Chapter 115: Some Are Kind and Simple, Others Show Their Ugly Faces

“Xiulan, come with me to town today. Let’s bring our daughter too.”

At five in the morning the next day, just as the sky began to brighten, Lin Heng got up and spoke to his wife.

“There’s still a lot to do at home. You can go by yourself,” Xiulan replied, reluctant to leave. The chickens, ducks, pigs, and badgers all needed feeding—she couldn’t spare the time.

“If you don’t come, I won’t be able to carry all that stuff by myself,” Lin Heng said, spreading his hands.

Unable to argue with Lin Heng, Xiulan finally agreed. “Alright then, I’ll go make some pickled vegetable soup real quick. We’ll leave after breakfast.”

“Great!” Lin Heng nodded and went to wake up Xiaoxia, washing her face with her. He even brushed his own teeth with tooth powder.

While Xiulan cooked, Lin Heng packed up the animal hides, mushrooms, herbs, and other goods, preparing to sell them at Liu’s Acquisition Station in town.

He figured he’d sell them for a slightly lower price—he couldn’t be bothered to make a trip to the city for this batch.

After breakfast, as they were about to leave, Xiulan noticed Lin Heng still carrying two purple bamboo fishing rods and asked, “You’re bringing the rods? Planning to fish at Huangtan River?”

Lin Heng grinned and nodded. “Yup, one for each of us. You’re coming fishing with me.”

“I don’t have time for that, and I don’t even know how to fish,” Xiulan shook her head.

“Come on, we’ll be back in the afternoon. I already fed the chickens and ducks, and I gave piggrass to the pigs, badgers, musk deer, and little wild boar piglets from what you gathered yesterday. There’s really nothing left to do at home,” Lin Heng said, shrugging.

Xiulan still looked a bit hesitant—she didn’t feel great about fishing.

“Please, honey?” Lin Heng pleaded again.

“…Fine, I’ll give it a try. But if we don’t catch anything, that’s it—no more next time,” Xiulan agreed.

“Awesome, let’s head out,” Lin Heng said, full of confidence. If he couldn’t catch anything at Huangtan River, he might as well retire his rod for good.

Xiulan carried their daughter on her back, Lin Heng hauled the goods, and after telling his parents, they set off.

After walking two or three kilometers, they arrived at Baimacun, where Carpenter Liang lived.

On the road, they saw an old man driving a donkey cart down the slope. Lin Heng quickly flagged him down and smiled. “Elder, where are you headed?”

“I’m going to Huangtan Town. Hop on if you want a ride,” the old man said with a grin, halting the cart.

Most folks in the countryside had a helpful nature—especially in those days, people were full of hope for a better life and treated each other with kindness. No one would dream of charging for a simple ride.

“Thank you,” Lin Heng said, helping his wife into the cart first.

“Thank you!” Xiaoxia chimed in, wearing a little red cap. Her dimples when she smiled made her look especially adorable.

“Haha, what a cute little girl! How old is she?” the old man laughed, clearly delighted.

“She’s a year and a half. Born last Lunar New Year,” Lin Heng replied. Xiaoxia’s birthday fell on the Lantern Festival, and in the countryside, birthdays were usually counted by the lunar calendar.

“Impressive! So young yet she speaks so clearly. My grandson is two and still barely talks,” the old man said as he drove the cart.

Lin Heng smiled and said, “That’s called ‘late speech from the gifted.’ In ancient times, Wang Yangming didn’t speak until he was five. Even Einstein didn’t talk until four. They went on to become legends. Your grandson’s got signs of a bright future!”

“Hahaha, I’ll take your words as a good omen,” the old man laughed heartily, then asked about Lin Heng’s family.

After Lin Heng introduced his elders, the old man sighed in recognition. “Ah, so you’re Lin Changchun’s grandson. I used to dig irrigation ditches with him back in the day. He was a great man—such a pity his life was cut short.”

During their chat, Lin Heng learned that the old man’s surname was Sun, and he was heading to Huangtan Town to visit a hospitalized old friend.

The donkey cart moved slowly along, the bell on the donkey’s neck chiming cheerfully. Smoke from cooking fires drifted through the air, and the sound of roosters crowing and dogs barking gradually grew louder.

As the morning dew dried, they reached Huangtan Town.

“Thank you, Grandpa Sun. I was chatting away and forgot to offer you a cigarette. Let me make up for it,” Lin Heng said, pulling out a pack of Da Qianmen cigarettes he carried but didn’t smoke himself.

