Chapter 129 – Knocking Down Jujubes, I’m Sitting at the Kids’ Table

After sending his parents home, it was already completely dark when Lin Heng came back out.

Dinner had taken over an hour, and they even lit candles toward the end. It was past nine now. There was no moon these past few days, and the stars looked especially brilliant.

When Lin Heng got home, Xiulan was cleaning up the dishes. He walked over to help.

“Give all of this to Xiongba,” Xiulan said as she packed up the leftovers and handed them to him. There were boiled chicken bones and organs in the mix.

Lin Heng brought it out and poured it into the dog bowl. He looked at Xiongba and said, “This counts as a feast tonight, huh?”

Xiongba didn’t respond, just chomped away loudly, crunching the bones. Hard to say if it was satisfied or not.

Back inside, Lin Heng washed Xiaoxia’s face and feet, then read her a story to coax her to sleep.

By the time she was asleep and he went out to take a shower, Xiulan had already finished washing up.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked as Lin Heng climbed into bed.

“I was thinking we could pass by Carpenter Liang’s in a few days and have him make a big wooden tub for soaking. I really want a bath,” Lin Heng said with a yawn.

“If you want a tub, then get one. It’s not like you’re short on money anymore,” Xiulan replied softly.

“Then how about we soak in it together?” Lin Heng chuckled.

“Knew your mind wasn’t pure.” Xiulan snorted.

Lin Heng pinched her hand. “Then why are you lying in my arms?”

She snorted again. “Well, you married me. I’ll lie here for a lifetime.”

…

The two chatted in hushed tones, teasing each other from time to time.

Lin Heng pulled his wife into his arms. He had only planned to nibble a little on her “meat bun,” but things quickly got out of hand, exhausting his already tired body even more.

“Damn, now I don’t even want to go to the river tomorrow,” Lin Heng groaned. Some things really couldn’t be controlled.

Nestled in his arms, Xiulan said softly, “Then just go the day after.”

Her whole body was limp right now. She just wanted to curl up in Lin Heng’s embrace. There was even a faint scent of Chinese fringe flower in the air.

“This is your fault,” Lin Heng said, pretending to blame her.

Xiulan rolled her eyes. “Yes, yes, all my fault. All for me. Not like someone didn’t make the first move and beg for cooperation.”

“Haha.” Lin Heng finally remembered she had warned him earlier, but he hadn’t listened.

“Sleep, sleep.”

Xiulan had recovered a bit of strength and lay to the side to rest.

Lin Heng also quickly drifted into a deep sleep and slept in until past ten the next morning.

When he got up and went outside, Xiulan was picking vegetables in the backyard gazebo. Xiaoxia was leaning on the railing watching the fish, occasionally tossing them some food.

The wild grapevine they had planted near the arbor was not only alive, but its new tendrils had climbed all the way up.

Lin Heng thought if they’d planted earlier, they might be eating wild grapes by now.

In the corner of the yard, a dried-up Chinese juniper he’d abandoned had sprouted green leaves again—its vitality was startling.

He went over, picked up the pot, and set it near the fish pond.

That juniper bonsai perfectly embodied the cycle of life and death.

“I left your food in the pot. Go eat it yourself. There’s tea on the table too,” Xiulan said without looking up.

“Got it.” Lin Heng nodded and went to eat.

She’d made rice that morning, with cold cucumber slivers and dry-fried green beans on the side.

When he saw the tea on the table, Lin Heng felt deeply grateful—Xiulan had brewed him a cup of mulberry and goji tea.

After eating, he even ate the mulberries and goji berries from the tea. No choice—he needed the nourishment.

Seeing him eat even the mulberries, Xiulan, who came over with the bouncing Xiaoxia, looked pleased.

“What are Mom and Dad doing today?” Lin Heng asked curiously.

“They went to help Third Uncle’s family thresh rice. We’ll be threshing tomorrow too,” Xiulan said. “Third Aunt even came over this morning and insisted we have lunch at their place.”

“Alright, we’ll have to go then. If we don’t, they’ll definitely come get us.” Lin Heng nodded. Not having to cook wasn’t bad either.

Xiulan nodded, then said, “After you eat, let’s go knock down some jujubes. Mom said the ones on the beams are ripe already. Birds have been eating them these past couple of days.”

She paused, then added doubtfully, “Can you still climb trees?”

Lin Heng puffed out his chest. “Of course I can. Who do you think I am?”

“Alright then. I just don’t want you falling.” Xiulan smiled.

“Got it.” Lin Heng went inside to get the hook and machete.

He looked around and also grabbed the slingshot from the wall.

