Chapter 117: A Shy Young Man, and a 3,000-Yuan Agreement

By evening, Wang Jie, the owner of Tuanjie Brick Factory, arrived at his grandfather’s house with the development plan written by Lin Heng. His grandfather was a retired local official in the town.

“Grandpa, how have you been lately?” Wang Jie brought a bottle of liquor and a roast chicken as gifts.

“I’m still doing fine. I can drink, and my teeth are still good enough for chicken.” The old man glanced at the gifts, chuckled, and said, “What brings you here this time? Out with it.”

“Come on, Grandpa, I just came to check on you,” Wang Jie laughed sheepishly.

The old man gave him a sidelong glance. “If you’re not going to talk, I’m heading inside.”

“Wait, wait, Grandpa, it’s true I’ve got something on my mind. I’ve been busy these days and haven’t had time to visit—my fault. I’ll make it up to you soon,” Wang Jie quickly said with a smile.

“I’m not holding my breath. But tonight, you stay and drink with me,” the old man said, shaking his head. “But you’d better tell me what’s going on first. I might not be able to give any advice once I’m drunk.”

Wang Jie hurriedly pulled out the development plan he’d read several times already and handed it to his grandfather. “Take a look at this, Grandpa. Do you think it’s worth anything?”

The old man went inside to fetch his glasses, and then stood by the sunset light, studying the document carefully for over ten minutes.

Wang Jie asked anxiously once he saw his grandfather had finished reading, “So, what do you think?”

“Who gave this to you?” the old man asked, looking at him.

Wang Jie was stunned. “What’s the matter?”

“You’re interested in the brick-making techniques mentioned in the plan, aren’t you?” the old man asked.

“Exactly, that’s what I need,” Wang Jie nodded. “I offered five hundred yuan, but the guy said something I didn’t quite understand—sounded pretty deep.”

“Well, you really didn’t get it,” the old man shook his head. “The techniques are important, sure. But what matters more is the vision this person lays out in the plan. It might sound like pie in the sky, but this person has clearly seen where things are headed. This is no ordinary guy.”

Wang Jie was even more puzzled. “But the guy’s just a plain farmer.”

Could the plan really be as impressive as his grandfather claimed? He had doubts—after all, his grandfather had only ever been a low-level official, not exactly someone with broad experience.

If he’d really been some big shot, Wang Jie’s brick factory wouldn’t be struggling this hard.

“What’s wrong with being a farmer? Maybe he got guidance from a true expert.” The old man shot him a look. “I don’t think this is a scam. If you can follow someone like that, your business path will be much smoother. But in the end, it’s your decision.”

Wang Jie stared at the plan, weighing it over in his mind—and suddenly made up his mind.

…

That same sunset, at Lin Heng’s home, his parents, elder brother and sister-in-law, younger sister, and nephews were all gathered together. They stared at the golden crispy roast pig on the table, everyone practically drooling.

“This smells too good and looks amazing! I couldn’t even dream up something like this. Second Uncle, you’re the best,” Lin Wei said, wiping his mouth.

What Lin Wei said echoed everyone’s thoughts. In this era, people in the countryside couldn’t even dream of eating golden crispy roast suckling pig.

For rural folk, eating white rice and flour every day with meat in every meal was already a dream—never mind something as extravagant as a golden crispy roast pig.

“So awesome!” The other two nephews shouted in unison.

“Gotta say, this smells incredible.” Father Lin couldn’t help but gulp.

“We’re lucky today. Finally get to taste what roast suckling pig is like,” Mother Lin said with a smile.

“Exactly. Really lucky.” Sister-in-law Liu Juan beamed. She was silently relieved that she hadn’t seriously offended Lin Heng in the past.

Just look at Lin Heng’s aunt and uncle—so miserable. Lin Heng hadn’t even given them a single piece of meat. But for her own parents and family, he’d already sent over tons.

“Haha, don’t worry—everyone gets to eat today,” Lin Heng said with a grin.

“I’ll help you out.” Lin Yue came over, inhaling the rich aroma.

He picked up the knife and began slicing open the roasted pig. As the knife cut through, the crispy skin crackled audibly—just the sound alone told you how crispy it was.

Slice by slice, the crispy pork was cut into strips and arranged neatly back on the bamboo tray.

As it was cut open, the aroma grew even stronger. Not just the humans, even Xiongba the dog circled around Lin Heng, trying to beg for a bone.

“Let’s eat! I’ve got the cold dishes ready too,” Xiulan brought out three side dishes, one of them being pickled bamboo shoots. But the main event was the ten-plus-jin golden crispy honey-roasted suckling pig.

“Alright, everyone sit down, let’s eat!” Lin Heng said with a smile as he looked around the table.

