Chapter 168: A Leopard Worth Its Weight in Gold

“Mmm~”

“Mmm…”

Moonlight, soft as water, streamed through the translucent window panels, casting a gentle glow on the windowsill. Dried flowers made of red maple and ginkgo leaves shimmered faintly in the pale light.

The diffused moonlight gave the entire room a soft radiance. Beneath a light blue floral quilt, Lin Heng and Xiulan were savoring the sweet coconut flavor of a White Rabbit candy—together.

“Mmm… You’ve had enough now, haven’t you?”

Xiulan clung to Lin Heng’s neck, panting slightly. Her voice was laced with teasing affection, and the breath she exhaled carried the sweet scent of coconut milk.

“Nope!”

Lin Heng grinned, ducked his head, and went back to tasting the real White Rabbit candy.

…

Over half an hour later, Xiulan lay limp in Lin Heng’s arms, her snow-white skin glowing with a faint blush.

“You bad man~”

She pinched him playfully and muttered, “I waited so sweetly for you to come home, and this is how you treat me.”

“I’m just pampering my wife. Look at you—your skin’s getting softer and fairer by the day.” Lin Heng inhaled the fragrance of her hair and chuckled.

“Hmph!”

Xiulan bit down on his chest in mock punishment.

“Don’t be like that, babe.”

Lin Heng pulled her close, their faces pressed together, feeling the warmth of each other’s skin. They could both hear the steady rhythm of the other’s heartbeat.

In the stillness of night, loneliness feels sharper—but having someone who loves you with their whole heart right beside you is a blessing beyond words.

Nestled against him, Xiulan whispered into his ear, her lips brushing gently, “It’s definitely past three now. We’ve got to deal with the prey tomorrow morning—there won’t be time to go up the mountain for mushrooms.”

Though her tone carried a hint of complaint, it overflowed more with love.

“No worries. We can go the day after tomorrow.” Lin Heng held her close, suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to protect her.

“That’s the only way, I guess. What, you want me to beat you up or something?” Xiulan pouted and snuggled in tighter.

In the depths of autumn, this closeness felt especially warm and comforting—especially when two people were so deeply in love.

They drifted off in a daze, still wrapped around each other when the goddess of night was awakened by dawn and the moon chased away by the sun.

Every time Lin Heng opened his eyes to see that delicate face before him, he felt like the whole day would be beautiful. He gently smoothed the stray hairs from her forehead.

Xiulan opened her eyes and smiled at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She blinked and asked softly, “Still want to taste the coconut candy?”

Before Lin Heng could answer, she offered herself up again, wanting nothing more than to stay tangled with him.

Several minutes later, Lin Heng looked at her rosy, full lips and murmured with lingering delight, “Coconut candy is the best~”

“Alright, you’ve had enough for today. I’ll give you a different flavor next time,” Xiulan whispered, then got up, searching for her misplaced underwear and getting dressed.

After washing her face, she sat in front of the mirror to comb her hair, applied the skincare cream and lipstick Lin Heng had bought her, and even touched up her eyebrows.

She didn’t dress up every day, but she used skincare products regularly. She’d found they genuinely made her look and feel better.

Lin Heng washed his face and stepped outside to check on the clouded leopard. It looked even more fierce in the morning light—bagging it last night had definitely taken a stroke of luck.

Shaking his head, he called Xiulan to join him in the backyard for some morning exercise.

After their workout, just as they were about to start cooking, a knock came at the front gate.

“Lin Heng! Open up!”

“Coming!”

Lin Heng walked over and opened the door. His parents, older brother, and sister-in-law were all outside.

Father Lin stood at the door, eyes wide with anticipation. “You really got a leopard?”

“Sure did.” Lin Heng grinned and led them inside.

Father Lin stared at the clouded leopard hanging from the beam, disbelief written all over his face.

“You actually got a leopard this big? That’s incredible.” He shook his head in amazement.

“No one saw that coming,” Lin Yue added, equally stunned. Seeing the beast in daylight made it all the more impressive.

Liu Juan looked at Lin Heng with growing admiration. “When luck hits, there’s no stopping it.”

“Well, since everyone’s here, let’s skin it,” Lin Heng said with a smile. He wasn’t as excited now—it had sunk in.

Father Lin nodded with a grin. “Alright. Shouldn’t take more than an hour.”

It was 6:30 now—they’d be done before eight.

“You guys handle that. I’ll go boil water and prep the chicken soup.”

Lin Heng handed his tempered steel knife to his father and left the skinning to them.

He was a bit tired, and besides, his dad looked eager to try his hand at it.

“Leopard meat is a real treasure,” Mother Lin said, eyeing the big cat. “Old folks say it can heal critical injuries and strengthen the organs. You can’t even find it most of the time. We should save some for your grandma to help her recover.”

