Chapter 166: The Cloth Shoes Xiulan Made, and a New Culinary Delight

When the door opened, a thin mist blanketed the backyard like a scene from a fairyland. The fresh, damp air rushed in, carrying with it the soft patter of drizzle.

In the courtyard, a few chrysanthemums still bloomed stubbornly. The true cypress was lush green, and the black pine glistened with moisture. The beauty of the little courtyard was utterly enchanting.

Xiao Xia wanted to dash into the rain, but Lin Heng grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back. “You can look, but no running around out there.”

Xiao Xia pouted in protest and pointed at the white mist. “What’s that?”

“Mist. You can see it, but you can’t touch it,” Lin Heng replied, glancing at her.

“Eeya~~” Xiao Xia reached out to grab it, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t catch it. Frustrated, she let out a string of indignant squeals.

Still, the crisp air had completely chased away their sleepiness. After washing up and having a simple breakfast, Lin Heng lit a brazier and fired up his small clay stove, placing a kettle on top to boil water for tea.

Xiulan sat nearby, sewing the upper onto a finished sole—today, she would finally complete the pair of black cloth shoes she was making for Lin Heng.

Once everything was set, Lin Heng hung a straw target on the backyard stand. As usual, he started with some warm-up exercises, then picked up his bow and arrows, switching hands as he practiced his draw, adding a bit of fun to an otherwise dreary rainy day.

Xiao Xia sat nearby, holding Jinbao and watching with wide eyes, occasionally letting out a cheer.

Jinbao had grown larger than most tabby cats. In a few more months, he might be as big as Xiao Xia when he sat upright. Eight or nine pounds was normal for a tabby, but for him, it was just the beginning. His days were mostly spent playing with Xiao Xia or napping. Occasionally, he’d catch a mouse or two to show off his skills.

After Lin Heng finished practicing, Xiao Xia tossed a feathered shuttlecock he had made. Not only would Xiong Ba fetch it, but Jinbao would also join in. Sometimes the two would fight over it—one swatting with a paw, the other clawing back.

But after so many days together, they’d developed a kind of unspoken bond. Their fights weren’t as fierce as before, and sometimes they even slept back-to-back.

“Looks like my big brother’s practicing archery too,” Lin Heng said with a smile. The sound of arrows whistling through the air could be heard from the neighboring courtyard.

Though the two houses were separated by a five-foot alley, sounds traveled clearly.

“Of course. My sister-in-law is so jealous that you can go hunting,” Xiulan nodded. She often heard her sister-in-law grumbling about it.

“When the weather clears up, we’ll go pick some wild mushrooms. I’ll hunt a bit too, and we’ll have a hot pot feast,” Lin Heng said with a grin. He’d already bought the hot pot—a traditional copper one heated with charcoal.

“Sounds good,” Xiulan agreed. After hearing Lin Heng talk about it so often, she was starting to crave it too.

“I’ll head out when the rain lightens up and check if Liu Ciweng still has any beef tallow left. If he does, I’ll buy it and make the hot pot base,” Lin Heng said.

Xiulan looked at him and warned, “Don’t buy beef. We already have plenty of meat at home.”

Lin Heng readily agreed. He only wanted the tallow.

By midday, the rain had eased. Lin Heng pulled on his rain boots, donned a hat, and threw on a straw raincoat before heading out.

He didn’t bother with an umbrella—it didn’t work as well as the straw cloak, which blocked both wind and rain effectively. Though a bit heavy, it was warm and cozy. As he stepped outside into the howling wind, he was glad he hadn’t chosen the umbrella.

He stopped by his father’s house and saw that the old man had just come back with a load of cattle fodder—and even brought his mother a bouquet of flowers.

Lin Heng didn’t say a word, just stood quietly at the courtyard entrance and watched as his father handed the flowers to his mother. When he saw her blush and take the flowers inside, he couldn’t help but laugh. “Dad, didn’t know you had it in you!”

Father Lin’s face turned red. “Didn’t I teach you not to sneak around spying on people?”

“Hahaha, it’s fine, Dad. That was sweet,” Lin Heng laughed, patting his father on the shoulder.

He figured his dad must’ve overheard him teaching Li Shiwei how to sweet-talk his wife and secretly picked up a few tricks.

But that was a good thing—this was how a couple should be.

“Keep being cheeky and I’ll smack you,” Father Lin grumbled, still a bit embarrassed.

“Haha, I actually came to show you this. Do you know how to make a waterwheel?” Lin Heng stepped inside and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket—it was a blueprint for building a waterwheel.

