Chapter 173: “The Tale of Fragrant Musk” and the First Snow of Early Winter

Over the next few days, Lin Heng focused on renovating the fish pond and the well at home.

It wasn’t a particularly difficult process—just a matter of temporarily draining the water and relocating the fish, then reinforcing the surrounding walls. After the inner walls were solidified, he re-laid the original stones that had lined them. Cement might be practical, but it couldn’t match the aesthetic of natural stone.

From the outside, there wasn’t much visible change, but inside, everything had been transformed. No more water leakage, and the house wouldn’t be damp anymore.

He did the same with the toilet. He dug out the fermented waste and spread it in the fields as fertilizer, then built a large septic tank using cement and stone.

Originally, he’d thought about installing an indoor toilet, but since the house wasn’t designed with one in mind and the project would be too much of a hassle, he gave up on that idea.

Still, the new outdoor toilet was complete. Now, just a flush and everything was clean—no more unpleasant smells lingering in the courtyard.

He had also considered building a biogas digester, but again, the workload was just too heavy, so he scrapped that plan too.

Afterward, he paved the ground for his parents and elder brother, even laying cement on the paths outside all three family courtyards.

Their old-style dry toilets were also improved—covered and reinforced with cement. Though not rebuilt from scratch, the upgrades made a big difference.

The pigsty in the courtyard of the old house was relocated to the back of the mountain. The space it left behind was mostly paved with cement, and part of it was turned into a flower bed.

All of this was done by Lin Heng, his elder brother, Li Shiwei, and Lin Hai. It was hard physical labor, no doubt about it, but building something for his own family gave Lin Heng a deep sense of achievement and happiness.

Li Shiwei and Lin Hai were green with envy. Money might just be a number when you talk about it, but once it’s turned into something real, the impact is undeniable.

Their desire to earn money grew stronger, and they started asking Lin Heng for advice more frequently.

Time passed quickly in the flurry of activity, and before they knew it, it was December 1st.

During the days Lin Heng was working on the ground paving, Father Lin and the rest had been staying either at the log cabin on Red Maple Mountain or at Lin Heng’s place. This morning marked two full days since the cement had been laid—it was now fully set.

Early that morning, the whole family gathered at the front gate.

Lin Heng opened the door and said to his parents, “Come on in, see how it feels.”

Father and Mother Lin nodded and stepped into the courtyard. As they walked on the smooth, solid cement ground, their expressions turned reflective. They looked around the yard, then went inside the house for a look.

The entire courtyard was now smooth and even. Gone were the days of uneven, muddy ground. No more worries about rain turning everything into a swamp.

After checking out the house, the two of them returned to the center of the courtyard, beaming with smiles. They nodded repeatedly, saying, “This is wonderful, just wonderful!”

Father Lin patted Lin Heng on the shoulder and laughed. “Your old man’s really benefiting from your success. Never thought we’d have cement floors in our home this year.”

Mother Lin nodded too. “You’re no rebellious son anymore—you’ve really grown up.”

Lin Heng laughed heartily and wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders. “This is nothing. Just making things a little more comfortable for you guys for now. Give it a couple more years, and I’ll build you both proper little villas.”

He didn’t plan on plastering the exterior walls of his parents’ or brother’s houses. Since he was already paving the ground, he went ahead and coated the first-floor walls of his parents’ house with cement—just to make it more livable for now.

Eventually, he planned to tear down their current house and build a proper multi-story home for them. That would probably happen in two or three years, so there was no need to decorate the exterior walls for now.

Same with his brother’s place—Lin Heng figured that once his brother started making money with him, he’d definitely want to build a new house too.

So there was no point wasting money on fancy finishes. As long as the house was windproof and rainproof, that was enough.

As for his own house, he didn’t plan to tear it down. He’d already decided that any new house would be built on Red Maple Mountain. This one would be preserved in its current earthen style, for those times when he wanted to come back and enjoy a more rustic life.

That meant the exterior walls here would definitely need to be plastered and smoothed with cement. He’d get to that in a few days—no rush.

Father Lin chuckled and shook his head. “This is already more than enough. Talk about villas when you’ve got a few hundred thousand in the bank.”

Mother Lin agreed. “Yeah, this is already great. You’ve spent enough on us—no need to keep pushing it.”

