Chapter 123: Recruitment, Mongolian Bow, Catching Snails and Crabs by Hand

“Excuse me, is my household registration booklet ready?”

At the Public Security Bureau, Lin Heng handed over his ID at the household registration office window and asked softly.

“It’s ready. Here’s your booklet.” The female officer inside glanced at his ID, searched for a moment, and handed over a household registration booklet.

“Thank you.”

Lin Heng took the booklet and looked through it. Head of household: Lin Heng. Wife: Chen Xiulan. Daughter: Lin Xiaoxia.

He couldn’t help but smile at the sight. After carefully putting away his ID and the household booklet, he turned and left.

Outside the station, he looked up at the sky. The sun was blazing—it was already past eleven. Walking home now would mean getting baked and possibly suffering heatstroke.

So Lin Heng went to look for his middle school classmate Wang Zhou, who he’d learned last time was living with another uncle who also drove a tractor.

When Lin Heng arrived, the two were in the main room playing Chinese chess.

“Wang Zhou!” Lin Heng called out with a smile.

Wang Zhou looked up sharply at the familiar voice and said joyfully, “Lin Heng!”

“Come in and have a seat.” The uncle next to him was also very polite now. The look in his eyes was completely different from the last time they’d met.

Clearly, he had heard the news about the massive price surge of sanghuang mushrooms. The reckless kid he’d once looked down on had now become a wealthy man out of his league.

“Lin Heng, are you here to sell sanghuang again? You’ve really made it this time,” Wang Zhou said with a smile, genuinely happy for his old classmate, though with a tinge of regret.

“No, I’m just here to take my sister to school,” Lin Heng replied with a smile.

The uncle brought over a stool and poured a glass of water for him. Lin Heng nodded in thanks.

“You’re a rich man now. Taking your sister to school must be nothing for you. That’s great,” Wang Zhou sighed, realizing his classmate now had the power to change someone’s life.

He had once longed to have a relative like that—someone who could help him continue his studies. Sadly, he never did.

“You’re exaggerating. I’m far from being some rich guy—I don’t have that much money,” Lin Heng laughed.

The uncle beside him chuckled and said, “That’s more than enough. We make sixteen yuan a month—it’d take us twenty or thirty years to earn five or six thousand. Boss Lin, how were you so sure that sanghuang would go up in price?”

“Nothing special. Just read a lot and analyzed it,” Lin Heng smiled modestly.

“Impressive,” the uncle praised, though he didn’t quite buy it. He figured Lin Heng must have known someone important who tipped him off.

Still, he couldn’t hide his envy. With that much money, Lin Heng wouldn’t have to worry about food or clothes for at least the next decade.

“I really regret not buying a little sanghuang to stash away back then. I could’ve made a bit of profit too,” Wang Zhou lamented.

Both he and the uncle confessed they’d often lie awake at night sighing and even slapping themselves—why hadn’t they bought some when they had the chance?

Lin Heng just smiled and didn’t comment. Instead, he turned to Wang Zhou and asked, “So, have you thought about what I mentioned before?”

Wang Zhou blinked. “What was that again?”

“Working for me. Twenty yuan a month, meals and lodging included. The work is easy—just indoors, no running around all day,” Lin Heng said with a grin.

“Seriously?” Wang Zhou was stunned. He had thought Lin Heng was just joking.

“Of course. And I meant it when I said I’d introduce you to a girl. As long as you do a good job, I guarantee that by this time next year, you’ll have a wife,” Lin Heng said confidently.

He hadn’t dared make that promise before, but now his influence in the village had soared. Helping Wang Zhou get matched with an ordinary girl wasn’t hard anymore.

“What kind of job is it?” Wang Zhou was clearly tempted, but also a bit hesitant. “The boss here treats me well. I’m afraid if I leave, he won’t have anyone to help.”

“Just go already,” the uncle cut in. “If the boss wants to hire someone, it’ll only take him a day or two. He doesn’t need you in particular.”

“If Boss Lin wanted me, I’d go in a heartbeat! That’s four yuan more!” the uncle said sincerely. He didn’t want Wang Zhou to be foolish and miss this rare opportunity.

“The job’s in town. I can’t say more for now, but you’ll know in a few days. Just give me a yes or no,” Lin Heng said.

He wasn’t fixated on Wang Zhou—he just wanted to give an old classmate a hand.

At twenty yuan a month, all he had to do was post a hiring notice and there’d be a stampede of applicants. In this era, China lacked everything except people.

The older uncle knew exactly how precious a job like this was and kept urging Wang Zhou to agree.

“How about this—I’ll go ask my boss, and give you an answer in a couple of days,” Wang Zhou said at last, not giving a straight answer.

