Chapter 50: The Prodigal Son Really Turned Back

The foundation for rural houses is quite simple. A trench is dug, 50 centimeters wide and 50 centimeters deep, and stones are stacked vertically inside it.

This method of stacking stones has the benefit of drainage, as the stones are placed upright like a palm, which helps prevent water buildup.

The main purpose of the foundation is to keep the house dry. Mud walls are very susceptible to water, so the foundation needs to be built with stones, and then the walls are made from yellow clay.

The stones for the walls are plentiful on the mountain behind the village, and people can simply go up and gather them using baskets. Even if the stones run out, one can use a steel pickaxe and hammer to extract more.

For Lin Heng’s house, they are still using clay tiles. In the past, blue stone slabs were used, which were mined from the mountains, and people would carry them one by one.

People in rural areas are very strong due to the physical labor, or there wouldn’t be so many migrant workers.

Once the work began, no one slacked off. In two hours, eight people had already dug the foundations for two houses.

“Come help dig this fish pond as well,” said the carpenter, Liang Gui, as he finished the foundation work and asked for help with Lin Heng’s fish pond.

“Lin Heng, did you build this fish pond?” Yang Zhaotao, Li Caifeng’s husband, asked, smiling at Lin Heng.

“Yes, just built a fish pond for fun,” Lin Heng replied with a smile.

“Figures, you’re a cultured person, so of course, you build something different,” Yang Zhaotao said with a hint of sarcasm. To him, a fish pond seemed like a waste of space.

“Exactly, Lin Heng, why don’t you just build a bigger house like your older brother? When you have children, they’ll have space. What’s the point of a fish pond?” Wang Jiashu advised. In his view, Lin Heng must have been out of his mind to build a fish pond.

Others also shared the same opinion, thinking that a bigger house was the best option, as 100 square meters was too small in the countryside.

“It’s fine, I like small spaces,” Lin Heng chuckled, not taking the advice.

These people were thinking of the house as something to live in for a lifetime, but Lin Heng saw it as just a transitional space. There was no need for it to be too big—small and exquisite was his plan.

Later, he planned to decorate the house well; even a mud house could have its own charm.

“The homeowner wants a fish pond, so you should stop worrying. Three people are enough to dig the pond. The rest of you can help move stones,” said the carpenter, Liang Gui, laughing and easing the tension.

With more people working, things moved quickly. The fish pond was finished in an hour, as there weren’t many stones underground, so it was easy to dig.

Meanwhile, the people moving stones had already created several small mounds.

“Alright, that’s enough. Leave two or three people to help with the stones, the rest should help with the foundation,” said Lin Heng’s father, who had just dropped off a basket of stones.

Everyone there had experience with house-building, so stacking stones was easy. Lin Heng helped by passing the stones to his second uncle, who was laying them.

By lunchtime, the foundation was more than halfway done, and it was expected to be completed by the afternoon.

At lunch, there were three tables set up, and when everyone saw the honey badger meat on the table, they couldn’t help but exclaim, “Honey badger meat! Did you buy this or hunt it?”

Lin Heng’s father chuckled and pointed at Lin Heng, saying, “My second son hunted it the night before yesterday.”

He then briefly explained the situation.

“You really hunt? Was that rabbit you caught too?” Wang Jiashu asked, looking at Lin Heng. He couldn’t believe Lin Heng had hunted a honey badger.

The villagers were also curious. Could it be that the lazy Lin Heng had actually learned how to hunt?

“Lin Heng, show us your skill. Is your archery really that accurate? I don’t believe it. Did you pick this up from someone else?” Yang Zhaotao said, doubting Lin Heng’s abilities.

Yang Zhaotao had also tried hunting, but his success was minimal, relying mostly on traps to catch small animals like squirrels, rabbits, and grouse.

But Lin Heng, known for his laziness, had apparently managed to hunt a honey badger, and Yang Zhaotao was struggling to accept it, speaking bluntly.

Once one person spoke, others joined in.

“Lin Heng, show us your archery. That’s amazing!”

“Yeah, let me see it too!”

Everyone started chiming in, not giving Lin Heng a chance to respond.

Lin Heng felt helpless but knew this moment would come eventually. He shrugged and went inside to fetch his bow and arrows.

“Is this wooden stump okay?” Yang Zhaotao asked with a grin, placing the stump about thirty meters away from Lin Heng at the entrance.

Clearly, he wanted to make it more difficult for Lin Heng, secretly trying to undermine him.

“If you can hit this, I’ll be impressed!” Yang Zhaotao laughed.

Others gathered around, waiting for Lin Heng to take his shot. No one was eating anymore.

Lin Heng’s parents and sister-in-law were all worried, thinking that if he missed, he’d be mocked in the village.

Lin Heng silently cursed Yang Zhaotao in his mind, blaming him for putting the target so far.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Heng smiled and said, “I’ll just take this as a way to entertain everyone.”

With that, he released the arrow, and it flew straight to hit the wooden stump with a solid “thunk” from over thirty meters away.

The crowd was stunned, staring at Lin Heng, who had aimed for less than two seconds before landing the shot perfectly.

“Impressive!”

“Great skill! No wonder you could catch a honey badger!”

“Hey, with this skill, you’d be a general in ancient times.”

The praise was endless, and the way people looked at Lin Heng had completely changed, no longer with dismissive glances.

Especially Yang Zhaotao and Wang Jiashu, whose expressions were priceless. Lin Heng’s accuracy had far exceeded their expectations.

“Just luck this time,” Lin Heng chuckled, putting the bow and arrow back inside.

He felt that he had a talent for aiming. He was good with slingshots as a child, and in his previous life, he quickly picked up archery as well.

“Impressive!” When Lin Heng returned to the table, his older brother Lin Yue gave him a thumbs-up.

Lin Heng’s parents also looked pleased. They had been so worried about him, but now he had finally made them proud.

Maybe this time, he really had turned over a new leaf—maybe the prodigal son had truly returned!

Everyone in the family thought so, because during these eight days, Lin Heng had really done a lot of work.

In the past, even when he claimed to be reformed, he only stayed home and didn’t go out. But this time, he had been earning money everywhere.

In these eight days, the family’s standard of living had gone up a level. They ate meat every day, and everyone had gained some weight.

Even Lin Heng’s sister-in-law, Liu Juan, who had disliked him before, had to admit that all of this was thanks to him.

(End of Chapter)