Chapter 217: A Beautiful Little Garden, Konjac, and Warm Sun

After moving the bed back in place, Lin Heng sat down to enjoy a cup of tea. He rested for a few minutes before getting up to exercise.

Whether it was physical training or archery, consistency was key. If he could avoid interruptions, he would.

After his workout, Xiulan looked at the wooden basin containing 34 koi fish and asked, “Should we just release them into the fish pond?”

Lin Heng quickly shook his head. “Definitely not. There’s still a black fish in the pond. These farm-raised fish would just become its food.”

Xiulan nodded. “Then we’ll have to wait until the New Year to eat the black fish before we can put the koi in.”

“We can keep a couple in the well for now. One or two won’t affect the water quality,” Lin Heng suggested after some thought.

In ancient times, people often kept fish in wells to monitor water quality. A live fish would quickly reveal any poisoning attempts. The water in Lin Heng’s fish pond flowed from the well’s spring, already serving as a water quality indicator, but adding a couple more fish wouldn’t hurt.

Fish in the well weren’t fed, so they grew very slowly, subsisting on native insects without polluting the water.

“Alright!” Xiulan agreed, taking two twenty-centimeter koi and releasing them into the well. The water was crystal clear, free of algae and impurities, and the koi swam happily once released.

The two fish were unaware that they faced a long period of hunger.

“Why not keep the rest in this secondary pool?” Xiulan suggested, pointing to the buffer pool fed by the well’s outflow. This pool was fifty centimeters deep, with a five-centimeter-deep stream connected to it.

In the middle of the stream was a cave for a giant salamander, gifted to Lin Heng, currently hibernating. The water was too shallow for the black fish to swim up.

Xiulan felt that keeping the fish in a basin was risky, and that they would thrive better in flowing water.

“Sure,” Lin Heng had no objections. They were just a few fish; he wouldn’t mind if she decided to throw them out.

Xiulan moved the fish to the secondary buffer pool, while Lin Heng went to the old house to find three clay pots with small holes. After patching the holes, he filled them with yellow soil from the yard and planted ornamental lotus roots.

Once planted, he tied them with ropes and gently submerged them in the fish pond. By next spring, lotus leaves would grow, and in summer, beautiful lotus flowers would bloom.

Lotus roots thrive in mud and are more prone to rot if left out.

After finishing, Lin Heng checked his fish pond. The calamus and moss he planted this year were thriving, especially the lush calamus, sparkling with dew like fairy grass. The sunlight made it look even more beautiful.

“Let’s plant the wintersweet too,” Xiulan suggested while watching the fish.

“Alright,” Lin Heng agreed. They decided to plant it by the stream next to the fish pond.

The backyard’s collection of flowers and plants was growing. By next spring, it would surely be a beautiful little garden, and both were looking forward to the breathtaking scenery.

For now, they were eagerly anticipating the wintersweet, with its full buds ready to bloom soon.

After spending some time in the backyard, Lin Heng returned inside to check on the malt, which had grown seven to eight centimeters long and was a pale yellow. If he didn’t make malt sugar soon, it would be too late.

While Xiulan prepared noodles, Lin Heng carefully peeled the malt from the bamboo sieve. Over the past few days, the roots had penetrated the cloth lining and even the bamboo itself.

The sound of the roots tearing was oddly satisfying.

After removing the malt, Lin Heng weighed it: five jin in total.

With the malt weighed, he turned to soak twenty jin of glutinous rice in hot water.

“The noodles are ready. If you don’t like them soaked, come eat quickly,” Xiulan called from inside.

“Coming,” Lin Heng replied, wiping his hands and smiling as he walked into the kitchen.

“Here you go,” Xiulan said, serving him a bowl of noodles. They were freshly cooked, with a slight white core remaining.

Lin Heng preferred his noodles like this. He disliked overly soft noodles without any chewiness. Adding some garlic and chili, he squatted under the eaves and finished the bowl in less than three minutes.

Satisfied, he drank some noodle soup and patted his stomach before heading inside to wake Xiao Xia and help her dress.

While Xiulan and Xiao Xia ate, Lin Heng began washing the pot. Once clean, he placed the wooden bucket of glutinous rice inside, added water, and started the fire.

While the rice steamed, Lin Heng chopped the malt and placed it in a basin.

