Chapter 204: A Lifetime Together

Ge Qingshan took aim for a while before releasing an arrow.

Unfortunately, the shot was way off, missing by a whole meter. The wild chicken didn’t even bother to run, just paused momentarily before continuing to peck at the ground.

Ge Qingshan: “…”

It seemed the idea that wild chickens were easy targets was an illusion, at least for him. For Lin Heng, it might be true, but he was still a novice.

After some thought, he shot another arrow. This time, the wild chicken flew away with a startled squawk. He laughed at himself, “Haha, at least I made progress.”

Lin Heng observed him and said, “Your fundamentals seem fine, but you lack practice and you’re too tense.”

“Let’s find another one,” Lin Heng suggested, thinking that if Ge Qingshan could succeed once or twice, his confidence might improve.

After searching for a while, just as Ge Qingshan was about to give up, Lin Heng spotted a suitable target.

“Come with me!” Lin Heng said, pulling Ge Qingshan by the sleeve to a small hillock.

Lin Heng pointed ahead, “Look over there, that chicken is just about ten meters away, busy looking for food.”

Ge Qingshan saw the hen and couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.

“Stay calm, don’t get too excited,” Lin Heng advised, patting him on the shoulder.

Ge Qingshan nodded, slowly raised his bow, aimed for three seconds, and released the arrow.

With a squawk, the wild chicken was hit and couldn’t take off this time.

“Hahaha, I hit it!” Ge Qingshan rushed forward, picked up the wild chicken, and laughed heartily.

“Congratulations!” Lin Heng said with a smile.

After the excitement subsided, Ge Qingshan laughed and said, “Thanks to you, otherwise I wouldn’t have had a chance.”

“You could have succeeded with a few more tries on your own,” Lin Heng shook his head slightly.

Now filled with confidence, Ge Qingshan grinned, “Let me find another one to try.”

They continued for another couple of hours. Lin Heng roughly gauged Ge Qingshan’s skill level: within twenty meters, he had about a thirty percent chance of hitting a wild chicken, and within ten meters, his accuracy increased to ninety percent.

This was with a modern compound bow. With an ancient wooden bow, he would likely struggle to hit any prey due to his lack of practice.

After two more hours, it was half past two in the afternoon when Ge Qingshan finally said, “Let’s call it a day. Come on, I’ll treat you to a meal.”

Lin Heng shook his head with a smile, “I can’t today. Next time, it’s on me. I have some things I need to take care of.”

“What is it? Maybe I can help,” Ge Qingshan offered, genuinely wanting Lin Heng to enjoy the first game he had ever hunted.

Lin Heng looked at Ge Qingshan. He didn’t know him well, and teaching him archery was a trade-off. He had originally planned for today to be the last lesson, intending to part ways afterward.

But upon reconsideration, he thought Ge Qingshan seemed like a decent person, so he said, “I want to check out the aquaculture situation near Taibai City, see if there are any fish or shrimp seedlings.”

Upon hearing this, Ge Qingshan immediately waved his hand, “That’s easy. I’ll ask around for you another day. My dad sometimes deals in those.”

Lin Heng was a bit helpless; he had planned to go himself. But since Ge Qingshan had offered, he agreed, “Thanks, then.”

“No problem. Let’s go eat.”

Ge Qingshan found a nice restaurant and had the wild chicken prepared by the chef.

The chef made a full chicken feast, including stewed chicken, stir-fried chicken, and honey-roasted chicken, among five dishes. Lin Heng and Ge Qingshan had a bit of wine, and by the time they finished, it was already four in the afternoon.

After the meal, Lin Heng took his leave. He had only had two small cups of wine, so he felt fine. He rode into town to buy some supplies.

He bought two liters of gasoline and two liters of diesel, along with some food and toiletries, then rode back.

By the time he returned to Huangtan Town, it was six in the evening. He filled up the motorcycle and delivered it to his teacher, Guo Xu, then took the remaining fuel and other items and rode his horse back home.

When he got back to the house, it was already half-past six, and the sky was completely dark.

As Lin Heng reached the road below the house, Xiulan came out with Xiao Xia, flashlight in hand.

“Daddy!” Xiao Xia called out in a sweet, childish voice from afar.

Xiulan, concerned, asked, “Why are you back so late? Did something happen?”

Lin Heng dismounted and picked up his daughter, smiling, “Nothing happened, just got delayed having a meal with someone.”

Xiulan relaxed, “As long as everything’s fine, come inside and warm up.”

“Daddy, I love you!” Xiao Xia said, hugging Lin Heng’s neck, her big eyes sparkling.

