Chapter 180: Sixteen Ponds Completed

Lin Heng walked into the front yard and called out, “Who is it?”

“Second Brother, it’s me,” came a woman’s voice from outside.

He recognized the voice immediately—it was Caiyun. Opening the door, he asked curiously, “What’s up?”

Caiyun stepped into the yard, huddling against the cold. “Mom and Dad asked me to tell you guys to come over for dinner. Mom’s already cooking.”

“Alright, you go pick up Xiao Xia. I’ll head over first,” Lin Heng said with a sigh. Truth be told, he wasn’t too keen on eating at his parents’ place. His mom’s cooking just didn’t compare to Xiulan’s.

“Okay,” Caiyun nodded and went inside.

Lin Heng made his way to the old house. The wind outside was biting cold, making him shiver all over. He hurried into the house, where his mother was busy in the kitchen.

He saw her soaking fern root noodles and immediately asked, “Mom, how are you planning to cook those?”

“Spicy stir-fry, of course. How else would you eat them?” Mother Lin replied as if it were obvious.

Lin Heng wasn’t surprised. His mom couldn’t cook a dish without reaching for the pickled chili jar—a habit born from the hard times they’d endured.

“I’ll make it for you. Do we still have onions and wood ear mushrooms in the house?” Lin Heng asked, looking at her.

Mother Lin widened her eyes in disbelief. “You can cook? Don’t embarrass yourself. Go sit in the main room and warm up by the fire while you wait for dinner.”

Lin Heng rolled his eyes. “Mom, that’s just arrogance. Once you taste what I make, you’ll be begging me to teach you.”

Mother Lin let out a cold chuckle. “I’d like to see what kind of masterpiece you can whip up.”

With that, she went to fetch onions and wood ear mushrooms, then stood by to watch.

Lin Heng poured out some of the water from the pot and added the soaked fern root noodles to boil. Once they were nearly done, he tossed in the wood ear mushrooms. After cooking, he scooped everything out and plunged it into icy water to firm up the texture.

After cooling and draining, he transferred it all into a small basin. He added shredded onions, chopped chili peppers, minced garlic, a bit of salt, sugar, soy sauce, and MSG. Then he poured hot oil over it all, finishing with aged vinegar and fresh cilantro. Just like that, the onion and wood ear mushroom fern noodle salad was done.

Technically, the ingredients could’ve been served separately, but Lin Heng didn’t feel like dirtying another dish, so he just used one small basin.

Mother Lin watched the whole process with a puzzled expression, especially when he added sugar—she shook her head like it was the end of the world, her face full of disdain.

Lin Heng looked at her and said, “It’s done. Try it, Mom.”

“This can’t possibly taste good,” she muttered, clearly skeptical.

Still, she decided to give her son a chance. Picking up some with her chopsticks, she took a bite, frowning.

After two mouthfuls, her brows relaxed, and a look of surprise slowly spread across her face.

“Not bad, right?” Lin Heng grinned.

Mother Lin snorted lightly. “It’s alright. You’ve got some skills.”

Lin Heng shrugged and ran off. From a distance, he saw his mom sneak in two more bites, clearly baffled by how good it tasted.

To be fair, her cooking wasn’t bad—she just hadn’t been exposed to real culinary techniques. In the village, her skills were already considered top-tier.

Xiulan was a bit better because she had once worked under a restaurant chef and picked up a few tricks.

As for Lin Heng, he relied purely on the wealth of knowledge shared online during the internet era. Back then, countless master chefs posted tutorials for views. Unlike now, when everyone guards their secrets like treasure, learning to cook required little more than curiosity and a smartphone.

In the main room, Xiulan was warming up by the fire with their daughter in her arms. Father Lin and the eldest brother were playing cards—Hearts.

Today, Lin Heng’s uncle-in-law and Li Shiwei had gone back to work on the electrical wiring, so only the Lin family was home.

“Little bro, come play Hearts!” Lin Yue called out with a smile.

“I’ll pass. Dinner’s probably almost ready,” Lin Heng replied, shaking his head and sitting beside Xiulan to watch them play.

They weren’t playing for money—just for fun. It was the first day with electricity, and everyone was a little giddy.

Lin Heng took the opportunity to explain some basic electrical safety to the family, just in case.

By 7 p.m., Mother Lin brought the dishes to the table.

As soon as everyone tasted the onion and wood ear fern noodle salad, they couldn’t stop praising it. The tangy, spicy flavor was refreshing, and the sharpness of the onion added a unique kick that chili peppers couldn’t match.

The texture was perfect—chewy and springy—and the flavor was unlike anything they’d had before.

“Hongmei, where’d you learn to make this? It’s delicious!” Father Lin asked, curious.

Liu Juan chimed in, “Yeah, Mom, this is amazing. How did you make it? I want to learn too!”

Even the kids like Lin Wei couldn’t stop eating, their chopsticks flying toward the dish.

They didn’t say much, but their actions spoke volumes.