“Oh no, no need. You’re too kind,” the old man waved his hands, but Lin Heng insisted and stuffed the cigarette into his hand anyway.

He hadn’t actually forgotten—he just didn’t want the old man smoking in the cart with his wife and daughter sitting behind, due to second-hand smoke.

“Come visit us sometime,” Lin Heng said politely, then turned to leave with his wife and child.

By now, the town was coming alive. Lin Heng went straight to Liu Qicheng’s Acquisition Station. Liu was squatting at the door eating breakfast.

“Here early to sell stuff? Eaten yet?” Liu Qicheng asked with a smile, eager to see Lin Heng down on his luck.

“I’ve eaten. Just take a look at the goods,” Lin Heng replied expressionlessly.

“Bring it in,” Liu said, stepping inside. Offhandedly, he asked, “Still collecting Sanghuang mushrooms?”

“Yeah, prices will definitely rise in the future,” Lin Heng nodded.

Liu smirked. “I’ve heard a lot of places have stopped collecting them. You better be careful or you might not be able to sell them later. Don’t come crying to me.”

He’d been asking around lately and was more convinced than ever that Sanghuang prices wouldn’t go up.

But to his disappointment, Lin Heng’s face showed no anxiety—he remained calm. “Just weigh the goods. No need to worry about the mushrooms.”

Lin Heng clearly understood Liu’s gloating and contempt but couldn’t be bothered to argue. Let reality do the talking—Liu would regret it eventually.

“Ganoderma, still 50 yuan a jin. Musk deer hide, 70. Squirrel pelt, 3 yuan,” Liu said after weighing the goods.

“That’s too low. Ganoderma goes for 70 in the city. Musk deer hide should fetch at least 80,” Lin Heng shook his head. Liu was keeping prices low when the market rose and slashing them when it dipped—ruthless.

Liu shot him a look and said coldly, “Take it to the city then. That’s the price here.”

Lin Heng was stunned. “Uncle Liu, that’s a bit unreasonable. I’m not asking for city rates—just 65 for the Ganoderma and 80 for the hide. You’d still make over ten bucks.”

He spoke in a negotiating tone, but Liu snapped, sneering, “Take your stuff and get out. Sell it to someone else. I’m not buying.”

“Come on, I’m just trying to talk business here,” Lin Heng said, puzzled. He didn’t think he’d offended Liu in any way.

“My prices are my prices. If the city pays more, go sell there. You think you’ve got leverage just because you collected a thousand jin of Sanghuang? You’re still way out of your league!”

Liu scoffed, feeling Lin Heng was trying to strong-arm him into lowering prices. No way was he giving in.

If he gave in today, he’d have to do the same for everyone tomorrow. This clueless kid really thought he had what it takes?

Lin Heng exhaled, then smiled. “Alright then, no discount it is. My bad.”

He picked up his goods and walked away with his wife and daughter.

Once outside, Xiulan took his arm and said, “Don’t be mad. He’s always been like that—never lets people bargain.”

Lin Heng waved his hand and said with a smile, “It’s nothing, I’m not angry.”

Of course, that wasn’t true. He was definitely angry—Xiaoxia had been frightened. He had to teach that bastard Liu Qicheng a lesson. Last time he pulled a face in front of him and Father Lin, and now he was at it again. Did he really think they were pushovers?

So what if you’ve got a powerful acquisition station? I’ll just set up one myself. Don’t want to raise the price? Fine, I’ll force you to.

That’s just how this era was. Some people were honest and kind, while others were greedy and ugly, monopolizing resources and refusing to even let people bargain.

Suddenly, Lin Heng remembered something: in his past life, Liu Qicheng had gambled together with the head of the Cheng family who ran the grain station. Liu hadn’t been caught at the scene, though.

What a pity he didn’t know the time and place of those gambling sessions. Otherwise, he’d report that bastard right away.

“Should I go sell the stuff?” Xiulan asked softly. She could tell Lin Heng was holding back his anger.

“No, don’t sell it. I’ll take it to the city,” Lin Heng shook his head. He didn’t want his wife to suffer that kind of humiliation again.

“Then should we go fishing?” Xiulan asked again.

“No, let’s go home first,” Lin Heng smiled and stroked Xiaoxia’s face. The little girl was still a bit scared.