This nearly made the uncle explode with frustration.

But Lin Heng didn’t mind. In fact, he appreciated it—he liked that Wang Zhou had principles and valued loyalty. No one wants a subordinate who’s like Lü Bu—too capable to trust.

“Alright. I’m not in a hurry,” Lin Heng nodded.

“Thanks,” Wang Zhou said gratefully. He truly thought Lin Heng was a good guy.

“Let’s play a couple rounds of chess. I’ll wait out the sun and then head home,” Lin Heng said.

“Sounds good!” Wang Zhou nodded.

The three of them took turns playing a few games. Afterwards, Lin Heng asked about the tractors, and then went to see their boss to rent both of them.

“Remember to bring the tractors early tomorrow morning. I’m off now.”

With that, Lin Heng left. He’d be using the tractors tomorrow to haul sanghuang into the city to sell.

After Lin Heng left, the uncle immediately started scolding Wang Zhou: “You fool, you should absolutely go with Lin Heng. You’re classmates! Now that he’s well-off, you’ll benefit from it too.

You stay with your current boss, who’s no relative of yours, and you’ll be stuck driving tractors your whole life. Don’t you get it?”

“Uhh…” Wang Zhou was dumbfounded. Though he was already twenty-four, he still had no clear direction in life.

…

After leaving Wang Zhou’s place, Lin Heng went back to Grandpa Gao’s house and brought a new lock. The old one only had a single key left.

He replaced the lock and chatted with Grandpa Gao for a while. When the old man found out Lin Heng could hunt with a bow, he sat up straight in surprise. “You’ve got that skill too?”

“Haha, just a little,” Lin Heng replied humbly.

“Wait here,” Grandpa Gao said, then went into the house.

A moment later, he came out holding a deep brown bow and two black arrows.

“Here, give it a try. Aim at that big wooden post in the courtyard—I painted a target on it,” he said with a smile.

“This is a Mongolian composite bow, right? What a treasure,” Lin Heng said as he examined it.

In his previous life, he’d practiced archery and knew a fair bit about it. This bow was clearly a top-notch piece—far better than his old slingshot.

His slingshot was just a piece of orange wood with a draw weight of six or seven kilos at best.

But this—this was a premium Mongolian composite bow, the strongest type used in ancient times. Genghis Khan used one just like it. These bows were made from multiple materials—wood for the main body, plus horn, fish glue, silk, lacquer, and animal sinew.

It typically took one or two years to complete one of these. The grip alone felt far superior to his old hunting bow. It’s said that the best Mongolian bows had a draw weight of 50 to 60 kilograms.

What Lin Heng really wanted, though, was a modern compound bow. With ergonomic design, laser sights, stabilizers, dampeners, pulleys, and a host of other attachments, it far surpassed ancient bows in terms of accuracy, range, and power.

Lately, he’d been thinking about upgrading to a modern compound bow. As for Mongolian bows and the like, they were fine for collection and fun. But in this day and age, he wasn’t sure if a small fifth-tier city like Taibai even had access to modern compound bows.

“Haha, this one was a gift from an old friend,” Elder Gao said happily. “I play with it now and then. You give it a try.”

“Sure, I’ll try it.”

Lin Heng nocked an arrow and drew the bowstring. The Mongolian bow had a draw weight of about twenty kilograms—it took noticeably more effort than his usual bow.

Still, he’d been practicing regularly over the past few months, so it wasn’t a problem. Once he took aim, he released. With a sharp whoosh, the arrow hit the target almost instantly and drove deep into the wood with a thud.

“Now that’s a fine bow,” Lin Heng praised.

“You’re not half bad yourself,” Elder Gao replied. “You hit the eight-ring from thirty or forty meters away.” He believed Lin Heng now—this young man really did use a bow to hunt.

“Haha, it’s mostly the bow doing the work,” Lin Heng said modestly.

“Oh, stop being modest. When winter comes, let’s go hunting together. I’ve been itching to shoot something too,” Elder Gao waved his hand enthusiastically.

“Sounds good. I’ll come pick you up then,” Lin Heng smiled. This old soldier had great scouting skills—he might even help them land something big. Lin Heng figured it’d be a good chance to learn, too.

They hung around for a bit longer. Once the sun became less brutal around three in the afternoon, Lin Heng got ready to head home.

“Here, take the rest of the fish,” Elder Gao said, handing Lin Heng a bag with five remaining crucian carp. “I won’t finish them anyway.”

“Thanks!” Lin Heng accepted without fuss and headed off.

On his way back, he stopped by the town’s tofu shop and bought two jin of tofu. He was planning to make crucian carp tofu soup for dinner.

It was hot and he walked slowly, so by the time he got home, it was already past four. Even then, his clothes were drenched in sweat.