Lin Heng couldn’t help but smile broadly, “My sweet girl, I bought you a little toy. I’ll give it to you when we get inside.”

“Okay!” Xiao Xia was even happier.

The family of three went inside. Lin Heng handed the toiletries to Xiulan. He stored the diesel and gasoline in the storeroom, tied Hongzao in the stable, and eagerly went into the bedroom to warm up by the fire.

The journey had been cold, riding both a motorcycle and a horse. Winters in this era felt much colder than in the future.

“Daddy, let me warm your hands,” Xiao Xia said, seeing Lin Heng rubbing his hands together. She ran over and covered his large hands with her small ones.

“Thank you, sweetheart,” Lin Heng said, feeling warmed by his daughter’s gesture.

“Dinner’s ready, just waiting for you to come back.”

Xiulan brought over the dishes that had been kept warm on the fireplace. It was a simple meal of three dishes and a soup. The dishes were stir-fried pork with sour and spicy vermicelli, mushrooms with bamboo shoots, and spicy shredded potatoes, accompanied by a cabbage tofu soup.

“Thanks, honey,” Lin Heng grinned. Even though he wasn’t hungry, seeing so much food warmed his heart.

Xiulan smiled softly, “Go ahead and eat.”

“Alright!”

Despite not being hungry, Lin Heng picked up his chopsticks and started eating. Xiulan and Xiao Xia happily joined him.

After a couple of bites, Lin Heng shared his day’s activities with his wife. Xiulan listened while eating, and Xiao Xia was busy trying to master the use of chopsticks.

Most of the time, Xiulan just listened, occasionally offering her thoughts. She enjoyed hearing Lin Heng share these everyday details. Once he finished, she talked about her own day.

She hadn’t done much at home. Today, Father Lin brought over some lotus roots, which she cleaned and prepared to make into lotus root starch. Aside from Tian Yan visiting for a bit at noon, there wasn’t much else.

As they chatted, they quickly finished their meal. Xiulan mentioned wanting a bath, so Lin Heng brought in the wash tub and heated water.

Xiulan took the dishes to the kitchen, then returned with a black crew-neck sweater from the bed and handed it to Lin Heng. “I finished knitting this sweater today. See if it fits.”

“Sure.”

Lin Heng smiled and nodded, taking off his shirt to try on the sweater. It was a thick black sweater, fitting snugly and accentuating his strong build.

“It looks great, thank you, honey.”

Lin Heng grinned, feeling the sweater was warmer than anything he could buy for a few dozen bucks. Xiulan was wonderful, not only making him shoes but also knitting sweaters.

Xiulan reached up to tidy his messy hair, her face softening into a gentle smile as she looked at him. “It looks good, as long as you like it.”

“It’s really nice!”

Xiao Xia clapped her hands in approval from the side.

Lin Heng decided to keep the sweater on and took out the things he’d bought for his wife and child.

For Xiao Xia, he had bought pure milk, a toy car, and a roly-poly doll.

Since he hadn’t found a cow to buy, he settled for Bright Dairy milk, which had a good reputation.

Xiao Xia, delighted with her new toys, played on the table, giggling happily.

“Honey, this is for you.”

Lin Heng handed Xiulan a set of stylish purple lingerie with a smile.

Xiulan playfully poked him as she saw it. “I already have four sets, that’s enough.”

Lin Heng grinned. “How can it be enough? Different colors and styles feel different.”

Xiulan blushed slightly, gave Lin Heng a playful glare, and put the lingerie away in the wardrobe.

“I also got you some snacks, your favorite cookies.”

Lin Heng pointed to a bag of black sesame and white sugar cookies with a smile. Xiulan loved this flavor, so he always bought some.

“Thank you, hubby.”

Xiulan’s eyes lit up at the sight of the cookies. Like a little cat, she took one out, took a bite, and shared two pieces with Lin Heng and Xiao Xia.

The cookies were palm-sized, topped with black sesame and white sugar, considered a luxury treat in the countryside.

Lin Heng poured a box of milk into a tea mug and placed it on the fireplace to warm. Once it was warm, he divided it between Xiulan and Xiao Xia.

Xiao Xia sniffed it and then leaned in, making squeaky sounds.

Xiulan took a sniff and a sip as well. It was her first time tasting pure milk, and though she found the taste a bit odd, she gradually liked it more.

“How is it?” Lin Heng asked with a smile.

Xiulan blinked. “Not bad, though I’m not quite used to it.”

Lin Heng dipped a cookie in the milk and fed it to Xiulan, asking with a smile, “How about now?”

Xiulan took a bite of the cookie, her eyes lighting up with surprise. “The cookies taste so much better soaked in milk!”

