Free Web NovelChapter 191: Chapter 191
Chapter 191
"Leader, let’s put aside the matter of the treatment for now. I... Actually, I saved the Governor’s furen, and she rewarded me with this food."
Yapo said, handing the cloth bag to the tribal leader. He opened the bag to reveal many white steamed buns to the tribal leader’s eyes.
His eyes widened slightly before returning to normal. As soon as the bag was opened, the smell of meat filled his nostrils. It was natural for the tribal leader to understand just how valuable the reward Yapo had received was.
"These are excellent. You should give them to your family."
The tribal leader recognized the worth of the item, he couldn’t claim it for the community. However, Yapo had intended this from the start, so he did not take the bag back. freēwēbnovel.com
"I’m donating this to the tribe in exchange for some land so I can expand my house for my siblings in the future," Yapo expressed his intention. The tribal leader hesitated briefly. Although land in the village was limited, it was not something that required such valuable items to exchange.
With the food made from high-quality meat, Yapo could easily trade them for many goods and become wealthy in the tribe. Moreover, contacting between tribes was easier than with the cities of the Bai Region. He could contact and sell them to nearby tribes.
.........
However, the tribal leader couldn’t refuse this generosity, especially given the current situation where everyone was infected with an epidemic and their bodies were weak. They needed nourishing food for their bodies.
"Then, I will inform the manager. The area next to your current home will be reserved for you," the tribal leader said seriously, his voice slightly louder. It seemed that he took this matter very seriously.
Yapo agreed and left. Though he had left many steamed buns with the tribal leader, he had kept some aside. Additionally, there were mooncakes and other treats for the ten children.
"Father, Mother, I’m back," he called to everyone from in front of the house.
Before the voice even finished speaking, his mother rushed forward with a worried expression on her face.
"Yapo, how are you? I heard from the leader that you had to stay in Red Earth City first. Were you hurt there? You..." As a mother, despite her poor health due to a serious illness, upon hearing that her son had returned, she almost seemed to fly with joy.
The fear she had for her only son had taken a toll on her body, making her frailer than most. Fortunately, she hadn’t been afflicted with the disease for long; otherwise, the combination of illness and worry might have already claimed her life.
Yapo hugged his mother tightly, filled with longing. He didn’t say much in response. Of course, his mother wouldn’t know the details as the tribal leader did. It’s likely that the leader hadn’t mentioned how well he had been taken care of in Red Earth City because the situation could easily be misunderstood as him planning a rebellion against the village.
The Kuya tribe was small compared to the Bai Region. Many were taken there to work and ended up betraying their own. Some were bought with money, others with food. Often, they sold tribal information to people from different cities, forcing many small tribes to unite.
Although they desired each other’s resources, when faced with the large Region that could easily invade them, they had to pretend there was nothing wrong while secretly planning to take control. However, being seen as a traitor was not a good thing, so the tribal leader told others that Yapo was only on a mission there.
"I’m fine, mother," Yapo said earnestly after calming his mother down.
The middle-aged woman inspected her son again and found that he was indeed safe. However, her anxiety soon returned.
"But Yapo, you shouldn’t be near your mother. Your father and I have caught the plague now. Even the physician has no cure. You should leave before you come into contact with people."
His mother expressed her concern. Yapo held his mother’s hand tightly, feeling a deep sense of regret in his heart.
If he had known that no matter how careful he was, the plague would still reach his tribe, Yapo would never have accepted treatment just for himself. He would have saved the medicine and let his parents use it instead. Thinking about his peaceful and happy life, without considering the misfortune his parents faced, made him want to curse himself immediately.
"Mother, you don’t have to worry about that. In Red Earth City, if someone contracts a severe illness and recovers, they won’t get sick from it again. I stayed in Red Earth City for a long time because of this illness, but in the end, I managed to survive. Now, I’m not afraid of this disease anymore," Yapo reassured his mother.
"Really? My child..."
"It’s true, Mother. Now that Father and you are ill, you must rest well and eat properly. When your bodies are strong, you’ll be able to fight off this disease. If you can overcome it, you won’t have to worry about it in the future," Yapo said, sharing what he had learned from Red Earth City.
Although he wasn’t someone strong enough to recover from the illness on his own, he had often heard of people who caught a disease and recovered. Even though the chances were slim, it wasn’t completely hopeless.
"Yapo, I’m so happy. As long as you’re safe, I’m already happy," the middle-aged woman said.