“Critical injuries” referred to those on the brink—ashen-faced, exhausted, beyond saving.

According to old rural remedies, leopard meat could treat such conditions and restore vitality.

“Yeah, people would pay two or three yuan a pound for this stuff, and it’s not even available most of the time,” Liu Juan added, clearly envious.

Lin Heng had heard the same, though he’d never tasted leopard meat himself. Still, there had to be some truth to the old sayings.

He went back inside to boil water, then returned to watch them skin the leopard.

By the time the water was boiling and they were halfway through skinning, Lin Heng was about to ladle the hot water for the chicken soup when the courtyard gate swung open.

Old Man Tian walked in, followed by several villagers.

“What’s going on?” Lin Heng asked curiously.

“You’re skinning the leopard? Perfect. We’re here to buy some meat,” Tian Baishun said with a grin.

“Lin Heng, you’re amazing! You actually bagged a leopard—this is a goldmine!”

“No one can top your skills. I’ve never seen anyone take down a leopard before.”

“This stuff’s incredible—replenishes the organs, boosts blood and energy, strengthens the body, even helps with kidney issues and virility.”

The five or six villagers who came in were full of admiration as they watched Father Lin and the others work on the leopard. This was no ordinary catch.

“How do you want to buy it?” Lin Heng asked Tian Baishun.

“I just want a pound to nourish myself. Three yuan a pound, tops,” Tian said with a smile.

“I wasn’t planning to sell, but since you’re all here… fine, three yuan a pound,” Lin Heng agreed after a moment’s thought.

“Great, I’ll take a pound,” Tian said without hesitation.

“I want a pound too—for my youngest son.”

“Me too, for the elders at home.”

…

The others chimed in as well, all eager to get their hands on some leopard meat.

“Alright, I’ll weigh it out once we finish skinning,” Lin Heng nodded.

“Hey Lin Heng, are you selling the leopard whip?” someone asked with a mischievous grin. The others burst into laughter, cracking lewd jokes.

“Sure, but that’s a different price. You buying?” Lin Heng replied with a smirk.

“Haha, nah, just asking.” The guy waved it off—he knew that part wouldn’t come cheap.

Lin Heng scalded the seven bamboo partridges, the golden pheasant, and the egret. His mother, sister-in-law, and Xiulan all came to help pluck the feathers.

The villagers who came to buy meat were practically drooling at the sight of all the game. Lin Heng’s hunting skills were off the charts.

Just the partridges and golden pheasant alone were proof—who else could bag this much in one night?

“Finally done. Let’s see how much meat we’ve got.”

By the time Lin Heng and the others finished plucking the birds, Father Lin and his brother had just finished skinning the leopard.

They’d taken their time, careful not to damage the pelt—any tears would drastically reduce its value.

“I’ll grab the scale.” Lin Heng ran inside and came back with a balance scale.

After weighing it, they found that even without the skin, the leopard still weighed forty-two pounds.

“That heavy?” Lin Heng was a bit surprised.

“Of course,” Tian Baishun laughed. “Everything’s fat in the fall. This leopard meat alone is worth over a hundred yuan—not to mention the pelt!”

“Not quite that much. There’s still the organs, and I’m only selling a bit. I’m keeping the rest,” Lin Heng said, shaking his head.

There wasn’t much to begin with, and it wouldn’t fetch a fortune. Better to keep it for themselves.

“True. You’re already a ten-thousand-yuan household—this little bit’s nothing to you,” Tian Baishun said with a hint of envy.

He’d watched Lin Heng rise step by step.

They hung the leopard up and slit open its belly, revealing the internal organs.

Every part of a leopard is valuable. Leopard hearts are said to have invigorating effects, especially for strengthening the kidneys and enhancing vitality. Leopard gallbladders are even more prized, known for reducing swelling, relieving pain, detoxifying, and clearing internal heat.

Father Lin carefully laid out each part on a bamboo sieve. The clouded leopard also had a good amount of suet fat inside.

Once everything was sorted, there wasn’t much meat left. The flesh was a vibrant red, fine and lean, with barely any fat visible.

Father Lin separated the meat and carved out six jin of pure meat to sell to a few buyers.

“If anyone else asks, just tell them I’m not selling any more,” Lin Heng reminded them as he handed over the meat.

“Got it, don’t worry,” Tian Baishun replied with a smile.

After the buyers left, Lin Heng asked his father to cut the remaining meat into smaller pieces.

As for the bones, they didn’t matter much—they weren’t much different from a cat’s skeleton and wouldn’t make an impressive specimen anyway.

He cleaned out the innards of the bamboo partridges and golden pheasants, then gave his older brother three bamboo partridges and three jin of leopard meat, and gave his parents five jin of meat.

“No need to refuse—take it home and nourish yourselves. I’ve already set aside the meat my grandma needs,” Lin Heng said with a smile.