“Oh yeah, honey—how’s that new kitchen knife?” he asked on his way out.

“Very sharp. Way better than the old one,” Xiulan replied. She grabbed a basket and took Xiaoxia’s hand as they headed out.

“Jujubes! Jujubes! I want jujubes!” Xiaoxia shouted joyfully, wearing her custom little straw hat Xiulan had sized for her.

“Woof woof!”

Xiongba, lying under the eaves, wagged his tail and ran out with them.

The little gold kitten Jinbao rolled over, yawned, and went back to sleep.

The sun was a bit intense today, but it was worth it for fresh red jujubes.

As soon as they stepped outside, the sound of threshing echoed from both sides of the river. The weather was good, and many families were out threshing grain.

“You guys threshing today too?” Lin Heng asked as they passed the Yangs and saw Li Caifeng spreading grain in the sun.

Li Caifeng smiled and nodded. “Yep. Good sun today. Where are you off to?”

She no longer compared herself to Xiulan, so there was no bitterness in her tone.

Ever since the price of sanghuang shot up and Lin Heng struck it rich, she’d completely stopped comparing herself to Xiulan and had found another woman of similar status to compete with.

“We’re going to knock down some jujubes,” Lin Heng replied with a smile.

“Oh right, they are ripe these past few days,” Li Caifeng nodded.

As the three walked past, she still couldn’t help feeling envious.

Lin Heng was just too surprising. Ever since he came back in May, he’d changed completely.

They arrived at a sweet potato field on the east side of the village, about six or seven hundred meters from Shiban River. A cypress grove grew here, where Lin Heng’s great-grandparents and grandfather were buried.

To the east of the grove was the sweet potato field. Near the grove stood two thick jujube trees, each about the size of a large bowl in diameter, and a persimmon tree over thirty centimeters thick.

This year, both the jujubes and persimmons were growing in abundance. Green persimmons the size of a child’s fist hung thickly on the branches.

Lin Heng spotted two that had already turned red—he planned to pick them later for his wife and daughter to try.

“Daddy, someone’s in the tree,” Xiaoxia pointed at the jujube tree.

Lin Heng had already seen them—three or four kids were up there picking jujubes. But in the countryside, there was a saying: “No fences under fruit trees.” As long as you didn’t strip the tree clean, no one minded a few kids having a snack.

“Uncle Lin, we’re just picking a few jujubes,” one of the boys on the tree said with a grin.

“Come on down, I’ll knock some down and you can pick them up,” Lin Heng said with a smile. The kid looked like Liu Lan’s second son.

“Okay, Uncle Lin! We’ll help pick them up!” The kids quickly climbed down.

“Xiulan, take our daughter and stand back. I’m going up to start knocking them down.”

Lin Heng said something, then climbed up the jujube tree on the left. Once he reached the top, he picked up a stick and began hitting the branches. A rain of jujubes came pouring down with a rustle.

“It’s raining, it’s raining!!”

Xiaoxia bounced up and down, shouting excitedly. If Xiulan hadn’t held her back, she would’ve dashed under the tree.

It wasn’t long before Lin Heng had knocked all the jujubes off the tree. The ground was covered in a sea of red, so thick there was barely a place for him to land when he climbed down.

“We’ll help pick them up.” A few kids rushed forward to start collecting them.

Xiulan picked them up into a basket, and Lin Heng came down and pulled Xiaoxia along. She picked one off the ground and hurriedly shoved it into her mouth, not caring whether it was dirty or not.

Lin Heng grabbed her hand, and she stared at him blankly, mouth still open.

“What are you looking at? Don’t you know to wipe off the dust?” Lin Heng took the jujube from her, picked a red one, wiped it clean, and handed it to her.

These jujubes hadn’t been sprayed with pesticides, so wiping them off before eating was good enough.

Xiaoxia took a bite, chewed a couple of times, then smiled with dimples. “Sweet!”

Lin Heng tried one himself. It was crisp and sweet, with a touch of jujube’s unique tartness and fragrance. He couldn’t stop after three bites.

As they picked and ate, they filled their bags.

After finishing one, Xiaoxia picked up another. She was about to wipe it on her shirt, then remembered her mom said not to get her clothes dirty.

She looked at her dad, then sneakily wiped the jujube on the hem of his shirt before taking a bite. A grin spread across her face.

Lin Heng didn’t even notice. He was focused on gathering jujubes.

Soon, Xiulan’s basket was full, and Lin Heng’s snakeskin bag was halfway filled.

Together, they had about fifty to sixty jin, not counting the handful the village kids had taken.

