Chapter 101: My Granddaughter is Amazing

Lin Heng walked into the field, and his older brother was still plowing the land.

“Do you want to give it a try?” Lin Yue asked.

“Sure,” Lin Heng smiled as he walked over.

Lin Yue stopped the ox and handed the reins to Lin Heng.

Lin Heng took the reins and looked at the old-fashioned plow. It was very complicated.

The plow had a wooden frame that the person held, with a plowshare on top. The plowshare was a triangular iron tool used to break the soil. The plowhead connected to the ox, and the person held onto the plow handles, which were used to control the direction of the plow and the ox.

There were two sets of ropes connecting the ox. The plowhead was attached with two thick brown ropes, about two fingers thick, to a V-shaped wooden yoke. The yoke was placed over the hump on the ox’s neck, and when the ox was driven, it could pull the plow forward.

The plow handles had two straps that connected to the nose rings on the ox’s nose, one on each side.

By pulling the straps, the direction of the ox could be controlled, either to move left, right, or turn its head.

“Chh, go!!”

Lin Heng held onto the plow handle and shouted. The big yellow ox started to move slowly.

The plowshare dug into the soil, flipping it over, and Lin Heng just had to control the direction to plow the land.

In the pre-machine era, this was such an incredible invention.

“Turn!!”

When they reached the end, Lin Heng quickly pulled the left strap to make the ox turn around, and he also lifted the plow to change direction.

The ox’s strength was enough that while a person could only plow one acre of land in a day, the ox could easily plow five acres a day. Even if it got a little tired, it could still do seven or eight acres without a problem.

“Chh, go!!”

Occasionally, a whip crack would make the ox go faster.

After two hours, the remaining land was plowed, and the big yellow ox stopped. Its fur was soaked with sweat, and it stretched its neck to nibble at the grass along the roadside.

“Once this land is done, let the ox rest for a while, and then we’ll go plow your land on Hongfeng Mountain.”

Lin Heng’s father walked over, untied the yoke, and led the ox to the side to rest and graze.

“I don’t need to plow over there, I’m not planting anymore. Just bring the ox back home,” Lin Heng shook his head and said.

Lin Heng’s father turned and looked at him: “So you’re going to live on air, huh?”

“I talked it over with Xiulan. In early August, I’ll hire someone to dig those two acres into fish and shrimp ponds. Next year, I’ll raise fish and shrimp,” Lin Heng explained to his father.

Lin Heng’s father looked at him for a moment and then said, “Well, you two are already living on your own, so it’s up to you. I’ve done everything I could—married you off and built you a house. How you live your life is up to you. If you make money, that’s your skill; if you lose money, that’s your responsibility.”

After saying that, Lin Heng’s father asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to plow? If not, I’ll take the ox back to feed it now.”

“Sure,” Lin Heng nodded.

“Alright.” Lin Heng’s father came over, tidied up the plow, coiled the ropes, and took down the parts.

“Little brother, you’re really planning to raise fish and shrimp? Is it reliable?” Lin Yue walked over and asked with concern.

“If I use running water, there won’t be any problems. It’s the same as raising them directly in a river,” Lin Heng smiled and said, though it was obviously not the same; he was just trying to comfort his family.

“Alright, it looks like you’re determined to make a fortune,” Lin Yue clapped Lin Heng on the shoulder and said with a sigh.

Lin Heng admired his older brother. He dared to experiment, whereas Lin Yue had three sons and couldn’t afford to take risks. Every morning, he had four mouths to feed, and he couldn’t afford to gamble.

Lin Heng smiled and said, “Yes, farming has no future. I’m still young, and if I fail, I’ll just try again.”

“If you need my help, just say so. No need to be polite,” Lin Yue added.

“Don’t worry, brother. If I need help, I’ll definitely come to you,” Lin Heng said, understanding the difficulties his older brother faced. But it was alright; with his support, they would all rise together.

“By the way, are you still catching yellow eel now?” Lin Heng asked.

“Not anymore. Once the rice seedlings grow, we can’t catch them in the fields anymore. To catch them, we’d have to go to the river, but it’s also not easy,” Lin Yue shook his head.

“Got it. Once we plant the corn, we’ll go to the mountains and hunt with Dad. There’s not much farm work left anyway,” Lin Heng said.

“Sure, I’ve been wanting to try my luck in the deep mountains,” Lin Yue nodded.

“Dad, are you coming?” Lin Heng asked loudly.

“Depends. If I have time, I’ll go,” Lin Heng’s father said while pulling the ox, walking slowly.

Lin Heng helplessly said, “Alright.”

