I'm involved in poverty alleviation in a primitive tribe.

After the rain stopped, Jiang Ning packed up her tools and basket and took Bai Ya up the mountain.

They hadn't walked far when they ran into the tribe's leader, Da Shi.

The tribe members were all busy working, and the children were usually gathered together and looked after by a designated person. It could be considered a "nursery" in the primitive era.

You don't need to take care of them much. The children here are all tough. Just have an older child take care of them and do some light tasks, and make sure they don't go to dangerous places.

Except for very young children who are cared for by their families, the others are divided into three groups according to age, each group consisting of three people.

Almost everyone in the tribe has something to do, so bringing the children together to take care of them is also to make the entire tribe operate in a more orderly and efficient manner.

Daishi is a very cheerful Level 1 warrior who leads a group of teenagers nearing adulthood. He frequently guides these teenagers through training and combat, helping them grow into powerful warriors. This is practically every kid's favorite thing to do at this age.

He would also tell interesting stories to amuse the children and help them grow up in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.

Therefore, the children all loved being with Daishi and respected his prestige as a leader and warrior.

"Jiang Wu, where are you going?"

"Uncle Da Shi, I'm going to cut some elephant ear leaves to repair the leaky roof of my house."

Da Shi thought for a moment and asked the children for their opinions, "How about we go pick some too? There must be other people in the tribe whose roofs are leaking."

Da Shi originally took the children to learn about some plants near the village to prevent them from picking them indiscriminately in the future. They were only recently allowed to go up the mountain; when they were younger, they could only move around in the square.

"That's great! Uncle Dashi, let's go back and get the tools!" the lively Mao shouted, his young voice full of passion and energy. He quickly ran towards their family's cave, his agile figure weaving through the woods like a nimble deer leaping about.

Seeing Mao's actions, the other children couldn't help but get excited and ran back after him. Their steps were light, and their laughter was loud, as if it were a fun game.

Da Shi reluctantly bid farewell to Jiang Ning, then turned and quickly chased after the children. He had to keep up with them to ensure their safety. Even with warriors guarding the tribe, poisonous insects and snakes could still appear, and predators could roam the skies at any moment.

Jiang Ning continued uphill. The mountain path was muddy and difficult after the rain, making each step exceptionally challenging. She looked up and remembered that there was a large patch of elephant ear leaves right above her own cave.

Sure enough, not far above, a cluster of huge leaves grew. She carefully stepped on each stone, avoiding stepping into the slippery mud.

As she approached, she took out two large pieces of animal hide from her basket and began to tie them to her hands as gloves. The sap of the elephant ear leaves, once it touched her skin, felt like it had been burned; it was itchy, painful, and would even ulcerate. Moreover, the sap of the elephant ear leaves was very sticky, causing her hands to stick together, which could only be separated by force.

Jiang Ning first bandaged one hand, but the other was harder to bandage, so she had to use her teeth for assistance. After laboriously bandaging both hands, she checked them again. Then she shooed Baiya away to keep it from approaching.

Jiang Ning picked up the stone axe and began carefully chopping at the elephant ear leaf. The elephant ear leaf, as its name suggests, was shaped like an elephant's ear and was very large. She tried unfolding one leaf and found that the entire leaf was large enough to wrap around her.

Starting from the base, the elephant ear leaves grow upwards one by one, each leaf having a long stem. Standing among the elephant ear leaves and looking up, it's like being in a forest of large trees. They not only have thick leaves but also a rough texture, which makes them resistant to damage.

Seeing that she had cut down most of them, Jiang Ning chopped off the long stems of the elephant ear leaves, leaving only the broad leaves. She tore off a sturdy vine from the side and tied the leaves together. This way, she could easily carry the leaves back to the cave.

"Huh?" The system's voice sounded somewhat puzzled.

"what happened?"

"Don't you want these stems?"

"What's the use of this? It won't even last long to start a fire."

"Have you ever eaten taro? This is its relative. According to the local name, it should be called elephant ear taro."

"Is this taro? Although they look very similar, this one should be poisonous, right? The sap is sticky and it hurts when you touch it."

"This is a variety of taro, and its characteristics are also an adaptation to the world. Harvesting it is not difficult. Just burn its leaves and use the smoke to fumigate it, and its sap will not pose a threat to you."

"Not only are its stems edible, but its roots also produce taro. Moreover, this plant thrives in water; look at its size—it can grow this big on this mountain. If you plant it near water, its yield will be much more profitable than digging yams."

Jiang Ning grew increasingly excited as she listened. Could this be a case of antidote always being found near poisonous creatures? She couldn't wait to try it out. Indeed, a lot of elephant ear taro was growing near the Tianlang River. If they dug them all up, no one in the tribe would go hungry this winter.

She returned the elephant ear leaf to the cave and then went to the tribal square to retrieve some fire and make a simple torch.

When they returned to the elephant ear taro's territory, Daishi had already started working with the children.

Jiang Ning picked up some withered elephant ear leaves from the ground, piled them up, and then lit them on fire. It had just rained, so the withered leaves were difficult to ignite, and the wet leaves emitted thick smoke.

Da Shi watched her movements curiously. "Jiang Wu, what are you doing?"

"I want to try and see if elephant ear leaves have any use," Jiang Ning replied mysteriously, otherwise she wouldn't be able to explain to Da Shi how she knew that elephant ear taro was afraid of smoke.

The smoke gradually thickened, and a gust of wind blew it towards the elephant ear taro bushes. Suddenly, the elephant ear taro seemed to come alive; its leaves, as if stimulated, began to shrink like those of a mimosa.

Da Shi stared in astonishment at everything. His tribe had used elephant ear leaves for a long time and had never seen anything like it. He assumed it was some kind of mysterious witchcraft and didn't ask any further questions. The tribe held shamans in high esteem.

Jiang Ning looked at the cut end of the elephant ear taro and wanted to touch it to see if it would help.

Just as he was about to touch the elephant ear taro, he was stopped by a large stone. "Jiang Wu, you can't touch this."

“I know, but now that it’s been smoked, it’s safe to touch. I think it can give the tribe another food source.”

Upon hearing that the tribe would have an additional food source, Da Shi's eyes lit up. "Let me try it," he said, reaching out to touch the juice.

Before Jiang Ning could stop him, Da Shi excitedly exclaimed, "Jiang Wu, it really doesn't hurt anymore!"

Da Shi placed his hand in front of Jiang Ning; his hand was covered with calluses and old wounds. These marks bore witness to his past hard work and countless adventures and challenges in the tribe. Although his hand was rough, it was full of strength and warmth.

Jiang Ning examined his hands carefully and confirmed that there were no cuts or injuries. His fingers didn't stick together when he flexed or extended them. Jiang Ning felt relieved.

Jiang Ning picked a taro plant whose leaves had been mostly cut off, and began digging along its rootstock, with Da Shi and Mao helping him.

The taro root wasn't buried very deep, and soon a huge taro was dug out, along with some smaller taro roots.

"Such a large root, it must be about half the size of a hog!" Mao was very pleased. The hog he was referring to was not the tribe's hog, but a type of giant wild boar found here, with adults weighing seven or eight hundred pounds.

Da Shi weighed the stone in his hand. "It's about right."

"If this is edible, no one in our tribe will go hungry anymore."

"Yes, I'll go back and think about how to cook this. Our tribe can grow some in the future."

"Jiang Wu, you are so clever! You actually came up with such a method!" Mao's voice carried a hint of respect.

Jiang Ning chuckled and brushed it off, saying, "Next time you come to harvest elephant ear leaves, just burn the leaves first and use the smoke to fumigate them, it'll be safer."

"Yes."