Chapter 103: Setting Out Again – A Father and Two Sons Head to the Mountains

By the time Lin Heng and his brother returned home, it was already afternoon. Lin Heng carried a bag of flour and wheat bran into the courtyard, where his daughter was leaning over the hog badger pen, feeding the animals with vegetable leaves.

“Daddy!”

Seeing Lin Heng come in, Xiaoxia’s face lit up with a smile. She ran over, hugged his leg, and coquettishly asked for a hug.

“Here, have some candy!” Lin Heng pulled out a coconut-flavored White Rabbit candy and handed it to his daughter.

“Candy!” Xiaoxia’s eyes widened with excitement as she quickly took the candy, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth. Her cheeks puffed up like a little hamster.

After giving his daughter a piece of candy, Lin Heng carried the flour into the house and set it on a large cupboard.

In the kitchen, Xiulan was blanching bamboo shoots she’d picked the day before. Seeing her husband come home, she wiped her hands and came out with a towel.

As she wiped Lin Heng’s sweat, she asked, “How much flour did we get?”

“A hundred jin of wheat turned into seventy jin of flour,” Lin Heng replied with a grin, unable to resist teasing her a little.

“That’s not bad; last year, we only got sixty-seven jin,” Xiulan nodded approvingly. She handed Lin Heng a cup of cool water to drink.

“From now on, let’s mainly eat rice and wheat flour. Cornmeal can just be occasional—no need to save so much money,” Lin Heng said after taking a sip of water.

Xiulan smiled and replied, “Well, your wife’s little earnings can’t support eating flour and rice year-round. If you can afford it, we’ll eat it. If not, we’ll eat cornmeal.”

Lin Heng laughed and patted his chest. “No problem. I’ll make sure you’re spoiled with delicacies.”

“I’ll be waiting for that,” Xiulan said with a smile before returning to the kitchen to finish the bamboo shoots.

Watching her prepare the shoots for drying, Lin Heng suggested, “You know, you could try pickling them.”

“Pickling? I’ve already got plenty in the sour jars,” Xiulan replied, puzzled.

“I mean with vinegar,” Lin Heng explained.

“I don’t know how to do that,” she admitted.

“Leave some of the blanched bamboo shoots for me. I’ll handle it,” Lin Heng offered.

“Alright,” Xiulan nodded.

Lin Heng prepared a clay jar, washed it thoroughly, and scalded it with boiling water. Then he chopped some fresh chili peppers, sliced ginger, and prepared some green onion roots. He blanched the bamboo shoots again, rinsed them in cool water, and cut them into strips.

Once dried, he placed the bamboo shoots into the jar, added the chopped chilies, ginger slices, green onion roots, and Sichuan peppercorns. Then he poured in two packets of white vinegar, a generous amount of salt, and some cooled boiled water until it covered the shoots. Finally, he added a splash of white liquor for sterilization.

“That’s it?” Xiulan asked, curious about this new method.

“Yep. Cover it, seal the edges with water, and let it sit for three days. It’s called pickled bamboo shoots,” Lin Heng explained.

“Alright, I’ll taste it in three days,” Xiulan said with interest.

After dealing with the bamboo shoots, Xiulan made lunch: a cold dish of shepherd’s purse and gray vegetable greens, along with stir-fried potato strips cooked in pork fat.

At midday, as the sun blazed, Lin Heng called his older brother and took his nephews swimming in the river. The children, supervised by adults, played happily in the water for over an hour before heading home.

Seeing Xiulan weaving straw hats after lunch, Lin Heng teased, “You’re always busy with something.”

“I can’t sleep at noon, so I might as well keep busy,” she replied.

Lin Heng didn’t nap either. While keeping his daughter company, he studied Tiangong Kaiwu—a book about ancient agricultural tools and methods. He was particularly interested in the waterwheel described and hoped to build one for Hongfeng Mountain.

Eventually, Xiaoxia crawled into his lap, saying, “Daddy, I want to see!”

“You can’t even read yet. I’ll read you a fairy tale instead,” Lin Heng said, setting the book aside and picking up Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Although she couldn’t fully understand, Xiaoxia enjoyed listening, and Lin Heng found it a pleasant way to pass the time.

