Chapter 119: Half a Month Digging the Fish Pond

After dinner, Lin Heng, as usual, coaxed his daughter to sleep by reading her a fairy tale.

In this life, he had enough patience to nurture his child. As for things like playing musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, painting, dancing, or singing, he thought it would be best to let the child decide when she grew older. There was no need for him to plan everything out.

If she didn’t want to learn, then having a happy childhood was good enough—after all, he was there to support her.

What he really wanted to cultivate from an early age was the habit of reading. He believed that a strong mind was far more important than external skills.

If one could see the path clearly, even walking slowly would eventually lead to the destination. But if the path was unclear, one would end up like a headless fly—flying aimlessly and going in circles.

Throughout human history, countless great figures had emerged, each of whom had directly or indirectly changed the course of history in some way.

And their great thoughts and profound insights were all preserved through books.

Facts had proven that the difficulties and problems encountered by ordinary people had also been faced by these great individuals, and they had recorded corresponding solutions in their works.

Reading these books could not only resolve one’s own confusion but also offer a glimpse into the minds of these great figures and how they achieved greatness step by step.

In his past life, Lin Heng had endured his most difficult years through reading. That was why he hoped his child would also develop a love for books.

With the mentality of a sixty-year-old, he had more than enough patience to gradually cultivate his child’s reading habits and guide them through books.

That night, Xiaoxia was especially lively. Lin Heng read fairy tales to her for over forty minutes before she finally fell asleep.

When Lin Heng got into bed, he found that his wife was already asleep. He glanced at her slightly disheveled hair and delicate face, a soft smile appearing on his lips.

Blowing out the candle, he lay down beside her and went to sleep.

The night passed peacefully.

At five o’clock the next morning, Lin Heng opened his eyes and turned his head to see his wife. She happened to be looking at him as well.

Their eyes met, and they exchanged a loving smile. Lin Heng tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear and gently stroked her smooth face. She kissed him on the lips in a morning greeting before sitting up with a smile.

They got up together and went to the kitchen to check on the dove tree leaf immortal tofu they had made the day before.

It had a vibrant green color, with tiny bubbles and minuscule bits of dove tree leaf visible upon closer inspection.

Xiulan pressed it lightly with her finger—it was firm and elastic. Turning back, she smiled. “It worked! Do you want some for breakfast?”

“Yes.” Lin Heng nodded.

“I’ll cut it up for you.” Xiulan washed her hands, took a knife, and sliced the immortal tofu.

She cut a piece about half a centimeter thick and placed the rest in water to keep it fresh for longer.

After slicing, she sprinkled chopped scallions, minced garlic, chili oil, aged vinegar, soy sauce, and a little sesame oil over it, then gently mixed it all together. In no time, a fragrant and appetizing dish of dove tree leaf immortal tofu was ready.

“Try it!”

Xiulan handed the chopsticks to Lin Heng.

Lin Heng carefully picked up a piece, the same way one would handle pork jelly—it required some skill.

Bringing it to his mouth, he took a bite and couldn’t help but show a blissful expression. “Delicious!”

The flavor was light and refreshing, softer than liangfen but similar to pork jelly.

It had a unique cooling fragrance from the immortal leaf, blending perfectly with the vinegar and chili. It was simply exquisite.

“You try one too.” Lin Heng picked up another piece for his wife.

Xiulan took a bite, her face lighting up with delight. “It’s really good. The small leaves taste much better than the big ones—not bitter at all.”

The two of them finished the small bowl together. Just like liangfen, this dish needed both the right texture and a good seasoning mix. Xiulan’s cooking skills certainly did it justice.

Lin Heng thought that one of these days, he should dig up a dove tree and plant it in their yard. That way, they wouldn’t have to compete with others for the leaves.

After eating the immortal tofu, they washed up. Xiulan started preparing breakfast while Lin Heng went to feed the chickens and ducks.

During breakfast, Xiulan asked, “Do you need my help digging the fish pond this morning?”

Lin Heng shook his head. “No need. You don’t even have to cook lunch—just bring us some water.”

He had hired twenty workers for the job, each earning 80 cents per day, which was higher than the usual rural labor rate. Because of that, he wasn’t providing meals, and they had to bring their own tools.

Even so, the job had attracted many applicants. Rural work was mostly based on mutual aid, and paid jobs were scarce.

In the end, the village chief, Tian Dongfu, selected twenty strong, experienced men who were known for being hardworking and honest.

“Alright.” Xiulan nodded and fed Xiaoxia a bite of porridge.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Knock, knock, knock!