Everyone sat down in record time—less than thirty seconds.

“Let’s dig in!” Lin Heng first gave his parents two ribs with skin.

“I want ribs!”

“I want a pig ear!” the nephews started shouting, but their dad held them back.

“It’s fine, there’s plenty. Dip it in this sauce—it’s even tastier.” Lin Heng smiled as he handed out a rib to everyone.

There were 28 ribs in total, and only 11 people at the table—plenty to go around.

Lin Heng dipped his rib in the sauce and took a bite. The skin was crispy and fragrant, with a slight honey sweetness. The small ribs were tender and easy to chew—each bite more delicious than the last.

Poor Xiongba, though. After waiting a long time, no one threw him a bone. All he could hear was the loud crunching as everyone chewed, so he lay down on the floor, staring at Lin Heng with sorrowful eyes.

“Mmm, this roast pig is amazing. I’m lucky to have Lin Heng,” Mother Lin said with a smile.

Father Lin praised as he ate, “Try dipping it in the chili powder—delicious! Son, your cooking is incredible.”

“Crispy skin, flavorful meat—this is the best thing I’ve ever eaten,” Lin Yue gave it a glowing review.

“Best thing I’ve ever had too! Second Uncle, can we have this again next time?” Lin Wei said, cheeks puffed with food.

Lin Heng, feeding his daughter a bit of lean meat, nodded with a smile. “Next time I’ll treat you to whole roasted lamb—it’s even better than this.”

Seeing his whole family unable to stop eating the roast pig made Lin Heng feel content. He hadn’t been capable in his past life—but in this one, he was determined to give his family a good life.

“Yes!!” The three nephews cheered in unison.

“Let’s drink!” Father Lin raised his cup of huangjiu.

“Cheers!” Lin Heng and Xiulan lifted theirs too. A bite of meat, a sip of mellow, sweet yellow wine—it was absolute bliss.

Especially since huangjiu had a smoother taste and was sweeter than baijiu, making it even better paired with meat.

The kids were also having a great time—not only was there meat, but they also had honey water to drink.

After polishing off the ribs, everyone moved on to the other parts.

Lin Heng brought the pig’s head over and began carving it. The head was fully roasted—just a gentle pull and the skin and meat came off together.

“Here, Lin Wei, have the ear.” He handed over a pig ear to Lin Wei.

He split the rest into two and gave it to Xiulan and Caiyun, and the snout went to the older brother and sister-in-law.

“Xiongba, this one’s for you.” After most of the meat had been eaten, Lin Heng handed the pig’s head to the dog.

“Awoo~”

Xiongba, who had waited so long, lunged and bit into the head, dragging it out to the porch where he crunched it to pieces in no time.

At a feast like this, there wasn’t much talk—everyone was too busy eating.

But even so, the warmth of the family was clear.

Father and Mother Lin mostly picked the bony parts, but Father Lin would often give a piece of hot lean meat to Xiaoxia, and Mother Lin kept tearing off meaty pieces for Xiulan and the three grandsons.

Lin Heng and his eldest brother insisted on giving their parents the meatier portions. The whole family was enjoying a warm and harmonious meal together.

That’s just how it is in rural households—there’s not a lot of good stuff, and people are used to saving the nutritious food for the kids and those doing physical labor.

Even after life gets better, the older generation still treats the younger ones this way. But for those born later, it can get annoying.

Still, it’s only when you grow up that you realize it’s rare to meet anyone outside your family who loves you the way your parents and elders do.

“These pickled bamboo shoots are really delicious! Such a unique flavor—Xiulan, did you make them?”

Lin’s mother was surprised after tasting one. It was different from the usual flavor of fermented pickles—much tastier, crisper, and more refreshing.

“I’ve been meaning to say, these bamboo shoots are amazing,” Liu Juan chimed in with a smile.

“Lin Heng taught me. I’ll show you how to make them sometime,” Xiulan said cheerfully.

Lin’s mother was stunned and didn’t quite believe it. “That lazy son of mine knows how to make this? Xiulan, are you trying to make him look good?”

Lin Heng sighed, “Mom, you’re so biased against me. Can’t I at least learn by watching others?”

“It’s true, I’m not lying,” Xiulan said with a laugh.

Lin’s mother glanced at him. “Alright, for the sake of that roast suckling pig today, I’ll believe you.”

Lin Heng: “…”

After nearly an hour of non-stop eating, they finished off the whole roast pig. The cold dishes like the pickled bamboo shoots were wiped clean too.

“How much noodles do you all want? I’ll go make some,” Xiulan offered, standing up.

“No need, no one can eat another bite,” said Lin’s mother, shaking her head.

“Yeah, we’re stuffed. Too much meat,” Lin’s father agreed.