“Should we knock down the other tree too?” Lin Heng asked his wife.

“Let’s get them all. Otherwise, the bees and birds will eat them. Big Sis already took care of the one by the cornfield, so we don’t need to save any for her,” Xiulan replied.

These ripe jujubes, once dried, were great for tea, stewing with chicken, or with pork ribs.

“Alright.” Lin Heng climbed the other tree, and with a few swings of the stick, knocked down most of the fruit.

After gathering them, even his big snakeskin bag couldn’t hold them all. He had to fill another half bag.

“Let’s go home,” Xiulan said, wiping sweat off her forehead. It was still hot.

“Wait, I want to grab some persimmons to eat,” Lin Heng said, pointing to the persimmon tree.

“Don’t climb it. Those two ripe ones are too far, just leave them,” Xiulan advised.

“Nah, I’m picking green ones to pickle,” Lin Heng smiled, grabbing thirty green persimmons nearby and tossing them into a bag.

“Well, that’s fine.” Xiulan nodded.

Pickling persimmons didn’t mean soaking them in vinegar, but rather curing them in warm water.

The green persimmons are placed in a bucket, covered with leaves and corn husks, then soaked in warm water. After four or five days, they’re ready to eat.

By then, they’re no longer astringent, becoming crisp and sweet—very tasty.

But they had to be nearly ripe; if they were too green, they wouldn’t cure properly.

“Let’s go home,” Lin Heng said with a grin. He really liked eating pickled persimmons.

On the way back, they picked a few tender corn cobs from the cornfield to bring home.

Xiulan planned to make red jujube, pumpkin, and corn porridge for dinner.

“Should we chop some more and make some corn pulp cakes?” Lin Heng asked, eyeing the corn.

Corn pulp cakes were a tasty rural treat made from slightly mature tender corn ground up and fermented overnight.

They could be steamed or pan-fried into cakes. The unique aroma was quite appealing.

Of course, it was best eaten occasionally—too often, and it became a bit much.

“Sure! Mom was just saying yesterday she wanted some. But let’s do it this afternoon. We’ll chop more then and split it among our three households,” Xiulan agreed.

“Sounds good.” Lin Heng nodded and walked home with Xiaoxia and Xiongba.

As soon as they got back, Xiaoxia kicked off her shoes and climbed onto the bamboo mat.

Lin Heng took a sip of the honeysuckle and Houttuynia herbal tea that Xiulan had brewed before they left. It had cooled by now.

The herbs were picked during the Dragon Boat Festival and were top quality. One sip and he felt instantly refreshed.

After resting for a while, Xiulan brought over two round winnowing baskets and said, “Help sort them.”

“Okay,” Lin Heng nodded, tossing out the bad ones and separating the ripe and unripe ones.

The red ones would be washed and sun-dried into dried jujubes. The unripe ones would be eaten fresh.

As they sorted, Xiaoxia came over to “help” and ended up making more of a mess.

They chatted as they worked, and it took over half an hour to finish.

“I’ll go weigh them,” Lin Heng said, turning to grab the scale.

“Seventy-five jin of ripe jujubes and thirty jin of unripe ones. It’s a bumper harvest this year,” Lin Heng said with a smile.

This was after sorting. The spoiled ones thrown out for the badgers must’ve been another twenty or thirty jin.

Xiulan smiled too. “It really is a good year. With three jin drying down to one, we can get twenty-five jin of dried jujubes.”

Jujube trees weren’t thinned or pruned, so their yield varied from year to year.

“Daddy, I want to be weighed too,” Xiaoxia said sweetly, looking at Lin Heng.

“Alright then,” Lin Heng said, finding a basket with a rope.

He let his daughter squat in the basket and lifted it with the scale.

“Eighteen jin. Xiaoxia, you weigh eighteen jin now,” he said. It was a healthy weight.

“She’s put on quite a bit! She was only fifteen jin back in July,” Xiulan said as she picked her daughter out of the basket.

Their meals had been good the past few months, and Xiaoxia had gained weight.

“I’m eighteen jin!”

Xiaoxia didn’t really know how much that was, but she kept repeating it. She went and told Jinbao, then Xiongba, and didn’t even spare the badger and musk deer.

Lin Heng smiled at her antics. Meanwhile, Xiulan washed the red jujubes, blanched them in boiling water, and then spread them on the round baskets to dry in the sun.

She also laid mesh netting that Lin Heng had previously bought for fish traps over them to keep bugs away.

With this weather, they’d be dry in three or four days.

As for the remaining thirty-something jin of fresh jujubes, those would be for eating.