With everything set, Lin Heng wondered why Wang Zhou hadn’t arrived yet. He went to the old house to inquire and learned that the young man had slipped out after breakfast, likely to meet Liu Cihua.

“Want to dig up some konjac?” Father Lin asked, holding a hoe.

“Sure,” Lin Heng agreed. The konjac grew nearby, so they didn’t have to go far. The glutinous rice would take a while to steam.

Every year before the New Year, the family dug up konjac to make konjac tofu, a traditional holiday dish.

As they left with their tools, they ran into Lin Wei and Lin Tao.

“Grandpa, Second Uncle, where are you going?” Lin Wei asked curiously.

Lin Heng patted his head and replied, “To dig up konjac.”

“Can I help you find some, Second Uncle?” Lin Wei eagerly offered, wanting to join in the fun.

“Sure,” Lin Heng said, leading the way.

Even though the konjac plants wither in winter, they leave behind round holes in the ground, making them easy to identify.

“Here’s one.”

As soon as they arrived in the field, Father Lin was the first to spot one.

Lin Heng glanced over. The hole was just slightly larger than a thumb, suggesting the konjac was about a pound or so.

However, a konjac of this size was perfectly edible. Finding one that weighs around ten pounds was quite difficult.

“Second Uncle, we found two konjacs over here.”

Before long, Lin Wei, who was running around in front, shouted excitedly. He and his brother had both found some.

Lin Heng gave them a thumbs-up and praised, “Great job! Remember to mark them so we don’t lose track later.”

Children are easily encouraged and become enthusiastic about their tasks, especially when the work is effortless.

With them searching and Lin Heng and his father digging, their pace quickened significantly.

Father Lin came over, looked around, and said to Lin Heng, “There should be a huge konjac around here. See if you can find it. Lin Wei and the others seem to have missed it.”

“Okay.”

Lin Heng nodded, grabbed a hoe, and began to clear away the fallen leaves, searching casually. If his father said there was one, there definitely was. It was likely that the hole had been blocked.

After all, it was just a soil hole left by a decayed konjac stalk, so it was normal for it to get blocked for various reasons.

After searching for a while with no luck, Lin Heng decided to dig at a few suspicious spots.

On the third try, as he unearthed the hardened soil, he was stunned to see a palm-sized patch of snow-white.

“Damn, I accidentally damaged this big konjac.”

Lin Heng was full of regret. How could such a large konjac be growing so shallowly?

This konjac was easily twenty to thirty centimeters long, definitely over ten pounds.

Father Lin, who had a bit of OCD, was equally helpless when he saw this. He shrugged and said, “We’re going to eat it anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”

Lin Heng nodded, carefully digging out the rest. This konjac had to be held with both hands and was the largest they had found so far.

After digging a few more, their basket was full, holding about forty to fifty pounds of konjac. This was more than enough to make konjac tofu for the three families.

“Let’s head back.”

Father Lin said, carrying the konjac as they made their way home.

The task of making konjac tofu was left to his parents. Lin Heng would just take some once it was ready, sparing himself the extra work.

Back at the house, Xiulan had already taken out the steamed glutinous rice to cool. Seeing him return, she said, “The temperature is just right. You can start now.”

“Alright.”

Lin Heng washed his hands and touched the rice in the basin, finding it pleasantly warm, around fifty to sixty degrees.

He poured in the pre-chopped malt, mixed it thoroughly by hand, and let it sit for six hours. Once the time was up, he would strain the liquid and boil it down to make maltose.

After cleaning up, Lin Heng stepped out of the courtyard and asked his mother and son, “Dad and Mom are probably grinding the konjac. Do you want to join them?”

“You go ahead. I’m going to enjoy the sun.”

Xiulan lay back on the bench, basking in the winter sun with her eyes closed, not wanting to move. She just waved him off.

Xiao Xia was nearby, playing with two newly brought puppies, too engrossed to pay him any attention. Xiong Ba lay lazily on the ground, watching the puppies being played with, seemingly happy, as if reminiscing about its own puppy days.

Back then, Xiao Xia used to play with Xiong Ba the same way. Now, seeing other dogs being played with, Xiong Ba seemed quite content.

Whenever the puppies misbehaved and tried to run off, Xiong Ba would dutifully fetch them back for Xiao Xia.

The puppies’ soft whimpers filled the courtyard, sounding quite pleasant.

Lin Heng watched for a while before turning to leave.

