Chapter 139: Double Happiness, Tian Dongfu Was Stunned

Lin Heng opened the door to find Caiyun standing outside with her schoolbag. Before he could speak, Caiyun blurted out, “Big news, bro!”

“What is it? Why are you so flustered? Come inside and talk slowly.” Lin Heng pulled her into the house and locked the door behind them.

“I stopped by after school to help you check the ledger, and after reconciling the accounts, I heard an explosive piece of news from Wang Zhou.” Caiyun took a deep breath and looked at Lin Heng as she spoke.

Xiulan and Father Lin, hearing this, also looked over curiously. Judging from Caiyun’s tone, it sounded like a big deal.

“What news? Spill it.” Lin Heng was curious now too.

Caiyun steadied her breath and said slowly, “Just last night, Liu Qicheng was caught by the police gambling in town. The news has already spread everywhere.

“Apparently a whole group of them got arrested, and they’re saying the minimum sentence is three years. That means, second brother, the purchase station business will be yours alone from now on—no more competition! Isn’t that great news?”

“What?!”

“What?!”

Lin Heng and his father both froze and cried out in surprise, while Xiulan was left dumbfounded.

Father Lin was shocked that Liu Qicheng, a man so wealthy, was actually gambling—and got caught. It was hard to believe.

Lin Heng, on the other hand, was stunned at how things had taken such a turn.

In his past life, the gambling bust in town didn’t happen until the end of next year, and even then, it was the head of the Cheng family from the grain station and a few others—Liu Qicheng wasn’t among them.

He had only heard about Liu Qicheng’s gambling years later, when the man got old and was caught stealing his son’s money to gamble. It was his daughter-in-law who exposed him, and only then did Lin Heng realize this guy had been gambling for ages.

He never expected that this time around Liu would be caught so soon. It completely threw him off.

Could it be that opening the purchase station had made Liu upset, and he tried to drown his sorrows in gambling, only to get caught?

But that didn’t make sense. These gambling dens were usually hard to get busted. Lin Heng had even considered reporting him, but he never knew the exact location of the gambling spots.

“Did you ask how he got caught? Was it a tip-off?” Lin Heng asked, curious.

Caiyun shook her head. “I don’t know. I just heard he got arrested, and apparently he had already finalized the house contract.”

Father Lin glanced at Lin Heng and said happily, “Why bother thinking about it? That’s what happens when you keep doing shady stuff—you get what’s coming to you. Let’s just be happy.”

“Haha, true! Let’s have a good meal tonight to celebrate.” Lin Heng laughed heartily.

He hadn’t expected the butterfly effect to help him instead of harming him—this really was incredible news.

“What’s in this bag? Smells amazing.” Caiyun finally noticed the bag of black truffles, though she didn’t recognize them.

Xiulan looked at her and said, “Black truffle. Ten yuan a jin when wet, at least a hundred when dry.”

“Oh my god, that much? That’s a fortune! Two blessings in one day!” Caiyun exclaimed.

Lin Heng smiled. “Just a few hundred yuan. I’ll treat everyone tonight. It’s my first time trying this too—I don’t even know what it tastes like.”

Father Lin glared at him. “And you’re going to eat it? Sell it all!”

“A little won’t hurt. Just trying something new.” Lin Heng waved it off. He planned to keep a jin or two at home. Selling it wouldn’t make a huge difference.

“How do you eat black truffle?” Xiulan looked at Lin Heng. This was her first time digging some up—she’d never even seen one before.

“You don’t use it in stews. You can slice it thin and dip it in soy sauce or chili, or fry it with eggs.”

Lin Heng thought for a bit. He didn’t eat it often, but he’d seen others eat it.

It counted as a gourmet delicacy. Unlike ganoderma or dendrobium, it had no medicinal effects, just some nutritional value.

It was casual to eat—any way you liked was fine.

“Then let’s do one dish sliced with soy sauce or vinegar, and another fried with eggs,” Xiulan nodded. With so much of it, she was curious to try too.

Father Lin had come around as well and nodded. “Fine, eat it then. I’ll go kill some yellow eels and bring them over—let’s have a feast.”

“Caiyun, help Xiulan out. I’m going to pick up Xiaoxia.” Lin Heng grabbed a bunch of wild grapes, a bag of shrimp chips, and a piece of candy and stuffed them in his pocket.

He handed his forged steel knife to his father, and the two headed out together.

Mother Lin had already returned from herding the cows, and Hongzao was tied up in the yard.

When Lin Heng came in, it was swishing its tail to swat at flies and horseflies.

Xiaoxia was playing with Grandma in the main room. Lin Heng walked over with a smile and said, “Xiaoxia, come here, let Daddy hold you.”

Xiaoxia glanced at Lin Heng, gave a little snort, then turned and ran into the bedroom, trying to shut the door to keep him out.

Clearly, she was upset. Lin Heng had left her behind all day and only just came back.

