Chapter 120: The Price of Sanghuang Has Increased

The continuous rain lasted for four days and finally stopped on the night of August 26th.

On the morning of August 27th (the twelfth day of the seventh lunar month), Lin Heng and Xiulan set out early for Hongfeng Mountain.

Both fish ponds were full, with water flowing out from the overflow outlets.

“Do we need to drain both ponds?” Xiulan asked as she looked at Lin Heng.

Holding two sections of plastic hose, each about seven to eight meters long and five centimeters in diameter, Lin Heng shook his head. “No, we only need to drain the second pond.”

The first pond had already been disinfected, so its water could stay. The second pond, however, wasn’t even fully dug yet, so it had to be completely drained and left to dry for a day before they could continue work the next day.

Lin Heng blocked one end of a hose, placed it outside the pond, and had Xiulan fill it with water. Once it was full, he quickly submerged it in the pond and removed the block on the other end. As Xiulan let go, the siphon effect automatically started draining the water.

Since they had no electricity and couldn’t use a water pump, this was the only option available—but it was surprisingly effective. By noon, most of the water was drained. With the hot sun drying it out, they would have to wait another day before work could resume.

“Hubby, tomorrow is the market day, the thirteenth of the seventh lunar month. Are you going to town?” Xiulan asked on the way home.

“No, I plan to go mushroom hunting,” Lin Heng replied, shaking his head.

“That works out. You can stay home and watch Xiaoxia. Mom asked me to go with her to the town hospital to buy some medicine. She hasn’t been feeling well lately,” Xiulan said.

“Alright, go ahead. Make sure she gets a thorough checkup and buy whatever medicine she needs. Take some money with you.”

“I know, don’t worry,” Xiulan nodded.

After lunch, Lin Heng, Xiulan, and their daughter went up the mountain to forage for mushrooms. Since there was no major farm work to do, their days were quite leisurely.

At this time of year, tea tree mushrooms were still abundant, along with a few greenhead and golden chanterelle mushrooms. However, Lin Heng had yet to find the broom fungus he was looking for—it likely wouldn’t appear until mid-September when the temperature dropped further.

Broom fungus, also known as coral fungus, was a delicious autumn mushroom.

They also found two Ganoderma mushrooms, though their growing season was coming to an end.

Lin Heng was looking forward to autumn. That’s when matsutake, lion’s mane, and other wild mushrooms would appear in large quantities. With luck, he might even find some black truffles.

There were black truffles in this region—people had discovered them last year. However, since they grew underground, finding them was mostly a matter of luck.

A Chance Encounter

“Well, if it isn’t Lin Heng.”

That afternoon, on their way back, Lin Heng ran into Jin Yan. Her greeting carried a hint of resentment and amusement.

She still hadn’t forgiven him for taking all her mushrooms last time. On top of that, she was convinced that Lin Heng had done something to turn Lin Hai against her—ever since that day, Lin Hai had completely ignored her.

Even when she tried to strike up a conversation, Lin Hai remained indifferent. Jin Yan was certain that Lin Heng had sabotaged her.

She figured that deep down, Lin Heng still couldn’t let her go and didn’t want to see his cousin involved with her. That must have been why he had meddled.

“What’s the matter?” Lin Heng asked, holding his daughter in his arms, completely clueless about her attitude.

But Jin Yan didn’t say anything—she simply gave him a look.

Xiulan, standing beside Lin Heng, immediately narrowed her eyes, her protective instincts flaring.

“Don’t look at me like that. Even if you handed your man to me, I wouldn’t want him,” Jin Yan sneered.

She carried herself with an air of superiority, as if Lin Heng was nothing more than a man she had rejected—only Xiulan would treat him like a treasure.

Xiulan simply nodded, her expression calm. “That’s for the best. As long as I want him, that’s all that matters.”

Jin Yan let out a cold laugh and walked away.

Xiulan then turned to Lin Heng, her eyes filled with curiosity rather than suspicion.

She never doubted his feelings for her, but she was definitely wondering what had happened.

“I’ll explain when we get home. She’s probably mad at me for ruining her plans,” Lin Heng said with a grin.

“Alright,” Xiulan nodded.

Back at home, as they cleaned the mushrooms, Lin Heng recounted the previous incident.

Basically, he had taken all of Jin Yan’s mushrooms and then called Lin Hai away, warning him that she was just waiting for the highest bidder. Instead of wasting time on her, he suggested Lin Hai pursue someone like Tian Yan instead.

“Now you get it? She’s mad at me for dragging Lin Hai away,” Lin Heng chuckled.

Xiulan nodded. “I see.”

