The house was built, now storing food became the top priority.
It was autumn, with plenty of wild fruits and vegetables on the mountains, and lots of prey, naturally no worries about food.
However, Jiang Xuan knew from memories that the Southern Wilderness would experience snowfall.
Once winter arrives, with heavy snow sealing the mountains, finding food would become extremely difficult then.
If food for winter wasn't prepared in advance, they would face the risk of starvation.
Therefore, it was crucial to stockpile enough food in advance to withstand the impending harsh winter.
Jiang Xuan thought for a long time, focusing on digging plant roots and fishing.
Root vegetables are long-lasting, and fish can be kept in a pond until winter, eliminating worries about spoilage once it snows.
Most importantly, these two types of food are relatively easy to obtain and plentiful.
To dig plant roots and ponds, a suitable digging tool must be made; otherwise, using wooden sticks and hands would take forever.
Jiang Xuan carefully thought it over and decided to make two Bone Plows.
The Bone Plow, resembling a shovel, is used specifically by the tribe for digging soil.
The materials needed to make a Bone Plow include the scapula of an ungulate animal, a sharp stone for drilling holes, a straight wooden pole, and string for secure binding.
These materials are not difficult to obtain.
A few days ago, a snare set by Chi Shao caught a green muntjac, resembling a deer but with short antlers; the meat was eaten, but the bones, including two wide scapulas, were left.
The scapula of ungulate animals is roughly triangular, naturally shaped like a shovel, and is the tribe's preferred beast bone for making Bone Plows.
Jiang Xuan found the two scapulas and took them to the creek to grind them smooth with a coarse stone.
"Scrape, scrape, scrape..."
Beside the creek, Jiang Xuan was vigorously grinding a scapula, occasionally pouring some water from a bamboo tube to rinse off the bone powder.
"Xuan, why are you grinding beast bones?"
Chi Shao curiously approached Jiang Xuan and asked.
"To make a Bone Plow."
"You know how to make a Bone Plow?" Chi Shao looked at him in surprise.
"I've seen people in the tribe make it before, and I want to try. If successful, it will make digging traps and wild vegetables much easier in the future."
As Jiang Xuan spoke, he continued grinding. Beast bones are quite hard, and it takes a lot of time and effort to grind them smooth.
Seeing another scapula beside Jiang Xuan, Chi Shao picked it up and said, "I'll help you grind this one."
"Alright!"
Jiang Xuan didn't refuse. Grinding the two scapulas alone would have likely taken him all day.
With Chi Shao's help, the time needed could be cut in half.
"Xuan, we'll help too."
Gou Teng, Shi Qiu, and Nan Xing also came over, wanting to lend a hand.
Jiang Xuan said, "Nan Xing, help me twist some ropes, using bark; they need to be thin but strong."
"Okay, I'll get on it right away."
Nan Xing immediately went to find suitable thin bark to twist into ropes, a task kids in the tribe often did since childhood, though not complicated.
Ten-year-olds often wanted to show their skills and were eager to help others.
Jiang Xuan then spoke to Gou Teng and Shi Qiu, "Go chop down two small trees for me, the kind used for making Stone Spears, with trunks about the thickness of three fingers."
"Alright, we'll chop them now."
Outside the bamboo grove were many shrubs, some very sturdy, suitable for spears and also for making Bone Plow handles.
Gou Teng and Shi Qiu found some sharp-edged stones by the creek and went to chop trees.
With everyone's efforts, by midday, all the materials for the two Bone Plows were ready.
The scapulas were smoothed, the wider end thinned and sharpened, and four holes drilled in the middle with sharp stones, two on each side, for threading ropes to secure the wooden pole.
Nan Xing had finished twisting the bark ropes, which Jiang Xuan was quite pleased with.
The two straight small trees were cut down, and Gou Teng and Shi Qiu had peeled the bark and scraped the surfaces flat with stones to form handles.
Everything was ready, and now it was up to Jiang Xuan.
Could he succeed? Chi Shao and the three young ones were all eager to see.
"Let's start!"
Jiang Xuan carried all the materials into the bamboo house, rubbing his hands excitedly before starting to make the Bone Plows.
The two poles should ideally be dried in the shade before use to prevent cracking or warping, but that would take over a month, which Jiang Xuan couldn't wait for.
He placed the poles over the fire pit, using the flames to dry them quickly.
As the fire burned the poles, moisture evaporated quickly and carbonized the surface.
Once the pole surfaces were slightly scorched, Jiang Xuan removed them from the fire pit, giving them a quick glance, then straightening any slight bends while still warm.
Once the poles cooled, they were mostly set, and wouldn't deform easily again.
Next, Jiang Xuan used sharp-edged stones to flatten one end of each pole's bottom, for better adherence to the smoothed scapula, while cutting two grooves in the other side for securing ropes.
Without grooves, the ropes would shift and loosen easily with a bit of force when using the Bone Plow.
After preparing the poles, Jiang Xuan aligned the flat end with the scapula, continuing to trim uneven spots until they fit perfectly together.
Then he threaded the prepared skinny ropes through the drilled scapula holes, wrapping them around the pole grooves, tightly binding layer by layer.
With each turn, the two rope strands crossed until the ropes were tied off, tightly securing the pole to the scapula.
"It's done!"
Jiang Xuan swung the Bone Plow a few times, feeling it was very handy, filling him with a sense of accomplishment.
"Xuan, you're amazing, you can do anything!"
Gou Teng, Shi Qiu, and Nan Xing gazed at Jiang Xuan with admiration.
Building a bamboo house, making a bamboo bed, and now a Bone Plow; Jiang Xuan truly was extraordinary.
Jiang Xuan was also quite pleased internally, but modestly said, "It's all thanks to everyone's help; I couldn't have done it alone."
"That's not right..."
Chi Shao frowned slightly; she felt something was missing in Jiang Xuan's Bone Plow.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Xuan swallowed his pride and asked in surprise.
Chi Shao pointed a few inches above where the scapula met the pole, "Here, it needs a horizontal short wooden rod; I remember the Bone Plow can be stepped on with the feet for leverage."
Jiang Xuan suddenly recalled, indeed that was the case, and embarrassingly stated, "I forgot the horizontal rod, thanks for the reminder, sister. I'll add it now."
The ends of the small trees Gou Teng and Shi Qiu chopped were still there; Jiang Xuan used the sharp stone to cut two sections, each about twenty centimeters long.
He peeled, roasted, and aligned the short rods with the poles, trimming for fit, making grooves, then tightly binding them together with skinny ropes.
After finishing, Jiang Xuan checked it once, then handed the Bone Plow to Chi Shao, "Sister, see if anything's missing now?"
Chi Shao placed the Bone Plow on the ground, stepping on the short rod for leverage, and the Bone Plow's spade easily cut into the soil as she pressed the long rod, easily prying up a chunk of soil.
Chi Shao smiled with satisfaction, "Xuan, you did great; it's as good as the Bone Plows I used in the tribe."
Receiving his sister's praise, Jiang Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief, smiling happily.
The three young ones took turns trying the Bone Plow, admiring Jiang Xuan even more, for in the tribe, toolmaking was usually done by adult warriors.
Having learned from making the first Bone Plow, Jiang Xuan smoothly completed the second one.
With these two Bone Plows, Jiang Xuan could finally embark on his next plan — fishing.