Chapter 759: The Green Sparrow Tribe Approaching a Thousand Members Er Chong’s mother reached out and touched his now-bald head. Without his usual messy hair, Er Chong looked a bit unfamiliar. Still, his bare head was surprisingly pleasant to the touch. So pleasant, in fact, that his mother couldn’t help but keep touching it, almost unwilling to let go. Looking around, it wasn’t just Er Chong — all the men in the tribe had their once-messy hair shaved off with those sharp blades. The short-cropped hair made one instinctively want to reach out and touch it. And it wasn’t only the men and boys — the women, including Er Chong’s mother, had also undergone drastic changes compared to before. Their tangled hair had been trimmed and washed thoroughly using a delicious-smelling substance called “soap” and warm water. After their heads were covered in white, cloud-like foam, the formerly unruly hair turned fragrant and was braided into thick plaits, tied with string — neat and tidy. This new way of hair grooming, something they had never seen before, instantly captivated Er Chong’s mother and the other women of the former semi-farming tribe. Women have always been willing to spend effort on their hair, and Er Chong’s mother was no exception. These troublesome yet refreshing changes in grooming not only made them feel prettier but also allowed for a more apparent distinction between men and women, eliminating the need to approach someone and check if their chest was raised to identify their sex. Moreover, after washing their hair, they were taught to use another tool similar to the comb but much finer, called a louse comb, to comb their hair repeatedly. The annoying little bugs that once infested their hair — always impossible to catch — were now quickly removed. Er Chong’s mother particularly enjoyed squishing the bugs with her nails and hearing the satisfying pop they made — it was oddly pleasing. And it didn’t stop there. They were also ordered to bathe during this season and thoroughly scrub off all dirt. If anyone dared to slack off, tribe members would forcibly dunk them in hot water and scrub them with large brushes made from wild boar bristles. The sensation of being scrubbed with those stiff brushes was far from enjoyable. After seeing three or four people scream miserably while being roughly cleaned, no one dared to skimp on bathing again. At first, like many in the tribe, Er Chong’s mother grumbled about these pointless new routines. After all, they’d lived just fine without bathing before. Why were there so many new rules now? But now, she no longer had any complaints. In fact, she had even grown to like bathing. After a bath, her body felt clean, warm, and light — an incredible sensation. She looked at her hands, now showing their natural skin tone, released her braid, and gripped the animal hide wrapped around her body. These animal hides were now soft. Though still the same material, they had been boiled in large pots and dried, making them far more comfortable to wear. Even better, all the bugs that used to live in the hides were killed in the boiling process. Now the hides were warm, soft, and itch-free. Although these routines were initially annoying, once she experienced the benefits, Er Chong’s mother and others no longer disliked them. In fact, they began to enjoy them. She and others often compared their old tribe to this one. The female shaman, whom they once thought wise, now seemed much less so. The old shaman was unfamiliar with these comfortable yet straightforward practices. Even the pottery she made couldn’t compare to what was used here. The bowls they ate from now were far superior to even the best pottery the old shaman had made. Back when they first learned that the shaman had abandoned them, Er Chong’s mother, like many others, had felt anxious and uneasy. But after living in this tribe for a while, she no longer felt that way. In fact, she often felt that being abandoned was a blessing. Because after the shaman cast them off, they received a new Divine Child — more brilliant, younger, and wiser. Of course, there were still things that remained frustrating, like those annoying chopsticks and the tongue-twisting language. But they had no choice — they had to learn both. Without those two slender sticks, they couldn’t eat. And without learning the strange-sounding language, they’d be penalized. Each day, everyone was required to learn five new words. If they couldn’t master one, they’d be given less food. If they missed two meals, they’d go hungry. Driven by hunger and the lure of food, they had no choice but to give it their all and try to master the complex language. This language, called Mandarin, was truly a headache to learn. Worse still were the Chinese characters — symbols that looked all the same to Er Chong’s mother and most of the semi-farming tribe. But somehow, the teachers here could distinguish every one of them. In the