“Are you jealous?” Lin Heng teased, grinning.

Xiulan shot him a playful glare. “Should I make you kneel on a washboard like other husbands?”

Then she added seriously, “But you should still keep your distance from other women. It makes me uncomfortable. You’re mine, and mine alone.”

“Mm-hmm! I promise!” Lin Heng nodded enthusiastically. He didn’t see her possessiveness as a restriction—it was proof of her love, and he was more than happy about it.

Besides, Xiulan practiced what she preached. Apart from the occasional polite greeting, she never spoke to the other men in the village.

“Daddy is mine!” Xiaoxia suddenly declared, raising her tiny hands.

Xiulan chuckled and pinched her daughter’s cheek. “Well, I gave birth to you, so that means you’re mine too!”

A Cozy Night

After dinner, Lin Heng read a bedtime story to his daughter and put her to sleep.

“Wife, I want to eat a meat bun,” he whispered with a cheeky grin as he lifted the mosquito net and climbed into bed.

Before long, he was savoring a soft and fragrant “big meat bun” that couldn’t even fit in one hand.

Xiulan, determined to assert her ownership, overwhelmed him with her gentle and loving embrace.

The Next Morning

When Lin Heng woke up, his wife was already getting dressed. He watched her with interest.

“Be good and stay home with the baby. If you behave, big sis will bring you some candy,” Xiulan said playfully, tapping his cheek.

Lin Heng grinned. “Big sis, I still want a meat bun.”

Xiulan shot him a look. “Well, that depends on how you behave.”

Lin Heng stayed in bed a little longer, feeling slightly sore from the night before.

Xiulan cooked for Lin Heng, steamed the rice, ate a portion herself, and then went into the bedroom to poke Lin Heng’s chest.

“Get up and eat later. If you still want to rest, you can sleep after eating. Otherwise, if you go hungry, I’ll feel bad for you,” she said.

“Mhm.” Lin Heng nodded. It felt great to be doted on by his wife.

Having an older wife who loved him was truly a blessing—she really cared about him.

Xiulan glanced at him, took ten yuan in front of him, tucked it into her pocket, and then left with her basket on her back.

“Lin Heng isn’t coming?” Lin Mu asked when she saw Xiulan.

“He’s still resting,” Xiulan replied with a smile.

“What a lazy guy. Let’s go then,” Lin Fu teased with a chuckle.

Lin Fu was also heading to the market today. He planned to sell some medicinal herbs. Even though Liu Qicheng was a greedy businessman, there was no way to avoid him. Taking just a small batch of goods all the way to the city to sell wasn’t practical.

Because of the continuous rain for the past three or four days, the weather had just cleared, and many people were heading to the market.

Upon arriving at town, Xiulan accompanied Lin Mu to the hospital to see a doctor and buy medicine, while Lin Fu went to sell the herbs.

As he approached the Acquisition Station, he noticed a noisy commotion, as if something big had happened.

“What’s going on?” Lin Fu asked as he walked forward.

“Sanghuang has skyrocketed in price! It’s jumped to 3.5 yuan per jin! Look at the big characters written on the wall,” someone nearby replied.

“Sanghuang’s price shot up?” Lin Fu was stunned, unable to believe it.

He immediately looked up and saw the bold black letters on the gray-white plaster wall:

“High-volume Sanghuang purchases, 3.5 yuan per jin!!”

“My god!”

Lin Fu was shocked. The price really had risen!

Rubbing his eyes, he looked again carefully—no mistake. It was real.

“No way, I have to ask someone!” Lin Fu still didn’t fully trust the writing on the wall.

He squeezed through the crowd and found Liu Qicheng, the buyer, and asked, “Is it true that Sanghuang is now 3.5 yuan per jin? You’re not joking?”

Liu Qicheng looked at Lin Fu and immediately recognized him as Lin Heng’s father, Lin Xuan’an.

His expression became complicated, filled with regret and jealousy.

At this moment, he truly regretted his past decisions. Back when Lin Heng was buying Sanghuang, he thought the kid was a fool, acting irrationally.

But now? It turned out he himself was the real fool. If only he had held onto some Sanghuang, he would have made a fortune too!

The worst part was that the very kid he had looked down on had made a massive profit off him.

To make matters worse, he had been going around laughing at how some idiot was hoarding Sanghuang. And now, people were looking at him as if to say, Oh, so you’re the real idiot, huh?

“Of course, it’s real.” Liu Qicheng reluctantly admitted.

Lin Fu froze. The news hit him so hard that he needed a moment to process it.