“Daddy, that guy was mean!” Xiaoxia said, looking up at him.

“Yes, very mean,” Lin Heng nodded and comforted her.

“Alright,” Xiulan said, glancing at Lin Heng. There was nothing else they could do but head home.

They hadn’t brought any money and were planning to sell their goods first before buying anything. Since they hadn’t sold anything, they had no choice but to return.

Carrying his daughter, Lin Heng headed back. When they arrived at the village, someone saw them returning with their goods and curiously asked, “Why didn’t you sell anything?”

“The price was too low, I didn’t feel like selling,” Lin Heng said with a smile.

“Hey, what can you do if the price is low? There’s only that one acquisition point in town. Whether you like it or not, you have to sell there.” Many people were unhappy with Liu Qicheng, but there was nothing they could do about him.

There weren’t even anti-monopoly laws at that time. The man had money, and regular folks just had to grit their teeth and bear it. That’s how it had always been, in every era.

“Then you’ll probably have to take it to the city to sell,” someone working in the fields joked.

…

Back home, Lin Heng set his daughter down and let her go play with the cat.

“Xiulan, I’m heading out for two or three days to talk some business with the United Brick Factory in town,” Lin Heng said quietly.

“Is it really business? Or are you trying to get back at someone?” Xiulan didn’t believe it—she knew Lin Heng was holding in a lot of frustration.

Lin Heng held her hand and smiled, “It’s real business. I wouldn’t do anything stupid, don’t worry. I can’t bear to leave you and our daughter—I’d never do anything illegal.”

“How about this—stay home and cool off for a day. If you still want to go tomorrow, then go.” Xiulan suggested, thinking he was still too emotional right now.

“Alright, I promise,” Lin Heng nodded, then went inside to grab paper and pen and started writing out yesterday’s plan.

He had scrapped his old plan. Breeding livestock was slow to show returns. Before that took off, he could start with something else—a business. An acquisition station would be a good start. Once it was up and running, he’d just need someone trustworthy to manage it in town.

He’d still stay in the village with his wife and kid, slowly developing his Red Maple Mountain.

The benefit of this plan was a stable source of income. He wouldn’t have to rely on hunting in the mountains anymore, which was too dependent on luck. It also gave him a safety net for other ventures.

He’d had this idea before, but not this strongly. Competing with an already established acquisition station required capital, after all.

Once he had it figured out, Lin Heng continued to jot down his Red Maple Mountain development plan—notes, to-do items, supplies to buy—everything.

A good memory was no match for a poor pen. Better to write it all out than risk forgetting something.

Watching Lin Heng seriously working away at his plan, Xiulan finally believed that he wasn’t just acting on emotion.

That afternoon, Father Lin came over.

“Lin Heng, I heard you and Xiaoxia went to sell stuff this morning and came back with it?” he asked curiously as he stepped into the courtyard.

“Yeah, that Liu Qicheng was too much…” Lin Heng gave a rough account of what happened.

Father Lin shook his head. “He’s getting worse and worse. When he first started, he was such a decent guy.”

“But don’t go thinking about hitting him or anything. Your wife and kid depend on you. If he’s offering a bad price, just sell it in the city. If you hit him, you’ll end up in jail,” he said worriedly.

“You’re saying that like I’m the type to pick fights. Even when I was hanging out with Zhao Hu and the others, I never got into fights,” Lin Heng said, spreading his hands helplessly.

Father Lin nodded, “Good. You’d better just focus on your fish pond. I picked two good dates for you—June 20 and June 24. Either one will do.”

Compared to seeing his son go head-to-head with a wealthy businessman, Father Lin felt he could accept digging a fish pond instead.

He was referring to the lunar calendar. This year, it was currently June 17—three days from the 20th and six from the 24th.

“Got it. I’ll go buy the materials tomorrow and start digging,” Lin Heng nodded. No matter what else was happening, the fish pond had to move forward.

“Alright, I’ll head back then. Still gotta go up the slope later to weed the crops,” Father Lin said, getting ready to leave.

“Dad, what’s the rush? Stay and hang out a bit,” Lin Heng pulled him back to sit and have tea.

While they drank, Lin Heng showed him the Red Maple Mountain plan.

After looking it over, Father Lin laughed and patted Lin Heng’s shoulder. “You’ve got vision, kid. If you’ve got the money, go ahead and do it. I’ve made peace with it. Do what you gotta do—your old man doesn’t have that kind of ability. At least I’ll make sure you won’t go hungry if you run out of money.”

