Chapter 182: The Hog Badger Has to Eat Something

“What is it, big bother?”

Lin Heng paused, then asked in a low voice.

Lin Yue shone his flashlight between two Chinese fir trees and said, “Little bother, look between those two trees.”

Following the beam of light, Lin Heng finally spotted their prey.

There were four Bamboo Partridges resting among the interwoven branches of several fir trees. If you weren’t looking from directly below, they were nearly impossible to spot.

Lin Heng shook his head and muttered, “Are these guys scared of the cold or just traumatized from being hunted? Hiding in a place like that…”

Lin Yue whispered, “You take the shot. Get as many as you can.”

“Alright.”

Lin Heng tried several angles, hoping to shoot multiple birds with a single arrow, but the dense green branches blocked every path. In the end, he had to settle for the direction with the fewest branches and loosed an arrow.

With a sharp whoosh, the arrow sliced through the leaves. Two of the Bamboo Partridges fluttered away in alarm and landed on nearby branches.

Lin Heng grinned and motioned for his brother to pick up the two that had fallen. Then he quickly nocked two more arrows and took down the remaining birds in rapid succession.

“That’s enough—two each for both of us. Good thing you spotted them, or we’d have gone home empty-handed tonight,” Lin Heng laughed as he gathered the birds.

He realized that using a bow had a distinct advantage when hunting Bamboo Partridges. While it was hard to take down multiple birds in one shot, the quietness of the weapon meant the others wouldn’t be startled too far, giving him a chance to pick them off one by one.

“Nice,” Lin Yue said, taking two of the birds without hesitation.

The brothers walked back along the riverbank path. The flashlight beam lit up the water, where a few stone loaches could be seen barely moving in the cold. Occasionally, two yellow catfish flicked by.

If it were summer, Lin Heng might’ve been tempted to catch a few, but in this freezing winter, he didn’t even want to touch the water. The chill in the air already made his limbs feel numb.

Back home, Lin Heng rushed into the bedroom to warm up.

Xiulan took his hands in hers and said, “It’s freezing out there.”

Xiao Xia, seeing her mom’s actions, ran over to warm her dad’s hands too, babbling away like a little chatterbox.

Feeling the soft warmth of his wife and daughter’s hands, Lin Heng was in high spirits. “Good thing I got two Bamboo Partridges. The trip wasn’t a waste.”

“Impressive,” Xiulan praised.

Then she brought over the food she had kept warm on the fireplace. “I made crispy pork flatbreads, and the soup is a green veggie and mushroom broth your sister-in-law gave us.”

“Aren’t you two eating?” Lin Heng asked, adjusting Xiao Xia in his arms.

“We already ate,” Xiulan replied with a shake of her head.

“I’ll eat, Daddy,” Xiao Xia piped up in her sweet little voice.

“Alright, you eat.” Lin Heng fed her a bite, but after one mouthful, she was done.

Lin Heng dug in with gusto. The crispy pork flatbreads were delicious—he devoured five in one go before stopping. After finishing the soup, his belly was warm and full, and he felt like taking a nap.

But Xiao Xia was already tugging at him for a story. Her favorite part of the day was when Lin Heng told her bedtime stories or played with her toys.

He first played with her for a bit, solving a Lu Ban Lock puzzle, then told her a story to lull her to sleep.

After washing up, he couldn’t wait to cuddle up with his wife and enjoy the White Rabbit candy he’d missed in the morning.

There wasn’t much work to do these days, and they had plenty of firewood stocked up. With electric lights now, they could stay up later, which meant sleeping in a bit in the morning.

Snuggling in bed with his wife was one of Lin Heng’s greatest joys.

“Stop moving around,” Xiulan murmured, nestled in his arms, trying to keep him still.

She had no idea where her undergarments had ended up, and if he kept groping, she wouldn’t be able to take it anymore.

In the end, she gave in, found her underclothes, and put them on—then shot Lin Heng a fierce glare because she was feeling overheated.

Lin Heng chuckled and pulled her close. “Can’t help it. I’m twenty-one—young and full of energy.”

“Enough talking. Just rest for a bit,” Xiulan said, rolling her eyes. She wanted to stay in bed with him a little longer too.

When Lin Heng got up to exercise, Xiulan went to the back hill to feed the chickens.

Not long after, Lin Heng heard her calling and paused his workout to head over.

When he arrived, Xiulan pointed to the pigsty and said, “Honey, the Hog Badger’s gone into full hibernation.”

Lin Heng looked and saw the creature had dug a pit in the ground and was lying in it, completely motionless.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Heng said, “Then we should butcher it. It can’t just stop eating like this.”

If it kept hibernating, it would just lose weight. Better to slaughter it now.

It wasn’t like the Hog Badger was as valuable as a musk deer—he had no interest in raising it long-term.

Xiulan nodded in agreement. “Let’s do it. Otherwise, all that feed we gave it will go to waste.”

“Alright, I’ll go get Dad and Big Bother. We’ll kill it after breakfast,” Lin Heng said.

Xiulan went back to cook while Lin Heng told his father.

Father Lin had planned to dig up some lotus roots that day, but when he heard about the Hog Badger, he didn’t object.

Lin Yue was busy making kudzu starch, but he had no problem helping out with the butchering.

