Chapter 35  : The World’s First Marketplace

In the center of the tribe, in the largest courtyard surrounded by a wall made from reeds and mud, Xia Ping’an met his mother, the chief of the tribe. He also had his first meal after coming to this world.

Shennong’s mother was an amiable woman who lacked an air of authority. Her gaze was kind and wise. Even in her house, she sat with her back straight. However, with the scepter in her hand and the strong female bodyguards beside her, no one dared to look down on her.

When Xia Ping’an explained his own ideas, everyone in the house stared at him with wide eyes in disbelief.

“A mutual market. What is that? Will everyone bring out their stuff for others to just take? Who would be willing to do that?” the female chief questioned. She pondered about this as she looked at Xia Ping’an.

After all, what Xia Ping’an said was something that had never been thought of before. It would take some effort for everyone to wrap their heads around the concept.

“Mother, a mutual market allows the members within our tribe to exchange items between each other. For instance, if I hunt a boar today and our family cannot finish the meat from the wild boar, it will go bad if left for long. However, if I wanted a stone knife and some firewood, I can use my oversupply of boar meat to trade for the items I want with other people.

“Someone will have extra firewood and wants to eat meat. The mason just finished polishing a stone knife and wants to have some meat. Both of them can trade their items for some of my wild boar meat!”

“Then, who will exchange with you? Are you planning on asking door-to-door with that boar meat?” Shennong’s elder sister asked.

For something that had never existed before, it was difficult for people to comprehend upon hearing such things for the first time.

“We do not need to go door-to-door to ask. We just need to find a spot in the tribe and gather those who wish to exchange their stuff. They will head over there themselves to take a look and trade their items with others. As for how they make the trade and how much they trade, that will be discussed by both parties involved. As long as both sides agree to trade, I believe everyone will be willing to do so.”

Once Xia Ping’an explained the concept in detail, the female chief very quickly understood it. Her eyes lit up, and she looked at Xia Ping’an with a pleased look. She was quite interested in Xia Ping’an’s suggestion. More importantly, his suggestion today made her realize that her son had finally grown up and could share the burden of the tribe and herself.

“I will leave the affairs of managing the tribe marketplace to you. We can give it a try. I will arrange for two people to help you. They will follow your commands. How soon can this tribe marketplace be ready?”

“We only need three days,” Xia Ping’an declared confidently.

“Alright. Then we will see the results in three days,” the female chief said. She turned around and instructed the bodyguard beside her in a low voice. In just a short while, the bodyguard brought two helpers for Xia Ping’an. The two of them would follow Xia Ping’an’s orders for the next few days.

Xia Ping’an left the house excitedly with his two helpers.

...

By nightfall that day, almost everyone in the tribe had heard of this. In a few more days, a marketplace would be opened in the tribe. Everyone could go to the marketplace to exchange items.

What was a marketplace? What was a mutual market? No one in the tribe knew, yet everyone felt that the idea was new and exciting.

For the next two days, Xia Ping’an sent people to build up public opinion in the tribe. He sent them to promote the benefits of the marketplace and how trading items would be carried out there. In the meantime, he simply found a large empty lot in the tribe. He set up some wooden posts around the empty lot and used plant ash to mark off the area.

Tribes of this era initially did not have any form of entertainment in their lives and it was very boring. For the tribesmen, aside from eating and sleeping every day, there were only jobs like hunting, gathering wild fruits, chopping wood, and carving stone knives. Even if they could rest, they could only daydream. There was nothing else to do.

The tribe became excited when they heard that there would be a marketplace after three days and that, at midday, everyone could bring their items there to trade with one another. They were full of curiosity and anticipation towards this new and exciting endeavor.

Xia Ping’an asked those who wanted to trade stuff to bring their own mats and items along three days later. Once at the marketplace, everyone could place their mats on the ground and arrange their items on the mats. They could then trade their items with others by bartering.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. After three days, at noon, the space that Xia Ping’an had prepared for the marketplace was filled with members of the tribe. Almost everyone had come over, surging into the marketplace that Xia Ping’an had established. Some of them came to trade items, while others just wanted to join in the fun.

