Chapter 133 – The Shock of Fair-Weather Friends, Sawing Trees

“Not bad at all—you guys made a lot of money,” Lin Heng said with a smile, holding his wife and daughter’s hands as they continued walking.

Jinhai called out loudly, “Of course! We’ve been in Ancheng these past few months—it’s way bigger than Taibai City. We bought this motorcycle with the money we earned there!”

“That’s great,” Lin Heng replied with a light smile.

Zhao Hu looked at Lin Heng proudly. “Regret it now, don’t you? I told you before there’s no future in farming. You could’ve had a share in this motorcycle too.”

He was hoping to see regret on Lin Heng’s face, but from beginning to end, Lin Heng remained calm, not even showing the slightest hint of envy.

Liu Sheng and Jinhai were confused too. On the way here, they had pictured Lin Heng looking devastated and regretful when he saw them making money. But standing in front of him now, he didn’t seem to care at all.

Liu Sheng jumped off the motorcycle and ran up to Lin Heng. “We bought this motorcycle ourselves, Lin Heng—aren’t you jealous?”

“I am, a bit,” Lin Heng nodded.

“Heh, then want to come with us?” Liu Sheng chuckled.

But it felt odd—Lin Heng said he was envious, but didn’t look the part at all.

Zhao Hu parked the bike on the roadside and walked over. “If you apologize now, I might just be generous enough to forgive you for what you did before—and take you with us to get rich.”

“No thanks. My wife’s beautiful, my daughter’s adorable—why go out and suffer?”

Lin Heng shook his head and walked away with his daughter.

Zhao Hu: “??”

He was baffled. Lin Heng used to always talk about making money. Now that Zhao Hu had done just that, why was Lin Heng acting so indifferent?

The three of them looked at each other—this wasn’t a dream, right? Why was the scene so different from what they imagined?

Even the villagers didn’t seem shocked. This was a motorcycle! How were they not amazed?

After Lin Heng left, Zhao Hu rode straight to the ginkgo tree.

Seeing a group of elders chatting while eating and cooling off there, Zhao Hu stopped and asked, “Did something happen in the village?”

“Nothing much,” Old Liu shook his head.

Zhao Hu looked even more confused. “Did something happen to Lin Heng? Is he dumb now or something?”

“You’re just showing off your motorcycle, huh? Of course he’s not jealous,” someone said with a laugh.

“Exactly—you picked the wrong guy to show off to. If he wanted, he could buy five or six of those,” Old Liu chimed in.

Zhao Hu shook his head rapidly, feeling more and more like this was a dream. “No way. I know how poor Lin Heng is.”

“Who’re you fooling? If he can buy five or six motorcycles, I’ll eat dirt standing on my head!” Jinhai scoffed. That old man was clearly bluffing.

Liu Sheng slapped himself hard. The pain made him grimace on the spot.

“No wonder he doesn’t hang out with you guys anymore. Buy a motorcycle and you think you’re hot stuff. Meanwhile, he’s already a big boss—polite and modest when he meets people. The difference is massive,” Old Liu shot a sarcastic glance at Jinhai.

“He’s a boss? How’d that happen?” Zhao Hu blocked Jinhai, curious now.

Old Liu chuckled. “How else? He got rich bit by bit from hunting. Now he owns an acquisition station and a store. Way better off than you three good-for-nothings.”

“An acquisition station and a store? That’s impossible!” Zhao Hu was shocked—those cost several thousand to set up!

“Yeah right, who are you trying to fool, Old Liu?” Jinhai was the first to deny it.

He’d always seen Lin Heng as a rival and had just gotten his position as Zhao Hu’s second-in-command. Now hearing Lin Heng had gotten rich—it couldn’t be true.

Lin Heng, making more money without them? Impossible. Absolutely not!

“Whole village knows. Go ask around yourselves,” Old Liu couldn’t be bothered to argue anymore.

When someone filled them in on what had happened over the past few months, the three were left dumbfounded.

“Made six or seven grand selling mashrooms? Really opened an acquisition station and a store?” Zhao Hu felt like his world was crumbling.

“I don’t believe it!!” Jinhai shook his head. He thought they were being set up.

How could Lin Heng possibly succeed like this?

Liu Sheng, as Lin Heng’s childhood friend, hoped it was true—but it all felt unreal. Had Lin Heng really made it?

Zhao Hu told the other two to go home and verify the info with their families.

When Zhao Hu heard the truth from his family, he slumped down silently.