“Then I’ll give you some kudzu root powder and Chinese yam later. Don’t turn it down,” Lin Yue replied with a grin.

“I never turn down good stuff,” Lin Heng chuckled and nodded.

Once his parents and elder brother’s family had left with the meat, Lin Heng squatted down, brought the leopard meat into the house, and hung it up. Then he got to work cleaning the chicken innards—he was planning to make a stir-fry with assorted chicken offal.

Though a bit tricky to prepare, the taste was absolutely worth it. Chicken gizzards, hearts, and intestines all had a chewy texture that got more flavorful the more you chewed.

“Should I make some rice?” Xiulan looked at Lin Heng and asked.

Lin Heng glanced at his wife and smiled, nodding. “Sure, let’s stir-fry some leopard meat too—try something new.”

“Okay. So you’ll eat after you get back from Red Maple Mountain?” Xiulan asked.

“Yeah,” Lin Heng nodded.

The chicken hearts, livers, and kidneys didn’t need much prep. The gizzards weren’t hard to clean either. Only the intestines needed to be cut open and thoroughly washed. To remove any lingering odor, it was best to scrub them with cornmeal.

Once everything was ready, Lin Heng let Xiulan know and headed off to Red Maple Mountain with his father and older brother.

They were starting to dig the fish ponds today, and he needed to be there to oversee things.

When they arrived at Red Maple Mountain, everyone had already gathered. A group of them were sitting around, chatting excitedly about how Lin Heng had taken down a leopard.

“Brother Lin, you’re amazing!” Lin Hai said in awe.

“Impressive,” Lin Heng’s third uncle, Lin Xutao, added, patting him on the shoulder.

“Just lucky,” Lin Heng replied modestly. “Come to my place for lunch—we’re having leopard meat.”

After a few more words, he began organizing the work.

Li Shiwei and his uncle-in-law hadn’t arrived yet, but Lin Heng went ahead with the plan: eleven people per group, led by his father, older brother, and four others.

Six teams, one pond each. After explaining the layout and tasks, he led everyone in getting started.

“Dad, should we call in another hundred people? With just sixty, it might take too long to dig all these ponds,” Lin Heng suggested.

He and his father discussed it. Now that the land had been fully leveled, they could start on all the ponds at once.

Father Lin shook his head. “A hundred is too many—hard to manage. Just bring in forty more. That’ll give us ten teams. I think that’s enough.”

Lin Heng thought it over and agreed. He’d been busy lately and wouldn’t have time to manage too many people. Better to keep it manageable.

“Alright, let’s do that.”

He nodded, stayed at the site a while longer, then left to find Tian Dongfu and asked him to help recruit forty more workers.

Tian Dongfu readily agreed. It was just a matter of making a few calls, and he stood to gain quite a bit—why wouldn’t he?

When Lin Heng got back home, Xiulan had already finished cooking for the adults. She’d even minced some leopard meat and stir-fried it with garlic for Xiao Xia, mixing it into her rice. Lin Heng walked in to see Xiao Xia happily feeding herself with a spoon.

“Can you scoop me some rice too? I’ll bring the dishes over,” Xiulan called out.

“Sure,” Lin Heng replied, washing his hands and filling two bowls with rice.

Xiulan had made stir-fried pickled radish with leopard meat, a spinach and egg soup, and a simple stir-fried winter melon dish.

Lin Heng took a bite of the leopard meat, chewed for a while before swallowing, and commented, “Not bad at all. The texture’s really fine—chewy like beef, but I don’t taste any of that sourness people talk about.”

“I think it’s even better than beef—more tender and no gamey smell,” Xiulan agreed.

Leopard meat had a unique aroma that set it apart from other meats.

“Yeah, let’s eat more. Lean meat won’t make you fat,” Lin Heng nodded. It was the kind of dish that went perfectly with rice.

The stir-fried winter melon was also great—lightly sweet and refreshing. Xiao Xia really enjoyed it.

After the meal, Lin Heng rested for a bit, then went back to bed for a nap. He hadn’t slept well the night before and was still exhausted.

Xiulan took their daughter to help grind sweet potato starch. They wouldn’t have time to go foraging for mushrooms on the mountain today.

When Lin Heng woke up, it was already one in the afternoon. He rubbed his eyes, feeling refreshed and a bit warm all over.

“Looks like that leopard meat really does something,” he muttered to himself.

He went out to sun-dry the leopard penis, planning to preserve it for medicinal wine. As for the testicles, he figured he’d just roast them over charcoal.

When he got to his parents’ place, he saw that his uncle-in-law and Li Shiwei had arrived and were deep in conversation.

“Lin Heng, perfect timing—I’ve got something to discuss with you,” Li Baiquan called out as soon as he saw him.

“What’s up?” Lin Heng asked, curiosity lighting up his face.

(End of Chapter)