“Look what Daddy brought you? I picked grapes for you.” Lin Heng blocked the door and dangled the grapes in front of her.

Xiaoxia looked at the grapes, her big eyes wavering.

“Daddy’s sorry. I even brought you shrimp chips to apologize, okay?” Lin Heng pressed on, pulling out the shrimp chips.

Xiaoxia couldn’t help swallowing a mouthful of drool—she was completely hooked.

Lin Heng quickly handed her the grapes and chips and scooped the little darling into his arms.

“Daddy, don’t run away again!” Xiaoxia said tearfully.

“Okay, okay, Daddy won’t go.” Lin Heng gently stroked her cheek.

Sometimes there was just no choice—taking her over a few mountains was too unrealistic.

“Mom, did Xiaoxia cry today?” Lin Heng asked his mother.

“She cried for quite a while. After finishing her shrimp chips, she kept calling for you and Xiulan, insisting on going home.

“When she didn’t see you two here, she cried again. I don’t remember her being so clingy before,” Mother Lin said helplessly. Her granddaughter was tough to look after.

“Maybe she’s just gotten used to it over these past few days.” Lin Heng sighed. Hopefully, things would be easier when she got older.

Right now she didn’t understand much, and after spending so much time with them, she’d gotten attached. While grandparents could look after her, going too long without seeing her parents made her cry.

After cuddling and soothing Xiaoxia for a bit, Lin Heng put her down and went to help his father kill the eels.

“What are you guys up to? Got something to celebrate?” Mother Lin asked curiously.

Father Lin, grabbing at the eels, said, “Your son got lucky today—blessed by the divine mountains. Dug up some wild goods worth four or five hundred.”

“That’s not all,” Caiyun brought back the news that Liu Qicheng had been caught gambling, and now the acquisition station business was all his.”

Lin’s mother stood up in shock upon hearing this: “What!!”

No matter which piece of news she heard, it all sounded somewhat unbelievable.

“Wait until dinner tonight, I’ll tell you the details.” Lin’s father shook his head and began working with Lin Heng to prepare the yellow eel.

They found a wooden board and nailed the eel’s head and tail with two nails, placing its back facing up.

Lin Heng took a well-forged steel dagger, holding it upright to slice along the spine, then spread the eel flat before cutting horizontally to pull the whole spine out. The head and tail were chopped off, and the internal organs cleaned out. It was ready.

After the eel was prepared, only the meat remained, and it would be amazing stir-fried in sections.

“This eel tastes great, but it’s really hard to prepare!”

Lin Heng shook his head and brought out a two-and-a-half-pound eel he had caught.

It seemed the eel had sensed its fate, as it began thrashing wildly, struggling even before the nails could be driven into its head.

However, with a swift strike from Lin Heng, it stopped moving.

They killed around four pounds of eel, which yielded about two pounds of meat. The innards were discarded, while the spine and head were kept to stew for Xiongba.

Xiongba had contributed a lot today. Although it didn’t find the Black Truffle, it had discovered most of the Matsutake Mushrooms.

Lin Heng planned to prepare some more meat for it later and set up a trap in the old house to catch some big rats.

After washing his hands, Lin Heng was about to lead Hongzao back when his older brother, Lin Yue, returned with his sister-in-law.

“Lin Heng, I picked up thirty pounds of monkey head mushrooms today. Pretty good luck, right?” Lin Yue said with a smile.

“That’s really good. Come over for dinner later. I’ve already told Mom and Dad.” Lin Heng nodded.

“We go to your house every day; how can we keep doing that?” Sister-in-law Liu Juan said politely.

“Stop being polite, just come over, no need for me to invite you.” Lin Heng laughed.

“Alright, we’ll come over later.” Lin Yue smiled and nodded.

Dinner was quickly ready, with a table of nine dishes, all very lavish.

There was stir-fried Lactarius Mushrooms with cured meat, stir-fried yellow eel, fried creek grouper, and Black Truffle sashimi.

When Lin Yue realized that Lin Heng not only found Black Truffle today but had also eliminated his competition, he happily brought some monkey head mushrooms to celebrate.

“Let’s try the truffle first,” Lin Heng said with a smile, picking up a slice without any seasoning and putting it directly into his mouth.

The next moment, he immediately ate a bite of the cold spinach salad.

“Mm, this is delicious, but it’s too fresh.” Lin Heng shook his head. He felt it was like eating MSG, but it definitely had a strong fragrance.

“I think it’s fine,” Caiyun said, eating one with a strange look.

Xiulan picked up her chopsticks, took a bite, and said, “I taste a milky flavor, but it’s definitely very fresh.”

Lin’s mother frowned and said, “I smell a sort of stinky shoe sole, but it tastes good.”

Lin’s father and older brother, along with his sister-in-law, thought it had a musky scent and found it quite tasty.

Lin Wei and the other children thought it tasted like meat and wanted more.

Everyone who tried it described the flavor differently.