Jinhai, seething with envy and jealousy, gritted his teeth—damn Lin Heng and his stupid luck. One batch of sanghuang and he struck it rich?

Liu Sheng felt mixed emotions. Happy for Lin Heng, but also regretful.

If he’d listened to Lin Heng back then, could he have made some money too?

…

Meanwhile, Lin Heng had already returned home with his wife and daughter.

As for Zhao Hu and Jinhai—he didn’t want anything to do with them. As long as they didn’t mess with his life, they could do whatever they liked.

Liu Sheng was a different story—if he gave up hanging with those two, Lin Heng wouldn’t mind lending him a hand.

“Should we have jiangba buns or jiangba cakes tonight?” Xiulan asked, putting down her basket, her eyes bright with anticipation.

She was happy. Even when her husband ran into old friends, he didn’t hesitate to walk away with her.

“Buns. We picked tung leaves earlier, right? I’ll help you wrap them,” Lin Heng said with a smile.

“Okay.”

Xiulan nodded. After a short rest, they started preparing dinner.

Lin Heng stoked the fire and boiled water, placing their double-layered bamboo steamer into the pot to preheat.

Xiulan cleaned the tung leaves. The jiangba paste they had ground that morning had fermented just enough—it had a slightly sour aroma, perfect for cooking.

She scooped a ladleful onto a leaf, wrapped it, and placed it in the steamer.

The steamer was large, but they only made six jiangba buns. The rest of the paste would be mixed with flour the next morning to make flatbreads—which would taste even better.

In about ten minutes, the buns were done—golden in color, with a faint sourness and corn fragrance.

The first bite had a rough texture and a touch of corn flavor. The second bite was less appetizing. By the third bite, you really didn’t want more.

“Tastes as usual!” Lin Heng commented.

“Not in the mood to eat now, huh?” Xiulan laughed at him.

This was a poor man’s invention—a creative way to escape the boredom of eating plain corn buns. Delicious? Not likely.

“Let’s eat less tonight. Tomorrow we’ll toast them crispy—they’ll taste better.” Lin Heng shook his head.

Xiulan set the buns aside and stir-fried two dishes. That was dinner.

At the table, Lin Heng broke off a piece of bun and fed it to Xiaoxia. She chewed a bit, then her expression twisted as she reluctantly swallowed.

“No more!!” When Lin Heng tried to feed her a second piece, she shook her head like a rattle drum and ran off.

“Already picky at her age, huh?” Lin Heng chuckled. But he couldn’t blame her—it really didn’t taste good.

Xiulan fed her some of the stir-fry. She and Lin Heng each only ate one bun.

The next morning, Xiulan mixed the leftover jiangba with flour and pan-fried them into golden, crispy cakes. The leftover buns were sliced and fried till crunchy.

“This is how they should be eaten,” Lin Heng nodded approvingly at breakfast. Now they were crisp and tasty.

Even Xiaoxia could munch on one herself instead of refusing after one bite.

After breakfast, Lin Heng grabbed his diesel chainsaw and went to find his father to discuss building a small log cabin on Red Maple Mountain.

Lin’s father eyed the dark red chainsaw in Lin Heng’s hand. “How powerful is that thing?”

He had never used a diesel chainsaw before—this was only the second time he’d seen one. Lin’s mother was equally curious.

“Then let me show you what it can do,” Lin Heng said with a smile.

He dragged over a thirty-centimeter-thick piece of decayed red toon wood from the side and propped it up on a stone terrace. Then he grabbed the diesel chainsaw and pulled the starter cord. With a loud rumble, the engine roared to life, driving the chain into rapid motion.

Lin Heng revved the throttle a few times to let it run, then brought it over to the wood. With just a few harsh grinding sounds, in less than ten seconds, the thirty-centimeter-thick red toon log was sawed through.

“Now you see?” Lin Heng turned to his father with a smile. A tree that couldn’t be chopped down by manpower in three minutes was sliced through in ten seconds with a chainsaw. That’s the power of modern industry.

Seeing the speed, Lin’s father’s eyes lit up. He set down the cornmeal bun in his hand, walked over, and said, “That’s amazing! Let me give it a try.”

“This is the throttle, this is the grip—be careful not to hurt your hand.” Seeing his dad’s excitement, Lin Heng chuckled and gave him a quick lesson before handing over the chainsaw.

He then lifted another red toon log and held it steady for his father. When his dad saw how easily the thick wood was cut in two with just a few motions, his face lit up with obvious joy.

Lin’s father exclaimed, “It’s really fast! With this chainsaw, I could cut five or six hundred logs in a day—enough firewood for the whole year.”