In the past, if Lin Heng had said something like that, his parents wouldn’t have believed him. But now, they weren’t worried about his ability to make money—only that he might spend too much of it recklessly.

“It’s not that much. As long as we’re comfortable, that’s what matters,” Lin Heng said with a smile. He liked how everything looked now too.

After a few more words, Father and Mother Lin went off to tidy up the house. The cement work had turned everything upside down—furniture and food supplies had been moved upstairs and over to Lin Heng’s place.

When Li Shiwei and the others arrived, they all helped move things back and rearrange them. Quite a few villagers had come by to take a look too, their eyes filled with envy.

Li Caifeng sighed with admiration. “This cement floor is amazing. No need for bamboo mats to dry grain anymore.”

Old Grandpa Liu nodded. “Yeah, and you don’t have to worry about mud when it rains. Even the rats won’t be able to dig holes in the floor now.”

“Having money is really something!”

Most of them couldn’t even afford to build a simple earthen house, let alone do what Lin Heng had done. Their envy was practically tangible.

If they stepped inside Lin Heng’s house, they’d be even more amazed—who knew an earthen house could be made to look so beautiful?

After helping his parents for a while, Lin Heng headed over to his brother’s place.

As soon as he walked in, his sister-in-law Liu Juan handed him a cup of tea with a smile. “The furniture’s still a mess—don’t mind the clutter. Come over for a proper meal in a couple of days.”

She was a woman who knew how to read the room. These days, she was all warmth and kindness toward both Lin Heng and Xiulan. She understood very well that her family would continue to rely on Lin Heng, now and in the future.

Lin Heng’s meteoric rise in the village had changed how everyone treated those connected to him. They were starting to understand the saying: “When one person ascends, even the chickens and dogs benefit.”

“It’s nothing. I just came to help out—and to say, come eat at my place later. Mom and Dad are there too,” Lin Heng said.

Liu Juan quickly nodded. “Then we won’t be shy about it.”

She knew Lin Heng didn’t like people being overly polite, so she agreed right away. She planned to help Xiulan out more in the coming days—gathering wild greens, pigweed, and such.

With more hands on deck, and help from Li Shiwei, Lin Hai, and their uncle Li Baiquan, they quickly got all the furniture back in place.

Xiulan made pickled vegetable noodles for lunch. Everyone ate in the courtyard, then headed off to the worksite, leaving the remaining housework to the women.

There were over a hundred people on Red Maple Mountain, and someone had to keep an eye on things to prevent chaos.

Lin Heng handed the work ledger to his dad and said with a smile, “Dad, I’m taking the day off. Let’s knock off early tonight and have hot pot.”

Father Lin knew how hard Lin Heng had been working and had no objections. “Leave it to us,” he said with a nod.

Once they left and the courtyard gate was closed, the wind died down and everything became peaceful.

Xiong Ba and Jinbao had just finished eating and were lying on the bluestone, yawning in boredom. Xiao Xia was playing with their ears, making Xiong Ba shake his head from time to time.

Xiulan was sweeping up some small bits of trash. Lin Heng walked over and suddenly wrapped his arms around her slender waist, pulling her into his embrace.

Xiulan turned her head and rolled her eyes. “What are you doing~?”

Feeling the softness and warmth of his wife’s body, Lin Heng rested his head on her shoulder and grinned. “Nothing. Can’t I just give you a hug?”

Xiulan puffed out her cheeks. “Fine. But you’re sweeping the yard later.”

“Sure, sure. I’ll sweep,” Lin Heng said nonchalantly. Holding his wife felt so good—her waist was soft, and her hair smelled like conditioner.

As he held her, Lin Heng looked around the house. Once he plastered the earthen walls white, everything would be perfect.

After a while, Xiulan said softly, “Alright, that’s enough. Let’s finish sweeping and plant the vegetables.”

“Alright, whatever you say,” Lin Heng replied. Though honestly, he wouldn’t have minded holding her a little longer—his wife’s figure was just too comfortable to let go.

Xiulan finished sweeping the courtyard while Lin Heng went to wash the dishes. He knew his wife loved cooking but hated doing the dishes.

The kitchen had changed a lot from before. Part of the old clay stove had been torn down and replaced with a new cement-and-brick stove complete with a chimney. They’d even used leftover bluestone slabs from paving the floor to build a countertop, and constructed a rectangular water tank for holding water. Water pipes had already been installed throughout the house; once they had electricity, all they’d need was a pump to have running water.