He was shocked—the scope of his son’s plan was too ambitious. Earning at least a million a year in five years? He wouldn’t even dare to dream of that.

He’d be thrilled if Lin Heng made fifty thousand a year. The boy’s big dreams scared him. At the same time, it felt naïve. The plan looked nice on paper, but making it reality would be a fantasy.

“Haha, just watch, Dad. In five years, I’ll build a big villa on Red Maple Mountain and move you and Mom in,” Lin Heng said with a grin.

“I’ll take that promise. I’ll be waiting,” Father Lin laughed.

They chatted for a while and had a couple cups of tea before Father Lin left.

That afternoon, Lin Heng helped cut some pig grass but didn’t go up the slope to weed the corn.

That night, Xiulan, worried Lin Heng might still act rashly, decided to take the initiative and completely drain him—using her gentleness to soothe him.

For Lin Heng, it was a completely new and magical experience. He was the one being led.

When it was finally over, he told her all about his plan—he really was going to the United Brick Factory to talk business.

He planned to sell them the technique for firing high-quality bricks to earn some cash. Then, he’d head to other towns to gather a batch of Sanghuang mushrooms. Once he had enough capital, he’d take down that bastard Liu Qicheng.

As for how he knew brick-firing techniques, Lin Heng just told her it was a secret he’d reveal later.

“So you already had this all planned out, and just waited for me to take the lead before telling me?” Xiulan stared hard at him.

Even in the faint moonlight, Lin Heng could feel the sharpness of her gaze.

“Bastard!” she growled, then bit him hard on the arm.

“Ah! I was wrong, honey!” Lin Heng immediately begged for mercy. Xiulan really bit down hard this time.

“I ought to bite you to death. I’m never doing that again!” Xiulan turned away, fuming.

To keep her husband from overthinking and messing around with nonsense, she had swallowed her shame and made the decision to take the initiative and serve him. And what did she get in return? That despicable man lied to her.

“You’re so bad!!”

Xiulan was furious. She turned around and gave Lin Heng another pounding. This awful man!

“I was wrong, I was really wrong.” Lin Heng immediately hugged his wife and begged for forgiveness. The moment he thought about how that wonderful thing just now might never happen again, he panicked.

“Go hug your pillow. I’m mad now.” Xiulan tossed a pillow at him.

Just thinking about how she had tried so hard to comfort him while he was secretly enjoying himself made her want to crawl into a hole.

The next morning, when Xiulan got up, she couldn’t even bring herself to look at Lin Heng. Her expression was cold and clearly full of anger.

“Don’t be mad anymore.” While she was making breakfast, Lin Heng shamelessly came over.

“Get lost.” Xiulan shot him a glare.

Lin Heng seized a chance to pull her into a hug and started tickling her. Xiulan laughed and begged for mercy, “Stop it! I’m not mad anymore, I swear I’m not mad! Please, hubby~”

Her body went limp from the tickling, and she collapsed into Lin Heng’s arms.

When he let her go, she stood up and looked like she wanted to hit him, then shook her head helplessly. “I swear, I’m stuck with you for life.”

“No worries. I’ve got dibs on the next life and the one after that too,” Lin Heng chuckled.

“Quit talking nonsense. You need seven days to cool off, taste what that feels like.” Xiulan gave him a stern look.

“Don’t do that, you’ll be miserable too.”

“Keep yapping and I’ll make you sleep outside the door,” Xiulan snapped.

Lin Heng sighed. If he’d known it would turn out like this, he would’ve just tricked her a little. Now he was cut off for seven whole days. It was torture.

How could a young body endure such punishment?

After breakfast, Lin Heng changed clothes and went out. After spending a few days with Xiaoxia, he wasn’t as clingy anymore.

“Be careful, and come back early if you can.” Xiulan put a straw hat on him and reminded him.

“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely be back early,” Lin Heng replied with a smile.

Then he turned and left. Time was tight—he had to finish this matter quickly and get some money to buy a batch of Sanghuang mushrooms to store.

When he arrived at Huangtan Town, Lin Heng glanced in the direction of the Liu family’s Acquisition Station and smiled. Getting physical was never something an adult should do—an eye for an eye was only a last resort.

He had plenty of ways to bring them down. Using others to do the dirty work, stabbing from the shadows—that was the smarter route.

(End of Chapter)