“I’ll help clean up the table,” said Liu Juan, the eldest sister-in-law, smiling.

Soon, Lin’s mother, Caiyun, and the others had the table cleared and the dishes washed.

Once everyone had left, Xiulan looked at Lin Heng and asked, “Did you eat enough? If not, I can cook some noodles just for you.”

“I’m full. No need,” Lin Heng shook his head.

“Then take our daughter out for a walk to digest. I’m going to feed the chickens and ducks. She ate a bit too much meat—I’m worried it might upset her stomach,” Xiulan said with a nod.

“Okay.” Lin Heng took Xiaoxia and Xiongba to play in the courtyard.

“Daddy, I want to hear a fairy tale.”

After playing for a while, Xiaoxia got tired and wouldn’t move anymore, clinging to Lin Heng.

“Alright, alright, I’ll tell you a fairy tale.” Lin Heng carried her back inside, took off her shoes, lit a candle, and sat by the bed to tell her a story.

Even though his daughter didn’t understand most of it, she just wanted to hear him talk.

“Daddy, what’s Little Red Riding Hood?”

“Daddy, what’s a big bad wolf?”

As he told the story, Xiaoxia kept asking questions, and Lin Heng patiently explained.

“Little Red Riding Hood is like Xiaoxia wearing a red hat. And the big bad wolf is a wolf that eats people.”

In less than half an hour, she was fast asleep, a smile still on her face, her lips occasionally smacking softly.

Lin Heng looked at her—thankfully, she didn’t breathe through her mouth while sleeping, or her teeth might grow crooked, and then he’d have to think of a way to tape her mouth shut.

“She’s about to hit a growth spurt. I’ll look into getting a couple of dairy cows in the city in a few days.”

He murmured to himself as he watched his daughter sleep.

In this era, quality was often sacrificed across industries. Sanlu milk powder had just started production this year, and he absolutely didn’t want his daughter drinking store-bought formula.

Though the local environment wasn’t suitable for large-scale dairy farming, raising a couple of cows for home consumption was no problem.

If he wanted his child to be smart and sharp, her nutrition during her growth years had to be spot on.

That night, Xiulan kept her promise and “punished” Lin Heng—she didn’t even let him eat the soup dumplings.

The next morning, she got up early again, not giving Lin Heng a chance to sneak anything.

“These fish fry are growing fast.”

In the backyard, Lin Heng admired the scenery and noted how the little grass carp in the pond had already grown to two or three centimeters.

There were still about seven to eight thousand of them surviving, and thanks to regular feeding, they were growing faster than those in the wild.

With no predators, the survival rate was much higher than normal.

He tossed in a few more handfuls of wheat bran, checked on the turtles still alive in the bucket, and threw in two stream groupers he’d caught yesterday.

Under the eaves, the little golden tabby kitten tied with a string stared intently at the struggling fish in his hand.

Lin Heng looked at it and tossed one over. “Feeding you one for Xiaoxia’s sake.”

“Fwoosh!”

The kitten pounced on the grouper and dragged it into a corner to eat with loud munching sounds.

Knock knock knock!

Around six in the morning, just as Xiulan was putting noodles in the pot, the front door was knocked.

Lin Heng walked over and opened it to find a teenage boy in a black shirt with several patches.

It was none other than Liu Ciweng, the boy Lin Heng had met in Red Maple Mountain.

“Brother Lin Heng, I was herding cattle nearby and thought I’d stop by to exchange a couple of books. I finished the two that you sent with Lin Caiyun.”

He spoke warmly, his face shy with a smile, his liberation shoes so worn his toes were peeking through.

“Of course! Come in,” Lin Heng smiled and pulled him inside.

“Xiulan, make noodles for one more,” he called into the house.

“Brother Lin, I already ate. Please don’t trouble your sister to cook for me—I just wanted to swap some books,” Liu Ciweng waved his hands, feeling that just borrowing the books was already a big favor. He didn’t dare accept more.

“Oh come on, just eat!” Lin Heng laughed and dragged him to sit down. The boy was just too polite.

Liu Ciweng had no choice but to sit, looking a bit uncomfortable.

Lin Heng poured him a glass of water. The boy quickly stood to receive it, repeating his thanks.

Soon, Xiulan brought out a bowl of sauerkraut noodles and smiled, “Eat up! There’s more in the pot if you’re still hungry.”

Made with fine white flour, the noodles made Liu Ciweng feel both surprised and honored. He quickly waved his hands, saying, “I really can’t finish so much.”

“Just eat, don’t be polite. You can pick your books after,” Lin Heng pressed him back into his seat.

Lin Heng also grabbed a bowl for himself and chatted while eating.

