Chapter 198: The Gap Between Us and the Ten-Thousand-Yuan Household

Wang Jin rubbed his eyes, realizing it wasn’t a hallucination. For a moment, he was utterly stunned.

He couldn’t figure out when Lin Heng had managed to hunt so many wild boars. The sheer number was unbelievable.

Father Lin, ever the polite man, saw Wang Jin standing in the courtyard and came out with a smile. “Come in, have a drink and a bite to eat.”

Wang Jin quickly shook his head. “No, no, I’ve already eaten.”

“Come on, have a little something. It’s nothing fancy, just a bit of wine and food.”

Father Lin was an honest, down-to-earth farmer. If someone showed up while he was eating, he’d always extend an invitation—it was just how he was raised.

But Wang Jin had always looked down on the Lin family, thinking they were poor and beneath him. Now that the Lin family was doing well, he was jealous. There was no way he’d go in and eat with them—he didn’t have the face for it.

As they went back and forth, Wang Jin ended up at the main hall’s doorway. One glance at the food on the table inside, and he froze.

“R-Roast suckling pig?!”

His eyes widened in disbelief.

And it wasn’t just the roast pig—there were all kinds of braised dishes laid out. Even during New Year’s, his own family never ate this well.

Father Lin chuckled. “Lin Heng roasted it. Come in and have some.”

Wang Jin snapped out of it and asked curiously, “Are you guys celebrating something?”

Father Lin shook his head. “Nope. They just got back from the mountains.”

That left Wang Jin speechless. Not even celebrating anything, and they’re eating like this?

For the first time, he truly felt the gap between himself and the so-called Ten-Thousand-Yuan Household.

Just then, Lin Heng came out holding a lightbulb. “Here, your bulb.”

He had no interest in inviting Wang Jin to eat. Father Lin might be kind and easygoing, but Lin Heng wasn’t about to be nice to someone who had wronged him.

“Alright, I’ll be going then.” Wang Jin took the bulb, turned around without another word, and walked off quickly.

On the way home, his mind kept replaying the scene at the Lin house. He never would’ve guessed that Lin Heng had quietly hunted so much game. He was so envious, he even considered buying a gun and trying his luck in the mountains.

After Wang Jin left, Father Lin patted Lin Heng on the shoulder. “We’re all from the same village. We see each other all the time—no need to make things so awkward. People might say we’ve gotten rich and stopped being neighborly.”

“Got it,” Lin Heng replied half-heartedly. He didn’t want to argue with his father, but he wasn’t about to follow his advice either.

Not everyone was like his dad. Some people, the nicer you are, the more they take advantage of you. But if you stand your ground, they back off. Bullies always fear the strong and prey on the weak.

And being nice to someone you don’t get along with? What’s the point? You think they’ll be grateful? No—they’ll never change.

“You, ah…” Father Lin glanced at his son and sighed, then turned and walked back inside.

He didn’t say much more. Every generation has its own way of thinking.

“Come on, let’s keep going!”

Back at the table, Lin Heng smiled and raised his glass. The group continued eating and drinking.

“Let’s bring out another dish!”

After a couple of drinks, Lin Heng grabbed a rib and started munching. The ribs from the suckling pig were tender and crisp, easy to chew, full of flavor, and with just the right amount of bite.

There wasn’t a scrap of roast pig left—people ate the meat, and Xiong Ba got the bones.

By the time they were full and satisfied, it was already eight in the evening. Ever since the village got electricity, folks had been staying up later and later.

After cleaning up and telling Xiao Xia a bedtime story, it was already nine.

Lin Heng tossed a few more logs into the fireplace before heading to bed.

As soon as he slipped under the covers, Xiulan snuggled up to him.

They didn’t do anything—just lay there, quietly watching each other.

Resting like this, both of them felt at peace. It was a completely different feeling from sleeping alone.

It was like their hearts had finally found a place to rest.

Lin Heng pulled his wife into his arms and held her for a while. Then they shifted into a more comfortable sleeping position—shoulder to shoulder, legs gently touching.

Warm and cozy, with a sense of contentment.

When morning came, Lin Heng could already feel the soft warmth beside him before he even opened his eyes.

When he did, he saw Xiulan was already awake, quietly staring at him in a daze.

Seeing him stir, she scooted closer and nestled into his arms.

Lin Heng stared at the ceiling for a bit, then finally got out of bed with her.

Old Man Gao was already up early, ready to take them through their morning exercises.

After breakfast, Xiulan went back to making braised dishes. Aside from the pig’s head, there were still plenty of organs left to cook.

After all, the amount of pork they’d brought back from the hunt wasn’t small—it was a serious haul.

Lin Heng called his mother over to help her out and watch the kid, while he took Old Man Gao for a stroll around the village.