“Of course, that’s the best way to eat them,” Lin Heng chuckled.

Xiulan didn’t say anything, dipping another cookie into the milk and savoring it with a blissful expression.

“Daddy, more milk!”

Xiao Xia, having finished her share, held out her little bowl for more, her big eyes blinking expectantly.

“That’s all for today. You’ll have more in the morning,” Lin Heng said, pinching her cheek with a smile. “How about I tell you a new story tonight before bed?”

Xiao Xia tilted her head, eyeing the milk in Xiulan’s bowl without saying a word.

Xiulan quickly drank some and left half for her, handing it over. “Finish this, and no more after that.”

“Okay~”

Xiao Xia slowly sipped the remaining milk, and after finishing, Xiulan gave her two spoonfuls of hawthorn paste. After playing for a while, they put her to bed.

Lin Heng hadn’t even finished reading the new story before Xiao Xia fell asleep.

By then, the water in the bath tub was ready. Xiulan undressed and got in for a soak.

Lin Heng, with a mischievous grin, also undressed and joined her, resting his head on the edge of the wooden tub. He closed his eyes, feeling the warm water envelop him and the smooth, delicate touch of Xiulan’s skin, gradually relaxing.

After a few minutes, Lin Heng opened his eyes to watch Xiulan bathe, feeling content and at ease.

From the moment he met Xiulan to their marriage, everything with her had been a first for both of them.

How to kiss, how to pass on genes, how to love each other—all of this was learned through mutual exploration, pure and beautiful.

Xiulan glanced at Lin Heng, who seemed lost in thought, and rolled her eyes. “What are you staring at? Turn around, and I’ll scrub your back.”

“Alright.”

Lin Heng obediently turned around to enjoy his wife’s back scrubbing. As her small hands moved across his back, he felt so comfortable he was at a loss for words.

“All done!”

After a while, Xiulan stopped and said.

Lin Heng turned around, looking at Xiulan’s skin, faintly visible through the steamy mist, and grinned mischievously. “Wife, it’s my turn to scrub your back.”

“No need, my back isn’t dirty.” Xiulan poked Lin Heng, fully aware of his intentions.

Lin Heng shook his head. “I don’t believe you. Let me check.”

“You’re full of mischief.”

Unable to argue with Lin Heng, Xiulan muttered under her breath but still turned around.

When Xiulan scrubbed Lin Heng’s back, it was genuinely just scrubbing. However, when Lin Heng scrubbed Xiulan’s back, it was far from simple, as he took advantage of the opportunity.

Xiulan ended up being carried to bed by Lin Heng, and they couldn’t resist doing what came naturally.

Half an hour later, Xiulan reluctantly wiped away the mess on her stomach, feeling tempted to throw it at Lin Heng’s face.

“I couldn’t control it.”

Lin Heng grinned as he held her.

“Hmph!”

Xiulan bit him, then said nothing more, hugging his arm and closing her eyes to sleep.

Lin Heng found this to be a unique punishment. The sensation on his arm kept him awake, but he didn’t want to disturb his wife again. It took him half an hour to finally fall asleep.

The next morning, Lin Heng opened his eyes to find Xiulan watching him. Seeing him awake, Xiulan pointed outside. “It should be snowing.”

“I’ll go check.”

Lin Heng was about to get up to open the window, but Xiulan held him back. “No need, let’s wait a bit.”

“Sister, you’re breaking the rules.”

Lin Heng looked at her. In their current state of undress, holding each other so tightly was pure torture for him.

“Don’t move.”

Xiulan huffed softly, saying nothing more.

Just as Lin Heng was about to lose control, Xiulan suddenly released him, quickly got dressed, and got out of bed.

Lin Heng watched her. “You did that on purpose. You’ve changed; you weren’t like this before.”

Xiulan smiled slightly, ignoring him, and went to add some firewood to the fireplace.

“Come on, time to exercise.”

After tending to the firewood, Xiulan found clean clothes for Lin Heng, extended her hand, and smiled. “Get up, let’s go exercise.”

“Okay.”

Lin Heng got dressed and took his wife’s hand as they headed outside.

Sure enough, light snow was falling outside, covering the courtyard walls, trees, and ground with a thin layer. It seemed it hadn’t been snowing for long.

“Woof woof!!”

Xiong Ba, who was sleeping under the eaves, greeted them. Lin Heng patted the dog’s head, went to the bathroom, and then joined Xiulan for exercise in the snow.

After half an hour of exercise, the light snow had turned both their hair white.

Looking at the snow on each other’s heads, they exchanged smiles and headed back inside.

If they could share this snow together, surely they could grow old together.

[End of Chapter]