Her tears streamed down her face. She had only two children, a son and a daughter. The daughter had been unfortunate and died earlier due to a severe illness, which was well-known to have no cure. It wasn’t contagious but was an illness that developed in a person from birth. After losing their daughter, they were too scared to have more children and focused solely on raising Yapo well.
These two parents loved him dearly. As long as Yapo was healthy and had a good life, they didn’t need anything else. However, Yapo’s family was a large one. Although his parents had no other children of their own, they had many nieces and nephews.
Among their siblings, many parents had passed away due to battles, severe illnesses, foraging accidents, or other mishaps. This led Yapo’s household to take in and care for ten of their relatives’ children. It was quite a number, but fortunately, the large household received resources every month, and those responsible for caring for the children received a larger share.
Even though Yapo’s mother didn’t want to take on the burden of caring for the children, she had no choice. The Kuya tribe was small, and the children were their future hope. Additionally, they were always facing dangers, so to ensure the survival of the Kuya tribe, a mindset of sacrifice and extra effort made them have to work.
Naturally, she took better care of Yapo than the other children, and no one dared to criticize her for it. Yapo was a very good child. Despite growing up among many other children, he genuinely loved them all like real siblings.
The young man had never thought that others made him suffer or receive less care. When one is sincere, sincerity must be reciprocated. His younger siblings loved Yapo like a brother. If they hadn’t all been sick today, they would have run out to welcome Yapo just like their mother did.
“Mother, how is everyone else?” Yapo asked, referring not only to his father but also to his ten younger siblings.
His mother looked a bit sad. She shook her head and sighed as if resigning to fate.
“Everyone is infected with the epidemic. I let them rest. Your father is trying to prepare firewood and supplies before he becomes too weak. Our house got infected later than others. I tried my best to protect everyone, but we couldn’t escape this calamity.”
“From observing others, it seems that soon they will all become weaker until the physician can find a solution. We must be strong and keep ourselves as healthy as possible.”
“The main house is struggling too. There are many sick people to care for, so we won’t receive any food assistance from them this month. The ten children will need to be taken care of by us alone. Your father will have to work even harder.”
When it came to food, his mother’s expression was not very good. Their family was already struggling to begin with, and this situation made things even worse. Nevertheless, she vowed to herself that she would not let Yapo suffer. No matter what happened to the other children, she would take care of them as much as possible. However, Yapo’s importance made her heart resolute.
But the middle-aged woman, who decided to be ruthless, didn’t know that her son had met a deity. Yapo was not worried about this and gave his mother a faint smile.
“Mother, let’s go inside and talk. I want to see my siblings too.”
The young man didn’t dare to speak about it now because there were too many people around. If they knew Yapo had a lot of food, they would question him. If this matter aroused too much suspicion, it might bring misfortune upon him instead.
Returning from the Red Earth City, he had brought back a lot of food. If he hadn’t betrayed the village, how else could he have obtained such supplies? This would likely be the assumption of others. Yapo didn’t dare to take the risk because this risk could endanger his family as well.
His mother nodded without much thought. As her son entered the house with peace of mind, she felt at least her child would survive this crisis. Even if she passed away, she would not dare to do it again. As long as her son lived, that was enough.
Yapo supported his mother as they went inside the house. Since their home was a single-room house, the space for building a house was limited. The land in the Kuya tribe was scarce and had to be allocated fairly.
Yapo’s family wasn’t wealthy and didn’t contribute much to the tribe, so they received just enough land to build one house. It was quite cramped, even smaller than the homes Red Earth City provided for new residents.
Yapo couldn’t help but make comparisons. The quality of life in Red Earth City had been poor, even worse than theirs. Although they had more living space, it was like waiting for death; no one laughed or smiled.
The city soldiers were lifeless. They lived like the commoners, surviving by selling herbs, unlike now. In just a few months, Red Earth City had completely transformed. Was it now comparable to the paradise the shaman had spoken of?
“Yapo, my child, you should rest a bit. You’ve worked hard, so...”
“It’s alright, Mother. I’m not that tired. I had some rest along the way,” Yapo declined. After handing over the valuable items to his mother, he still intended to go out and help his father gather supplies while the children were recovering.
“Ah, if that’s the case...” Being refused, his mother didn’t know what else to say. She looked around, hoping to find some good food for her son after his hard work.
“Mother, actually, I have something for you,” Yapo said in a slightly softer voice. Initially, he spoke softly to avoid waking his siblings, but now he was almost whispering.
“What is it?” She asked, puzzled.“................” The young man didn’t respond immediately. He reached behind him and pulled out a smaller bag from the larger one.