That wasn’t a lot—Lin Heng and Xiaoxia alone had eaten nearly half a jin already.

After finishing with the jujubes, the two of them sat in the house drinking tea and cooling off. Once rested, Lin Heng soaked the green persimmons in warm water.

Xiulan, using Lin Heng’s refined steel knife, cut the tender corn. After cleaning it, she prepped it for dinner.

Once they were done, the two rinsed their feet in sandals and lay down on the bamboo mat.

The mat was laid on the floor and much cooler to lie on.

Lin Heng picked up a book and read for a while before putting it down, lying aimlessly and staring at the wooden ceiling.

“Aren’t you going to do anything with the fishpond?” Xiulan asked while playing dolls with their daughter.

“I’ll take care of it tomorrow morning. I don’t feel like moving today. There’s no rush—we’re not putting shrimp in until next year,” Lin Heng replied.

The second pond hadn’t been disinfected yet. Tomorrow morning, he’d spread two or three hundred jin of quicklime to disinfect it, then fill it with water to soak.

Knock knock knock!!

Just as Lin Heng was about to take a little nap, a knock came from outside.

“Brother Lin Heng, come eat at my place!” came Lin Hai’s shout from outside the door.

“Coming, coming!” Lin Heng said, putting on his shoes and getting up.

On the way out, he checked his watch—it was already half past one.

“Lin-ge, lunch is ready. Hurry over and eat,” Lin Hai said as soon as Lin Heng opened the door.

“Coming. Do you eat dates?” Lin Heng asked.

Lin Hai shook his head. “No, we have a ton at home.”

“Alright then.” Lin Heng nodded, changed his shoes, and headed to Lin Hai’s house with Xiulan.

“Ge, you’re amazing. You just took off and made it big,” Lin Hai said enviously as they walked.

He had watched Lin Heng rise step by step with his own eyes, and the envy in his tone was obvious.

Lin Heng laughed and patted him on the shoulder. “What big? The shop hasn’t even made much money yet.”

“That’s still better than us farmers. Ge, what do you think I could do to make some money?” Lin Hai asked, seeking advice.

His relationship with Tian Yan had been going well lately, and he was more eager than ever to change his circumstances.

Lin Heng thought for a moment, then said, “Well, you could try planting fruit trees. I’m going to buy saplings in the spring—could help you buy some too, or you can come with me. It takes a few years to bear fruit, but if you take care of them, it’s a long-term business.”

“Alright, I’ll go with you then.” Lin Hai nodded.

As they chatted, they arrived at Lin Hai’s house. From a distance, Lin Heng saw Father Lin and his eldest brother surrounded by a crowd, chatting.

Now that the Lin family was doing well, plenty of people wanted to learn the secret or get friendly—it was only natural.

“Boss Lin is here!”

“Living the good life now, huh, Boss Lin?”

Seeing Lin Heng, the group greeted him with grinning compliments.

“Don’t call me boss, I haven’t made much money,” Lin Heng said with a wry smile and a shake of his head.

“We don’t believe that—share the wealth with us, will you?”

“Come on, tell us how much you’ve made.”

The crowd kept on, half joking, half egging him on.

Lin Heng helplessly led his wife and kid inside—he really didn’t want to banter with all these uncles. Crowds were like that.

Inside, Lin Hai’s brother Lin Shan smiled at Lin Heng. “Come, sit down, food’s almost ready.”

After splitting from the family, Lin Shan had built his home in Shanghe, a bit far from the village center, and usually kept his head down farming, so he didn’t see Lin Heng much.

When he heard about Lin Heng’s recent success, his jaw nearly dropped. The cousin he used to think was hopeless had actually made it. He was equal parts envious and a little jealous.

“Lin Heng, Xiulan, sit, sit, the food’s coming out soon,” Third Aunt Li Xue greeted them warmly. She even brought out water for Lin Heng and Xiulan herself, and gave Xiaoxia a biscuit to snack on.

“No need to go through all the trouble,” Lin Heng quickly said.

“It’s no trouble. You two sit—I’ll go help bring the dishes,” Third Aunt said with a smile, shaking her head.

Lin Heng got up to help, but she pressed him back down, saying they had enough people already.

There were a lot of folks helping thresh the grain today, so they had three tables: one for the men drinking, one for the women, and one for the kids.

Lin Heng didn’t feel like drinking in front of so many people, so he sat at the kids’ table with Xiulan.

But as soon as they sat down, all the uncles who’d been chatting outside came in and—without a word—sat down at his table too.

Lin Heng: “…”

【End of Chapter】