After walking for a while, Lin Heng brought him over to Red Maple Mountain for a look. The ponds there were frozen over, but the water level had risen by about twenty or thirty centimeters.

Though it hadn’t been long since they disinfected the area with lime, the slopes around the fish pond were already sprouting quite a bit of grass.

The tenacity of grass is truly astounding—by next spring, there’ll be even more of it.

But that’s not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to raising shrimp. Once the water level rises, the grass will give the shrimp places to hide or something to nibble on.

After checking the pond, Lin Heng took Old Man Gao up the mountain to have a look at the small wooden cabin.

There was still snow in the forested area at the mountaintop. The cabin stood in a rich, dark brown hue, the wood grain clearly visible.

“This place is nice. Feels cozy,” Old Man Gao said, sitting in the yard beside the cabin, clearly pleased with the surroundings.

Lin Heng went inside, lit some charcoal, and brewed a pot of tea. The two of them sat under the eaves, sipping tea together.

It was just past ten, the sun not yet overhead. Its rays filtered through the branches, scattering light across the forest floor in delicate patterns.

Maybe because of the ice crystals on the trees, the sunlight looked almost iridescent. Bathed in the warm glow, sipping tea in the silence of the woods, only the occasional birdsong broke the quiet.

“Other than being inconvenient to live in, this mountain’s got everything going for it,” Old Man Gao sighed, taking a sip of tea.

Lin Heng nodded with a smile. “Yeah, when it comes to the environment, there’s nothing to complain about.”

But then Old Man Gao shook his head. “Still, if people had the choice, I doubt anyone would really want to stay here.”

Lin Heng chuckled and shook his head. “Not necessarily. I quite enjoy this kind of life—plucking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, catching sight of the southern mountains in peace.”

Old Man Gao gave him a knowing smile. “And yet here you are, working hard to make money.”

He understood. After all, he was a mountain man himself.

“Have some more tea, Grandpa,” Lin Heng said with a grin, refilling his cup, clearly not wanting to dwell on the topic.

After enjoying tea for a while, the two of them headed back.

Even before they reached the yard, Lin Heng caught the rich aroma of braised meat wafting through the air—it was so fragrant it had traveled a long way.

“Xiulan, is the meat all done?” Lin Heng called out with a smile as he stepped inside.

“Of course,” Xiulan replied, nodding. “All done. It’s all right here.”

She pointed to two bamboo trays in the kitchen, both piled with steaming hot meat.

Lin Heng stepped into the kitchen to take a look. The braised meat had turned a beautiful reddish-orange hue.

“Here, try a piece,” Xiulan said, tearing off a bit of braised chicken and feeding it to him.

Lin Heng took a bite and gave a thumbs-up. “This chicken is bursting with flavor!”

Xiulan beamed. “I also braised a few eggs. I’ll let you try them at lunch.”

“Sounds good.”

Lin Heng nodded, then went outside to play Chinese chess with his daughter and Old Man Gao.

At lunch, they had the braised chicken, and once again, Old Man Gao praised Xiulan’s cooking.

After the meal, he patted Lin Heng on the shoulder and said his goodbyes, saying he needed to head back to town.

“Old Man Gao, what’s the rush? Just stay and hang out a bit longer,” Lin Heng urged.

Old Man Gao smiled and shook his head. “I had a great time hunting up here, and your home is really comfortable. But it’s about time I got back.”

Lin Heng tried to persuade him again, but Old Man Gao was set on leaving. Lin Heng could only say, “Alright then, wait a moment. I’ll get the cart ready to take you back.”

“Alright,” Old Man Gao said with a nod and a smile.

Lin Heng got the cart ready and went to load up the game they’d hunted, but Old Man Gao stopped him.

“Just give me some of the braised meat. The pork’s all yours—I don’t need it,” he said, waving his hand.

“No way,” Lin Heng said firmly, shaking his head. “That’s not how I do things.”

But Old Man Gao insisted. “I said it’s fine, so it’s fine. Don’t argue with me, or I’ll stop renting you the house.”

Lin Heng laughed. “That won’t work. Even if you don’t rent me the house anymore, I still can’t do something like that. What’s yours is yours.”

“Xiao Lin, you sure about that?” Old Man Gao said, a bit annoyed.

He glanced at Lin Heng, then softened his tone. “Alright, how about this—I’ll take the tender pork. The rest you keep. I wouldn’t be able to chew it anyway, it’d just go to waste.”

“Alright then, I’ll get it for you,” Lin Heng agreed with a grin.

In the end, Old Man Gao only took about fifty pounds of the more tender pork. No matter what else Lin Heng said, he wouldn’t take more.

Lin Heng ended up packing some of Xiulan’s braised meat for him and then drove him to town.

“Brother Lin! Old Man Gao!”

As soon as he spotted them, Wang Zhou lit up and hurried over to greet them.