“Are you still selling your herbs?” Liu Qicheng asked, his tone unintentionally more polite than before.

“Sell what? Sell my ass!” Lin Fu grinned and ran off, sprinting all the way to the hospital.

“What’s wrong, Dad? Why are you running so fast?” Xiulan asked.

“Yeah, what’s the rush? Can’t you walk slower?” Lin Mu was exasperated. Her husband was acting like a child.

“Forget about that! We can go to the hospital later. First, I need to show you something!” Lin Fu said excitedly, still catching his breath.

“What’s so important? We’re about to be called in for the checkup,” Lin Mu complained. She couldn’t understand why he was making such a fuss.

“Just stop talking and come with me. You’ll understand when we get there!” Lin Fu didn’t bother explaining and dragged them along at a fast pace.

“If this isn’t something important, you’re in big trouble,” Lin Mu grumbled. She was annoyed—he wouldn’t even let her see the doctor properly!

When they arrived at the Acquisition Station, they noticed many people from Hongfeng Village had gathered there, all looking at them with strange expressions.

“Look at the wall yourselves!” Lin Fu pointed at the large black letters on the Acquisition Station’s plaster wall.

Both Lin Mu and Xiulan had basic literacy, and the bold words were easy to read.

“High-volume Sanghuang purchases, 3.5 yuan per jin!!!”

Lin Mu read the words aloud several times before finally grasping their meaning. She stood there in shock.

Xiulan had already guessed that Lin Fu was bringing them here because of a price increase, but seeing the actual numbers still stunned her.

She hadn’t expected such a drastic jump—from 0.2 yuan to 3.5 yuan, more than tenfold.

Even compared to the previous high of 2 yuan per jin, it was nearly twice as much!

It wasn’t just Xiulan and Lin Mu who were frozen in shock—many people from Hongfeng Village stood there in a daze.

If Sanghuang was worth 3.5 yuan per jin, then Lin Heng, who had stockpiled at least a thousand jin, would make… how much money?!

Oh. My. God.

They couldn’t even calculate it. In their entire lives, they had never imagined dealing with that much money.

Not far from Xiulan, Jin Yan stood still for a long time, unable to wrap her head around how much Lin Heng was about to earn.

She glanced at Xiulan, and an unavoidable expression of envy and regret crossed her face.

If she had agreed to Lin Heng’s proposal back then, she would be the one standing here now, basking in everyone’s admiration.

Just yesterday, she had arrogantly claimed that even if Lin Heng were given to her for free, she wouldn’t want him.

Now, she regretted it so much she could cry.

If she had never had the opportunity, it might have been easier to accept. But she had the chance. She had been given the choice!

But she had dismissed him as poor and unworthy.

She gave him up, and Xiulan picked him up like a treasure. And now, it turned out she had chosen a true gem.

The bitterness was unbearable. Jin Yan felt empty inside, as if she had lost something precious.

“Jin Yan, why are you walking so fast? You’re good at math—tell us, how much will Lin Heng make this time?” Liu Lan called out from the crowd.

As soon as she said this, many people turned their attention toward Jin Yan. She walked even faster.

“Liu Lan, you’re so oblivious. Don’t you know Lin Heng once proposed to Jin Yan?” someone chuckled.

“Exactly! And why do you care how much Lin Heng earns? He’s already Hongfeng Village’s richest man. Of course Jin Yan feels terrible!”

A few people talking couldn’t hide their schadenfreude. They were envious and regretful too, but seeing someone feeling worse than themselves made them feel a little better.

Xiulan snapped out of her thoughts, glanced at Jin Yan, who was fleeing, then pulled on Mother Lin’s hand. “Mom, let’s go.”

“Alright!” Mother Lin nodded. Staying here wasn’t a good idea—everyone in the village was talking about them. It was better to leave for now.

As they walked, she whispered, “Xiulan, how much Sanghuang did Lin Heng collect?”

“A little over 2,000 jin.” Xiulan smiled.

Mother Lin did the math and gasped. “Oh my god, that’s seven thousand yuan! That’s an enormous amount of money!”

“It’s even more than that. This is just the price Liu Qicheng is offering. It’s likely even higher in the city. Your son has not only become the richest man in Hongfeng Village overnight but might even become a ten-thousand-yuan household.”

Father Lin was so excited he grabbed Mother Lin’s hand. He truly couldn’t see through Lin Heng anymore.

“Oh my god, I wouldn’t even dare to dream of something like this!” Mother Lin’s eyes widened in disbelief, unable to find the right words.