“Oh, this? I’ve seen people make one before. I can give it a try,” Father Lin said, quickly changing the subject.

“I’m planning to install it in the stream on Red Maple Mountain,” Lin Heng said with a smile. Not for any practical use—just for aesthetics.

Father Lin studied the blueprint, asked a few questions, then promptly shooed him out.

Lin Heng chuckled and shook his head. Living separately had given his parents their own space and rhythm.

He headed west and, as luck would have it, ran into Auntie Li Ping and her married daughter, Lin Xiuqin.

Lin Heng had no interest in chatting and quickened his pace, but Lin Xiuqin called out, “Brother Lin Heng, why didn’t you say hi? If you’re mad at my parents, I’ll apologize on their behalf.”

She was trying to smooth things over. Li Ping also gave a soft smile, clearly trying to make peace.

“I’m busy,” Lin Heng replied coolly, waving them off as he walked away.

He didn’t believe a dog could change its ways and wanted nothing more to do with that family.

Li Ping felt humiliated. She’d already lowered herself, and he still acted like this?

But Lin Heng simply disliked her—he didn’t want any entanglements.

At Liu Ciweng’s house, his sister Liu Cihua was home. She glanced behind Lin Heng, and when she didn’t see Wang Zhou, her expression dimmed slightly.

Lin Heng pretended not to notice and asked, “Do you still have the tallow from that calf?”

“It’s already been rendered,” Liu Cihua replied.

“Can I take a look? I’d like to buy some,” Lin Heng said with a smile.

“Sure, I’ll go tell my dad.” She went inside and came back with a clay jar.

Lin Heng inspected it. Their homemade tallow looked decent.

“Willing to sell? I’ll take the whole jar at 1.2 yuan per jin.”

He estimated the jar held just over ten jin.

“Sure. My dad says that’s a fair price,” Liu Cihua nodded.

They weighed it—13 jin. Lin Heng paid, packed it up, and left.

He was craving beef tripe, but that was out of the question. The last time he bought beef, the tripe had already been sold—apparently, Li Baigen had snatched it up cheap on the day the cow was slaughtered.

The taste and texture of hot pot tripe were unforgettable.

“I’ll have to try hunting a pronghorn to satisfy the craving,” Lin Heng muttered. Or maybe he’d just buy some tripe next time he went to the city.

But hunting one himself would be far more satisfying.

Back home, Lin Heng showed the tallow to his wife, then took it to the kitchen to start preparing the hot pot base.

“Wait, don’t start on that yet. Try on the shoes I made for you first,” Xiulan said, looking at him expectantly.

“Alright,” Lin Heng grinned and walked over.

The cloth shoes were black, with thumb-shaped cutouts on either side of the opening, stitched with elastic fabric. The design was simple but elegant. When he put them on, they felt snug but comfortable.

“They fit great. Really comfy,” Lin Heng said with a smile. Handmade shoes like these were almost always comfortable—stitched together with care, thread by thread.

Xiulan smiled as she looked them over. “Then keep them on. No need to take them off.”

Seeing Lin Heng happy was the best reward for her months of effort. The shoes were her birthday gift to him.

“Alright,” Lin Heng nodded, beaming. “In a few days, let’s take our daughter to the city and buy some winter clothes.”

“And don’t say it’s wasteful or try to refuse,” he added.

To him, seeing his wife in different outfits was like unlocking new skins in a game—each one brought a whole new feeling.

“Okay,” Xiulan nodded. She was starting to understand the little thoughts behind her husband’s gestures.

Lin Heng took the shoes off for now and headed out to pull some green onions and ginger, a big bunch of cilantro, garlic shoots, and some of their homegrown baby onions.

He lit the fire, melted the beef tallow in the pot, and then added the prepared ingredients, letting them simmer slowly over low heat.

While the pot was simmering, he brought out a wire rack and placed it over a small clay stove. He sliced up some recently sun-dried cured meat and sausage and began grilling them.

As soon as the meat hit the heat, the aroma wafted up, rich and mouthwatering. Xiong Ba and Jinbao were the first to stand up and look over.

Xiao Xia also ran over, eyes wide with anticipation. Lin Heng peeled open a roasted sweet potato by the stove and fed her a bite. After tasting it, she pointed to the grilled meat and whined, “Daddy, I want that one~”

“Just one piece, okay? The rest you can have when you’re older.” Lin Heng chopped the meat into small bits and fed it to her, worried she might not chew it well and end up with indigestion.

