Chapter 174: Taking the Female Musk Deer Up the Mountain

Because of the snowfall, none of the three went back to sleep. They got dressed and opened the back door.

A cold wind rushed in, and everything outside was blanketed in white. It was like that line from the poem: “Suddenly, like a spring breeze in the night, thousands of pear trees bloom in white.”

“Hehe~”

Xiao Xia giggled as she reached out to scoop up some snow from the steps. Lin Heng and Xiulan hadn’t played in the snow for ages either, so they each grabbed a handful. Lin Heng, quick as ever, tossed a snowball right down his wife’s collar.

“Ah! You’re dead meat!!”

Xiulan let out a sharp scream and started chasing and hitting Lin Heng.

“Get him!!”

Seeing the two of them goofing around, Xiao Xia stumbled over with a snowball of her own and joined the attack.

It didn’t take long before Lin Heng was cornered against a wall by Xiulan, who gave him a good snow rubbing and even shoved her icy hands under his clothes.

But Lin Heng wasn’t one to back down—he shoved his own freezing hands into her clothes too.

“Ahhh!!”

Xiulan shrieked again from the cold, then angrily pulled Xiao Xia over to help her ice Lin Heng.

With one hand icing him and the other pinching his cheeks, Xiulan puffed up her cheeks and said, “Still dare to mess with me?”

Xiao Xia mimicked her mother’s tone in her milky voice, “Still dare to mess with me?”

“I was wrong… but I’ll still do it next time!”

Lin Heng chuckled as he broke free, then scooped up Xiao Xia and spun her around in the air—a little payback for this cheeky little traitor.

“Hehe~”

But whether it was spinning or icing, her face was all smiles.

“Alright, be careful not to catch a cold. Let’s head back in,” Xiulan reminded them.

“Okay.”

Lin Heng nodded. They’d had their fun, but staying out too long in the cold really could make them sick.

Xiulan poured hot water from the electric kettle to wash up, while Lin Heng got the fire going in the heating room and hung up a kettle to boil water.

Snow was fun, but it really did chill you to the bone. Even with their cotton-padded clothes, the three of them were starting to feel it.

Once they were warmed up, the couple took Xiao Xia to the kitchen to cook. They didn’t dare leave her alone by the stove.

There weren’t any vegetables left from last night, but there was plenty of leftover rice. Xiulan chopped up some preserved sausage and cracked two eggs to make a fragrant pot of egg fried rice.

“Smells amazing!”

Lin Heng dug in with big mouthfuls. He added a bit of garlic sprouts at the end, which elevated the flavor to a whole new level—it was like the dish had found its soul.

Xiao Xia held a wooden spoon and tried to eat by herself, though she barely got anything in her mouth. After Lin Heng finished eating, he came over to feed her.

After breakfast, Lin Heng didn’t head to Red Maple Mountain. Instead, he grabbed a ladder and went to check on the beehives in the backyard.

Climbing up and opening the hive, he saw the bees huddled together in a tight cluster, barely moving in the morning cold.

He hadn’t done much with the bees since he got them, but their soothing buzzing had become a familiar background sound.

Now, looking inside, he saw that these hardworking little creatures had already taken over half of the oversized hive. There were six brood combs and four honeycombs.

The colony had grown three to four times in size—probably around twenty thousand bees now.

“Xiulan, there are four honeycombs now. Should we harvest some honey?” Lin Heng asked.

Xiulan glanced at the hive and shook her head. “We still have plenty of honey in the house, and there’s still room in the hive. Let’s leave it for them to get through the winter.”

“Alright, we’ll wait till spring then.”

Lin Heng nodded. He did want to taste some honey from his own bees, though. He broke off a tiny piece and popped it in his mouth—sweet, with a rich floral aroma.

These days, hardly anyone used pesticides anymore, so the honey was as pure as it could get.

He closed the hive back up and had Xiulan bring over two straw mats to wrap around the hive for insulation.

“This musk deer is really loud,” Xiulan complained.

Lin Heng sighed. The female musk deer had indeed been noisy the past couple of days, especially in the early mornings and evenings.

Carrying a piece of honey down from the ladder, he fed it to Xiulan and their daughter. “How about I take her into the forest today and give it a shot?”

He had already discussed the idea of using the female musk deer to lure in a male with Xiulan the day before.

Xiulan puffed up her cheeks and nodded. “I think you should go today. If she finishes her heat cycle and stops calling, your plan’s shot. As for fixing the fireplace and plastering the walls, that can wait a few days.”