It was like he had gotten his hands on a shiny new toy. He cut several more logs, glanced at the chainsaw again, and cut a few more after that.

Only after all the big logs at home had been cut did he finally ask, “How do I turn this thing off?”

“I got it.” Lin Heng took the chainsaw and demonstrated how to shut it down and explained the safety points.

Once the chainsaw powered down, Lin’s father gave it a few more admiring glances. “This is really something. With a chainsaw like this for charcoal-making, it’d be so much faster.”

Lin Heng handed the chainsaw to his father. “Dad, this one’s for you.”

“For real?” This time, Lin’s father didn’t even bother with polite refusal—it was clear he truly loved the thing.

Lin Heng grinned. “Of course. You think I’d kid about something like that? Just consider it your pay for helping me build the cabin.”

“Then I’ll take it.” Lin’s father accepted the chainsaw, looked it over again, and asked Lin Heng to show him how to start it up.

After trying it twice himself, he gave a satisfied smile.

Setting the chainsaw down gently, Lin’s father looked up and said, “I’ll go gather some tools—let’s head to Red Maple Mountain and start building the cabin.”

He had originally planned to go turn over the rice straw in the fields, but now he’d changed his mind.

“Lin Heng!”

Just as Lin Heng was about to speak, someone shouted from the courtyard gate. He turned his head and saw Zhao Hu and his two buddies.

“What’s up?” Lin Heng looked at the three, his expression calm.

Yesterday, he’d gone up the mountain in long sleeves to avoid getting stung by ‘fire wasps,’ but this morning he was wearing short sleeves.

As soon as Zhao Hu and his friends walked in, they saw the watch on his wrist and the diesel chainsaw that had just been roaring. Neither of them were cheap items, which confirmed in their minds that Lin Heng had really made it big.

And that only made their feelings more complicated.

“Hey, we’re friends, aren’t we? Can’t we come by to hang out?” Zhao Hu said with a forced smile.

Lin Heng remained calm. “Sorry, I don’t have time right now. I was just about to head up the mountain with my dad.”

“So you really are a big shot now, huh? Don’t even have time for old friends. How cold of you.” Zhao Hu said in a strange, sarcastic tone.

He was clearly getting pissed. Lin Heng used to be just a little tag-along to him, and now the guy was acting like he didn’t even know him—it made him want to throw a punch.

Lin Heng didn’t react. “If you’ve got something to say, say it. If not, I’m leaving.”

If Zhao Hu had ever really seen him as a friend, Lin Heng wouldn’t have needed a second life to come back and deal with him. The fact he hadn’t already taught him a lesson was just him keeping a level head.

Liu Sheng stepped into the yard and said, “I’ve recently discovered a way to make real money. A lot of stuff is super cheap in An City, but if we haul it back to Taibai, we can sell it for double.

We’re thinking of pooling money to buy a tractor and start transporting goods. We came to you because Zhao-ge still sees you as a brother—it’s a great opportunity to earn big.”

Liu Sheng still sounded sincere, holding on to their childhood bond.

But Lin Heng had long since mapped out his future. Hauling goods might bring in some quick cash now, but it wouldn’t last more than a few years.

The real money over the next two decades would come from stocks, real estate, manufacturing—and later on, the internet boom.

He planned to start with fish farming, gradually expand into broader aquaculture, then open a food processing plant in a few years, maybe even start selling bottled water and soft drinks.

From farming and breeding, to food and beverage processing, to brand-building and marketing—he aimed to build a complete food industry chain, forming his own business empire.

So even if transporting goods had a future—which it didn’t—he wasn’t interested. He simply shook his head and said, “I’m digging fish ponds to raise fish and shrimp. I don’t have the money for other investments. You guys should look for someone else.”

“Raising fish and shrimp? What if they all die? Then you lose everything! But our deal is guaranteed profit,” Liu Sheng said, trying to persuade him. He really thought hauling goods could make a fortune.

“If you want to do aquaculture with me, you’re welcome anytime. But count me out for the other thing,” Lin Heng said, shaking his head.

“So shortsighted. You have no idea how much money this could make.” Zhao Hu snapped and sneered.

“Let’s go, Zhao-ge. Worst case, we’ll take out a loan. This guy’s a lost cause. He really thinks he can keep getting lucky like with that Sanghuang fungus,” said Jin Hai, giving Lin Heng a look of contempt. How could someone so narrow-minded have made money? The heavens must’ve been blind.

