On that night, to celebrate their new home, the entire Stone Tribe held a grand feast.
Minh Vu decided to announce that tonight, there would be no more work, and everyone could enjoy some leisure time.
The dinner tonight was different from the usual.
Ever since they had high-quality salt, the food of the Stone Tribe had greatly improved, no longer bland and simple as before.
The variety of dishes had expanded, including not only grilled but also boiled, stewed, and steamed.
However, according to Minh Vu, the food chain was still lacking.
The diet couldn't consist solely of meat and starch throughout the day; it also needed green vegetables to provide fiber and vitamins.
Otherwise, there could be digestive issues and even vision problems due to vitamin deficiency.
The new house was assigned to the group of potters first, not by chance but because they had made the most significant contribution, considering the current time, excluding Minh Vu.
The pottery team consisted of nine people.
Blu and Xin were responsible for overseeing the kiln and collecting firewood. Alcan, Akam Rock, Kid, Iar, and Boo were the skilled artisans in pottery.
The remaining two, Kass and Xuu, were tasked with transporting and working with the clay.
Therefore, this group of nine had the privilege of moving in first.
The other tribespeople saw the new house as excellent—protection from rain and wind, elevated living quarters, and no lingering smell of dried fish.
So, the tribespeople looked at them with admiration.
Upon hearing this, the other tribespeople started working energetically, forgetting about the passage of time.
On this night, the air was colder than ever. The fires burned continuously, radiating warmth, but they couldn't fend off the invading cold entirely.
Outside, the freezing wind howled, yet the members inside the newly built house slept comfortably, despite the early winter chill.
Minh Vu, his body curled up in a pile of straw and animal hides, felt his legs shivering. Unable to resist, he approached the warm fire where hot water was being boiled.
The other tribespeople seemed accustomed to such weather, as they continued to sleep soundly. However, for Minh Vu, this night was difficult to sleep through.
The next morning, when the stone door was opened, everyone was met with a completely white landscape, a field covered in snow everywhere.
"Winter has arrived!" Vu exclaimed, stepping out of the low stone cave.
Just in one night, everywhere was covered with snow, indicating a heavy snowfall. Without proper preparation, the safety of the tribespeople would become challenging.
"Get ready, tomorrow we'll head to the Stone Tribe for trading!"
"Klu, Orc, Ika, Ivki, Luc, and Xem, prepare your equipment tomorrow to go with the leader to the Stone Tribe," Vu ordered.
Despite the intelligence of Minh Vu preventing the tribe from poverty and ensuring enough food to withstand this harsh winter, Vu decided to exchange items in the near future.
Food was non-negotiable and couldn't be exchanged. They had a large amount of pottery and salt, which were suitable for trading.
However, Minh Vu opposed Vu's plan. Although the tribe could produce salt, their current strength was too small to resist attacks from other tribes. If they knew the Large Stone Tribe possessed salt, they wouldn't hesitate to attack.
In that case, the tribe would be at risk of extinction.
Therefore, Minh Vu decided that this time, they would trade pottery and a small amount of dried fish.
The target of the trade would be animal hides, humans, and even resources like minerals, seeds, and more.
Since everywhere was covered in snow, Minh Vu decided to create a sled to easily transport items for trading. Besides the six hunters, Minh Vu also brought along eight mature women.
Rather than taking the women for trading, they would be the labor force carrying the goods.
But before Minh Vu left, he made many arrangements for the remaining members of the tribe.
The remaining hunting team started patrolling to defend the tribe from the attacks of wild beasts or other tribes.
Other members quickly gathered resources like firewood and grass, transporting them to the tribe's hiding place.
Normally, during winter, apart from the hunting team, other members would stay still to conserve energy, and food would be severely limited, with only one meal a day.
However, this time was different. In winter, they still had to actively gather materials per Minh Vu's orders.
At this moment, Minh Vu was the strong support for the tribe, and his words were like decrees that everyone had to obey.
The next day, after thorough instructions, Minh Vu handed over the tribe to Vu. He and 14 other members set out for the Stone Tribe located to the west of their tribe.
Three hunters, Orc, Xem, and Ivki, used their strength to pull a sled.
The sled, constructed based on the principle of sliding friction, made transportation easy on the snowy surface.
The women followed behind, carrying baskets on their backs containing necessary items such as animal skin tents, salt, and dried fish.
On the main sled were the items intended for exchange, including 10 large pots, 15 small pots, 30 bowls, 15 ladles, and 50kg of fish, along with some weapons like stone spears and javelins.
With the Stone Tribe as the central point, the surrounding tribes included the Large Stone Tribe, Spear Tribe, Dry Tribe, Fire Tribe, and Tree Tribe.
As the Stone Tribe occupied a mountain with a salt mine inside, it became the most powerful tribe.
Over several winters, the Stone Tribe had grown strong, thanks to the exchange of food and people in return for salt.