They were still eating when the knocking came. Lin Heng was puzzled—who would come so early?

From outside, a voice called out, “Cousin, it’s me, Lin Hai.”

“I’ll get the door.” Lin Heng put down his bowl and got up.

Opening the door, he looked at Lin Hai in surprise. “What are you doing here? Something wrong?”

Lin Hai wasn’t among the workers he had hired.

“My dad sent me to help you, and I also brought a bag of plums we picked yesterday for you and my sister-in-law to try.”

As he spoke, Lin Hai lifted a bag filled with six or seven pounds of Sichuan plums.

“There’s no need. I already have enough workers. And that’s a lot of plums—we can’t finish them all.” Lin Heng shook his head but still invited him inside.

“I don’t have much else to do. I’ll just help out, no pay needed—just a meal will do.” Lin Hai smiled.

Lin Heng had done him a great favor, and even if his parents hadn’t told him to come, he would have.

“Have you had breakfast?” Lin Heng asked.

“Yes, I had ban soup.” Lin Hai nodded.

Lin Heng poured him a glass of water while continuing his own meal, chatting with him as he ate.

After breakfast, Lin Heng tried a plum. It was a crunchy and sweet Sichuan crisp plum, with a pit that came out easily.

“These are great. I love them.”

He split a plum, giving the smaller half to his daughter and the larger half to his wife.

“My dad said you liked them. We have plenty of plum trees at home.” Lin Hai grinned.

As they chatted, the courtyard gate suddenly swung open again.

Lin Heng’s father and eldest brother entered.

“Dad? Big Brother? You guys too? There’s really no need for so many people,” Lin Heng said helplessly.

Father Lin looked at him and said, “You’re digging a fish pond, and we’re not coming to help? That wouldn’t look right. People would talk.”

“That’s right. Farming work isn’t too busy these days, and we have some free time to help out,” Lin Yue added with a smile.

“Well, alright then,” Lin Heng could only agree.

He had prepared all the tools in advance and even got a string of firecrackers.

By 6:40 AM, people started arriving one after another. Some carried shovels, others had pickaxes, but most brought baskets for moving soil. There were also two wooden carts.

Lin Heng took out the work log and had everyone sign in—once upon arrival in the morning and again before leaving in the afternoon.

After putting away the work log, Lin Heng smiled and said, “Alright, I’ll be relying on everyone for the next few days. As for wages, don’t worry. You’ll be paid in full on the day the job is completed—no delays.”

He paused for a moment, then his expression turned serious. “But let’s be clear upfront—I’m paying well, so I expect everyone to take this seriously. I don’t want any unpleasant incidents.”

“Don’t worry, Lin Heng. With fair wages, no one will slack off.”

“That’s right! If anyone does, we won’t even need you to say anything—we’ll kick them out ourselves. Plenty of people are willing to work.”

“Yeah, rest assured. With good wages, we’ll treat this job like it’s our own land.”

Everyone chimed in, one after another. Their biggest concern was getting paid, and with Lin Heng’s assurance, they felt at ease.

“Alright, let’s go,” Lin Heng nodded and led the way.

The workers followed behind him in an orderly line, carrying their tools.

Soon, they arrived at the wheat field at the base of Maple Mountain. Lin Hai took out a lighter and set off the firecrackers. A series of loud pops rang out, signaling the official start of work.

Lin Heng began assigning tasks. “First, let’s pull out the weeds in the wheat field. Remove the grass along the edges of the path, too, and reinforce the embankments. Once I mark the lines, you can start digging.”

The group spread out, busying themselves with clearing the area. Lin Heng assigned specific tasks to each worker.

After organizing the workers, he turned to his father, elder brother, and cousin. “Help me mark the lines.”

“Alright,” Father Lin nodded. Watching Lin Heng direct the workers with such confidence, he thought his son really had the makings of a boss. Maybe this fish pond project would actually work out.

After careful consideration, Lin Heng decided to dig two fish ponds, each covering one mu (about 666 square meters).

The ponds would be right next to each other, with just a one-meter gap between them.

The lowest section of Maple Mountain spanned about 400 meters in length and over 30 meters in width, forming a trapezoidal shape.

The wheat field was just a small section at the eastern foot of the mountain. Based on the planned dimensions of 50 meters long by 13 meters wide per pond, there was enough space to fit at least seven ponds from east to west.

The main goal for today was leveling the ground. Even though the temperature was only around ten degrees, the slope still needed to be evened out before digging could begin. While it wasn’t realistic for all the ponds to be on the exact same level, each row could at least be aligned.