“Later, when you come back, help move the wheat. You and your brother will each carry 700 pounds. From now on, you’ll do the farming and harvesting yourselves,” Lin Heng’s father called out as he carried the plow and led the ox farther away.

Lin Heng looked at his father’s back. The old man might say he wasn’t concerned, but his actions and thoughts were always centered around the family.

Lin Heng turned around to help with carrying the bamboo shoots. Xiulan and the others had picked many bamboo shoots and gathered some pig grass; they had done quite a bit of work.

“Daddy, hold me!”

As Lin Heng had just started carrying the pig grass, his daughter ran over, wanting to be held.

She had spent the afternoon playing with her two older brothers and Xiong Ba. Now her face and clothes were all dirty.

“Come on, let’s walk. You need to learn to walk on your own,” Lin Heng stretched out his hand to pull her.

“I want to be held!”

She stamped her foot, looking even more upset. It was very cute.

Lin Heng held her hand and whispered, “If you don’t walk, I’ll spank you.”

Xiaoxia froze, turned around, and saw her mother holding a bamboo stick, watching her.

She quickly turned her head and grabbed her father’s hand, walking fast without daring to say anything.

“Wife, do you want to go catch cicadas tonight?” Lin Heng asked as they walked.

“Sure, I’ve been wanting to eat them too,” Xiulan nodded.

The work was done quickly, and they got home by 6:30 PM, with over an hour left before dark.

At this time of year, the sun didn’t fully set until around 8 PM.

“How about we invite Dad, Mom, and Brother over for dinner? We can cook a few dishes. We still have some pig intestines and oil residue. We can make stuffed buns with the oil residue.”

Xiulan opened the front door and looked at Lin Heng.

The pig intestines had been stir-fried twice a day by Xiulan, and there was still some left.

Lin Heng thought it was a good idea and nodded, “Sure, let’s make it a gathering. I’ll go invite Caiyun, Mom, and Big Sister-in-law to help you out. I’ll take Dad and Big Brother to fish, and maybe we can catch something to eat.”

“Then you go now. I’ll give Xiaoxia a bath and change her clothes, then start cooking,” Xiulan said.

Lin Heng nodded and went out to invite people. He first told Big Brother and Big Sister-in-law, and after a little chatting, they agreed.

Lin Heng and Big Brother went to the old house, where Dad was feeding the ox. He was giving it a bowl of corn paste.

After plowing the land, the big yellow ox would always get a reward like this.

“You guys wait to move the wheat. It hasn’t been weighed yet,” Lin Heng’s father said, scratching the ox’s back.

Lin Heng shook his head. “No, I came to invite you to dinner tonight.”

“Why do you need a reason to eat at your place? Your mother is already cooking. You guys just eat there,” Lin Heng’s father shook his head.

“Come on, Dad, I’m inviting you to dinner. Don’t make excuses. I’ll tell Mom to stop cooking,” Lin Heng said helplessly.

He thought it was probably pointless to ask his dad to fish with them. His dad was probably still upset that Lin Heng didn’t listen to him. But it was okay. Once he succeeded, his dad would understand.

Lin Yue stayed to help Lin Heng’s father and persuaded him.

Lin Heng went into the yard and into the house, where Caiyun and his mother were picking string beans. Many fruits and vegetables were beginning to ripen, and it wouldn’t be long before there were so many that they could only feed them to the pigs.

“Mom, Xiulan said you and Caiyun should come help cook. We’re having dinner at my place tonight. Don’t cook anymore,” Lin Heng said to his mother.

“Sure, I’ll go pick some green beans with your sister and bring them over for us to eat,” Lin’s mother agreed readily. It was a completely normal thing to eat at her son’s house.

“By the way, didn’t your dad refuse?” Lin’s mother asked again.

Lin Heng shrugged. “Yes, he doesn’t want to go.”

“That’s fine. You go ahead and do what you need to do. I’ll talk to him,” Lin’s mother waved her hand dismissively, indicating that it wasn’t a big deal.

Lin Heng nodded, then went out and called his older brother: “Come on, big brother, I’ll take you fishing.”

“Alright,” Lin Yue replied with a smile. The two brothers walked side by side, gathered their fishing gear, and headed out to the Red Maple Mountain in the village to fish and hunt.

Lin’s mother and Caiyun carried the green beans into Lin Heng’s house to help Xiu Lan.

When they arrived, Xiu Lan had already finished giving Xiao Xia a bath and changed her into clean clothes. The little girl was now as clean and white as if she had stepped out of a fairy tale, like a little princess.

“Come on, Auntie will hold you.”

Caiyun looked at Xiao Xia, who was picked up and kissed several times.

