Chapter 49: Building a New House

On the morning of the eighth day, the entire Lin family woke up around 5 o’clock. The reason was simple: today was the day they were going to start building the new house.

As Lin Heng and the others were washing their faces, voices suddenly came from outside the door.

“Who’s up so early?” Lin Heng wondered.

Lin’s father entered and opened the door to find his brother-in-law Li Baiquan and his third uncle Lin Xutao standing outside.

“Congratulations! Building a new house, getting rich, may everything go smoothly and all wishes come true!” Li Baiquan said with a smile, his arms crossed.

Lin Xutao also folded his hands and wished, “You’re building a new house, good fortune is coming, may everything be prosperous!”

“Hahaha, prosperous, everyone’s prosperous, come in and sit down!” Lin’s father laughed heartily and quickly invited them inside.

In the countryside, there are many superstitions surrounding daily activities. For example, today was an auspicious day to build a house, so they had to avoid saying anything that might bring bad luck, or else they could be scolded.

“What’s this? A badger skin?”

As soon as they entered the yard, Li Baiquan noticed the badger skin hanging up.

He turned to Lin Heng with a shocked expression, “You hunted a badger?”

Lin Heng grinned, “I caught it the night before yesterday, 24 kilograms. Ask my dad for the details.”

He was too lazy to boast.

“Lin Heng, your hunting skills are impressive. Second brother, you should tell us more,” Third Uncle Lin Xutao looked at Lin Heng with a new level of respect.

Hunting rabbits and grouse isn’t considered particularly impressive, as many people in the village can do that. But hunting larger animals, like badgers, requires real skill, as these creatures are very cautious and can detect you from 30-40 meters away, quickly running off.

“Go ahead and drink some water, I’ll tell you everything slowly.”

Lin’s father poured them both a glass of water and told them about the hunt, making it sound as if it was his own experience.

“Lin Heng, I was originally worried about how you and Xiulan would manage. But now, with your hunting skills, you’ll probably live better than anyone else,” Third Uncle said, giving Lin Heng a thumbs-up.

Li Baiquan pulled Lin Heng aside, “When you have time, let’s go hunting together. Bring your bow.”

“No problem, no problem,” Lin Heng responded.

He turned and picked up the badger skin to bring it inside, but before he could, another person came in and asked about it again.

“Let’s go, let’s get the foundation line straight and level,” said the carpenter, Liang Gui, after washing his face, calling everyone to head to the farm base.

The base had many wooden stakes already nailed in place, and the leveling was done, but after the rain, they needed to check again.

Lin Heng also used lime to re-mark the lines, including the lines for the fish pond he had designed.

“You’re moving fast, you’ve already started working!” a rough voice called out from the distance.

“Quanwa, you’re quick!” followed by a deeper voice.

Lin Heng and the others looked up to see three middle-aged men in their forties, almost fifty—none other than his eldest, second, and third uncles.

His younger sister’s family was building a house, so of course, they had come.

“Big brother, second brother, third brother, you’re not too late, come in and eat!” Lin’s father smiled as he approached, handing each of them a cigarette.

After some pleasantries, Lin Heng also greeted them with a smile, “Big uncle, second uncle, third uncle.”

Lin Heng’s eldest uncle had a thick mustache and longer hair, looking very serious. He sized Lin Heng up and snorted, “At least you’re still working. Otherwise, I’d have to give you a lesson today.”

His eldest uncle couldn’t stand seeing Lin Heng idle, and had punished him before.

“Live well at home, don’t get involved in those messy things,” the second uncle warned sternly. He had fair skin and looked much younger than his age.

The third uncle was shorter, only about 1.5 meters, honest and simple, often bullied by others. When he saw Lin Heng, he smiled and said, “When are you coming over to play at my place?”

Lin Heng responded to each of them. Among his uncles, only the second one was married; the eldest and third uncles were both bachelors.

The eldest uncle liked to drink and had a tendency to be violent, which was the main reason he never married. The third uncle was too honest and simple, which made him unpopular with women.

The second uncle was the sharpest of the three and had the most business acumen. He had his wife run a bun shop on the outskirts of the town, making him one of the wealthier people in the village.

However, all three of them treated Lin Heng’s family very well, often bringing food and drink, and would help with any work.

After entering the house and drinking some water, Lin’s father began defending Lin Heng, explaining how he had changed and had been helping out with hunting.

“Hunting?” Lin Heng’s eldest uncle, Lu Honghai, sized him up with some disbelief. He then turned to look at the badger skin hanging and went to the kitchen to check out the smoked badger meat.

“Did you really catch this?” the eldest uncle asked skeptically, as he himself had a hunting rifle and often went hunting.

“Come on, Lin Heng, show me your aim,” said the second uncle, Lu Hongan, as he set up a wooden stump in the yard.

“Alright,” Lin Heng said helplessly, and went to the bedroom to get his bow. At a distance of about 8-9 meters, he aimed slightly and released an arrow that struck the wooden stump with a thud.

“Wow, you’re really that good. I didn’t expect you actually learned some real skill,” the second uncle said in shock, giving Lin Heng a thumbs-up.

“I didn’t know either, I just started playing around, and found out I had some talent,” Lin Heng grinned and made up a lie.

The eldest uncle gave Lin Heng a long look, patted him on the shoulder, and said, “If you have this skill, stay home and help out. In the fall, I’ll take you up the mountain to hunt wild boars.”

Although his expression was serious, it was clear that Lin Heng’s skill had changed his attitude. Skilled people are always welcome wherever they go.

By now, it was 6:30, and the other villagers who had been invited had also started arriving.

Lin’s mother had finished making a large pot of sauerkraut noodles and called out, “Everyone, come and have breakfast.”

With so many people, the large pot, which had a diameter of 1.2 meters, was filled with noodles, but it was quickly consumed by everyone.

Holding the noodles, standing in the yard, a group of middle-aged men began chatting and joking, telling all sorts of crude jokes, and laughter filled the air.

Lin Heng was indifferent to these jokes. He sat in a corner, eating the noodles, which were delicious with a strong garlic and hoary basil flavor.

After breakfast, everyone got to work. Today, the main tasks were to dig the foundation and set up the main gate.

Everyone brought their own tools, and once everyone was ready, Lin’s father lit a string of firecrackers.

“Congratulations! Congratulations!”

“May you get rich, and have good luck!”

The sound of the firecrackers, accompanied by the villagers’ blessings, immediately filled the air with excitement.

In the countryside, firecrackers are set off not only to drive away evil spirits and show that the place is inhabited but also to pray for safety and good luck, representing positive wishes.

Once everything was ready, Lin’s father started assigning the day’s tasks.

“We have 18 people today. Eight will dig the foundation, and the other ten will go to the back mountain to move stones. Let’s aim to finish the foundation this morning.”

After assigning the tasks, he handed out a cigarette to each person.

(End of chapter)