Chapter 26: Living Together Doesn't Make a Family
Although Chen Jian spoke with great conviction, he knew it wouldn't be so simple to achieve a status akin to a tribal leader.
The territory of each tribe was limited. Without animal husbandry or primitive agriculture, opportunities for interaction were few, and therefore, conflicts were rare. Beyond the need for mating, tribes had little contact with one another and no reason to form alliances.
When conflicts among blood relatives escalated to the point of death, the matter couldn't be resolved with mere words. The deceased might be an aunt, a cousin, or a mother—an immediate family member, not a distant stranger as in the later concept of a nation.
He had his clansmen describe their way of life to the other two tribes, their tone naturally filled with pride.
The people from the other two tribes were startled. Houses, fishing nets, pottery—these were things they had never heard of, concepts beyond their imagination.
After hearing these stories, Stone and Sophora, their minds swirling with thoughts, approached the old grandmother with a few questions. The old grandmother smiled and told them that their Ancestor had guided them in all these things. If they had any questions, they should ask him.
Before their arrival, Chen Jian had already agreed with his clansmen that while they could give them finished products like pottery, they would not yet teach them how to make it. The proposal had passed unanimously, and the old grandmother, of course, abided by it.
So the two leaders came to Chen Jian. They were inclined to believe the life his tribe described, as they could sense that the Chen Jian tribe's existence was indeed different from their own. They were particularly impressed by words they couldn't understand, like "one, two, three, four." Though they didn't know the meaning, it sounded powerful.
After listening to their questions, Chen Jian smiled. "Would you like to live with us?"
"What do you mean, 'live together'? Merge with your tribe?"
Stone was wary. Survival was the first priority, and the continuation of her people's bloodline was the second. Only when the first could not be guaranteed would the second be relinquished.
Her tribe was not currently facing a survival crisis. Although the life Chen Jian described was enticing, the customs of millennia made her hesitant to accept. If they merged, what would become of her own clansmen? Would her mother, her grandmother, and her ancestors be recognized?
Chen Jian called Song over to describe his experience of two tribes becoming one, which served as a perfect example.
Sophora discussed it with her people after listening, but Stone remained uncertain.
"If you don't want to merge with us, you can live alongside us."
Stone shook her head. "How would that work? How would we count bloodlines? People who live together are family."
For primitive people, living together was a very serious matter; it was how they distinguished "us" from "them." Those who lived together were clansmen, and those who didn't were not. The idea of two different clans living together was unheard of.
Chen Jian thought for a moment. "We can add a surname before your names."
"A surname?" Stone didn't understand what this unfamiliar word had to do with her people's bloodline.
"Yes, a surname. Our tribe can have one, and your tribe can have one. For example, you could use your ancestor's name as a surname, placing it before your own name. That way, no matter how much time passes, your ancestor's name will always be remembered by future generations, and your bloodline can naturally continue. Even if we live together, we can still tell each other apart. If all your people have the character for 'stone' in their names, everyone will know at a glance that they belong to your clan."
Stone still didn't quite grasp the concept and looked at Chen Jian with a frown.
"With surnames, even if we live together, we won't have to worry about confusing our bloodlines. The clan is the surname, and the surname is the clan. As long as people with the same surname don't intermarry, it will be fine. If you strictly follow this rule, your bloodline will remain pure. Your people can intermarry and live with my clansmen, but the children will still be yours. Taking your ancestor's name as a surname will be a mark that can never be erased."
Stone finally understood. She realized it was a good method. As long as a child came from the mother's body, and the mother considered them part of her clan, then the child would belong to that clan.
Adding a surname to a name would teach the children that those who live together are not necessarily family, but those with the same surname must be, sharing the same mother or grandmother. This was indeed a sound solution.
Chen Jian, of course, had his own agenda. Besides blood ties, the tribe needed fresh blood to grow. The first generation might still feel a strong sense of clan identity, but what about the next?
Furthermore, only by having tribes live together could they evolve from group marriage to paired marriage, and eventually to monogamy. Living in close proximity would also foster affection and love, not just mating for the sake of reproduction.
Now that the clansmen's survival was secure, their mating seasons were no longer confined to spring. Within the clan, primitive morality strictly forbade incest, but no one could guarantee what might happen in the future.
Incestuous desires have always been powerful enough to overcome morality and even law. This wasn't just true now; even during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period, when societal rules were well-established, Duke Xiang of Qi not only slept with his own sister but also murdered his brother-in-law, Duke Huan of Lu.
The transition from group marriage to paired marriage and then to monogamy was a process. In a community of several cohabiting tribes, paired marriages would inevitably appear. A man might think, I like you, I also like her, and I still like that one, and I want to mate with all of them. He could maintain relationships with all three, as long as they consented.
The same was true for women, who might each have four or five regular mating partners.
In this era, survival depended on the tribe, not the family. Both men and women had to work, so they were naturally equal in their mating relationships. Attraction was based on personal appeal, not wealth, as private property did not yet exist.