Instead of going straight to the old house, he first went to look for Wang Zhou.

After searching for some time without finding Wang Zhou, he encountered his Uncle Lin Xuping and Aunt Li Ping, who were coming down from the mountain with a load of kudzu roots.

Seeing Lin Heng, they kept silent, but couldn’t help thinking about the village rumor that Lin Heng had bought a sidecar motorcycle yesterday.

They couldn’t avoid wondering how things might be if they hadn’t ruined their relationship with the Lin family so badly.

Previously, their relationship, though cold, hadn’t reached the point of a complete fallout. It was only in May, when they learned that Lin Heng’s father had obtained ginseng, that they went to demand some, leading to a complete break.

Watching the Lin family grow more prosperous, enjoying lavish meals while they subsisted on two meals of cornmeal a day, unable to afford rice or wheat, filled them with increasing regret and envy. They felt that all the world’s good fortune had fallen to Lin Heng.

As time passed, their regret over their past decisions grew, but they both knew their previous actions had completely shut them out from rejoining Lin Heng’s circle.

Lin Heng was unaware of their thoughts and didn’t care.

After searching a bit more, he found Wang Zhou on a hillside in Shanghe, chatting with Liu Cihua, who was herding cattle.

After a brief look, he left, heading to check on the Red Maple Mountain shrimp pond.

Except for the pond with grass carp, the other ponds were only twenty to thirty centimeters deep, with a thin layer of ice on the surface.

He checked around and found no signs of leaks.

After the New Year, he planned to have the warehouse and indoor breeding pools built, so they could start shrimp farming.

By the time Lin Heng returned, his father had already finished grinding the konjac, leaving just a bit.

Konjac is quite fascinating. It’s poisonous in its natural state, but when ground into a paste with alkaline water and cooked, it becomes edible.

“Are you sure you don’t need my help?” Lin Heng asked again.

Mother Lin shook her head. “You won’t manage it, and you’ll just make things worse.”

Lin Heng thought to himself that not only could he do it, but he could do it well. However, since he could enjoy the results without lifting a finger, he kept silent and turned back inside.

“Finished with the konjac?” Xiulan asked as she saw him return. The warm sunlight played on her loose hair, giving it a soft golden sheen.

Lin Heng glanced at Xiao Xia, who was still playing with the puppies, then went over to sit beside Xiulan. Smiling, he said, “I didn’t help. I just went for a stroll.”

“Oh, really? Do you want me to clean your ears?” Xiulan casually tied up her hair and tilted her head to ask.

“Absolutely,” Lin Heng nodded eagerly.

Xiulan fetched the ear pick, and Lin Heng comfortably lay his head on her lap, basking in the sun while she gently cleaned his ears.

After she finished, Xiulan let Lin Heng rest for a while. Sometimes busy, sometimes dozing off out of boredom, Lin Heng felt that spending time sunbathing like this was worthwhile.

At two o’clock, just as Xiulan was about to prepare lunch, Wang Zhou pushed open the door and walked in. Seeing the scene inside, he couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.

“How did your secret meeting go?” Lin Heng sat up and asked with a smile.

Wang Zhou stammered, “It… it went okay.”

“What do you mean by okay?” Lin Heng teased.

Wang Zhou continued to stutter, “Well, I told her I’d save up some more money and propose tomorrow.”

“Alright then,” Lin Heng replied, guessing that Wang Zhou probably didn’t do anything too bold, maybe not even holding hands for long.

For lunch, Xiulan cooked a few dishes to entertain Wang Zhou, and in the afternoon, he took his leave to head back to town.

Since Lin Heng now had a motorcycle, he naturally wouldn’t let Wang Zhou walk back. He drove him down the road.

“Daddy, I want to ride too,” Xiao Xia called out, clutching her doll as she chased them to the road, eager to ride the big moving toy.

From the doorway, Xiulan called out, “Take her for a ride. I’ll go dig up some wild vegetables with my sister-in-law.”

“Okay,” Lin Heng nodded, then turned to Wang Zhou. “Can you hold Xiao Xia for me?”

Taking Xiao Xia for a ride wasn’t a big deal, but he worried she might catch a cold from the wind.

“Sure,” Wang Zhou agreed, holding Xiao Xia as he sat in the sidecar. He was a bit excited, as it was his first time riding in a sidecar motorcycle.

【End of Chapter】