“Call me Auntie!” Caiyun said as she touched Xiao Xia’s little face.

“Auntie!” Xiao Xia called out crisply, her voice like a little bird’s chirp.

“How sweet!” Lin’s mother couldn’t help but stroke Xiao Xia’s face too. The little girl smelled so good after using soap during her bath.

“Grandma,” Xiao Xia called again.

Her sweet voice melted Lin’s mother’s heart. After playing with her for a while, an idea suddenly flashed in Lin’s mother’s mind.

“Caiyun, go take Xiao Xia to your dad. Let him take her with him, so he won’t be bored all day long,” Lin’s mother suggested.

“Alright,” Caiyun nodded and took her niece out.

At this moment, Lin’s father had just finished his cold-water bath and was getting ready to prepare some grass for the cows. Caiyun brought Xiao Xia to him, teasing her a bit in her arms: “Let Grandpa hold you, okay?”

Xiao Xia looked at her grandfather, stretched out her little hand, and in a soft, sweet voice said, “Grandpa, hold!”

Lin’s father was also melted by his granddaughter’s cuteness and couldn’t refuse. He reached out and held her in his arms.

“Dad, take care of her, I’m going,” Caiyun said, and after seeing her father take over, she ran off.

“You come back…” Lin’s father had just started to speak, but Caiyun was already gone.

“Grandpa, let’s go outside!” Xiao Xia pointed outside, indicating that she wanted to play.

Seeing his precious little granddaughter, Lin’s father couldn’t refuse. He nodded and said, “Alright, let’s go outside and play.”

He put Xiao Xia down and took her by the hand as they went for a walk.

“That’s dog tail grass, that’s garlic…” Xiao Xia pointed at the plants along the road and talked to herself. She had to identify a few plants every day, pulling them out and talking about them, having a great time.

“You recognize plants too, Xiao Xia? What’s this?”

Lin’s father was surprised. His little granddaughter not only talked more but also recognized plants? He wasn’t sure, so he pointed to a pear tree nearby and asked.

Xiao Xia tilted her head, looked at it, and said softly, “That’s a pear tree!”

Lin’s father was stunned. She really knew! He then pointed to a plant on the ground, plantain, and Xiao Xia immediately recognized it. “That’s plantain.”

“My granddaughter is so smart?” Lin’s father was amazed. She could recognize so many plants?

What he didn’t know was that every day, Lin Heng took his daughter to learn about things, sometimes three or four times a day, for more than half a month, so it was completely normal for her to remember them.

The two of them continued walking and playing, and soon they reached the large ginkgo tree in the village square. There were many people relaxing and chatting, with men gathered in one place and women in another.

A group of children were playing with mud. This was a time of population explosion, and there were many children in the village.

Xiao Xia, dressed in clean clothes and looking like a porcelain doll, stood out among them, quickly attracting the attention of the crowd.

“Lin Xu’an, is this your little granddaughter? She’s so beautiful!” Old Liu, the elder from the Liu family, said with a smile.

“Yes, my little granddaughter,” Lin’s father responded, smiling.

“She’s so pretty, like a little sugar figure. But she must be hard to take care of, right? With all that changing of clothes every day. It’s easier with sons; they can play in the mud all day long,” Li Caifeng looked at Xiao Xia and said somewhat enviously.

“She’s very easy to take care of. My little granddaughter doesn’t cry or make a fuss, and she even recognizes many plants, trees, and flowers,” Lin’s father said, smiling and stroking Xiao Xia’s little face.

“She recognizes plants at such a young age? You must be exaggerating,” Liu Sanye, the old man, said, not believing it.

“If she can recognize five types of plants, I’ll give her two persimmons,” Wang Jin, the local beekeeper, shouted loudly.

His boast drew attention, and many people started watching, skeptical that a one-year-old could recognize plants and trees.

Lin’s father looked at Wang Jin with some displeasure. He wasn’t fond of the man. “There’s no need for persimmons. She doesn’t like them. If you want to see, I’ll let you see.”

“Little girl, what’s this?” Liu Sanye asked, pointing to some dog tail grass.

“Dog tail grass!” Xiao Xia said in her soft, sweet voice.

“Hey, she really knows,” Liu Sanye said in surprise, then pointed at a small garlic plant by the roadside.

“Garlic!” Xiao Xia immediately recognized it.

“What about this one?” Wang Jin asked, still unconvinced, pointing to a nearby plum tree.

“That’s a plum tree!” Xiao Xia answered confidently.

The villagers were stunned. A one-year-old who could recognize so many plants? They couldn’t believe it. They eagerly asked her questions, and Xiao Xia answered nearly every one correctly.