From how the boy ate, Lin Heng could tell he hadn’t had breakfast before heading out with the cattle.

“Brother Lin, Sister Xiulan, I’m done. You two take your time.”

After eating, Liu Ciweng even went to the kitchen to get water and wash his own bowl. Xiulan tried to stop him, but he insisted.

“All the books are here. Take your pick—take as many as you want.”

Lin Heng brought out the books and smiled at him.

At the sight of the books, a spark lit up in Liu Ciweng’s otherwise timid eyes. He flipped through them and finally picked Jane Eyre and Childhood by Gorky.

“I’ll just take these two. Thank you, Brother Lin,” he said with a shy smile.

“No need to be polite,” Lin Heng waved it off.

“Well then, I’ve eaten and drunk well, I’ll get going now. Brother Lin, Sister Xiulan, please come visit my home if you get the chance,” Liu Ciweng said very politely, then left.

Lin Heng didn’t try to make him stay, just walked him to the gate.

“That Liu Ciweng is only fifteen, right? So mature already,” Xiulan said when Lin Heng came back.

In those days, kids in rural areas often started school late, so being fifteen or sixteen in sixth grade wasn’t unusual.

“Yeah. Kids from poor families grow up fast—there’s no choice. But I think he’ll achieve something in the future,” Lin Heng said with a smile.

Xiulan was puzzled. “What makes you say that?”

“I’ve got a feeling,” Lin Heng said with a smile.

“Are you going out this morning?” Xiulan asked again.

“No, I’m staying in. I figure the brick kiln boss will come knocking soon,” Lin Heng replied.

Xiulan looked at him. “Do you want me to prepare a meal?”

Lin Heng waved his hand, indicating it wasn’t necessary.

Around eight o’clock, the courtyard gate was knocked on.

When Lin Heng opened the door, Brick Kiln Boss Wang Jie greeted him with a big smile. “Brother Lin Heng, sorry to bother you this morning.”

“What’s the matter?” Lin Heng asked, even though he already had a good idea, while inviting him inside.

“Haha, of course it’s about yesterday. That was my bad, Brother Lin Heng, I hope you won’t hold it against me. I wanted to see if we could renegotiate,” Wang Jie said with a sheepish grin.

Lin Heng wasn’t surprised. Leaving yesterday was just to give him time to think.

“So, what’s your thinking now?” Lin Heng asked calmly.

Wang Jie took a sip of water and replied with a smile, “I’m thinking I’ll offer a thousand yuan to buy the planning proposal. How does that sound?”

“A thousand?” Lin Heng chuckled. “Looks like you’re here just to mess with me. If you’ve got nothing serious, you can leave.”

Wang Jie quickly said, “Haha, just joking! Alright, how about fifteen hundred yuan? I’ll give you five hundred as a down payment. Once you finish and I confirm it’s good, I’ll give you the remaining one thousand.”

His grandfather had advised him last night to let this guy buy in as a partner—no money down and he’d get an expert onboard. But after thinking it over all night, he didn’t want a partner. He figured once he had the know-how, he wouldn’t need anyone guiding him.

Lin Heng saw right through him—this guy had zero intention of offering a stake—so he didn’t waste time arguing on that front. He said, “Flat price: three thousand yuan. One thousand upfront as a deposit.”

“That’s too expensive. My brick kiln isn’t even making that much money right now,” Wang Jie said, shaking his head.

“With this proposal, forget three thousand—you could easily earn three hundred thousand. If you don’t want to pay, I’ll find someone else,” Lin Heng said, also shaking his head.

“Let’s meet halfway. Two thousand is my limit. My little kiln really doesn’t make much. Even with the proposal, I still need money to renovate,” Wang Jie said, trying to plead.

“Then pay two thousand now, and write an IOU for the remaining one thousand to be paid within six months. Three thousand is my floor price. Unless you let me buy in with my skills, there’s no way I’m going lower,” Lin Heng said firmly.

“Let me think about it…”

Wang Jie looked at the proposal again, drank water for half an hour, then finally gritted his teeth and said, “Alright, we’ll do it your way. But the proposal has to be effective. If it doesn’t work, I want a full refund.”

“No problem. Don’t worry—you’re getting a great deal,” Lin Heng nodded.

This technology could easily be worth ten thousand yuan, but he didn’t have the right client right now, and he really needed cash.

“Hope so…” Wang Jie exhaled. This was a big gamble for him—he’d made less than three thousand yuan in all of last year.

Afterward, Wang Jie asked Lin Heng to go to town with him to write up the agreement and get the money.

Lin Heng told Xiulan, reassured his daughter, grabbed his passbook and ID, and left with Wang Jie.

Wang Jie had come by horse cart, so the trip back would be easy.

(End of Chapter)