Stem has Fuzz; White Sap Vine leaves are narrower, and the Stem is smooth.
The roots are fine whiskers—as long as you remember these points, you won’t make a mistake.”
The subsequent digging went much smoother.
The Tribesmen split into groups: some were responsible for identifying the Plant Specimens, some for careful digging, and others for wrapping the dug-up Chinese Yam in animal hides to prevent too much dirt from sticking.
John dug particularly seriously.
Each time, he first used the stone hoe to gently scrape away the surface soil, and after finding the direction of the yam, he slowly scraped the soil away by hand.
Almost none of the Chinese Yams he dug up were broken, they were even more intact than those Alex had dug.
“I never thought something buried in the ground could be this delicious.”
John looked at the Chinese Yam in his hand, a rare smile appearing on his face.
“I always thought only prey was the most filling, but now it seems these Roots and Tubers are not bad either.”
Alex smiled and nodded: “When spring comes, we can bury the smaller Chinese Yams back in the soil, and maybe new ones will grow—in the future, the Tribe won’t have to rely only on hunting and fishing for food.”
When the sun reached the zenith, the Animal Hide Sacks the Tribesmen brought were already full to the brim.
A rough count showed there were hundreds of Chinese Yams in total.
The thick ones were the size of a forearm, and the thin ones were the size of a finger.
Piled together, they looked like a small mound of earth.
Mark lifted the Animal Hide Sack filled with Chinese Yams, weighed it in his hands, and said excitedly:
“This many Chinese Yams will feed the Tribe for several days!
If we add them when boiling Fish Soup, it will definitely be even tastier!”
On the way back, the Tribesmen’s steps were much lighter than when they arrived.
John walked ahead carrying his Long Spear, occasionally glancing back at the Animal Hide Sacks behind him, a smile constantly playing on his lips.
Yuna carefully put away the Chinese Yam Leaf, saying she wanted to draw it on the Cave Wall so all the Tribesmen could remember it.
Ashi and Mark discussed how they would eat the Chinese Yam that evening—whether to boil it, roast it, or stew it with dried fish.
Alex walked in the middle of the team, watching the cheerful Tribesmen around him, feeling warmth in his heart.
Just then, the System Prompt Sounded in his mind:
[Host detected successfully identifying and leading the Tribe in excavating edible Roots and Tubers (Chinese Yam), enriching the Tribe’s food sources, lowering survival risk, meeting the criteria for “Civilization Progress – Resource Expansion,” rewarding Civilization Points: 60 points.
Current Civilization Points: 340 points.]
340 points!
Alex was delighted—enough to exchange for a packet of Medical Gauze, with plenty of points left over.
If he accumulated a little more, he could exchange them for Coarse Grain Seeds.
He looked up at the cave ahead.
The sunlight happened to shine perfectly on the Cave Wall at the entrance, making the Flame Stone Tribe’s Sun Totem appear exceptionally clear.
When they returned to the cave, the Old Shaman and the Tribesmen were already waiting at the entrance.
Seeing them bring back several full sacks of Chinese Yam, the Tribesmen gathered around, curiously touching the thick, solid Roots and Tubers, listening to Mark and Ashi recount the interesting events of the digging.
The Old Shaman picked up a yam, sniffed it at the tip of his nose, then gently scraped the skin with his finger, and said with a smile:
“I used to think this was just useless Grass Root, but it turns out to be a treasure.
Alex, you’ve brought something good to the Tribe again.”
“Everyone found this together.” Alex smiled and distributed the Chinese Yam to the Tribesmen.
“Tonight, we will boil Chinese Yam Fish Soup and roast some Dried Yam, so everyone can have a taste.”
The fire pit was quickly rekindled, and the water in the Clay Pot began to bubble and boil.
Yuna put the peeled yam pieces into the fish soup.
The white yam slowly tumbled in the milky white broth, and the aroma quickly filled the entire cave.
A He lay beside the fire pit, staring intently at the Clay Pot, softly muttering, “Hurry up and cook, hurry up and cook…”
Alex leaned against the Cave Wall, watching the busy Tribesmen by the fire pit, watching John and the Hunters sort the newly dug Chinese Yam, and watching Yuna carefully peel the yam.
He suddenly felt that what was called “Civilization,”
was perhaps exactly this—from finding the first cluster of fire, to weaving the first Fish Trap, and then digging up the first edible Root or Tuber, step by step, using their own hands to turn a desperate winter into a hopeful spring.
The Chinese Yam Fish Soup in the Clay Pot was finally ready.
Yuna scooped out a bowl with a Wooden Ladle, handing it first to the Old Shaman, and then to Alex.
Alex took the bowl and took a sip—the dense texture of the yam mixed with the savory freshness of the fish soup melted in his mouth, and warmth spread through his limbs.
He looked at the Tribesmen around him, every face bearing a satisfied smile.
Even the oldest Old Man Ku Mu was slowly nodding as he ate.
As night deepened, the warmth and laughter in the cave did not cease.
While eating the Chinese Yam, the Tribesmen discussed the tasks for tomorrow—some said they should go dig more Chinese Yam, others said they should dry more Dried Yam, and still others said they wanted to follow Alex to learn how to identify more edible Plants.
Listening to their discussion, Alex knew clearly that the Tribe’s food source was no longer limited to prey and fish, they were moving toward a more stable and long-term future.