After measuring and marking the stakes, Lin Heng instructed the workers to begin digging. The excavated soil was dumped outside the field to help level the ground.

Even with over twenty people working on a 100-meter by 15-meter area, there was still plenty of space.

However, Lin Heng didn’t plan to hire more people. Managing a large group would be too difficult, and there was no rush—slow and steady would do.

Watching the workers at their tasks, Lin Heng had initially considered hiring an excavator.

But in this era, excavators were as rare as pandas. Most were government-owned, and private individuals simply couldn’t afford them.

Even if one could be rented, the cost would be high—human labor was much cheaper. After some thought, he decided manual digging was the way to go.

Besides, using manual labor had another advantage: it provided jobs for the villagers and helped him build goodwill.

When people relied on you for their livelihood, they naturally respected and supported you. No one wanted to lose their income.

If he relied entirely on excavators, the villagers wouldn’t benefit at all. Someone might even grow jealous and sabotage the fish pond.

By employing local labor, people had a way to earn money. Even if someone wanted to cause trouble, the majority would help prevent it—making it easy to catch anyone with bad intentions.

Taking everything into account, manual labor was cheaper, more convenient, and helped establish his reputation—so why not go for it?

Lin Heng himself didn’t do much physical labor. Instead, he supervised and gave directions, occasionally bringing over a few jugs of water.

At noon, the workers took a break for lunch. Work resumed at 2 PM and continued until 6 PM.

Rural laborers were impressively efficient. What Lin Heng had estimated would take two full days to complete was already more than halfway done in just one day.

At this rate, the remaining work would likely be finished by mid-morning the next day.

That evening, Xiulan cooked a meal, and Lin Heng had dinner and drinks with his father, elder brother, and cousin Lin Hai.

His mother and sister-in-law didn’t join—by the time they were invited, they had already eaten. At noon, Xiulan had sent them some “immortal tofu” as a meal.

After dinner, as Lin Heng helped clean up, he chatted with his wife about the day’s progress.

“That’s pretty fast! How long do you think it’ll take to finish both ponds?” Xiulan asked curiously.

“Just the digging itself? Probably half a month. If they work slowly, maybe twenty days,” Lin Heng estimated.

After all, each pond covered one mu and needed to be dug 2.5 meters deep—quite a significant undertaking.

Xiulan nodded and remarked, “That means you won’t be able to go hunting in the mountains this month.”

“I’ll wait until the weather cools down. Right now, even if I catch something, it won’t keep for long. Let the game animals grow a bit bigger first,” Lin Heng chuckled.

Although autumn had officially started, the temperatures hadn’t dropped at all—in fact, it was even hotter than before.

The next morning, by noon, the surface leveling for both ponds was finished.

In the afternoon, Lin Heng marked the outlines of the ponds. The outer embankment was left two meters wide to accommodate vehicles once it was hardened. The embankments on the other three sides were just one meter wide.

With the outer perimeter set, the next step was determining the slope of the pond walls. Since the area consisted of sandy soil, Lin Heng opted for a gentle 1:3 slope.

After marking the lines and securing the wooden stakes, the digging officially began. Twelve people focused on excavation, while eight transported the soil.

The excavated soil was first used to fill in some gaps in the land, with any excess used to pave roads or simply dumped into the forest below the western road.

The forest under the westernmost road was a steep slope, making it easy to dump soil there. At the bottom was a vast area of brambles and vines, with no farmland, so there was no risk of causing any damage.

Moreover, that forest now belonged to the Lin family, and a few hundred meters further down was the Stone Slab River. Lin Heng figured that dumping soil there could even help widen the road—a win-win situation.

Once everything was settled, the daily work became highly repetitive: just digging, digging, and more digging.

At first, Lin Heng worried that the soil quality here might not be good enough, requiring the installation of a waterproof membrane. However, after digging down about fifty centimeters, the soft sandy soil disappeared, revealing a layer of dense clay beneath.

This was fantastic news for Lin Heng. Clay retains water well and, once compacted, hardly leaks. This meant the fish ponds wouldn’t need a waterproof membrane and could be used directly for fish farming.

With the construction site running smoothly, Lin Heng entrusted its supervision to his father, elder brother, and cousin while he headed to town.

Although he had already written a proposal for the Tuanjie Brick Factory, some aspects still required hands-on guidance.

Fortunately, the factory owner was a decent person and even lent Lin Heng a horse used for transporting bricks to serve as his ride.