The same setup had been done at his parents’ and older brother’s homes. Lin Heng had bought the pipes back when he dug the first and second fish ponds, and they’d been sitting in storage ever since.

Thanks to his renovations, the kitchen, while not quite up to modern standards, was far cleaner and more organized than most rural kitchens.

“Open up!”

Seeing Lin Heng come out after washing the dishes, Xiulan popped a peeled tangerine segment into his mouth.

“Come on, let’s go plant some vegetables.”

She handed him a hoe and carried a handful of vegetable seeds herself.

Lin Heng looked at his wife and said, “We can plant whatever you want. Once they sprout, just cover them with plastic film, and they’ll grow fast even in winter.”

They had some plastic film left from before. Cut a couple of bamboo poles, bend them into arches over the soil, cover with the film, and voilà—a mini greenhouse.

“Great, I’ll go grab a few more seeds,” Xiulan nodded and went to the cabinet to get some.

Together, they planted radishes, cilantro, bok choy, mustard greens, spinach, garlic, scallions, peas—basically anything that didn’t need to climb and had a short growing cycle.

Once they were done, Lin Heng chopped four stalks of golden bamboo, shaved them into strips, and arched them over the vegetable beds.

As Xiulan helped him, she asked, “Did you plan the long strip layout for the garden from the start?”

Lin Heng nodded. “Of course. It looks better and it’s more convenient. I had it all figured out a while ago.”

He had actually spent a lot of time planning the layout of the courtyard. It wasn’t something he just made up as he went.

They covered the beds with plastic film, which quickly turned silvery-white from the evaporating moisture underneath.

By the time they finished planting, it was already noon. Gardening took more time than expected—the whole morning had flown by.

Lunch was a simple meal, and then they started prepping for the evening hotpot.

Mother Lin and Sister-in-law Liu Juan came over to help after tidying up their own homes. They brought a bunch of fresh greens from their own garden.

Lin Heng chopped up the golden pheasant he’d caught earlier and tossed it into a pot with some leopard bones and soybeans to make a rich broth.

The bamboo partridge and egret he’d hunted earlier were already eaten—the partridge stir-fried with chili was incredibly tasty, and the egret had been made into a soup that little Xia loved.

This golden pheasant had been saved specifically to make broth for hotpot.

As for meat, they only had cured pork, sausages, and some dried fish left. Most of the leopard meat had already been eaten by the family, except for what he’d given to his grandmother and Old Man Gao in town. He’d saved three jin to make jerky.

Even the bones were nearly gone—today’s broth used the last two.

Lin Heng hadn’t gone hunting recently; he’d been busy with things around the house. The only time he went up the mountain was to look for the forest musk deer that Wang Kaidian had mentioned, but he’d spent the whole day wandering that ridge without seeing a trace.

As the broth simmered, Lin Heng looked at Xiulan, who was washing vegetables, and said, “Xiulan, keep an eye on the chicken broth so it doesn’t boil dry. I’m going to the village to see if anyone has fresh enoki mushrooms for sale.”

“No need, we’ve got plenty of dried mushrooms at home,” Mother Lin said, shaking her head.

“I just really want to eat some,” Lin Heng grinned.

After asking around in the village, he learned that Liu Lan had picked some enoki mushrooms just yesterday morning. When he arrived at her house, he found Tian Baishun there, warming himself by the fire.

“Well, look who the wind blew in!” Liu Lan greeted him with a flirtatious smile—though her face was covered in pockmarks, which made her look a bit scary.

“I heard you picked some winter mushrooms yesterday. I’d like to buy some,” Lin Heng said with a friendly smile.

“No problem,” Liu Lan replied cheerfully. “I picked eight jin yesterday and just finished cleaning them. Do you want them all?”

Lin Heng nodded. While Liu Lan went to get the mushrooms, Lin Heng chatted with Tian Baishun and Old Man Liu San.

The conversation quickly turned to hunting. Tian Baishun wanted to team up again for a mountain hunt. It was winter, and he was going up the mountain almost every day. He even claimed to have seen a forest musk deer.

“You saw one in Gateng Gully too? When was this?” Lin Heng asked curiously.

