Until midday, he and Alu and Alcan created 20 items, including 4 large pots, 3 large ladles for scooping soup, 3 tall cups, 6 bowls, and 4 small ladles. He then sun-dried these items and emphasized very carefully that no one should touch them. If anyone disobeys, there will be no food tonight.
Afterwards, he mobilized 3 members of the hunting team, Ivan, Blu, and Kor, to transport clay from the riverbank to the area near the cave.
At the same time, Alcan and her mother Akum collected dry straw.
All six of them worked tirelessly through the afternoon to complete a major project.
It was a clay kiln, about 1m high and 1.5m wide, made from a mixture of clay and straw.
The kiln was divided into two main parts, the lower part for burning firewood, and the upper part for holding pottery. The separation between the two layers was a layer made of clay fixed with small branches wrapped in hardened clay.
At this point, the Stone tribe members also returned with today's harvest.
Each person's face was radiant, and Vu was the happiest, holding a pile of finished smoked fish in his hands. Although the taste wasn't great, it was much better in quality than sun-dried fish.
Vu cherished it and wouldn't let go.
Today's harvest was nearly 200 kg of smoked fish. With such a large quantity, the Stone tribe wouldn't have to worry about food during the harsh winter.
The pottery items placed on the stone platform were carefully brought back. They carried more than their own weight.
Minh Vu personally placed those items into the burning kiln with extreme caution. The complete set of 20 pottery items were put into the kiln, then he sealed the mouth of the kiln with clay.
After that, he started a fire, under the curious gaze of the tribe members.
"These are the items that the spirits instructed us to make! Be careful! Uru and Xin, keep an eye on the fire, don't let it go out!" Minh Vu commanded.
His face was extremely serious at this moment, creating an aura of deep respect.
Uru and Xin were two people in the age group considered less capable of labor. However, when it came to keeping the fire, both of them were very skilled, so Minh Vu assigned them this important task.
Back inside the stone cave, Minh Vu, in his role as a leader, distributed food and also provided guidance on crafting some handmade items using grass and animal hides.
Observing the tribal tools for holding items, he noticed that using animal hides as containers was very inefficient and cumbersome.
So he decided to make something like a "basket."
Due to a shortage of materials, the basket was quite primitive.
Four wooden poles were inserted into the ground to create a frame, then small, flexible branches were used to weave in a circular pattern around the wooden posts, forming the shape of a basket without a bottom.
After completing the main frame, the bottom was reinforced with four tightly fastened wooden bars, and then animal hides were laid under the bottom.
The basket's bottom was further reinforced and secured with strips of smooth fish skin.
And thus, another useful item was born, saving a considerable amount of time and effort for the Stone tribe.
After finishing the work, Minh Vu went outside to take care of the pottery kiln, which he and Alu and Alcan had been diligently working on all day. He truly hoped for success in creating pottery, as it would serve many purposes during the upcoming winter.
When Minh Vu stepped out of the cave, Blu and Xin were still sitting by the fire, and the fire was well-maintained, burning evenly. He ordered Xin and Blu to rest inside the cave, but they refused, saying that tending to the fire was their responsibility. So, Minh Vu sat down with them.
Indeed, the last night of autumn was very cold. The cold wind from the grassy field penetrated to the bone, making all three shiver. Luckily, they had the kiln and animal hides, which helped them get through the night.
According to Minh Vu's estimation, this kiln firing would last about 8 hours. Afterward, they needed to let it cool down before they could take out the items. If they removed the items immediately after firing, the pottery would experience a sudden temperature change, leading to cracks—a result Minh Vu absolutely wanted to avoid.
By midnight, Xin and Blu could no longer endure the cold, so they fell asleep by the fire. Minh Vu had no intention of waking them up; instead, he contemplated the future of the tribe.
As he learned from Vu, when the first snowfall occurred, there would be a final item exchange at the Stone Tribe. This was the time when the tribes in the area exchanged items to prepare for the harsh winter survival battle.
The Stone Tribe was the gathering place because they were the most powerful, and they possessed the crucial item: salt. Nowadays, Minh Vu ate without any salt, and it tasted incredibly bland.
According to Vu's words, this market could also exchange people for food.
The standard price was usually 10 bags of dried meat for one mature woman. In severe years with scarce food, the price would be higher, perhaps 5 bags of meat for one person.
The Stone Tribe also frequently exchanged people for food, so the weakening of the tribe was due to this reason.
According to Vu's calculations, the longer the days without snowfall, the earlier the snow would fall, indicating a harsh winter. The winter would be long, and many tribespeople would die.
The time until this event was only about half a month away.
A half-month might seem long, but time passed quickly. In the coming half-month, Minh Vu needed to do a lot to sustain the tribe. Furthermore, there was the first snowfall market, and it seemed he had to exchange a lot of salt to stock up for winter.
Lost in thought until dawn, he fell asleep at some point, not even aware of when he lay down.
However, when he woke up, the sun had risen, and the hunting teams were eager for the day's harvest.
So, they went out to the riverbank to catch fish even without breakfast, as they could eat fresh fish from the river.
The smoked fish was meant for winter storage or for trading for animal hides.
Truly, the Stone Tribe lacked everything, even animal hides, an essential item.
Yet, the entire tribe had less than 50 pieces of animal hides.
Vu did not go out to the riverbank anymore but kept a close eye on Minh Vu while he slept.
Currently, to Vu, Minh Vu was like a god, a child sent down by the spirits to help the Stone Tribe.
Perhaps because he stayed up too late the night before, Minh Vu's head felt a bit uncomfortable.
He gently rubbed his head and then vaguely looked at Vu sitting across from him.
"Vu! Wake up! Eat!" Vu spoke joyfully, his mood having been quite content for the past few days.