Xiulan took a bite and glanced at Lin Heng. She figured he was the one who made it. He hadn’t been bluffing—this cold fern noodle salad was so good even she was hooked.

Mother Lin shot Lin Heng a look, then turned to the others and said, “I came up with it myself. If you like it, eat more.”

“Wow, Mom, your cooking is amazing!” Lin Heng said with a grin, picking up another bite of the salad.

He found it amusing how his mom took the credit, but he didn’t mind—as long as the food was good.

“You’re incredible, Mom!”

“You could be a chef with skills like this!”

The family’s praise made Mother Lin a little embarrassed.

She hadn’t expected Lin Heng’s seemingly random dish to taste this good.

Truth be told, Lin Heng wasn’t some master chef. He just really liked to eat and had experimented with this dish many times in his past life.

Dinner was full of laughter and warmth. With electric lights, life suddenly felt different.

After the meal, back in their room, Xiulan asked curiously, “That cold fern noodle salad—you made it, didn’t you?”

“Yep. At first, Mom thought I was wasting food,” Lin Heng chuckled.

“I really liked it. Can you teach me how to make it tomorrow?” Xiulan asked, blinking at him.

Lin Heng gave her a mischievous grin. “Sure, but there’s a tuition fee.”

Xiulan rolled her eyes. “Tuition fee, my foot. Forget it then.”

She walked over to the fireplace, poured out some hot water, and washed Xiao Xia’s hands and face. Lin Heng took Xiao Xia out to pee, changed her diaper, and rocked her to sleep.

They’d been trying to teach her not to wet the bed and to let them know when she needed to go, but she still had accidents now and then.

Washing diapers in the dead of winter was no joke. Xiulan usually handled that, and it was definitely tougher than putting a toddler to sleep.

With the lights on, Xiao Xia was extra energetic tonight. She played for half an hour before finally falling asleep.

“Wanna take a bath, honey?” Lin Heng suggested.

“There’s not enough hot water. How would we even do that?” Xiulan gave him a look.

“I’ve had this planned for a while—just waiting for the power to come on.” Lin Heng grinned.

He dragged the bath barrel in front of the fireplace, fetched two buckets of cold water, and poured them in. Then he pulled out the electric water heater he’d bought earlier, plugged it in, and dropped it in.

“This thing can heat water?” Xiulan asked, intrigued.

Lin Heng nodded. “Yep, it’s called a ‘hot stick.’ Just plug it in and it heats the water. But make sure not to touch the water before unplugging it—it can shock you.”

He made sure to explain the safety precautions thoroughly. No way was he going to risk an accident.

“Got it,” Xiulan said, sipping water as she watched.

In about half an hour, the water was steaming hot. Lin Heng unplugged the heater, added some cold water to adjust the temperature, and the bath was ready.

“Electricity really is convenient,” Xiulan marveled. “If we had to heat water with firewood, it’d be a huge hassle.”

But with this magical little device, it was done in no time. Incredible.

“Of course. Now come on, let’s take a bath,” Lin Heng said with a grin.

Xiulan turned off the light, tied up her hair, and slipped out of her clothes. She climbed into the tub with Lin Heng.

“This feels amazing~” Xiulan sighed, resting her head on the edge of the tub.

The bedroom was warm, and the bath was heavenly. Pure bliss.

Lin Heng was enjoying it even more—not only did he get to soak in the bath, he also got to watch his wife undress and even help her wash. It was like a dream come true.

As they soaked, Xiulan leaned against him and pinched his cheek. “Still want me to pay tuition?”

“No, no tuition,” Lin Heng said, practically melting from comfort. Her skin was soft and fair—he was in heaven.

“Good,” Xiulan said with a satisfied nod, releasing his face.

They soaked for forty minutes until the water cooled, then dried off and went to bed.

After a hot bath, falling asleep was pure comfort.

The two of them snuggled close and drifted off into a peaceful dream.

When Lin Heng woke up in the morning, he went to the bathroom, tossed a few more logs into the fireplace, then slipped back under the covers and pulled his already-awake wife into his arms to warm her up.

Xiulan looked at him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and dozed off again for a while.

After getting up, Xiulan started making breakfast. Lin Heng took Xiao Xia and, while watching the child, did a quick tally of yesterday’s earnings.

Most of the villagers had bought light bulbs, switches, and wiring from him. Aside from five households who were buying on credit for now, everyone else paid cash on the spot.

Even though his prices were a bit lower than the town’s stores, Lin Heng still made 158 yuan in profit. He earned about one yuan per household. There wasn’t much profit in the bulbs and switches; the wiring had a bit more margin.

Originally, he could’ve made one or two yuan per household, but he gave Tian Dongfu some face and cut him a deal, shaving off a bit of the profit.

After calculating everything, Lin Heng didn’t keep the money for himself—he handed it all to Xiulan. As for the leftover wires, bulbs, and switches in the house, he planned to use them later at Red Maple Mountain. He couldn’t be bothered hauling them back to town.

After breakfast, Lin Heng headed off to Red Maple Mountain to take care of some business.