At the very beginning, everyone still did not know how to trade items with others. Xia Ping’an himself led the way and used the meat his elder brother brought to exchange for some firewood and some mats. Xia Ping’an arranged for his two helpers to also trade their firewood and meat for other items.

With other people taking the lead and setting examples, everyone else understood how to do so very quickly. So this marketplace allowed for everyone to trade their own items for the items of other people.

As expected, this method was effective. Everyone gathered together and could trade whatever they wanted.

With Xia Ping’an’s lead, very soon, the others also experienced trading for what they wanted with the things they had.

The field of the marketplace immediately became lively.

Personally witnessing the world’s first marketplace, Xia Ping’an felt emotional. The ancestors of Huaxia civilization were pragmatic and dared to innovate. There was no messy talk like that of later generations that devalued the status of merchants and craftsmen.

According to some traditions, Shennong, who was one of the Three Emperors, was the founder as well as the guardian deity of merchants, farmers, craftsmen, and doctors.

It was Shennong who led these ordinary people and established the history of Huaxia civilization.

No wonder Laozi said, “When the Great Way ceased to be observed, benevolence and righteousness came into vogue. Then appeared wisdom and shrewdness, and there ensued great hypocrisy.” Sometimes, when there were too many ‘experts’, the truths of the world would be reversed.

...

Everyone in the tribe suddenly exploded with passion for trading their items with others.

The tribe marketplace was a huge success on its first day. Those who participated in the mutual market felt that they had obtained benefits.

For the following month, Xia Ping’an organized a mutual market in the tribe every five days. Each time the mutual market was organized, it brought great convenience to the lives of the tribesmen.

After successfully organizing the seventh or eighth mutual market, Xia Ping’an’s fame in the tribe skyrocketed. The number of helpers that his mother allocated to him had already grown from two to four.

With manpower, many things could easily be done.

Xia Ping’an began to bring his helpers to find clay suitable for pottery-making around the tribe. They found the clay very quickly. With clay, pottery-making was also added to Xia Ping’an’s daily schedule.

It was actually very easy to create pottery in this era. As long as they found clay, even without a kiln, they could make pottery by piling up firewood on a flat piece of land.

Pottery that was buried together with the dead that was unearthed generations later appeared to be formed by baking the clay using piled-up firewood, based on the temperature of the formed pottery. The ancient people did not have kilns at all.

Of course, Xia Ping’an would not be so crude. He brought his helpers to the hillslope and dug up a simple earth kiln that was taller than a man. They could then pile up firewood in the earth kiln and make pottery.

Xia Ping’an played with mud for a whole day, forming the clay into simple and crude plates and bowls. He was preparing the first batch of pottery. He asked his helpers to find firewood while he was at it.

Finally, Xia Ping’an placed the plates and bowls made from clay that he made into the earth kiln. He then piled up firewood and baked the pottery. Two to three hours later, his first batch of pottery was successfully completed.

A few days later, when Xia Ping’an brought his first batch of pottery to the mutual market, the entire tribe was once again in an uproar.

The bowls were perfect for holding water and storing food. They also appeared refined.

In this era where there were basically no containers, the uproar that was caused by the first batch of pottery far exceeded Xia Ping’an’s expectations.

The way the tribesmen looked at the earthenware plates and bowls made by Xia Ping’an was practically like how modern-day people looked at diamonds. Many people were willing to pay enormous prices to obtain a ceramic bowl.

With pottery, there could be a greater variety of cooking and food. Many foods and items could also have better means of storage.

Xia Ping’an discovered that just by trading away the first batch of pottery, he had become the wealthiest person in the tribe in just one day. His reputation had also risen to a whole other level.

The beginning of his Shennong saga was going well. In less than a month, Xia Ping’an accomplished two major milestones.

With his items, achievements, and reputation, people would listen to what he said. It would be much easier when he carried out the subsequent inventions and endeavors such as teaching people to plant crops.