Only when a family could survive on its own, when emotions like jealousy and possessiveness emerged, and after a few bloody fights over mating partners, would monogamy naturally arise. The so-called monogamy of his past life in Huaxia was, in practice, polygyny. Concubines were not considered wives but tools for a patriarchal society to continue its bloodline—not equals in legal terms, but property. If a concubine gave birth to a son, the son was the master, and the mother was the servant.
For now, this was a long-standing matrilineal society, not because women were more capable, but because a woman could be certain a child was hers, whereas a man could never be sure if the child was his or some other man's.
When several tribes lived together, they could be linked through marriage. They would become each other's in-laws, which was the easiest way to form a new, larger group.
He looked at Stone and Sophora with burning eyes, hoping for a positive answer. With a population under four hundred, supporting more people was no longer a burden. Even fishing alone could sustain them until primitive agriculture developed.
Stone conferred with her clansmen. "Then can we live the same life as you?"
"Yes. As long as you are willing to learn, we will teach you. But we will not simply give you what we have."
She glanced at Song, who had just finished telling his story, thought for a moment, and asked, "You mean, if we merge with you and become one family with the same surname, we can live in your houses and use your things? But if we keep our own surname and clan, we have to start from scratch? What's yours is yours, and what's ours is ours?"
"Of course," Chen Jian replied without hesitation. This distinction was necessary. "You can think about it."
Stone and Sophora had different priorities, and each went to discuss the matter with their people.
The Stone tribe was not facing a survival crisis, so reproduction and preserving their identity were their greatest needs. After some discussion, her clansmen felt Chen Jian's proposal was excellent. If what he said was true—that they could catch many fish without stone spears and use clay pots and bowls—why not try it?
If it didn't work out, they could always return to their old territory and start over. There was no loss.
So, after some debate, the clan agreed to adopt their own surname and live alongside Chen Jian's clan as a separate entity. Since their tribe lived on a mountain full of stones and many of them had "stone" in their names, they decided to use Stone as their surname, placing it before their given names.
Sophora's tribe was in a different situation; they were facing a crisis of survival. A short while ago, her mother and several other tribe members had stepped on a snake's nest while gathering food, and a dozen people were bitten to death by venomous snakes.
Those dozen women were the ones who knew which plants were edible and which were poisonous. Much of their knowledge had been lost with them. In addition, many of the animals in their territory had migrated away, making survival increasingly difficult.
The clay pots and bowls they could see with their own eyes, the delicious, soft food that didn't require much chewing, and the houses and fishing nets they could only imagine—all filled them with desperate hope.
Moreover, with Song as a living example, they knew this man named Jian kept his word. If joining meant their tribe would live better, why wouldn't they do it?
Her tribe now numbered only a few dozen men, women, and children, all of them thin and weary. After more than ten clanswomen were killed by snakes, the remaining women were terrified of the tall grasses, and their daily haul of gathered food grew smaller and smaller.
"Let's join their tribe," one woman said. "Then we can use clay pots and bowls and eat fish every day."
No one in her group objected. One woman was about to give birth, and surviving while caring for a child would be even harder.
After Sophora presented her tribe's decision to Chen Jian, he discussed it with his own people. Their consensus was simple: more people to help build houses was certainly a good thing.
The two tribes gathered. With the precedent of Song's tribe joining, this time the process was more formalized.
First, the old grandmother and Sophora cut their fingers. Then, the rest of Sophora's tribe dripped their blood into a jar one by one. They drank from it in turn, swearing an oath to the heavens that from this day forward, their blood was connected. Men and women of the same surname and family would not marry.
Sophora now called the old grandmother "Mother," as her own mother and the grandmother were of the same generation. Just like that, Chen Jian gained many new aunts and uncles.
By the creek, the original tribesmen helped the newcomers comb their tangled hair and braid it into neat buns. The people of the Stone tribe watched with interest, full of curiosity about the soapy substance Chen Jian's tribe used.
After their hair was done, the members of the two tribes rested, refreshed, and began to get acquainted.
Soon, men and women were holding hands and slipping away into the woods. The civet, squirrel, and wolf from the earlier hunt were prepared as a celebratory feast.
Many women, however, approached Chen Jian. Some flexed their strong muscles, while others mimicked the dance of a grouse to demonstrate their flexibility.
In this era, aesthetics were tied to survival. A strong woman who could bear children easily was considered beautiful. Chen Jian looked at the woman in front of him, who was listing how many children she had birthed as proof of her fertility, and politely refused.
He had no desire to join the public spectacle in the woods. Besides, any child born from it wouldn't be his in any meaningful way; he would merely be a provider of seed.
"We can talk again after the concept of private family property appears..." he murmured to himself.
He listened to the faint gasps and animalistic cries coming from the nearby woods and smiled with a sense of helplessness.
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