Chapter 563, A Benevolent Society

Translator: Silavin

 

Before Su Bai’s desk lay several sheets of Wolf Tail Grass Paper, covered densely with Chinese Characters.

 

This was what he had been busy with since early morning, constantly bent over writing and drawing, without feeling any discomfort in his neck.

 

Yu Ying approached carrying a cup of hot tea and said, “Shaman, we’re nearly out of tea leaves.”

 

The tea they had been drinking recently all came from the System Packages. After drinking it daily for the past month or two, very little remained.

 

“Didn’t we plant some tea previously? What happened to them?” Su Bai asked.

 

The last time they went to the Hunting Ground, he had discovered a type of tea leaf very similar to those from Earth. After tasting it, he brought it back to the Tribe to be cultivated and had previously used his Growth Acceleration Skill on it.

 

“We planted it, and after harvesting, we dried it according to your instructions. It’s now stored in ceramic containers. But we’re not sure if it’s drinkable yet.” Yu Ying’s soft voice responded.

 

“Go and fetch it. After being stored for so long, it should be ready.” Su Bai instructed.

 

“Shaman, perhaps we should leave it a bit longer. The remaining tea leaves can still last us a few more days,” Yu Ying said.

 

“I know but bring it over first so I can see how well these tea leaves have dried,” Su Bai said gently.

 

He was very curious about what the Primitive Tribe’s dried tea leaves would be like, and what they would taste like. Hopefully, they would not differ too greatly from those on Earth.

 

“Understood, I’ll go fetch it now.” Yu Ying turned and retrieved a jar of tea leaves from a wooden shelf.

 

The jar had been placed on the upper part of the wooden shelf, so Yu Ying had to use a stool to reach it.

 

Su Bai took the ceramic jar and, after opening the sealed top, caught a whiff of fragrant tea leaf aroma.

 

He waved his hand to direct the scent towards himself, carefully savouring the tea fragrance before saying with satisfaction, “Hmm, these tea leaves have a very pleasant aroma. Just from the smell alone, they seem perfect for tea.”

 

“Shaman, shall I brew you a cup now to see if these tea leaves taste the same as the ones you brought?” Yu Ying suggested.

 

All the novel items that Yu Ying had seen and the explanations she had heard were supposedly brought by the Shaman from his previous Tribe.

 

Naturally, after hearing this, all of them believed it completely, having always felt that the Shaman came from a Large Tribe where such items would certainly be commonplace.

 

“Indeed, brew a cup for yourself as well to try and see if it differs from the previous tea leaves,” Su Bai calmly said.

 

Truthfully, he was rather anticipating how these tea leaves would taste, as their smell alone truly induced his taste buds.

 

“Very well.” Yu Ying responded with a nasal tone and turned to prepare the tea. Within minutes, she had brought over two cups of tea.

 

Su Bai looked at the cup of steaming tea, brought his nose closer, and waved the aroma towards himself.

 

Closing his eyes, he praised, “The brewed aroma is great.”

 

These tea leaves had only recently been dried and were completely new tea. Some new teas, when poorly dried, could have a bitter taste to them when drunk. Their aroma would also be lacklustre.

 

“Shaman, this cup of tea also tastes very good.” Yu Ying said after taking a gentle sip.

 

Su Bai picked up the teacup, swirled it twice, blew on it gently, and took a sip. As soon as he swallowed, he furrowed his brow.

 

He set down the teacup and said calmly, “Although it’s not unpleasant, it can’t be considered very good either.”

 

[This type of tea leaf could be found everywhere on Earth and could not really be considered good tea. It is the sort that costs a few dozen yuan per kilogram, but for a Primitive Tribe, this flavour could already be considered exceptional…]

 

[But, compared to the more famous tea varieties, it is really lacking. The tea fragrance isn’t strong, and the taste when drunk is completely different from the aroma. The aroma is indeed nice though… what a pity]

 

“I think it tastes great, almost the same as what we had before.” Yu Ying said, not understanding these distinctions.

 

Yu Ying had never tasted good tea from Earth, having only drunk the tea that came from the System Packages and the tea brought back from the Hunting Ground. Therefore, she could not distinguish between good tea and ordinary tea, thinking they were all acceptable.

 

“Truly good tea has a sweet and refreshing taste to them. After swallowing, the throat retains a sweet flavour that makes it memorable…” Su Bai explained.

 

Of course, he was only describing the tea he personally enjoyed and what he considered good tea to taste like. Not every good tea was sweet. It excluded the possibility that some people preferred the rich flavour of Pu’er tea, or that others preferred the subtle fragrance of black tea. This was merely his personal preference.

 

“Shaman, do we have such tea at the Yong’an Building?” Yu Ying asked, her curiosity piqued.

 

“Not right now, but perhaps we will in the future.” Su Bai smiled faintly. No one knew whether the next System Packages would contain good tea, or even their seeds.

 

Yu Ying nodded emphatically and took another sip of tea before asking, “Shaman, what are all these things you’re writing?”

 

Although Yu Ying had been learning to read and the process had been quite smooth, she still did not recognise many of these obscure characters.

 

Looking at them was like trying to read hieroglyphics. They were densely packed and incomprehensible, much like Shaman Runes.

 

“These are about the reorganisation of the hospital. Our hospital must become properly regulated,” Su Bai said seriously.

 

“Shaman, no one visits the hospital now. Why does it need to be reorganised?” Yu Ying asked, puzzled.

 

“Regardless of whether anyone visits, this step must be taken first. Only then can the Flame Dragon Tribe become better after the snow season.” Su Bai emphasised its importance.

 

He did not want the entire Tribe to depend on his Curing Skill for everything. The Tribe had to break free from this dependency. They needed to develop a sense of self-reliance, not depending on one person, the Shaman, for everything. This approach would not be beneficial for the development of the society as a whole.

 

A benevolent society never involved simply waiting expectantly for one person to lead them forward. Instead, everyone should have their own objectives and work towards their individual goals.

 

Their leader should merely need to guide them in the general direction, rather than controlling every aspect of their daily lives: like eating, drinking, and basic needs. Even if such a Tribe developed into a city, once he was gone, this Tribe would not last very long.

 

Most importantly, they needed to develop good social habits. They need to find their own solutions for problems rather than relying entirely on one person to solve everything.

 

“Yes, Shaman. Is there anything I can help with?” Yu Ying responded earnestly. Whenever she saw the Shaman being serious, she would become serious as well.

 

“Not at the moment,” Su Bai warmly said.