He arrived just as his father was coming out the front door. “What took you so long? Was signing up Cailun a problem?”

“Nope, went smoothly. I just had a few errands in town and picked up the household registration book while I was at it.”

Lin Heng added, “Dad, you take these crucian carp. I’ve got five here, and I bought tofu too.”

“I’m still keeping the catfish from before. You eat these yourself,” his father shook his head—he couldn’t bear to eat them.

“Then I’ll cook them tonight and bring some over,” Lin Heng said, not in the mood to argue. He walked off carrying the fish.

He gave his older brother one fish weighing about a jin, along with half a jin of tofu. The rest he took home.

“Daddy!” As soon as he stepped in, Xiaoxia pounced on him.

“Here’s some candy.” Lin Heng handed her a piece to distract her. It was too hot—he didn’t want to hold her just yet.

“Let’s make crucian carp tofu soup tonight, honey. Let’s cook all four fish and send half over to Mom and Dad,” Lin Heng said, handing the fish and tofu to Xiulan.

“Okay,” Xiulan nodded and went out with a knife to clean the fish.

Lin Heng stripped off his shirt, rinsed his upper body and hair with cold water, and drank a cup of cool boiled water. Finally, he felt a little refreshed.

“Awoo~”

Xiongba lay by the main room wall and let out a soft bark. He was panting, clearly feeling the heat, and his eyes seemed to say, We haven’t gone up the mountain in forever.

Over the past month, Xiongba had grown a lot, though he was still in that awkward growth phase—big and gangly, kind of adorably ugly.

He was about five months old now and already larger than most medium-sized dogs. He’d reach full maturity around a year old, but most of his growth would be done by seven or eight months.

In contrast, the little golden kitten, Jinbao, had grown incredibly fast. Just over a month old, and already almost as big as an adult house cat. Probably just a month or two more until he was fully grown.

Jinbao lay on the mat yawning, no longer afraid of people. He wouldn’t even lift his eyes when someone came near. All he did was eat and sleep. The only time he moved was when Xiaoxia played with him.

He’d gotten a lot more handsome as he grew, like a miniature tiger—way more imposing than the average house cat.

“Meow~”

Apparently catching the scent of fish, Jinbao stretched, dragging his leash as he walked to the doorway and rubbed against the frame, clearly wanting some.

“Here. You want the fish guts?” Xiulan asked, tossing some onto a stone slab.

“Meow~” Jinbao was just about to dig in when a giant paw shoved him aside. Xiongba gulped down the fish guts in one bite.

“Roar!!”

Jinbao exploded with rage and lunged at him, claws flying. In seconds, dog and cat were tangled in a fierce tussle.

Lin Heng was about to break it up when Xiongba pinned Jinbao easily—his size advantage was overwhelming.

“Rooaar!” Jinbao roared in protest, but he was held down so tightly he couldn’t move.

“No fighting. If you fight, neither of you eats,” Lin Heng barked.

As soon as he said that, Xiongba let go and ran back to Lin Heng’s side.

“Rrrooo…” Jinbao hissed and yowled at him, clearly furious. He looked like he was cursing up a storm—He stole my food and beat me!

“Good kitty,” Xiaoxia came over and petted his head. Only then did Jinbao calm down.

Xiulan tossed him another fish gut, and he immediately dragged it off and started chowing down, still glancing warily at Xiongba from time to time.

“Daddy, let’s go play outside!” Xiaoxia tugged at Lin Heng, wanting to go out. He hadn’t taken her out to play the past few days.

“When the sun’s lower, let’s go catch some snails and crabs,” Lin Heng suggested.

“Catch crabs! Catch snails!” Xiaoxia cheered, waving her little arms and hopping up and down.

“Let’s invite Mom and Dad over for dinner tonight, too,” Xiulan said, carrying in the cleaned fish.

“Sure,” Lin Heng nodded. That worked too.

He stepped into the yard, picked a cucumber, and munched on it as he checked on the hog badger and the forest musk deer.

The badger was over ten jin by now. Life was easy—sleep, eat, repeat—none of that starvation like in the wild, so it was growing fast.

The female musk deer hadn’t changed much—still the same. She was used to people now and didn’t shy away when Lin Heng approached.

“Here.” Lin Heng held half a cucumber in front of her.

She looked at it but didn’t respond. So he tossed the rest to the badger instead. After it finished eating, he picked it up and cleaned out the pen, burying the waste as fertilizer just like with the musk deer.

He didn’t dare close off the pigpen in the back mountain—it wasn’t like raising cattle or sheep. If these animals ran off, you’d never find them. Fortunately, both were still small, and their waste was manageable as long as he cleaned it regularly.

