There were dozens or even hundreds of small huts in the open space. These huts were low, grass huts. Most of them had wooden walls and thick, waterproof weeds as roofs. They were very simple.
There was another type of hut that was even better. It was a hemispherical structure made of branches and leaves. Li Du could not help but think of the bird nests in the trees. These were just large bird nests.
There were hundreds of dwarfs living here. They had dark skin and were mostly very thin. The men only wore a waistline, and the front and back were covered with leaves.
The women paid more attention to their appearance. In addition to the waistline, they also wore aprons decorated with scales and beetles. They looked quite pretty.
When Li Du and the others arrived, they looked at them warily. After Musa introduced them to his fellow tribe members, the pygmies quickly became friendly.
"Clear the goods, clear the goods!" A relatively tall and strong black man came up and waved. "Phantom, phantom!"
Li Du was surprised to find that this person also spoke in Mandarin, but more indistinct.
He had asked Musa why they could speak Mandarin, and Musa said that someone had taught them, someone similar to him. That was why he had asked Li Du for help.
According to Li Du's guess, the Chinese must have interacted with them in the past, and both sides got along well. The Chinese had also spent a lot of effort to teach them Mandarin.
After Li Du and the others sat down, some of the women put down the children in their hands and went to get small cups to pour them water.
There were a few small leaves soaked in hot water in the cups. They looked like tea leaves. Li Du sniffed and smelled like tea.
These women had necklaces made of small shells around their necks and bracelets made of tree bark. The tree bark had all kinds of patterns, animals, flowers, and so on.
To this pygmy tribe, Li Du and the others were distinguished guests.
After the group sat down and rested, they served tea and began to prepare dinner.
Some of the trees had thick vines tied between them, and some livestock such as pigs and deer were kept in them.
At the command of the strong black man, most of the pygmy men cheered. They danced barefoot on the ground and swung their arms and legs rhythmically.
Li Du and the others thought that it was a performance for them, but after dancing for a while, the pygmies dragged out a few pigs from the enclosure and slaughtered them.
The little children were even happier. They also learned from their parents to dance. Obviously, this was a culture that was deeply ingrained in their bones.
There was a lot of food in Godzilla's backpack. This was a small gift for the Musa people. Most of it was candies, delicious and durable.
Sophie distributed the candy to the children and quickly won their favor. A dozen children began to dance around her.
Some of the children focused their attention on Ah Meow and the other four. One of them took out a sharp wooden stick and wanted to stab Ah Meow.
Ah Meow stuck his head out at lightning speed, bit the stick, and with a shake of his head, he pushed the child to the ground.
Li Du was afraid that there would be a conflict between the two parties, so he called Musa over and asked him to tell the people that these animals were not food, but companions and could not be eaten.
Musa did not explain. He pushed the children away like he was chasing away beggars. He waved his hands and roared.
The children laughed and ran away, then turned back to make faces at him and howled like wild beasts. "Ow ow!" "Wooo!" "Roar!" Roar! "
More than ten men and more than ten women worked together to deal with the slaughtered pig. The others began to do their own chores.
Some people were curious about Li Du and the others and sat down to chat with them.
However, only a small portion of them understood Mandarin. Li Du and the others could not understand what they were talking about because they did not speak the same language. It felt like they were envious of Li Du and the others' tall bodies.
The fat pig was cut open and its internal organs were cleaned out. Then, it was divided into several large pieces along with its fur.
Some people brought woven bags made of weeds to pick a lot of leaves. When they came back, they used a simple stone mortar to pound the leaves.
After pounding the leaves, they smeared the green juice evenly on the pork and mixed the leaves with the pork.
Then, someone dug a pit in the ground. The pit was stacked with stones, leaving a gap in the middle for a fire.
One side was marinating the pork, while the other side added firewood and put clean stones into the fire.
Li Du was watching them cook when some small black people appeared. They were hunters. They walked back from the forest with small animals hanging from their waists and wild fruits and vegetables in their hands.
There were about twenty people in the group, but there were no big animals among them. It seemed that it was not easy to get food in the forest.
When these people came back, the little black people cheered again. Needless to say, after the cheering, they continued to sing and dance.
There was no Internet, no electricity, and no place to play in the rainforest.
However, the pygmies lived happily here. They sang, danced, imitated the sounds of wild animals, and drank some turbid wine. That was enough to make them happy.
What made them happier was the food that night. When the stones were cooked hot, some people took out the pork that had been soaked in the leaves and laid it on the stones.
The stones were hot, and the fire continued to heat them. Soon, as the fat sizzled, the smell of meat filled the air.
The children were attracted by the smell of meat. They squatted around the fire pit like little monkeys. Some adults would pick out the leaves from the pork from time to time and give them to the children. They ate with relish.
These were the pygmies, the children of the forest in Africa. They had a unique culture, which was the culture of the jungle.
The pygmies' beliefs, customs, dwellings, and clothing were inseparable from the forest. This was a primitive tribe that had lived in the forest for generations, and the forest was their religion.
As night fell, the bonfire burned brighter. The pygmies became more and more excited. They began to sing loudly around the bonfire.
At this time, the pork was almost cooked. Some strong women went up to pull it out with hooks. They cut some of it and placed it on a wooden plate before Li Du and the others.
Looking at the black pork, Li Du smiled bitterly and said, "Everyone, eat. Be polite."
Sophie said, "We have to thank them. To us, this food is dirty and hard to eat. But to them, this is good food. This is the highest form of hospitality."
It often rained in the jungles of Africa, and the air was humid. Food could not be stored overnight, so the pygmies could not store food. To them, every day was a new day. The first thing they did when they woke up was to find food.
However, it was not easy to find food in the wild. They often went hungry and then full. To them, having food to fill their stomachs was a good thing.
The group understood this, so they thanked Musa and his people. They tore up the pork and stuffed it into their mouths.
Li Du was about to swallow the pork, but after chewing a mouthful, he was shocked. "Hey, it's delicious!"
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