“Hyah!”

Lin Heng rode the horse back home, but since it had neither a saddle nor stirrups, he didn’t dare move too much, practically lying flat on the horse’s back.

On his second trip to town, he even fell off once. Luckily, the horse wasn’t running fast, so he only ended up with a sore waist.

“You really should be more careful. Look at your waist—it’s all bruised,” Xiulan said with distress as she applied red flower oil to his injuries that night.

Lin Heng endured the pain but still managed a smile. “It’s fine. It’s just like learning to ride a bicycle—you have to fall a few times before you get the hang of it. I think I’m getting the hang of riding now.”

He was already thinking that when the year-end came and he bought dairy cows, he might as well get two horses for transportation.

He couldn’t afford a motorcycle yet, but riding a horse would be useful for both hunting in the mountains and running errands in town. He could even use a wooden cart for transport.

Walking everywhere was just too tiring.

“If you don’t start being more careful, I won’t help you with this next time,” Xiulan warned as she gently massaged the bruise to reduce the swelling.

Over the following days, Lin Heng made another five or six trips to town, finally resolving all the technical matters.

As promised, Wang Jie handed over the remaining 1,000 yuan, with the last installment documented in an IOU.

“Brother Lin Heng, you’ve worked hard these past days. Please stay for dinner so we can have a meal together,” Wang Jie said with a smile after handing him the IOU.

After working closely with Lin Heng, Wang Jie had developed a great deal of respect for him. This man seemed to know even more about brickmaking than he did as the factory owner.

What puzzled Wang Jie was why Lin Heng, with his technical expertise, hadn’t started his own brick factory.

“I appreciate it, but I have things to take care of at home this afternoon. Let’s do it another time—I’ll treat you then,” Lin Heng replied.

Since his dealings with Wang Jie were just a one-off transaction, he wasn’t interested in drinking to build a relationship. He’d rather go home and spend time with his wife and kids.

“Well, that’s a pity. We’ll have to save it for another day,” Wang Jie said, not pressing the matter further.

On his way home, Lin Heng walked at a leisurely pace, taking in the sights and letting his thoughts wander.

Before he knew it, ten days had passed since they started digging the fish ponds. Due to encountering several large rocks and losing a day to rain, only the first pond was fully excavated.

That morning, Lin Heng went to inspect the work and was generally satisfied with the results.

The bottom and sides of the fish pond were smooth and compacted. Instead of a bottom drain, he had installed a drainage outlet at a depth of two meters on one side, using a 30-centimeter-diameter plastic pipe purchased from town. This would allow excess water to drain out, preventing overflow during heavy rains.

Installing a bottom drain would have been troublesome, and if it wasn’t done properly, it could lead to persistent leakage. So, he decided against it.

On August 18th in the solar calendar (the third day of the seventh lunar month), the project encountered a major issue.

“Little brother, what should we do about this?” Lin Yue asked as he looked at Lin Heng.

All the workers turned to Lin Heng, waiting for his decision.

While digging the second fish pond, they had run into a massive rock. At first, they thought it was small, but as they continued digging, they realized it was a gigantic blue stone weighing over ten tons.

The only way to remove it manually was to slowly chisel it apart before hauling it away.

“Forget it. Just leave it in the pond,” Lin Heng waved his hand dismissively.

This wasn’t something they could deal with right now. When he had more money in a couple of years, he could drain the pond and hire an excavator to remove it.

“Alright, let’s move on,” the workers agreed and resumed digging, determined to complete the second pond as soon as possible.

On August 19th, Lin Heng went to town and brought back 200 pounds of quicklime. He crushed it into powder and scattered it into the first fish pond for disinfection.

He then filled the pond with 30 centimeters of water, both to aid in sterilization and to test for leaks.

After monitoring it for two days, Lin Heng was pleased—there were no visible leaks in the compacted clay bottom.

The first pond seemed to be coming along smoothly, much to Lin Heng’s delight.

The second pond, however, was proving to be a headache. First, they hit that massive blue stone, and just as they were about to finish digging, it started raining.

On August 23rd, a sudden torrential downpour hit, turning into continuous rainy weather.

The first pond was fine—it had already been disinfected and had drainage. The second pond, however, was a disaster. Since it hadn’t been fully excavated yet, they had to rush to dig drainage ditches in the rain.

The heavy, relentless rain blanketed the mountain village, forcing people indoors to listen to the downpour and watch the sky.

Before anyone realized it, August was coming to an end.

(End of Chapter)