After she finished, Xiulan took over feeding her roasted sweet potato. The grilled meat on the stove was left for just Lin Heng and Xiulan, though they occasionally tossed a slice to Xiong Ba and Jinbao. Xiao Xia munched on her sweet potato, eyes still fixed longingly on the meat.

As he ate, Lin Heng kept an eye on the pot. Once the cilantro and scallions had fried to a golden crisp, he scooped them out.

Next, he added doubanjiang, fermented glutinous rice mash, fermented black beans, rock sugar, MSG, and let it all simmer. Then came the spices he’d bought earlier in Baisha Township—fragrant cardamom, bay leaves, Sichuan peppercorns, and more. Finally, he tossed in soaked dried chilies and chili powder. After a bit more simmering, the hotpot base was done.

Hotpot base recipes vary from person to person, but the final flavor usually doesn’t stray too far from delicious.

Lin Heng was using a recipe he’d learned in his previous life from the internet—a Chongqing-style hotpot base. He’d made it a few times before and remembered it tasting amazing.

Once it was done, he poured it into a wooden tray to cool and solidify.

“This is hotpot base?” Xiulan asked curiously.

Stuff like this was almost unheard of in the countryside these days, and using so many ingredients felt downright extravagant.

“Yep. You’ll see how good it tastes when we eat it. I learned it while I was away,” Lin Heng said with a smile.

This recipe could easily be the foundation for a hotpot base factory. The market in China was still wide open, and once produced, it would sell like crazy.

“Well then, I definitely want to try your cooking,” Xiulan said with a playful wink.

“Let’s make a spicy stir-fry hotpot for lunch. I’ll cook it for you,” Lin Heng grinned. There was still some hotpot base stuck to the bottom of the pot—no reason to waste it.

“Sounds good.”

The two of them went out and picked spinach, baby bok choy, cilantro, and pea shoots. They also grabbed some dried bamboo shoots and a variety of mushrooms from the house.

For meat, they used the cured pork and sausage. Everything was stir-fried together, then he made a creamy white broth using dried crucian carp and added it in. The aroma filled the entire house.

He even made a special bowl for Xiao Xia—no chili, but loaded with matsutake mushrooms and black truffle.

“Try it!” Lin Heng placed a big bowl on the table and gestured for Xiulan to dig in.

Xiulan took a bite of the greens—spicy, fragrant, and fresh. She couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up. “Delicious! This is really good.”

“Haha, glad you like it. You eat, I’ll go take this half to Dad and the others.”

Lin Heng laughed, changed his shoes, grabbed an umbrella, and brought a bowl over to his parents.

When he returned, Xiulan had brewed some sweet rice wine. The two of them sat drinking and eating, with grilled meat still sizzling on the stove. It felt like their own little hotpot barbecue buffet at home.

Xiao Xia was eating from her own bowl, but kept glancing at the big one, clearly wanting a taste but too shy to ask. She tilted her head and looked at Lin Heng with puppy eyes. “It’s the same,” he said, feeding her a bite from her own bowl.

Even without the chili, it still tasted great. Xiao Xia liked it just fine.

Lin Heng liked to add a splash of vinegar—it made the spicy flavor pop even more.

After the meal, Xiulan stretched with a satisfied sigh. “It’s hard not to gain weight living like this. But I still want more next time.”

“You’re not even fat. And even if you do gain a little, just hike a few times or do some morning workouts—you’ll slim right down,” Lin Heng said with a smile.

He, on the other hand, had actually put on weight. At 1.75 meters tall, he’d weighed only 100 jin in May. Now he was up to 120 jin.

But thanks to regular exercise, his body had become more balanced and muscular. He used to be a bit too skinny and lanky.

Xiulan, on the other hand, barely weighed 100 jin herself—not fat by any stretch.

“You’re right. And even if I did get fat, you wouldn’t leave me, right?” Xiulan teased with a wink.

Of course, she still cared a lot about her figure—not just for Lin Heng’s sake, but because she couldn’t stand the idea of getting chubby.

“Of course not,” Lin Heng nodded firmly.

After washing the dishes, the hotpot base had solidified. He cut it into small blocks and packed them in plastic bags—ready to use for hotpot or spicy stir-fry anytime.

Around four in the afternoon, Mother Lin came by to return the bowl and chat for a bit.

“Lin Heng made this meal?” she asked, eyes wide in disbelief.

“Of course,” Lin Heng said proudly, puffing out his chest.