“She’s amazing! How did you teach her?”

“Really? She’s only one year old?”

“Why does my kid only cry and cause trouble? Forget about recognizing things; he can’t even learn to go to the toilet. How did you teach her?”

The crowd was in disbelief. The difference between their own children and Xiao Xia was too big. Their own kids didn’t cry or make trouble, and they were grateful for that, but Xiao Xia was obedient and recognized so many things.

“Wang Jin, do you believe me now? Isn’t she smarter than your grandson?” Lin’s father asked, smiling.

Wang Jin awkwardly smiled, trying to save face: “She has some skills, but it doesn’t really matter. When she grows up, she won’t recognize these things anymore. It won’t put food on the table.”

Liu Sanye couldn’t hold back his laughter. “She can recognize things at one year old, and at three, she’ll be reciting poems. Your grandson, at three, is probably still wetting the bed.”

Wang Jin’s face darkened. “I can’t be bothered to talk to you, old man.”

“Don’t run off. Bring me the persimmons. If the little girl doesn’t eat them, I will!” Liu Sanye snorted, clearly not liking Wang Jin, who often boasted about his money.

Wang Jin turned and left, secretly cursing. “What’s so special about recognizing a few things? Let’s see if you’re still laughing when your son’s business goes bankrupt. We’ll see.”

“Lin Xu’an, how did you teach your granddaughter? Can you teach me? I’ll teach my silly kid when I get home,” someone asked.

“Yeah, stop teasing us. Tell us already!” the crowd pressed him eagerly.

Lin’s father smiled broadly, so proud of his clever granddaughter. “Hehe, I don’t know. It’s mostly my son and daughter-in-law who teach her. I just play with her today.”

“Well, go ask them. Tell us tomorrow. Raising such a well-behaved kid is really hard,” someone commented.

Li Caifeng and Liu Lan exchanged glances, both impressed. They remembered how Lin Heng spent time teaching his daughter to speak and recognize things every morning.

At the time, they thought it was a waste of effort, but now they realized it had paid off. They felt a bit inspired to teach their own kids.

But after thinking about it, they felt it would be too tiring and decided against it. After all, recognizing plants wasn’t really that useful; when the kids grew up, they’d learn them anyway. It was easier to chat instead.

“Alright, I’ll ask them and let you know tomorrow,” Lin’s father said, grinning from ear to ear.

They chatted for a while, and Lin’s father had completely forgotten about the cow grass he needed to gather. Xiao Xia, meanwhile, ran around playing.

“Grandpa, thirsty!” Xiao Xia tugged at his pants leg.

“Alright, we’ll go home, and Grandpa will make you some honey water.”

Lin’s father lifted his granddaughter up and couldn’t stop smiling. He thought to himself that even if Lin Heng, that silly kid, lost money, he would make sure his clever granddaughter had enough to eat.

On the other side, Lin Heng and his older brother, Lin Yue, arrived at the base of the Red Maple Mountain.

“Brother, fish here by the pond. It’s a lot of fun,” Lin Heng told his older brother, showing him a pond and giving him fishing tips.

They tossed some corn kernels and baited the hook with worms. No sooner had they cast the line than a fish bit. Lin Heng skillfully reeled in a golden creek bass, over ten centimeters long.

“Isn’t it easy? Brother, give it a try,” Lin Heng said with a smile, handing the rod to his older brother.

“I’ll try!” Lin Yue wasn’t very interested, but he took the rod and tried fishing.

He cast the line, and within seconds, the fish took the bait. However, Lin Yue wasn’t paying attention, and the fish had already escaped by the time he realized what happened.

“The hook doesn’t have a barb. You have to watch closely. Once it bites, reel it in,” Lin Heng explained.

“Got it.”

Lin Yue tried again, and after a few more attempts, he successfully caught a creek bass. His eyes lit up, and he started to enjoy fishing.

Before long, he was fully immersed in it, his focus completely on the water, ready to reel in any fish that took the bait. Sometimes he pulled too hard and sent the fish flying onto the bank behind him.

Lin Heng watched his older brother and understood—yet another fishing enthusiast had been born in the world.

Fishing was a magical activity. Before you tried it, you might think those who spent all day fishing by the river in all kinds of weather were fools.

But after a few tries, you realized how interesting it was. It wasn’t just about the fish; you’d even fish while crossing the Naihe Bridge.

“You know, this is really fun,” Lin Yue said, looking up.

“Haha, well, you keep fishing, I’ll go check nearby for wild chickens or something,” Lin Heng said with a grin before leaving with Xiong Ba.

(End of this chapter)