“This is all thanks to Xiulan—she’s the biggest contributor,” Father Lin said, looking at Xiulan. “She was the only one who believed in Lin Heng, even when we were against it. If it were any other woman, she probably would have secretly sold off the Sanghuang. Lin Heng really married a good wife.”

“Exactly, Xiulan deserves the most credit. If not for her, that brat Lin Heng might still be messing around outside.” Mother Lin held Xiulan’s hand, nodding in agreement.

Xiulan smiled, happiness shining on her face. “Dad, Mom, you’re exaggerating. I’m not that great.”

…

Not long after Xiulan and her family left, Lin Heng’s eldest uncle, Lin Xuping, and eldest aunt, Li Ping, quietly arrived at the Acquisition Station.

Seeing the new price for Sanghuang, they were dumbfounded. They had been waiting for the price to plummet so they could mock Lin Heng, but not only did it not drop, it had skyrocketed.

They felt a hollow emptiness inside, unsure of what to say.

The two exchanged glances, then silently left. Each glance at the price added another layer of regret and jealousy in their hearts.

Meanwhile, back in Hongfeng Village, even before Xiulan and her family returned, someone had already brought the news back.

The soaring price of Sanghuang spread like wildfire.

Village Chief Zhao Xiancheng was sipping tea at home when his wife, Tang Qing, rushed in, flustered. “Sanghuang prices have skyrocketed—three yuan and fifty cents per jin! Lin Heng is going to make a fortune!”

“What?!” Zhao Xiancheng was so shocked that his enamel tea mug almost slipped from his hand.

That kid actually made a fortune hoarding Sanghuang?

It felt unreal. Just a while ago, he was still fooling around with his son. How did things turn around so suddenly?

Unlike him, Tian Dongfu was much calmer. “Well, at least we don’t have to worry about Lin Heng not being able to pay wages now. Looks like it won’t be long before Hongfeng Village has its first ten-thousand-yuan household.”

“It’s unbelievable. How did Lin Heng know Sanghuang prices would go up?” Wang Qin was puzzled, unable to wrap her head around it.

She glanced at her daughter, Tian Yan, who was sitting in the courtyard reading. Smiling, she teased, “I heard Lin Heng used to court you. Do you regret it now?”

Tian Yan rolled her eyes. “Regret what? I look at a person, not their money.”

As she spoke, Lin Hai’s figure flashed through her mind.

“Haha, that’s my daughter! A cultured person sees things differently,” Tian Dongfu laughed heartily.

No matter what, this was good news for him.

Before noon, Xiulan returned with Father and Mother Lin. Instead of heading home, they went straight to the new house.

“Lin Heng, you struck gold!” Father Lin exclaimed excitedly the moment he walked in.

Lin Heng was inside, playing a game with Xiaoxia. Hearing this, he chuckled. “Sanghuang prices went up?”

“Yes! Not just up, they skyrocketed—to three yuan and fifty cents per jin! It’s a massive jump!” Mother Lin said, barely able to contain her excitement.

“Haha, that’s great!” Lin Heng laughed. Though his tone was calm, he was ecstatic inside.

Even though he had been reborn, he couldn’t be certain that the price increase would still happen. The butterfly effect could have changed everything.

“Sigh, from now on, I won’t question anything you do. I really don’t understand the outside world,” Father Lin admitted, shaking his head.

“That’s right. Do whatever you want. Even if you lose money, your dad and I won’t let you starve,” Mother Lin added. At this moment, she felt that Lin Heng had truly grown up and matured.

“Dad, Mom, don’t overthink it. I know you were just worried I’d waste my hard-earned money. I never held it against you.” Lin Heng smiled, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction.

After nearly six months since his rebirth, he had finally earned his parents’ approval.

“Little brother, you’ve made it big!”

His eldest brother and sister-in-law arrived as well, coming straight from the mountains where they had been gathering mushrooms. They had just heard the news.

His elder brother’s gaze was filled with sincere happiness, while his sister-in-law’s eyes carried both envy and relief.

She envied how much money Lin Heng had made, but she was relieved that she had married Lin Yue and could share in some of the good fortune.

“Dad, Mom, big brother, and sister-in-law, let’s have lunch here today. Xiulan bought some meat—we can treat it as a little celebration,” Lin Heng said with a smile.

“Yes! I’ll go cook right away.” Xiulan was so excited she had almost forgotten about lunch.

After lunch, with some wine and food in their bellies, the family finally settled down.

Lin Heng didn’t dare step outside for the rest of the afternoon. Instead, he and Xiulan stayed curled up at home.

If he went out now, he’d be bombarded with endless congratulations and questions. It was better to wait until the excitement died down.

(End of Chapter)