Lin Heng nodded and asked, “Everything alright at the shop lately?”

Wang Zhou shook his head. “Nothing much going on. But two guys in Zhongshan suits came by looking for Old Man Gao. I told them you weren’t around, and they said they’d come back on the tenth.”

Old Man Gao nodded. “Got it. Don’t worry about that.”

Then he turned to Lin Heng. “Come down early on the tenth. I’ve got something to discuss with you.”

Lin Heng had a pretty good idea what it was about and nodded. “Alright.”

Truth be told, he didn’t really care much about all that—connections and whatnot. Even without introductions, he could build up his own network using the advantage of his rebirth.

A lot of powerful people hadn’t risen to prominence yet. Some were still struggling just to get by.

All he had to do was invest in them when they needed it most, lend a helping hand in the snow, and in a few years, they’d become his most loyal allies.

And that kind of bond was far stronger than anything he could get by forcing himself into someone’s circle.

So when he said he respected Old Man Gao, he meant it. It wasn’t about currying favor or building connections.

He hadn’t done much yet simply because he didn’t have the money. He was still accumulating capital.

After seeing Old Man Gao into the house, Lin Heng went over the recent ledgers again.

In winter, aside from animal pelts, there wasn’t much else coming down from the mountains.

Lin Heng wasn’t surprised. He checked the shelves and the stockpile of pelts, then took Xiong Ba with him to get a new set of horseshoes.

Once that was done, he returned to the shop to play chess with Wang Zhou. He planned to take his little sister Caiyun home after school.

While they were playing, Wang Zhou noticed Old Man Gao had left. He turned to Lin Heng, a little shy, and said, “Uh, Lin Bro, I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier.”

Lin Heng blinked, then remembered. He nodded. “So you’ve made up your mind? Liu Cihua’s family isn’t exactly ordinary, you know.”

Wang Zhou nodded firmly, his mind already made up. “I’m not afraid. I really like her.”

Lin Heng nodded. “Alright then. Find a time to go talk to her. Once you two have had a good chat, I’ll help you arrange a formal proposal.”

He had a soft spot for honest guys like Wang Zhou. People like him were loyal to a fault—help them once, and they’d remember it for life. No need to worry about betrayal.

“Thank you, Lin Bro!!” Wang Zhou nodded vigorously, his heart full of gratitude.

This former classmate of his hadn’t just given him a good job—he was even helping him find a partner. Words of thanks felt too light to express what he felt.

“No need to thank me,” Lin Heng said with a smile. He quite enjoyed the feeling of changing someone’s fate.

He was curious how Wang Zhou’s life would turn out differently this time, marrying a different woman under his influence.

Seeing how eager Wang Zhou looked, Lin Heng thought for a moment and said, “How about this—give it a few days, and I’ll bring Liu Cihua down here so you two can meet.”

Wang Zhou gave a bashful smile. “Whatever you say, Lin Bro.”

After chatting a bit more, Lin Heng said a quick goodbye to Old Man Gao and left.

He hitched up the cart and went to pick up Caiyun from school, bringing Liu Ciwen home with them as well.

Liu Ciwen was his first target in building a network through investment. Once he had more money, there’d be plenty more like him.

On the way, Lin Heng asked curiously, “When are your exams?”

“One more week to go. I can’t wait for the New Year!” Caiyun replied with a grin.

In the past, she only got to eat a bit more meat during the New Year, maybe get a new pair of Liberation Shoes.

But this year was different. It wasn’t even New Year’s yet, and she already had two new sets of clothes and shoes. She was going to school, and she’d eaten so much meat she was getting a little sick of it.

Looking at her second brother’s back, she knew it was all because of him.

Lin Heng nodded. This year’s Spring Festival fell on February 1st according to the solar calendar—less than a month away.

It would be his first New Year since being reborn, and he was actually looking forward to it.

Braving the cold wind, the cart slowly rolled into Red Maple Village.

When Lin Heng got home, he saw his father working at the stove in the courtyard.

On top of the pot was a double-ended barrel with a distillation trough in the center—also known as the liquor drip. Sitting atop the barrel was the “sky pot.”

During distillation, the fermented mash was poured into the bottom pot, while the sky pot was filled with cold water.

A fire was lit beneath the bottom pot, causing the alcohol and steam to rise. When they hit the cold sky pot, they condensed into liquid and dripped down through the conical base into the central liquor drip.

The liquid that flowed out from the liquor drip was Baijiu. After cutting the head and tail and blending it, it became drinkable liquor.

“Dad, are you planning to distill tomorrow?” Lin Heng asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yeah, I’m distilling tomorrow. The mash in the house is just about ready,” Father Lin replied with a nod.

“I’ll come help you out then,” Lin Heng said, watching him work. As the year-end approached, everyone was starting to stock up.

(End of chapter)