past, Er Chong’s mother only admired strong male hunters. Now, her admiration shifted. She now deeply respected those who could write and recognize these characters — it seemed even more complicated than hunting! Thankfully, no one was forcing her to learn them… yet. Han Cheng, having once suffered under English lessons, fully understood their misery. Watching them struggle with Chinese filled him with a petty kind of joy. It was nearly as satisfying as watching foreign friends scratch their heads and howl in frustration over Chinese. But that satisfaction vanished the moment his eyes shifted from the language learners to the rapidly decreasing food supply. He had previously planned that, while the tribe was building houses, a grain silo over four meters deep and ten meters in diameter would be completed, covered with a grass roof to keep out wind and rain. Just a bit more work, and it could store food. But now, that silo sat empty. The reason? The tribe had suddenly gained over two hundred extra mouths to feed. Warfare is never just about brute force — logistics, especially food supply, are equally critical. This was clearly demonstrated in the Green Sparrow Tribe’s campaign against the semi-farming tribe. Long marches and over 200 allied warriors consumed vast amounts of food. Although they plundered a decent amount of supplies, the quality was far inferior to Green Sparrow’s own stores. It only barely made up for the expedition’s consumption. Still, those 200+ new people now had to be fed, and by the Green Sparrow Tribe no less. Each mouth was a bottomless pit for food, but there was no choice but to support them. Thankfully, the tribe’s bronze-cast plows had greatly improved farming efficiency and expanded cultivated land. Without this, even Han Cheng would have been distraught over the population boom. Over the past few years, Green Sparrow Tribe’s population has grown rapidly. They had gradually absorbed the Pig Tribe, Bone Tribe, Green Tribe, Donkey Tribe, Yellow Fruit Tribe, and remnants of the Sheep Tribe. With improvements in living conditions and healthcare, both birth rates and infant survival rates soared. Now, the total number of citizens in the Green Sparrow Tribe had reached 513. Of these, there were 204 adults — 71 men and 133 women. There were 309 minors, 12 of whom were close to adulthood. The first children born after Han Cheng’s arrival were now eight years old (by East Asian age reckoning). With early maturity common among primitive people, in five or six years, the tribe would have 20+ new adults annually — even without absorbing outsiders. And this figure only included citizens — not slaves. After conquering both the Teng Snake and semi-farming tribes, the number of slaves had exploded. The Teng Snake Tribe alone provided 170+ slaves. After promotions for good performance, some deaths, and new births, that number had even increased. Now, adding the 200+ slaves from the semi-farming tribe and some tattooed remnants of the Sheep Tribe, the slave population had reached 426. This included 64 adult men, 153 adult women, totaling 217 adult slaves. There were 15 near-adults, and the remaining 209 were younger children. Combining the 513 citizens with 426 slaves, Green Sparrow Tribe now had a total population of 939 — a shocking number for this era! Compared to when Han Cheng first arrived, the population had grown nearly 20-fold. If everyone worked hard during the spring planting, by the end of Green Sparrow Year Ten, the tribe might surpass the 1,000 mark! Such a population would make them a sizable village even by modern rural standards. While this was a considerable asset, mismanagement could turn it into a heavy burden — look at the food consumption. Han Cheng now eagerly awaited the arrival of spring, when planting could resume and additional food could be sourced. Then the reliance on stored grain would ease. Even a small influx of new food would dramatically slow the depletion of stores. Under this population and supply pressure, even Han Cheng was yearning for “Miss Spring” to arrive soon. Chapters first released on Novᴇl_Fire(.)net He stared at the empty silo, then at the population ledger — and his brows furrowed. Not because of daily food consumption — despite the pressure, famine wasn’t imminent thanks to their stores. What did concern him was the ratio of citizens to slaves. There were only 87 more citizens than slaves. And among adults, the number of slave adults had surpassed citizen adults by 13. This was not good news. Han Cheng had initially aimed for a 2:1 citizen-to-slave ratio as a safety line. Now, with slave adults outnumbering citizen adults, things had reached a dangerous tipping point. He hadn’t noticed until now — but the moment he did, he realized urgent action was needed to restore balance before the influx of semi-farming slaves destabilized everything. This issue might even be more pressing than expanding farmland.