“I don’t buy it,” she chuckled.

“And I even brought you a bowl! Next time I won’t be so filial,” Lin Heng grumbled, then went off to feed the musk deer and hog badgers.

The next day, the rain didn’t just continue—it got heavier. With the wind picking up, it felt even colder. Lin Heng and Xiulan both bundled up in thermal underwear.

They stayed in bed for a long time before getting up. Once they did, Xiulan made another spicy stir-fry hotpot to go with the grilled meat.

In the afternoon, Lin Heng read to them for hours. It was nice to relax with a good book.

By the third day—November 20th—the rain had finally stopped during the night.

When Lin Heng and Xiulan woke up, the world was quiet, inside and out. Only the occasional chirp of a bird broke the silence.

“The sun’s out. Let’s get up and soak in some sunshine,” Xiulan said, wrapping her arms around Lin Heng’s neck.

“Okay,” he agreed without hesitation.

They fumbled around under the covers for their missing underwear, got dressed, and got out of bed.

When they opened the door, the sky was a brilliant blue and the sun shone golden. Lin Heng held his wife as they strolled around the courtyard.

The first sunny day after rain always lifted the spirits.

“I’ll teach you Tai Chi,” Lin Heng said with a smile.

“Sure!” Xiulan nodded eagerly.

The two of them, like a couple of retirees, practiced Tai Chi and the Eightfold Vajra Technique in the backyard.

After exercising, they felt refreshed. Lin Heng called Xiao Xia to wash up, and the three of them basked in the morning sun together.

After breakfast, they went for a walk. With the weather like this, there was no way the construction site would reopen today.

They found out that Father Lin and the eldest brother had gone up the mountain to dig for kudzu root.

Mother Lin was in the courtyard grinding sweet potato starch, with their sister-in-law helping out.

Lin Heng led the cattle, horses, and sheep to graze by the roadside, taking Xiulan and Xiao Xia along. On the way, they gathered some pigweed to feed the musk deer and hog badgers.

“Awooo!!!”

As soon as the sun came out, the sound of muntjac deer echoed from the hills—it came from the direction where they’d set traps for wild boars.

“Which direction should we go mushroom hunting tomorrow?” Lin Heng asked Xiulan, who was picking goosegrass by the roadside.

“Let’s go toward Baishi Gully. Tomorrow’s Sunday, so Caiyun can help look after Xiao Xia,” Xiulan replied after thinking for a moment.

They’d had a great haul last time in Baishi Gully, and she had a good feeling about it.

There were pine forests there too—maybe they’d find more black truffles and matsutake mushrooms.

“Sounds good.” Lin Heng nodded, keeping an eye out for animal tracks while tending the cattle.

Golden pheasants and wild chickens had become much easier to spot lately.

He’d heard quite a few golden pheasant calls near Shibadang Gully and decided to try his luck there tonight—he was craving some chicken offal noodles.

When he herded the cattle and horses back home, Father Lin and his brother had already returned, carrying two baskets full of kudzu root.

“Nice haul!” Lin Heng said, impressed. Kudzu wasn’t easy to dig up.

“Yep, the two of us dug up a hundred jin of it. Sanye Valley didn’t disappoint,” Father Lin said with a grin.

“Not just kudzu—we also found five or six jin of wild yam,” Lin Yue added with a smile.

“Impressive,” Lin Heng praised. Then he asked, “Want to go hunt some golden pheasants tonight?”

“Sure! I’ve been feeling pretty accurate with my shots lately,” Lin Yue said, clearly interested.

“Let’s eat lunch first, then cast the net in the fish pond this afternoon. Tonight we’ll head straight to Shibadang Gully—I heard a lot of pheasants calling over there,” Lin Heng said with a grin.

Lin Yue nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

After lunch, Lin Heng went with his father and older brother to Red Maple Mountain. They spent the entire afternoon laying out the lines and staking the posts for the Fish Ponds.

The plot was just over twenty mu, and the plan was to build fifteen one-mu Fish Ponds. Laying out the lines was exhausting work—if even one was off, it could lead to a major headache.

Lin Heng’s plan was to build Fish Ponds in the first and second rows, and in the third row, half would be ponds while the other half would house a storage shed and an indoor hatchery, taking up about two mu.

If that wasn’t enough space, they could always clear out the shrubs and wild grass on the mountainside later. Those areas were also slated to become Fish Ponds eventually.

Thanks to the recent rainfall, the land had settled and become more level. Standing there, Lin Heng felt completely at ease, body and mind relaxed.