Before long, Xiaoxia dozed off. Xiulan, still listening, said, “Keep reading. Why stop for just your daughter?”

“Alright, for you too,” Lin Heng chuckled and continued.

In the afternoon, Lin Heng and Xiulan took Xiaoxia along and helped plant corn on the hillside. The work was light—just making holes, dropping seeds, and covering them with soil.

“Lin Heng, come to my place for dinner tonight,” his older brother, Lin Yue, called out.

“Alright!” Lin Heng agreed cheerfully.

That evening, at Lin Yue’s house, they enjoyed a meal featuring stir-fried eel, homegrown broad beans, and peanuts. After putting Xiaoxia to bed, Lin Heng and Xiulan headed to the mountain to catch cicada nymphs.

“The cicada nymphs are plentiful tonight,” Xiulan remarked after catching ten within minutes.

“This is their peak season in July and August,” Lin Heng replied, shining his flashlight.

By the end of the night, they’d caught over fifty nymphs. Lin Heng also spotted a scorpion dragging an insect into its hole and muttered, “If only I had a UV light. Catching scorpions would be so much easier.”

Back home, Lin Heng fried the cicada nymphs, filling the air with a mouthwatering aroma. He took a bowl to the courtyard and invited Xiulan to stargaze while eating.

Reluctantly, Xiulan followed him, and the two sat under the grape trellis, sharing fried cicada nymphs while gazing at the starry sky.

As the night deepened, Lin Heng couldn’t resist stealing a kiss, leading to more intimacy before the couple finally rested.

—

The next few days passed with more corn planting. By mid-July, the fields were fully planted. On the way home, Lin Heng suggested, “Dad, Brother, now that we’re done with farm work, why don’t we head to the mountains for some hunting?”

Lin Yue agreed, and even their father nodded. Lin Heng noticed his eldest nephew, Lin Wei, hesitating and added, “Let Lin Wei come along too. He can help watch over the gear.”

“Dad, I promise I’ll behave and not run around!” Lin Wei eagerly assured, his face full of gratitude as he looked at Lin Heng.

Lin Yue glanced at his eldest son and nodded, “You can go, but if you don’t behave and run around, you’ll come back immediately.”

“Dad, don’t worry. If I run around, I’ll be… well, you can beat me to death,” Lin Wei patted his chest and said confidently.

“You brat!” Lin Yue raised his hand and gave him a light smack.

Lin Heng looked at his eldest nephew and warned him again, “The wilderness is dangerous. Poisonous snakes, insects, and wasps are everywhere. I actually don’t want you to come. But since you’ve worked hard to pass the qualification test, this is your reward. However, you must follow the rules.”

“Got it, Second Uncle. If I misbehave, you can tie me up and beat me,” Lin Wei said eagerly, desperate to join the adults on the hunt.

“Now that it’s decided, start preparing. Get everything ready tonight, and we’ll leave tomorrow,” Lin Yue told the group.

“Dad, Brother, prepare more ropes—both hemp and palm ropes. Hunting in the summer relies on traps. Searching for prey in the forest by ourselves is too difficult,” Lin Heng advised his father and elder brother.

Although they weren’t skilled hunters, they were still capable of making simple traps.

This time, Lin Heng planned to stay for ten days to half a month. Since it was a long trip, traps were the most effective way to catch prey, offering better odds than searching manually.

“Understood. Don’t worry; I’ll work on it overnight,” Lin Yue replied with a smile.

When Lin Heng returned home, he began packing. He had already been preparing ropes and other hunting equipment over the past few days, so most of it was ready.

This time, he added two new items: a small iron pot he had bought in town yesterday, which could cook for four people, and a water jug suitable for carrying water or wine.

“I’ll prepare some food for you. What do you want to eat?” Xiulan, having just finished feeding the badger pigs, walked in and asked.

“No need,” Lin Heng shook his head. “This time, I’ll bring rice and flour and cook for myself. I plan to stay for ten days to half a month. There’s no point in preparing cooked food. I bought some noodles, and I’ll take some flour, rice, oil, and salt to cook on-site.”

“That’s a long time,” Xiulan said, surprised.

