Baby Wagon

Will get a real name at some point

This article was written for Summer Camp 2026. Therefore it is unpolished and lacking formatting and information. Feel free to comment with any questions or requests for clarification.

The banks of the Yanxia River are perhaps the most fertile ground in the Hutsai Empire; the annual floods contribute to soil rich in nutrients and minerals. With around half of the Empire consisting of desert - dust and hard-packed red earth littered with boulders - the Yanxia is the agricultural backbone.

The majority of the workforce in the fields consists of women, as all able bodied men are required for the ongoing conquest of the continent. Many of these women need to bring their babies and young children to work with them if they do not have someone at home who can take care of them. An infant can be carried in a sling on the chest or back, but slightly older children or multiples can be difficult to wrangle. This led to the invention of the (baby wagon).

The (baby wagon) is made of hide or woven reeds, reinforced with lengths of rivercane to make a basket or box shape. These are then attached to runners to allow the relatively smooth traversal of the terrain. A Yanxia hound is then harnessed to the front to pull the load. The (baby wagon) is used to transport both children and farm tools, as well as food and fresh water.

Once at the fields, the (baby wagons) are parked in the shadiest area available, or shade is rigged up using mats of woven reeds. The hounds are unattached from the wagons so they can roam free, and spend the day herding loose children, basking in the sun, or warning their owners of dangerous animals, such as Yanxia crocodile or yellow hippopotamuses.