After breakfast, the three of them dragged the Hog Badger out of the pen and tied it to a rack in the courtyard.

They set up a basin to catch the blood, and Lin Heng used his refined steel knife to slit its throat, ending its life.

Once the Hog Badger was dead, Lin Yue stood up and said, “I’m off. You and Dad can handle the rest, right?”

“Go ahead,” Lin Heng nodded. He knew his brother had other things to do.

They didn’t plan to make soup with the Hog Badger, so Lin Heng and his father skinned it—the hide could still be sold.

They were both experienced in handling the meat and organs, and within two hours, they were done.

“We’ll dry the meat into cured pork, and I’ll braise the organs and the Hog Badger’s head,” Xiulan said as she rubbed salt into the meat.

“Sounds good,” Lin Heng agreed. They both preferred sun-dried cured meat over smoked.

Then he went to clean the two Bamboo Partridges and invited his parents and brother over for lunch.

In the afternoon, while Xiulan braised the meat, Lin Heng started making fish traps with Xiao Xia.

He bent iron wire into rectangular frames and had Xiulan help cut mesh netting. The two of them worked together, piece by piece.

When it came to making fish traps, Xiulan was more skilled than Lin Heng—after all, she was born in Lushui County and had grown up around this stuff.

Besides catching fish, the main reason Lin Heng made fish traps was to catch shrimp next year.

Making these traps wasn’t easy. After an entire afternoon, the two of them still hadn’t finished a single five-meter-long trap.

“Let’s eat. We’ve got braised meat tonight—what do you feel like having?” Xiulan clapped the dust off her hands and looked at Lin Heng.

Lin Heng thought for a second and said, “Braised pork intestines. I really like those.”

Xiulan turned to start cooking while Lin Heng played games with Xiao Xia.

Here, they braised intestines by wrapping them around four chopsticks arranged in a cross. Once cooked, the intestines stuck together and were then sliced into small pieces, served with a vinegar-based dipping sauce.

The braised intestines lost a bit of their chewiness, but the texture actually improved—they weren’t tough, and the flavor of the braising spices came through beautifully. Combined with the cilantro and chili in the vinegar sauce, each bite was a burst of rich, layered flavor. It was pure enjoyment.

Whether it was hog badger intestines or pig intestines, Lin Heng thought they tasted even better than pig ears—both in texture and flavor.

The next day, the two of them continued making traps. They spent the whole day and managed to finish two five-meter-long ones.

The sun came out for just an hour before disappearing again. The sky remained dark and overcast, with no sign of blue. But there was no rain either, nor any snow.

On the morning of the 18th, Lin Heng and Xiulan were having breakfast when their sister-in-law, Liu Juan, walked in carrying ten jin of kudzu root powder.

“Xiulan, Lin Heng, this is the kudzu powder we ground over the past couple of days. It’s all dried now, so I brought you some to try,” Liu Juan said with a big smile as she stepped inside.

“Thanks, sister,” Lin Heng said with a grin, not bothering with formalities.

“Juan, have you eaten yet? If not, I can get you a bowl,” Xiulan offered with concern.

“No, no, I’ve already eaten before coming over,” Liu Juan waved her hand and left right after.

After breakfast, Lin Heng opened the bag to take a look.

The kudzu powder was very fine and already processed.

It’s highly nutritious—cooling, soothing, thirst-quenching. Around here, no one bothers turning it into noodles. People usually drink it themselves or sell it directly.

Lin Heng scooped some into a cup, added a bit of honey, chopped dried red dates, and dried mulberries. Then he poured in hot water and stirred gently. The kudzu powder turned into a grayish-white, semi-translucent jelly-like substance.

He took a bite—it was cool and sweet, with the added flavors of red dates and mulberries.

“Here, try some. It’s pretty good.”

Lin Heng handed the rest to his wife.

Of course, Xiulan didn’t mind. She took a spoonful and tasted it. “You added too much honey—it’s a bit too sweet.”

She preferred the original flavor, since kudzu powder already had a natural sweetness.

Lin Heng glanced at her and said, “You’re just being stingy with the honey. If it’s good for you, just eat it.”

Xiulan blinked at him and sipped from the cup.

After breakfast, come lunchtime, Lin Heng took the three newly made five-meter-long traps, mounted his horse, and headed to the Huangtan River.

He found a good spot and placed some pig liver inside the traps, then tossed them into the water.

In winter, the wind along the river howled like a beast. Standing there for even a minute could freeze a person solid—fishing was out of the question.

He mainly used the traps to catch yellow catfish and regular catfish for eating.

Xiao Xia loved both types of fish, and since they were mostly boneless, Lin Heng felt safe letting her eat them.

After setting the traps, with nothing else to do in the freezing weather, Lin Heng decided to ride to the nearby town.

It happened to be the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month—a market day in town.

He figured he’d check it out, maybe pick up some tasty treats for the family.

Not far down the road, he spotted a donkey cart ahead.

Just from the back, Lin Heng recognized the old man driving it—it was the same one who had given him and Xiulan a lift on their second trip to town to sell goods.

“Hey, Uncle! What are you taking to town to sell today?” Lin Heng called out.

The old man turned and lit up with surprise. “Well, look who it is! And you’ve got yourself a horse now—what a beauty!”

(End of Chapter)