“If the wilderness wasn’t so inconvenient, I would’ve taken you with me,” Lin Heng joked.

“Then I’ll fry some pickled vegetables for you and prepare chopped chili peppers and fermented tofu. You’ll enjoy it up there,” Xiulan added.

“Sounds good,” Lin Heng nodded.

While Xiulan busied herself in the kitchen, Lin Heng continued packing. Once he finished, he spent time playing games with his daughter. She could pick whatever she wanted to play since he wouldn’t see her for a while, and he already missed her.

Later, Xiulan prepared the food for Lin Heng’s trip and cooked a meal he loved: stir-fried preserved pork with sour radish shreds, cold gray-green vegetables, cold cucumbers, stir-fried green tomatoes, and egg flower soup—a satisfying four dishes and one soup.

“Oh, I forgot about the pickled bamboo shoots you soaked. I’ll bring some out,” Xiulan said as she remembered.

Soon, pale yellow pickled bamboo shoots were brought to the table.

“Tonight’s meal is rich,” Lin Heng chuckled. Taking a bite of the pickled bamboo shoots, he nodded in satisfaction. “This is the taste—sour, spicy, and crispy, truly unforgettable.”

Curious, Xiulan tried a bite, and her eyes lit up. “It’s really good! Different from pickles fermented in a traditional sour jar.”

She took another bite and said, “I’ll make more later. Teach me the trick.”

“Daddy, I want to try!” Xiao Xia, their daughter, eagerly asked to taste it too.

“It’s spicy. Don’t believe me? Try it,” Lin Heng teased, offering her a small piece.

She took a nibble and immediately spat out her tongue, shaking her head furiously like a rattle drum. “No, no, it’s too spicy!”

“Here, have some gray-green vegetables instead,” Lin Heng said, feeding her a bite.

As he fed his daughter, Lin Heng explained to Xiulan, “Just do what I did last time. Make sure to scald the jar with boiling water twice for sterilization, and add a bit of liquor at the end for disinfection.”

“Got it,” Xiulan nodded, memorizing the instructions.

Lin Heng enjoyed his meal thoroughly. Though the cost was a bit high, tonight’s dishes perfectly suited his tastes.

After dinner, Lin Heng took a shower and rested, saving up his energy for tomorrow’s hunt.

The next morning, Xiulan reheated last night’s leftover rice. After eating, Lin Heng took his loyal dog, Xiongba, and went to the old house.

Lin Yue, his father, and his eldest nephew were already sitting under the eaves, eating noodles.

“Lin Heng, have you eaten? There’s still some left in the pot if you haven’t,” Lin Heng’s mother asked.

“I ate at home. You all take your time,” Lin Heng replied, shaking his head.

Lin Wei slurped down his noodles quickly and turned to Lin Heng, asking, “Second Uncle, what are you planning to hunt this time?”

For a five- or six-year-old boy, the thought of hunting in the mountains was beyond exciting.

“No specific target—whatever we come across,” Lin Heng replied with a smile. His real target was musk deer, but hunting relied too much on luck, so it was better not to brag.

“My goal is to catch one pheasant and two hares,” Lin Wei declared, thumping his chest.

“I hope you achieve your goal,” Lin Heng laughed. He knew his nephew thought hunting was fun, but after experiencing the hardships this time, he probably wouldn’t want to go again.

“Let’s go.”

Soon, Lin Yue and his eldest son finished eating, shouldered their baskets, and set off.

“Be careful,” Lin Heng’s mother called after them.

“Don’t worry,” the three men waved as they left, taking the back mountain path to avoid passing through the village. They didn’t want others to know they were all going hunting, as some might take advantage and try to steal from their homes.

“Are we heading to the place where you hunted the wild boar last time?” Lin Heng’s father asked as they walked.

“Yes. That place isn’t far from Mount Taibai,” Lin Heng replied.

“Dad, is that where you found the ginseng?” Lin Yue asked.

“No, it was in another direction, but not far from Sancha Valley,” their father replied.

“Then we can search for more this time. Who knows, we might find something else,” Lin Yue suggested.

The group chatted as they ventured deeper into the mountains.

—

(End of Chapter)