If everything went smoothly, next year’s shrimp farming could bring in at least 40,000 yuan in income—maybe even 50,000 or 60,000 if things went well.

At this rate, it wouldn’t take him many years to accumulate enough seed money. With some capital and his knowledge of the future, building a successful business was just a matter of time.

“Let’s go, little bro, we’re heading up the mountain,” Lin Yue said with a grin, clapping Lin Heng on the shoulder. He was clearly eager.

“No rush,” Lin Heng shook his head. “Let’s wait a bit longer. Still an hour till dark—better to hunt when it’s fully dark.”

“Alright then. Let’s head home, grab a bite, and go up after,” Lin Yue nodded.

They went home, had a quick meal, and set out with Xiong Ba as dusk settled in, heading toward Shibadang Gully.

“Damn, those muntjacs really have no sense of self-preservation—yelling louder than golden pheasants,” Lin Yue said, shaking his head as he looked at one climbing the opposite slope.

The muntjacs hiding in the woods were howling like they didn’t care about getting shot—completely fearless.

“Those are hard to hunt. They bolt before you even get close,” Lin Heng said, shaking his head. If they were easy, they wouldn’t be so cocky.

Usually, muntjacs were hunted using snare traps.

“True. I’ll be happy if I can bag just one golden pheasant tonight,” Lin Yue grinned.

“There’s hope for that,” Lin Heng replied. “We can try under the trees later.”

They hadn’t even made it into the gully when they heard several gunshots ring out. Clearly, after three days of rain, a lot of people were itching to hunt.

Luckily, the shots weren’t coming from their direction. By the time they entered the gully, it was fully dark. But it was the ninth day of the tenth lunar month, and the moonlight was like silver water—bright enough to see clearly in the woods.

Plus, the rain had left the leaves wet and silent underfoot—perfect conditions for hunting.

At this time of year, the branches were bare, so golden pheasants roosting on them looked like dark lumps—easy to spot from a distance and ideal for hunting.

Down in the gully, they didn’t find anything, so they followed the edge of the acorn forest uphill. Xiong Ba darted around in the trees—he wasn’t much help hunting golden pheasants at night, but he made for good company.

“Hey, little bro—tree rat,” Lin Yue said after about ten minutes, pointing to the top of an acorn tree ahead.

Lin Heng glanced up and shook his head. “Too high. Forget it.”

“I’ll give it a shot,” Lin Yue said, taking Lin Heng’s slingshot and trying his luck. As expected, he missed.

He wasn’t annoyed, just chuckled and kept walking.

After another half kilometer, Lin Heng suddenly slowed down. On a forked branch of an acorn tree by the gully, he spotted a dark lump—clearly a bird, though he couldn’t tell what kind.

It was their first target of the night, so Lin Heng decided to take the shot himself. It was only ten meters away—he didn’t even bother pulling out his compound bow. Instead, he borrowed Lin Yue’s orange-wood bow.

The arrow flew silently. The bird didn’t even have time to cry out before it dropped dead to the ground. Xiong Ba gleefully ran over and fetched it.

Lin Heng took one look and was stunned. “It’s not a golden pheasant or a wild chicken—it’s a white egret.”

The tree had been in shadow, so he hadn’t seen clearly what kind of bird it was.

“Haha! I heard these taste pretty good too. Let’s take it back and try it,” Lin Yue said excitedly. Lin Heng’s archery was just too accurate.

“Yeah, let’s give it a shot,” Lin Heng said as he pulled out the arrow. He hefted the bird—it weighed about two jin. Hopefully it had some meat on it and wasn’t all feathers.

He tossed the egret into his brother’s basket, and the two continued on. Bats flitted through the night air, and they even came across two hedgehogs. Xiong Ba tried to bite one but couldn’t get a grip, ended up swatting it, and got pricked so bad he yelped in pain.

Gunshots echoed now and then through the mountains as the brothers made their way uphill. The stream in the gully babbled along, but they didn’t spot any more prey.

Before they knew it, it was already 10:30 p.m. They had reached the upper part of the gully, where the narrow valley opened up. Three small streams converged from different directions, and the ground was damp and seeping with water.

“Little bro, is that a golden pheasant in that tree?” Lin Yue asked excitedly, pointing.

“Shh—look over there. That one’s even bigger,” Lin Heng whispered, pointing in another direction.

Lin Yue glanced over and couldn’t help but let out a low gasp. “Holy shit!!”

(End of Chapter)