When the sun dipped lower, around five, Lin Heng carried his daughter while Xiulan brought a basket and a bucket. The three of them headed for the river, with Xiongba joyfully circling around them.

“Daddy, what’s this?” Xiaoxia asked, pointing at the rice in the fields.

“That’s rice paddy. When it ripens, it turns into the white rice you eat,” Lin Heng explained.

The rice in the field was nearly ready for harvest. The full grain heads were opening up, and the leaves were turning yellow. In a few days, it would be time to thresh the grain.

“Rice paddies grow rice!” Xiaoxia said in her sweet little voice. She still couldn’t quite connect the two.

Soon enough, she started asking about everything else she saw.

Not long after, the three of them arrived at the riverbank. Their cows and sheep were tied up here to graze, and Lin Heng’s father and a few others were busy turning sweet potato vines in the fields.

Farm work never ends. Xiulan had also done some in the morning, and only came over in the afternoon because of Lin Heng.

Lin Heng really didn’t want to join in. Seeing his wife about to help, he shook his head and said, “Let’s catch some river snails and crabs first. Once we’ve got enough, then we’ll help out.”

His parents just couldn’t sit still. Even if you helped finish one task, they’d find something else to do. They simply couldn’t relax.

Lin Heng planned to plant a batch of fruit trees next spring and have his parents convert most of the land to orchards. Then he’d have them help him raise fish and tend to the orchard. While those weren’t exactly easy jobs, they were definitely less tiring than growing crops—and the income was better too.

He was already set on turning his dad into a fishing enthusiast. As for his mom, he’d have to find her a new hobby too. Otherwise, even with money in hand, they’d still be trying to keep busy all day.

“Alright then,” Xiulan nodded, following Lin Heng to the river.

Xiulan took their daughter to play along the shallows while picking river snails, and Lin Heng grabbed a bucket and went to work.

It was September, and the river was teeming with snails—you could grab seven or eight in one go from a single rock.

In just half an hour of selectively picking the big ones, Lin Heng collected over ten jin. Though they were tasty, cleaning and preparing them was a hassle. Most villagers couldn’t be bothered, but Lin Heng had time to spare.

After handing the snails over to Xiulan for cleaning, Lin Heng went to catch crabs. It was trickier than catching snails, but he could make up for it with speed. The easiest way would’ve been to set up traps, but for him, quick hands worked even better.

He caught around two or three jin of small crabs and went back to his daughter, helped clean the snails, and let the cattle graze and the dog roam.

Xiaoxia loved throwing rocks into the water, and Lin Heng helped her find stones to toss. When she got bored, he brought her over to help wash the snails.

There was no specific goal—life didn’t need one. Seeing his daughter happy made him happy too.

At six o’clock, Caiyun returned from school and ran to the riverbank to scoop up Xiaoxia in her arms.

“Second Brother, going to school is awesome!” Caiyun grinned as she hugged her little niece.

“Come help clean the snails,” Lin Heng called to her.

“Of course that’s what my second brother would say—come home and get put to work.” Caiyun pouted, but walked over to help.

The two chatted as they worked.

That evening, Lin Heng invited his parents and eldest brother over for dinner.

The river snails were stir-fried with chopped chili—spicy and fragrant. The crabs were coated in flour and deep-fried until golden, eaten whole with the shell, crispy and delicious.

At the center of the table was a bowl of crucian carp tofu soup. The broth was milky white, with whole sprigs of cilantro floating on top.

Side dishes included pickled bamboo shoots and five other summer fruits and vegetables.

Dinner was served in the pavilion in the backyard, with incense lit all around to keep the mosquitoes away.

The whole family gathered together happily around the table.

Slurping snails, crunching crabs, chatting, sipping wine.

The western breeze stirred gently, water flowed softly, and laughter filled the air.

In this slow-paced era, just one good meal like this was enough to remind a family what life was all about.

After dinner, once the sky had gone completely dark, the mosquitoes thinned out. Lin Heng liked to lounge on the recliner, enjoying the cool air and looking up at the stars.

He wasn’t trying to find anything—he just liked to look.

“One, two, three, one…”

Xiaoxia sat beside him, pointing at the stars with her little finger, counting over and over but never quite getting them all.

Soon Xiulan came over too, leaning back on a recliner beside him. As the chair gently rocked, she gazed at the starry sky.

“Are you going to sell the Sanghuang mushrooms tomorrow morning?” Xiulan asked.

“Yeah, first thing tomorrow. The tractor will come straight here,” Lin Heng nodded.

“You’re selling them in the city?”

“Of course.” Lin Heng was looking forward to seeing how much this batch of Sanghuang mushrooms would fetch.

(End of Chapter)