That was the same place Wang Kaidian had mentioned—a ravine overgrown with kudzu vines. In summer, the vines covered everything; in winter, many people went there to dig for kudzu roots.

Lin Heng had spent a whole day there without spotting a single musk deer. He was surprised to hear Old Man Tian had seen one.

“Two days ago,” Tian Baishun said, taking a puff from his cigarette. “I was on one side of the ravine, it was on the other—about seven or eight hundred meters away. But I’m sure it was a male musk deer. Yesterday, I passed by again and even heard it howling.”

Lin Heng nodded. “Alright, I’ll go check it out in the next couple of days.”

He had a new idea—he was calling it “The Musk Deer Plan.” Since musk deer were notoriously clever, he planned to bring his female musk deer and tie her to a tree to lure the male out.

He’d set traps nearby. If the male fell for it, he could catch it alive and pair them up for breeding—problem solved.

If the traps didn’t work but the male still mated with his female, she’d get pregnant and he’d still come out ahead.

And if the male let his guard down after mating, Lin Heng could ambush and kill it—super win.

The more he thought about it, the more pleased he was with the plan. His only concern was that his female musk deer might break free and run off.

But as long as he took precautions, he believed it would work.

“Call me when you go—I want to tag along and soak up some of your luck,” Tian Baishun said.

Just as Lin Heng was about to agree, Liu Lan returned with the mushrooms and a hanging scale. “Eight jin total. Take a look.”

“No problem.” Lin Heng pulled out four yuan from his pocket and handed it to her.

Enoki mushrooms were tasty but not as valuable as lion’s mane mushrooms—fresh ones went for fifty cents a jin.

He took the mushrooms, said goodbye to the others, and headed home.

On the way back, he kept thinking about the feasibility of his plan.

The mushrooms were already cleaned. He handed them to Xiulan to wash again while he went to slice the cured pork and sausage for the hotpot.

Once the meat was ready, he even made his own sesame dipping sauce—the soul of any hotpot—mixing scallions, minced garlic, soy sauce, chili, and other spices so everyone could season to their taste.

By 4 p.m., everything was finally ready. Lin Heng wiped his hands and said, “I’ll go to Red Maple Mountain to call everyone over.”

Over at Red Maple Mountain, after days of digging, the ten new ponds were nearly finished. They’d probably be done in another week.

Once these ten were complete, only four more ponds remained. Including the original two, that would make sixteen ponds in total—sixteen mu of fish ponds.

There was still some work left on the storage room and indoor breeding facility. Lin Heng estimated that everything would be done by mid-January at the latest.

The villagers were hardworking and dependable—very few tried to slack off.

“Everyone can clock out early today. Come sign your names, and then you’re free to go. Pay’s still eighty cents a day—no change,” Lin Heng announced.

“Awesome! Thanks, Boss Lin!”

“You’re a real good guy!”

Everyone was thrilled. They quickly wrapped up their tasks and rushed over to sign out.

Once the crowd dispersed, Lin Heng turned to Father Lin and the others. “Let’s head back too. The hotpot’s ready.”

“Alright, let’s see what your hotpot tastes like,” Father Lin said with a nod.

Everyone was excited—none of them had ever had hotpot before.

Back at the house, they all washed up quickly. A dozen or so people sat around the table.

The hotpot was already bubbling away, filled with all kinds of ingredients. The rich aroma filled the room, making everyone’s mouths water.

Lin Heng picked up some enoki mushrooms with his chopsticks and smiled. “Dig in—it’s ready.”

“Okay!”

Everyone finally started eating. Lin Heng had made all the dipping sauces for them since it was their first time and they didn’t know how to make their own.

After a few bites, everyone started nodding in approval.

“This is delicious. Hotpot is amazing!”

“These mushrooms smell incredible—better than anything my mom or grandma ever made,” Lin Wei praised.

He was a little too honest, earning a glare from both Liu Juan and Mother Lin, which sent everyone into fits of laughter.

“This is such a treat,” Lin Heng’s Third Uncle, Lin Xutao, said with a shake of his head. He’d never imagined hotpot could be this delicious—he used to not quite get the appeal.

“This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten,” Lin Heng’s uncle-in-law, Li Baiquan, said after taking a bite of the simmered cured pork. He’d been thoroughly enjoying his stay at Lin Heng’s place these past few days.