Lin Heng thought it over and agreed. “You’re right. I’ll go today.”

After checking on the musk deer in the back mountain, Lin Heng went to find his older brother and Li Shiwei to see if either of them wanted to join him in the forest.

Father Lin slurped his noodles and looked at the three of them. “Why don’t all three of you go? You can dig up some kudzu and wild yams while you’re at it.”

Li Baiquan nodded. “Yeah, going together works.”

“Alright then. Eat up, and we’ll head out right after,” Lin Heng said with a nod.

He headed home and tried feeding the female musk deer some grass, but she wasn’t interested. She just kept calling out nonstop.

“Fine, don’t eat. We’ll just go.”

He brought her out and swapped the rope around her neck for a sturdier brown one. He also tied a thin rope around her legs to act as shackles—enough to let her walk but not run.

Precautions were a must—he didn’t want to lose both the deer and the opportunity.

“I should’ve thought of this earlier and put a nose ring on her,” Lin Heng muttered, looking at the little creature.

These ropes could still break free. A nose ring, like with cattle, would’ve been foolproof.

Xiulan rolled her eyes. “You’re being way too cautious. She’s not going anywhere.”

“Haha, true.” Lin Heng laughed, placed the musk deer into a basket, and covered the top with some branches.

The deer had originally only weighed about fifteen pounds, but after half a year of Xiulan’s careful care, she was now over twenty pounds—plump and healthy, the perfect time for breeding.

After saying a few words to Xiulan, Lin Heng slung the basket on his back, grabbed his bow and arrows, and took Xiong Ba with him. He met up with his older brother and Li Shiwei, and the three of them set off for Gateng Gully.

“Look, a tractor!” Li Shiwei pointed toward the road.

Lin Heng turned to look and saw the tractor hauling black wooden poles. He immediately understood. “Those are for power lines. Looks like we’re getting electricity soon.”

Cement poles were still rare in this era. Rural areas mostly used these black wooden poles treated with tar. They were highly resistant to rot and could last thirty to forty years.

“Having electricity will be great. Right now, it’s pitch black by six in the evening and not light again until six in the morning—it’s impossible to sleep well,” Lin Yue said with a grin.

“Yeah, once we’ve got power, we can play cards at night and eat dinner later,” Li Shiwei agreed.

As they chatted and walked, they soon ran into Tian Dongfu and Zhao Xiancheng coming from the opposite direction.

“Uncle Tian, Uncle Zhao,” Lin Heng greeted them with a nod.

Tian Dongfu said, “Lin Heng, I was just about to come find you. You heading up the mountain?”

Lin Heng nodded. “Yeah, taking the female musk deer I caught to try and mate her.”

“Then wait a sec. Come with us—we’ve got something to discuss,” Tian Dongfu said, clapping him on the shoulder.

“Alright.” Lin Heng handed the musk deer to his older brother and followed them to the side.

Tian Dongfu looked at him and said, “We’ve got two things. First, the Electricity Management Station will be here on the 8th to install the power lines. They’ll only bring the wires up to the front door. Everything inside—wiring, bulbs, switches—has to be bought by the villagers themselves.

So here’s what I’m thinking: why don’t you stock up a batch for the village? Sell it at a reasonable price. We’re not saying you can’t make a profit—just keep it modest. With over 200 households, you’ll still make a good bit. What do you think?”

Lin Heng had already considered this and was planning to do it. With over 200 homes, he could easily make a hundred or two yuan.

After thinking it over, he decided to give Uncle Tian some face. “Alright, Uncle Tian. I’ll take care of it.”

Losing a few dozen yuan wasn’t a big deal. Earning a good reputation was worth more.

Tian Dongfu grinned, clearly pleased with Lin Heng’s response. Then he looked over at Zhao Xiancheng.

Zhao Xiancheng patted Lin Heng on the shoulder. “On the 12th, you’ll need to come with us to town. There’s a commendation ceremony, and you’ll be part of it. It’s for the Ten-Thousand-Yuan Household campaign we mentioned before.”

Lin Heng nodded. “Alright, got it.”

Tian Dongfu smiled. “Good, that’s all for now. Go take care of your stuff.”

Lin Heng said a quick goodbye and turned to leave.

“Let’s go,” he said to his older brother and Li Shiwei.

Li Shiwei looked curious. “What’s going on?”

