There were dark clouds in the sky, lightning and thunder, and heavy rain.
"Quack, quack, quack..."
In the reeds next to the Feiyu River, some colorful ducks pecked at the insects that had crawled out of the ground due to heavy rain, as well as some shrimps and crabs that crawled to the shore. When they were happy with the meal, they flapped their wings and screamed a few times.
Their thick feathers can effectively isolate rainwater, and the tops of their heads are covered with reeds, so they are not afraid of getting wet.
The Teng tribe also raised a few colorful ducks, but they were locked in a cave and could only watch the rain and sigh.
"Quack...Quack...Quack..."
In the pond of the Teng tribe, a few frogs croaked from time to time. That was the hibernating frogs coming out and starting to look for food and courtship.
Of course, along with the warm spring comes pesky mosquitoes.
"Pa!"
Jiang Xuan was sitting in a bamboo house and killed a mosquito that was about to bite his leg to suck blood with a precise slap.
Jiang Xuan said helplessly: "The mosquitoes are out, it's time to burn some stinky grass to repel them."
Chi Shao said: "When the rain stops, I will go find some stink grass and come back, dry it in the sun and burn it."
After a while, Chi Shao discovered that Jiang Xuan was roasting some bamboo on the fire, so he asked curiously: "Xuan, are you making a new bamboo bed?"
"No, I want to make a bamboo raft."
"Bamboo rafts? What are they used for?"
Chi Shao has never heard of this word, but she is used to it because Jiang Xuan often comes up with new things.
Jiang Xuan answered while tying bamboos: "Bamboo can float on the water. If we tie them together to make bamboo rafts, the buoyancy will be stronger and we can carry us to the water to fish."
Jiang Xuan's words attracted the attention of everyone in the bamboo house.
Nan Xing put down the half-polished spearhead in his hand, approached Jiang Xuan, and asked: "Chief, can this bamboo raft take us to the river?"
"Of course. If we do well, we can even ride on a bamboo raft to the other side of the river. Don't you want to see what's on the other side of the river?"
Uncaria on the side stared at the bamboo in Jiang Xuan's hand for a long time and asked a question: "Chief, what if it floats away along the water? It's just like wood in the water."
"That's a good question."
Jiang Xuan picked up a relatively small bamboo pole and said: "This bamboo pole is called a boat pole. It can be used to control the direction of the bamboo raft in the water."
Uncaria found it incredible and became very interested in the bamboo raft.
"Chief, after you've finished it, can you let me try it?"
Nanxing shouted: "I want to try too."
Shi Loach is relatively calm, but after all, he has a young mind, and his eyes are obviously eager to try.
Jiang Xuan smiled and said: "Okay, after I finish it, everyone can try it."
"Chief, let me help you." Nanxing volunteered.
Uncaria and Lithops also came to help, but only Red Peony was calmer and still pounding the medicine.
As the witch of the tribe, Chi Shao needs to make various medicines in advance for the warriors of the tribe so that they can carry them with them when they go hunting and apply medicine in time when they are injured.
After gaining witchcraft power and learning witchcraft skills from the old witch, Chishao's temperament has become calmer and she is working hard to be a good witch.
Jiang Xuan continued to make bamboo rafts with the help of three teenagers.
He chose sixteen old bamboos as thick as a bowl, burned them with fire into similar lengths, and then tied them tightly with strong bark ropes.
The reason why we choose old bamboo is that it is stronger and tougher and will not easily crack and let water in when it is made into a bamboo raft.
In the end, Jiang Xuan obtained a bamboo raft about five meters long and one and a half meters wide.
For insurance, he used two layers of bamboo, which makes it more buoyant and prevents people's feet from getting wet when standing on it.
Because the bamboo rafts are so big, except for the process of burning the bamboo, all other work is done outside after the rain stops.
After making the bamboo rafts, Jiang Xuan and Uncaria carried the brand new bamboo rafts to a relatively wide section of the creek to try it out.
Chi Shao, Shi Loach and Nan Xing also followed, as well as some members of the Teng tribe, all coming to see the strange thing.
"Into the water!"
After Jiang Xuan lifted the bamboo raft to the water's edge, he put the front end into the water. Uncaria pushed the back end, pushing the entire bamboo raft into the water.
"Okay, come up quickly!"
Jiang Xuan followed the end of the bamboo raft onto the bamboo raft, and then used bamboo poles to support the bamboo raft to prevent it from floating away with the stream for the time being.
"Coming!"
Undo rubbed her hands excitedly, and then followed Jiang Xuan onto the bamboo raft.
However, when he stood up, the bamboo rafts swung in the water due to uneven force, which scared Uncaria into hurriedly squatting down.
"Chief... Chief, we won't fall into the water, right?"
Jiang Xuan said angrily: "With me here, what are you afraid of? Besides, this is not a river, you won't drown."
"Then... then, leader, please be more steady."
Undo moved to Jiang Xuan's side, still feeling very nervous and with a sense of expectation.
Stone Loach shouted from the side: "Uncaria, if you are afraid, just come down and I will go up."
Undo was aroused by these words, stood up bravely, and said dissatisfied: "Who is scared? I just need to get used to it first."
Jiang Xuan smiled and said: "Then stand still and let's go!"
Jiang Xuan used his bamboo pole to gently push it to the shore. The slanted bamboo raft immediately straightened, and then slowly floated forward along the stream.
Although they knew that the stream was not deep, the tribesmen had never been in the water, let alone taken a boat.
The bamboo raft was swaying, and Uncaria persisted in standing for a while, but finally sat down, feeling a little uncomfortable on his face.
Jiang Xuan comforted him while supporting the bamboo raft: "Everything has a process of adaptation. There is nothing to be ashamed of. Once you adapt to the swing of the bamboo raft, you will naturally not be afraid anymore."
Undo nodded and looked at Jiang Xuan gratefully.
When the bamboo raft floated along the creek and approached the Feiyu River, Jiang Xuan immediately pushed it to the shore and did not let it continue to float forward.
Because the water in the creek is not deep and the plants on the bank have been cleared, there is no danger.
But the river is different. There are many dangers hidden in the river, as well as terrifying big fish and water animals. It is too dangerous for a small bamboo raft to enter it.
"Okay, let's carry the bamboo raft back and let others try it too."
Jiang Xuan and Uncaria pulled the bamboo raft ashore together, and then the two of them carried the bamboo raft back to where Chi Shao and others were.
"Who's coming next?"
The bamboo raft re-entered the water, and Jiang Xuan was still holding the bamboo pole.
"I, I, I... I come first!"
Nanxing couldn't wait to get on the bamboo raft, she was so excited.
"Okay, let's go!"
Jiang Xuan tapped the bank with his bamboo pole, and the raft set off again.
When they were on the shore, Nan Xing thought it was fun, but when he actually sat on the bamboo raft and was carried forward by the bamboo raft, Nan Xing also felt a sense of fear in his heart like Uncaria.
"Chief...leader, be more steady."
Jiang Xuan smiled and said: "It's okay, don't worry, as long as I'm here, you can't turn it over."
The bamboo raft went down the river again, and then stopped when it approached Feiyu River as before, pulled it ashore, carried it back to the original place, and then changed to the next person to experience it.
In the end, most people in the rattan tribe went to the bamboo rafts to experience it.
Jiang Xuan threw the bamboo raft into the largest pond again, so that everyone could get familiar with the feeling of being on the water first. After they got used to it, they could learn to hold the bamboo raft in the stream.
This is a gradual adaptation process.
After they can truly control the bamboo rafts, they can try fishing in the shallow waters of Feiyu River in the future. The harvest will definitely be much more than fishing on the shore.