Chapter 1022: Slaughtering the Pig to Serve Guests
Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
There were tens and hundreds of small houses around. They were low-rise small straw huts. Most of them were very simply built, with walls built from wooden planks and waterproof roofs made from thick wild grass.
There were also some houses that looked even lowlier. Those were made from tree branches and leaves arranged in a semi-circle. Li Du could not help but think of birds’ nests. These houses looked like a larger version of the nests to him.
In total, there were a few hundreds of little men living here. They had dark skin and most of them were gaunt. The men wore no more than a belt around their waists, with leaves hanging down the front and back of the belt to cover their private parts.
The women paid more attention to their looks. Apart from the belt, they also wore beautiful skirts decorated with scales and beads.
After Li Du and his party arrived, the group stayed put and remained cautious. It was only after Musa and his fellow tribesman introduced them that the pygmies started to warm up to them.
“Please here, please here!” A comparatively tall and strong black man waved them over. “Welcome, welcome!”
Li Du was surprised as he realized that that man also spoke Mandarin, but his language was even less accurate than Musa’s.
Previously, Li Du had asked Musa how come they could speak Mandarin. Musa told that someone who looked like Li Du had taught them the language. It was also why he had sought help from Li Du in the first place.
Based on Li Du’s guess, the pygmies must have interacted with other Chinese. In fact, they must have had a great relationship for the Chinese man to have expended effort to teach them Mandarin.
After Li Du and his group sat down, a few women put down the children they were carrying to serve the group some water.
The cup had a couple of small leaves submerged in warm water, looking like tea leaves.
Li Du sniffed the cup, and it smelled just like tea.
The women had necklaces made from seashells hanging down their necks. They also wore bracelets made from tree bark, with all sorts of images carved into the bark, including animals and flowers.
To the pygmy tribe, Li Du and his group were distinguished guests.
After helping them to settle down for a rest and serving them tea, they started to prepare dinner.
Rough, thick vines ran between several trees, acting as a fence that closed in on some land. Within that fenced area, the tribe reared some animals like pigs and deer.
Under the command of the strong black man, most of the male pygmies cheered.
Barefooted, they start dancing rhythmically, moving their thighs and arms.
Li Du and his group thought this performance was for them. However, after jumping, the pygmies went to drag out several pigs from the enclosed area, proceeding to slaughter them.
The little children were even happier as they imitated the way their parents had danced.
Clearly, that was an ingrained part of their culture.
Gozilla’s backpack contained a huge amount of food which Li Du prepared as a gift for Musa’s tribe. There were mostly sugar blocks that were tasty and could last for a long time.
Sophie distributed the sugar blocks to the children, earning their affection. More than ten children started to dance around her.
Ah Meow and the four other animals caught the children’s attention as well. A child held out a wooden stick with a sharp end, trying to poke Ah Meow.
Ah Meow bit on the wooden stick at lightning speed and flicked his head hard, causing the child to fall onto the ground.
Li Du was afraid that a conflict would arise between his group and the tribe. Hence, he waved Musa over and instructed him to explain to the tribe that his animals were companions, not prey – they were not to be harmed.
Musa did not explain this. Instead, he pushed the children away, like driving cattle, howling as he waved his hands.
Laughing, the children ran away. Then they turned back to make funny faces at Musa and howl like monsters, “Ow!”, “Woo”, “Hoo! Hoo!”
More than ten men and women worked together to slaughter the pig, while the rest went back to their own chores.
Some of them were curious about Li Du and his group and walked over for a chat.
However, not all of them could speak or understand Mandarin. As the parties did not share a common language, Li Du and his group found it hard to communicate with them. They felt like the pygmies were wondering at their taller form and bigger physique.
The fat pig was cut right down its stomach and its organs were removed. Then it was chopped into a few large pieces, together with its skin.
Another group of pygmies brought back more tea leaves in their straw-weaved bags.
Upon returning, they used a worn-out mortar and pestle to grind the leaves. Then, they poured the juice from the mortar uniformly onto the meat of the pig and spread it evenly.
After that, someone dug a hole in the ground and placed some stones inside, leaving space in the center of the hole. That set-up would be used to start a fire.
On one side, they were marinating the meat. On the other side, they were adding charcoal and clean stones into the fire.
As Li Du watched them cooking, a few more pygmy men appeared. They were hunters who have just come back from the rainforest. Animals hung around their waist and they were holding the fruit and vegetables that they had gathered.
It was a team of about twenty. None of them had brought back a large animal – it seemed like it was not that easy to hunt in the forest.
The pygmy men cheered again as the team returned. Of course, after cheering, they started dancing and singing again.
There was no internet, electricity or entertainment centers in the rainforest.
However, the pygmies led a good life. They were contented and happy with simply singing, dancing, imitating the calls of animals and drinking unrefined wine.
It was obvious that they were even happier about the feast of that night. After the stones had been heated to a high temperature, some of the little men brought out the marinated meat and place it on the stones.
The fire continued heating up the stones that were already hot. Soon, as the oil started sizzling, the aroma of the meat began to fill the air.
Attracted by the aroma, the children began to gather like little monkeys, squatting around the cooking fire. From time to time, some adults would pick up the leaves on the meat and pass them to the children who savored them.
These were the pygmies, the sons of African jungles. They had a unique culture – the culture of the forest.
Their religion and traditions, as well as their housing and clothing, were influenced by the forest. This was a primitive tribe that had been living in the jungle from the beginning of time, and the forest was their home.
As night fell, the bonfire burned more brightly and the pygmies got increasingly excited.
They began to sing at the top of their lungs as they surrounded the fire.
Finally, the meat was grilled to completion. A few strong women went forward to bring it out with a hook. Then they cut a few portions and served them to Li Du and his group on wooden plates.
Looking at the blackened pork, Li Du laughed bitterly, “Everyone, let’s eat, show some respect.”
Sophie said, “We have to be grateful to them. From our perspective, this is dirty and disgusting food, but to them, this is a delicacy that they serve to their guests.”
The jungles of Africa experienced rain often and the air was humid. Food could not be stored overnight. Hence, the pygmies were unable to keep food for any length of time.
To them, every day was a new day and the first thing they did every day was to hunt for food.
However, hunting in the wild was not an easy feat. Often, they would miss a meal. To them, having food to fill their stomachs was a joyful thing.
The group understood and hence, they thanked Musa and his tribe before stuffing their mouths with the pork.
Just as Li Du was preparing to force the pork down his throat, he tasted it and was pleasantly surprised. “Hey, this is really good!”