As they walked, Lin Heng replied, “Nothing major. They want me to attend some commendation ceremony for the Ten-Thousand-Yuan Household. While I’m at it, I’ll bring back a batch of cheaper light bulbs, wires, and lamps for the village.”

Lin Yue’s eyes widened in shock. “Damn, you’re about to be on the newspaper and become a local celebrity!”

Back in those days, getting featured in a newspaper was a big deal, and being officially commended was an even greater honor.

Lin Heng waved it off. “It’s not as big a deal as you think.”

Li Shiwei looked at him with envy. “Still, that’s something to be proud of. If I ever got commended like that, my wife would never dare boss me around again.”

Lin Heng grinned. “No need for that. Xiulan’s already the picture of a good wife.”

Li Shiwei nearly ground his molars to dust. He really wanted to give Lin Heng a good smack or two.

The three of them chatted and laughed as they made their way to Gateng Gully. It was a long way off, taking them over two hours on foot.

As they entered the gully and headed uphill, they didn’t hear any calls from the male musk deer. Instead, the female musk deer in Lin Heng’s basket wouldn’t stop calling out.

About halfway up, Li Shiwei pointed to the top of a shrub. “Look at that—huge wild yam pods!”

These pods were the seed casings of female wild yams, easily identifiable by their pale gray color. The male plants, in contrast, had black, fluffy seed clusters.

Lin Yue nodded. “Yeah, they’re pretty big. Let’s go dig them up. You go look for that male musk deer.”

Lin Heng nodded and agreed. He took Xiong Ba with him and continued searching. On a ridge in the forest, he spotted fresh musk deer droppings.

On a small ten-square-meter platform, Lin Heng set down the female musk deer and muttered to himself, “Alright, I’ll leave you here.”

He let the female keep calling out, then went around setting up several King Yama’s Noose Traps along the likely paths the male would take. These traps were meant for both the male and, if necessary, to recapture his own female.

Once everything was in place, he let the female out and took up a hiding spot nearby.

He was confident that as long as the male hadn’t mated yet, he’d be drawn in. After all, his female was well-fed, sleek, and shiny—definitely a beauty among musk deer.

He returned to the gully to keep watch, mainly to prevent any hunters from firing shots and ruining everything.

No matter who it was, he’d have to talk them down. He couldn’t afford any disruptions. If the mating succeeded, it would mark a solid start to his musk deer breeding endeavor.

After a short rest, Lin Heng and Xiong Ba went back down to find his brother. They had already dug up the yam—a massive one, a meter long and as thick as an arm.

“Impressive,” Lin Heng said, genuinely admiring their work. He always ended up breaking them when he tried to dig yams himself.

Lin Yue grinned. “This one’s a beast—probably weighs seven or eight jin.”

“Nice,” Lin Heng chuckled. He stood by, keeping an eye out for any golden needle mushrooms or oyster mushrooms.

As for the musk deer, he wasn’t worried. If the male showed up, it would definitely respond to the female’s calls, and he’d hear it.

There was no snowfall during the day, and around noon the sun came out, melting the snow. But the temperature dropped even further. The gully was still filled with translucent icicles.

With the wind howling through the mountains, it was bone-chilling. Their cotton-padded jackets might as well have been paper. They were all shivering.

The only way to stay warm was to keep moving—digging yams or foraging for mushrooms.

Lin Heng wandered through the forest, knowing golden needle mushrooms thrived in the snow. After a long search, he managed to gather over ten jin. He didn’t find many oyster mushrooms, though.

For lunch, they just had some cornbread and stir-fried soybeans—nothing fancy. The trip had been decided last minute, so they hadn’t packed proper food.

By the afternoon, Li Shiwei and Lin Yue were exhausted after two more hours of digging. The meager lunch hadn’t helped.

Lin Yue pointed to his basket. “Not bad for today. We’ve got twenty jin of yams and over a hundred and fifty jin of kudzu root.”

Lin Heng gave him a thumbs-up. His big brother had always been dependable, a real workhorse who could handle anything on the farm.

It was a shame he’d spent his life on the wrong path—working hard but never getting rich. Lin Heng believed that if his brother had started a small business, with his steady nature, he’d definitely have made it big.

But it didn’t matter anymore. With Lin Heng leading the way, he’d make sure his brother became a millionaire.

Li Shiwei looked at Lin Heng. “What time is it? Is this plan of yours failing? It’s been a whole day, and only your female musk deer’s been calling.”

