Li Du's camp was next to the Hadza tribe. It was actually two or three kilometers away, but the grassland was flat and the fire was conspicuous at night, so they could see each other.
Early in the morning, the sky was just beginning to brighten, and the night had not completely receded. The stars in the sky were still shining brightly.
However, in the east, the sun was already rising. The eastern horizon was already bright, and it would not be long before the sun rose into the sky.
Li Du was used to getting up early to exercise. When he walked out of the tent, Brother Wolf, who was in the tent next to him, also got up. He came out of the tent and punched a few times to relax his muscles.
When Ali saw this, he quickly jumped over and followed his rhythm, swinging his fists in a methodical manner, as if he was serious.
Li Du was ready to go for a run. It was winter on the South African prairie, and the morning was still a little chilly. As Li Du ran, the cold air, with the smell of withered grass, was very fresh.
Some wild birds flew into the sky. The early birds had worms to eat, and they were about to start their busy day.
Li Du ran toward the Hadza tribe, and after a while, he met Cheeks.
Cheeks was also running, with some of the tribe's children. When he saw Li Du, he waved and said, "What a coincidence that we met so early. Are you interested in being a guest in our tribe?"
Li Du smiled and said, "Won't it be a bother?"
"You're very welcome," said Cheeks. "Our people have never seen a Chinese, and they don't even know that there is a civilized world outside this continent."
Li Du asked Brother Wolf to go back and talk to him, and he followed Cheeks to their camp.
The day before, he had only seen the Hadza tribe, which had a large number of people, about seventy.
It was not easy to live on the resources of the wild. Although the Hadza tribe moved around like homeless people, they could not live as freely as homeless people.
Because there was no government to subsidize their lives, they could not find food in the garbage, but they had to work hard with their own hands.
For Li Du and the others, hunting was about aiming at the prey and pulling the trigger. However, for the Hadza people, who were still living in a primitive society, hunting was a big challenge.
In order to survive, the Hadza people had to get up early to prepare for the day's hunting.
Li Du followed Cheeks to their campsite. More than thirty women and old people sat around the campfire. The flames danced as they warmed themselves and worked.
They did not live in tents. Not far away, some strong laborers were sleeping by the bonfire, using the sky as their tent and the ground as their bed.
Seeing Li Du, some of the children showed a surprised expression. They either sucked on their fingers or jumped up and down, running to his side to take a closer look at him.
A child pointed at Li Du and shouted something in their language. A woman frowned and scolded him. The child shrank his neck and ran back into the woman's arms.
Li Du asked, "What did he say?"
Cheeks laughed. "He said your skin is like a lion's."
Li Du felt that this analogy was quite good. He wondered, "Then this should be a good thing, right? Why does his mother scold him? "
"That's not his mother, that's his grandmother," Cheeks corrected. "She yelled at the boy to keep his voice down because the hunters of the tribe were resting and she didn't want to disturb them."
Li Du was surprised. The black woman looked like she was in her forties. How could she be the grandmother of such a big child?
When Cheeks returned, someone put branches on the fire. The branches were hung with barbecued meat and lumpy roots of some plants.
After a while, the smell of food filled the air, and the sleeping hunters woke up one after another. They did not need to wash up. They stretched and sat by the campfire, took the food, and began to eat.
A plump young woman took a branch and handed it to Li Du. She said in choppy English, "Hello, guest, please eat."
Li Du thanked her and took a bite of the meat with the branch. It was like eating a big skewer of barbecued meat in college. It was very satisfying.
However, the taste of the meat was not so good. The meat of wild animals had a fishy smell. Because there was less salt and no spices such as cumin or five-spice powder, he was not used to it.
Moreover, the meat was dried and roasted. There was no gravy or fat, so it was very dry. Li Du chewed until his teeth ached and his cheeks ached.
The Hadza people were very hospitable. Perhaps because they were always on the move, they were curious about the outside world and hoped to make more new friends. When Li Du arrived, he was very popular. There were even people coming over to toast him early in the morning.
Their wine was a fruit wine that they brewed themselves. It looked very cloudy and sour.
Li Du did not argue. Since the Hadza people would not die from drinking it, he naturally did not care. He took the wine, bowed to them, raised his glass, and drank.
The fruit wine did not smell good, but it tasted good. It was like fruit juice mixed with alcohol. It was very strong, but it was suppressed by the fruit aroma.
Li Du drank a bowl in one gulp. The hunters laughed and nodded to him.
Cheeks took an animal skull and put it on his head. The upper part of the skull was a bit like a human head, but the lower part was wider and had two ferocious fangs.
Li Du identified it, remembered Brother Wolf's words, and asked, "Is this the skull of a baboon?"
Cheeks smiled and nodded. "Yes, it is a gift from the Hadza people to our distinguished guests."
Wearing the baboon skull, Li Du had a wine bowl in his left hand and a stick in his right hand to roast meat.
The hunters ate, the old, the weak, the women, and the children made tools, organized equipment, prepared lunch for the wilderness, and so on. It was busy but orderly, with a sense of rhythm.
Li Du chewed the barbecue and asked Cheeks about their routine. "How long are you going to stay in this grassland? Where are you going? "
Cheeks said, "For us Cheeks people, there are no seasons, only dry and rainy. During the dry season, we migrate to collect food. When the rainy season comes, we move into the hollow of the breadfruit tree to escape the humidity and mud. "
"Next, we will live in this grassland for a while, and then go north to find a large forest of breadfruit trees to prepare for the rainy season."
Li Du asked, "You have received higher education and understand modern society. Why don't you lead your tribe to reform? For example, build houses during the rainy season. "
Cheeks laughed and shook his head. "No, I don't have the right to do that. The Hadza people have existed for a long time, so long that I can't find the origin of the tribe from books. The tribe has passed down many traditions. They are not modern enough, but they are the key to the survival of the tribe. "
He paused and said, "I studied medicine. I can help the people prevent and treat diseases, but I can't deprive them of the right to inherit the traditions."
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