After that, the two of them left without another word. Lin Heng didn’t even offer them water.

Liu Sheng lingered, trying one last time. “Lin Heng, this business is really solid. If you invest, you could take the lion’s share—it’s a guaranteed win.”

Lin Heng shook his head and looked at him. “Not interested. But if you’re set on joining them, here’s a bit of advice: don’t take out a loan in your own name that you can’t afford to repay, and definitely don’t be the legal rep for the company.”

He patted Liu Sheng on the shoulder, a little wistful.

What had happened in his past life was now playing out again—and he didn’t know how it would all end.

“Alright then.” Liu Sheng didn’t take Lin Heng’s words seriously and left the courtyard.

“I’ve got my stuff—let’s go,” Lin’s father came out of the house and said.

“Alright.” Lin Heng nodded.

Just the two of them headed up to Red Maple Mountain. Lin’s mother and Xiulan went to the river to wash clothes and tend the cattle and sheep.

His eldest brother and sister-in-law took their two youngest sons up the mountain to dig for herbs.

The schisandra berries in the mountains were starting to ripen, and many people were out picking them.

Today, they were just checking things out—if there were enough ripe berries, the whole family would go tomorrow.

When Lin Heng and his father arrived at Red Maple Mountain, his father looked at the iron-clad dendrobium orchids that had survived on the trees and exclaimed in awe, “These things don’t grow in the soil, but they thrive like this?”

“They grow like this on cliffs too,” Lin Heng said with a smile. “I plan to scale up next year.”

“We always thought they’d do better in the ground,” his father shook his head.

“But you better be careful,” he added. “Now that the dendrobium is growing well, someone’s bound to steal it if they find out.”

Lin Heng didn’t think so—it was only just sprouting. If anyone were going to steal it, they’d wait until it grew larger.

“This is where I picked to build the wooden cabin. What do you think?” Lin Heng asked.

His father set down his things and looked around, then walked off in a wide circle. When he came back, he nodded. “It’s decent. But if you go farther west to the center of the mountaintop, that spot is even better—just harder to get water there.”

“When I’ve got the money, I plan to build a big house over there,” Lin Heng said with a smile.

It had always been his dream to own a private villa deep in the mountains.

“When you’ve got money, we’ll talk about that. For now, let’s just focus on cutting trees,” Lin’s father said with a smile.

“We’ll mainly cut miscellaneous trees—chestnut, oak, pine, and paulownia. Leave the maple and smoke trees; they’re nice to look at,” Lin Heng nodded and explained to his father, wanting to keep the beautiful trees for scenery.

His father agreed, carrying an axe and machete, while Lin Heng brought the chainsaw over to a large oak tree.

Lin’s father took the chainsaw. Unfamiliar with it, he followed Lin Heng’s instructions to the letter, step by step, careful not to mess anything up or damage the machine—like a kid learning something for the first time.

The chainsaw roared to life quickly, and Lin’s father began cutting the tree.

Though it was his first time using a chainsaw, he had plenty of experience felling trees. He sawed out a diagonal notch before cutting through the trunk.

With a crisp cracking sound, the 30-centimeter-wide oak tree toppled.

Holding the chainsaw, Lin’s father quickly trimmed off the main trunk. Looking at the tree, now in pieces, he cherished the tool in his hands even more.

“This thing really is amazing. A tree this size, done in under ten minutes. Manpower alone would’ve taken at least an hour,” he said, gazing at the fallen tree in awe.

With this chainsaw, felling trees no longer felt like hard labor—it was almost fun.

“That’s the power of machines,” Lin Heng said with a smile.

“Let’s keep going!” Lin’s father, excited, hefted the chainsaw again.

Lin Heng barely had to help—he just watched his dad cutting trees.

They didn’t carry the wood away right away, just left it where it fell. They’d deal with it all later.

By noon, his father had brought down over thirty trees. In this era, no one cared if you cut trees on your own land—there were no reports to worry about.

Lin Heng, with nothing else to do, dug up some maple saplings and planted them beside the stumps of the felled trees.

Red maples grew fast. By the time the villa was built, he figured those trees would already be over ten meters tall.

The maples he was talking about were large hardwood trees that could grow fifteen to twenty meters tall, with leaves that turned yellow and red in autumn.

And it wasn’t just maples—he also planted smoke trees and pines, with the goal of turning Red Maple Mountain into a hidden paradise.

By the end of the day, the father and son had cut over fifty large trees. But compared to the vast forest, it was just a drop in the bucket.

(End of chapter)