Lin Heng checked his watch. “It’s only five. Whether it works or not, we’ll know by nightfall.”

Musk deer were most active at dawn and dusk. He wasn’t in a rush.

“Then we wait,” Lin Yue said.

They found a wind-sheltered cave, built a fire, and huddled around it to keep warm. Without it, they wouldn’t have lasted in the freezing cold.

They waited until 5:30. The sky was darkening, and still no sign of the male. Lin Heng was starting to doubt everything. Could the male really be that smart?

Or had it already found a mate and wasn’t interested in his female?

Li Shiwei, getting impatient, asked, “Still waiting?”

“Yeah, we’ve waited all day—what’s another hour?” Lin Heng replied.

By 6:10, the sky was black and the wind howled through the mountains.

Lin Heng shook his head. “Looks like it’s a bust. That bastard probably found another female.”

Lin Yue looked at him. “Want the three of us to go up together?”

“No need. I’ll go alone. Might even bag some game while I’m at it.”

Lin Heng shook his head, patted the fire-warmed Xiong Ba, and stood up to head back up the mountain.

He wasn’t feeling too hopeful. Halfway up, the female musk deer suddenly stopped calling. Lin Heng froze. “Shit… don’t tell me she escaped?”

If he lost both the bait and the chance, he’d be spitting blood.

But then he thought—no way. The rope was sturdy, and there were no rocks nearby to rub it against.

Then a thought struck him—what if the male had snuck in without making a sound?

“Yeah… that’s totally possible.”

His heart settled. He slowed his pace and called Xiong Ba back to heel, making sure he didn’t run off.

As they neared the ridge where the traps were set, Lin Heng readied his compound bow and nocked a hunting arrow, creeping forward silently.

The melted snow had soaked the leaves, making them soft and quiet underfoot—perfect for stealth.

He moved ahead carefully and soon reached a spot where he could see the platform. One glance, and he held his breath.

There it was—a male musk deer, right on top of the female. It had already finished once, sniffed around, and was starting again.

Lin Heng waited patiently, not daring to interrupt. Best to let them finish.

He ended up watching his own little nature documentary for over ten minutes. The male went at it three or four times before finally finishing.

Afterward, Lin Heng saw it walking along the path by the edge of the platform—the very path where he’d set two King Yama’s Noose Traps.

His breath caught again. If it stepped into one, he’d have a live male musk deer.

How could he not be excited? That was 1,500 yuan on legs.

His Procurement Station barely made that much in a year. One deer could match that. And if it was alive, it meant a steady 1,500 yuan every year.

“Awooo!!”

Just as Lin Heng was buzzing with excitement, a loud cry echoed through the forest, and branches started shaking violently.

Lin Heng punched the ground in triumph and let out a low laugh. “Hahaha! Gotcha! You really fell for it! My 1,500 yuan is here!”

After his little celebration, he grabbed Xiong Ba, who was about to charge. “Don’t you dare bite it to death. You kill it, and you’re dead meat.”

“Awwooo~”

Xiong Ba let out a pitiful whine.

Then man and dog crept forward together.

When they were within fifty meters, the male musk deer spotted them and began struggling even harder.

Lin Heng pinned Xiong Ba down and lunged forward, wrapping his arms around the animal with a burst of wild laughter. “Hahaha! Gotcha! Gotcha!”

He looked like some creepy brute, clinging madly to the male forest musk deer’s neck, rubbing up against it like a lunatic.

“Awooo! Awooo!”

The deer let out a pitiful cry. It didn’t stand a chance. Weighing barely eighteen or nineteen pounds, how could it possibly fight off a full-grown human?

“Hahaha, I knew you’d fall for the honey trap. But don’t worry, I’m not gonna kill you.”

Lin Heng chuckled slyly as he pulled a rope from his waist and tied the deer up tight, legs and all—classic hogtie style.

Only after securing it thoroughly did he loosen his grip, then carried it over and stuffed it into a basket. He sealed the top with a wooden stick.

To keep it from getting too stressed, Lin Heng blindfolded the deer. Once he saw it gradually calming down inside the basket, he finally relaxed.

Still, he couldn’t contain the excitement bubbling in his chest. A live forest musk deer, caught just like that—by him!

Then again, it made sense. The poor thing probably never imagined a human would be devious enough to use a trick like that on a deer.

(End of Chapter)