Lin Heng laughed heartily. “We’ve prepared plenty of food today, so eat to your heart’s content!”

They were drinking huangjiu again—low in alcohol, fragrant and sweet, and a big hit with everyone.

With wine flowing and hotpot bubbling, the room was filled with laughter and cheer.

The kids had the weakest stamina. After eating for a bit, they ran off to play in the yard, doing somersaults and playing hide-and-seek. When they got hungry again, they’d come back for a few more bites.

The women didn’t hold up much better. It was the men who really powered through—eight jin of enoki mushrooms were wiped out, and the combined twenty jin of vegetables and meat were nearly all gone.

They started eating at four-thirty and didn’t stop until after six when it was already dark. You could say they went at it with gusto.

This fresh new way of eating—hotpot—won unanimous praise from everyone.

Lin Heng felt like the only thing missing was some beer, or maybe Coke and Sprite. A cold beer would’ve been the perfect pairing.

After the meal, everyone left with satisfied smiles. Liu Juan and Caiyun stayed behind to help clean up the dishes.

Once the guests had all gone, Lin Heng took Xiao Xia for a walk around the courtyard to digest and do a little stargazing.

Sharing a lively meal with family and friends was its own kind of joy. These slow, easy moments made life feel especially cozy.

After a while in the chilly night air, Xiulan pulled Lin Heng back inside, worried he might catch a cold.

“Have a few hawthorns—they help with digestion,” Xiulan said, handing him a few freshly washed fruits.

They were from his Third Uncle, who had a big hawthorn tree in his yard.

“Alright.” Lin Heng ate five of them. The sweet-and-sour taste was pretty good. He even fed half of one to Xiao Xia.

Even though she’d mostly eaten vegetables, Lin Heng still worried about her digestion.

These days, getting sick wasn’t easy to deal with, so he always took extra precautions—prevention first.

After the hawthorns, Lin Heng let Xiao Xia play for a bit while he went to take a shower.

Hotpot was delicious, but it left a lingering smell. He needed a good scrub.

Once he was done, he went to coax Xiao Xia to sleep.

After she finally dozed off, Xiulan came out of the bathroom, freshly washed.

“Get in here and warm me up,” Xiulan said, pointing to the bed, a piece of cool mint-flavored White Rabbit candy still in her mouth.

“I’ve got a way to make sure you’re not cold—might even make you hot.”

Lin Heng chuckled mischievously, scooped her up, and dove under the covers.

“Aiya…”

Xiulan let out a soft cry before Lin Heng silenced her with a kiss, savoring the cool, minty taste of the White Rabbit candy.

While he was at it, he also unwrapped a snowy-white bundle that one person couldn’t handle alone, and spent the next half hour working his core muscles—warming Xiulan up with a solid dose of thirty-seven-degree body heat in the cold winter night.

“Still cold?” Lin Heng asked, grinning at the wife nestled in his arms.

“You rascal~”

Xiulan whispered, snuggling close to him, not the least bit inclined to push him away. She was simply too happy.

“Haha!”

Lin Heng laughed with joy. He and Xiulan put their clothes back on and went to bring Xiao Xia into bed with them. The three of them cuddled together to sleep.

Mainly, it was getting colder, and he was worried she wouldn’t stay warm enough on her own.

Even so, the three of them still felt a bit chilly that night and ended up huddling even closer together.

The next morning, as soon as the sky brightened, Lin Heng woke up and went to open the window. He suspected it might have snowed.

The moment he opened it, a gust of cold wind rushed in. Looking out, he saw the ground covered in a thin layer of snow—about two to three centimeters thick.

“Xiulan, it really snowed,” Lin Heng said with a smile.

The first snowfall of the winter of ’83 had arrived quietly. But the sky wasn’t dropping any more flakes, so it would probably melt once the sun came out.

“It’s so beautiful,” Xiulan said, gazing out the window. The snowy scene was absolutely enchanting.

“Snow!” Xiao Xia cheered, full of wonder at the white world outside.

Lin Heng shut the window and crawled back under the covers. “I’m heading into town today to check if the fireplace I ordered from the city has arrived.”

The weather was getting colder by the day, and without a fireplace, the nights were becoming hard to bear.

(End of Chapter)