Today, the electricians from the Electricity Management Station were enough to handle wiring and electrification for the households on the mountain, so he didn’t need to go.

There were now twelve fish ponds completed at Red Maple Mountain. Aside from the two mu of land reserved for building houses, there was room for four more ponds.

They were able to build four more because after leveling the land, the total area increased. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have had enough space.

The workers who came today were a bit anxious—there wasn’t much work left, and they were worried about being laid off.

Lin Heng looked at them and said, “There are only four fish ponds left. We’ll split into groups of twenty to dig them. The other twenty will come with me to level the land up top.”

Hearing that, everyone visibly relaxed. As long as they weren’t getting laid off, they were happy—work meant income.

Lin Heng’s thinking was that with the weather getting colder, they needed to finish digging the ponds quickly. Otherwise, the ground would freeze and become unworkable. More hands meant faster progress.

As for the warehouse, that would have to wait until spring. Lately, the weather had been so cold that water was freezing over, and it was only going to get colder.

This kind of weather wasn’t suitable for building houses anymore. The water in the cement would freeze before it could set.

They’d already cut the timber for the houses, and the next two months would be perfect for letting it dry.

After assigning the tasks, Lin Heng led twenty people to a spot that wouldn’t pollute the water source or the fish ponds, and began leveling the land there in preparation for raising forest musk deer in the future.

With twenty people per pond, Lin Heng figured the job would be done in less than ten days.

Father Lin and his older brother weren’t on the mountain today. Lin Heng had assigned them to use chainsaws to cut more large trees, which would be suspended to air-dry over the winter and used for building in the spring.

While the others worked, Lin Heng boiled some hot water and went down to the stream to take a look.

The stream was covered in ice, especially in spots where the sun didn’t reach—those were completely frozen over.

After walking for a bit, Lin Heng felt frozen to the bone and ran back down the mountain to help with the manual labor.

In just three days, the fish ponds were being dug even faster than he’d expected. Twenty people had already finished half the work in that time.

On the 12th, Lin Heng dressed in a smart outfit and went to town with Tian Dongfu to attend a commendation ceremony, complete with a big red flower on his chest.

As the youngest Ten-Thousand-Yuan Household in Huangtan Town, Lin Heng had not only made a fortune for himself, but was also contributing to the development of his hometown and helping lead the villagers to prosperity. He was being held up as a model citizen.

He was even interviewed by a reporter. Lin Heng handled it with poise and grace—it was hard to believe he was just a young man from the countryside.

Compared to some of the other speeches that day, Lin Heng’s performance was a clear standout. Not only did the reporters remember him, even the local officials took note.

On the way back to the village, Tian Dongfu couldn’t help but ask, “Did you prepare that speech ahead of time? It was so well said—so eloquent!”

Lin Heng nodded. “Of course. I prepared for a long time. This kind of thing is pretty important, after all.”

In truth, he’d just dug into his memory the night before and pulled out some stock phrases. His head was full of that kind of ceremonial talk.

“You really made our Village Head proud. Even the Party Secretary from town noticed you,” Tian Dongfu said, giving him a thumbs-up.

“Haha, I like reading in my spare time,” Lin Heng replied casually, not taking it too seriously.

After the ceremony in town, Tian Dongfu even used a loudspeaker to announce Lin Heng’s achievement to the whole village.

The Lin family was ecstatic, but Lin Heng remained calm and went straight back to Red Maple Mountain.

On the morning of the 15th, the fish ponds were finally completed. In the afternoon, Lin Heng had some of the workers spread quicklime to disinfect the ponds.

He sent another group up the mountain to help chop firewood and carry it back down.

In just half a day, they had stacked enough firewood outside Lin Heng’s backyard to last more than half the winter.

“Alright, everyone come collect your wages tomorrow. That wraps up the work on the site. Thank you all,” Lin Heng said with a smile as evening fell.

“Thank you, Boss Lin!!”

The moment they heard that, the workers couldn’t contain their excitement. They’d been working for nearly two months, and they’d been waiting for this payday.

That night, Lin Heng flipped through the work ledger. This had been a long project—60 people had worked 48 days, and another 40 had worked 21 days.

On top of that, there were his father, older brother, third uncle, uncle-in-law, Lin Hai, and Li Shiwei—six more people.

Then there were the bonuses for the team leaders. In total, he needed to pay out 3,300 yuan in wages.

It was a staggering amount. If the fish ponds didn’t turn a profit, it would be a massive loss.

“We’re really paying out all this money in wages?” Xiulan looked at the sack of cash, stunned.

Since the largest denomination was ten yuan, three thousand yuan made for quite the pile. Lin Heng had to bring thirty people with him just to withdraw it all—it was that much.

“Yeah, it’s a lot. Once we hand this out, we’ll only have 4,100 yuan left in the bank,” Lin Heng said, nodding thoughtfully. Then he smiled and added, “But it’s money well spent. It’s all part of setting up to make even more.”

(End of Chapter)