“No wonder this stuff is so expensive. It just tastes different, but I still think it’s best when chopped up and stir-fried with eggs,” Lin’s father added after another bite of egg.

Xiaoxia also loved the Truffle scrambled eggs. Lin Heng had fed her several bites.

Lin Heng himself enjoyed the stir-fried yellow eel and the fried creek grouper. The eel had a chewy texture, with a spicy kick, and adding a slice of Black Truffle made it a perfect match.

The Matsutake Mushroom soup was a hit too. A simple combination of Matsutake Mushroom slices and small greens created a fragrant, delicate flavor.

The whole family ate and drank happily.

“Lin Heng, do you have some secret method? Every time you go up the mountain, you come back with such good harvests?” Liu Juan asked curiously.

Another batch of Matsutake Mushrooms and Truffles, and even last summer he hadn’t come back empty-handed. His luck seemed off the charts.

“Haha, it’s just luck, maybe the mountain god is looking out for me,” Lin Heng laughed, not wanting to mention Xiongba.

Knock knock knock!!

Just as sister-in-law was about to speak, there was a knock at the door.

“Who’s that, so late?” Lin Heng was a bit curious. It was almost dark; who could be knocking?

He stood up to open the door, and Lin’s father and the others set down their chopsticks and looked toward the door.

Opening the door, standing outside was the village party secretary, Tian Dongfu. When he saw Lin Heng, he smiled and said, “Lin Heng, do you still have any of that quicklime you used to disinfect the fish pond? I need five pounds to take back.”

“We do, Uncle Tian. We’re just eating dinner, come in and have a bite before you go,” Lin Heng said with a smile.

“No, no, Aunt Wang is still cooking. I’ll just take the lime and go,” Tian Dongfu waved his hand, uninterested in the already served meal.

But when Lin Heng pulled him inside, Tian Dongfu was stunned at the sight of the nine dishes on the table. Nine big bowls of food was already something, with fish and meat, but that soup—was it made from Matsutake Mushrooms? And what was that black thing?

“Uncle Tian, sit down and have a little, don’t mind that we’ve started without you,” Lin Heng smiled, pressing him into a chair and handing him some chopsticks and wine.

Tian Dongfu had no choice but to sit down, take a couple of sips of wine, and after a few words, he pointed at the soup and asked, “Is this Matsutake Mushroom?”

“Yes, Uncle Tian, you can try it, it tastes pretty good,” Lin Heng smiled.

“And what’s that black one?” Tian Dongfu picked up a piece of Matsutake Mushroom and pointed at the Truffle.

“Secretary Tian, that’s Black Truffle. Lin Heng just happened to dig some today, and we’re trying it out,” Lin’s father said with a smile.

“Black… Black Truffle!” Tian Dongfu was so stunned he almost lost his words.

This stuff costs a hundred yuan per pound, and they’re eating it just like that? Even the wealthiest households wouldn’t be so extravagant.

Before coming in, he hadn’t been envious at all, since his own family’s food was never lacking. But after seeing all this, he couldn’t stay calm.

What kind of family is this?

He wanted to leave, but his body felt like it was welded to the bench.

“Here, drink!” He couldn’t help but raise his glass.

After the meal, Tian Dongfu felt a bit dizzy and his stomach was utterly satisfied.

When he left with the quicklime, he was smiling from ear to ear.

The Lin family had strong fighting spirit and finished all the food, leaving almost nothing behind.

Caiyun helped clean up, she went back, and Lin Heng went to feed Xiongba, preparing a hearty dinner for it.

The next morning, on the 9th day of the 8th lunar month, Lin Heng rode a horse and took Caiyun to the town.

When he rode the horse and dropped Caiyun off at the school gate, a group of students couldn’t help but glance over.

The horse looked imposing, and Caiyun was beautiful, making them feel that the moonlight-like figure was indeed unreachable.

“Wang Zhou, what’s going on exactly?” Lin Heng sought out Wang Zhou to get more information.

Wang Zhou helplessly shrugged: “Lin bro, I really don’t know. There are many versions.

Some say the police had been planning for a long time, others say someone who had a grudge against a gambler reported it, and then there’s the version that someone who lost money reported it. There are just too many versions.”

“Alright, so it seems we’ll never know the truth.” Lin Heng shook his head.

“Forget about it, it’s a good thing, Lin bro. Our store is now the only Acquisition store in this area, should we adjust the prices?” Wang Zhou laughed.

“Not for now, we’ll talk about it next month.” Lin Heng waved his hand.

He then looked at Liu Qicheng’s house, where the doors were tightly shut, and turned back to give Wang Zhou some instructions, mentioning that he had already found a bride for him before riding his horse back home.

Riding alone, he galloped on Hongzao, feeling like a brave knight. It felt really good.

A walk that would take an hour only took less than twenty minutes on Hongzao, and aside from a bit of discomfort in his hips, everything else was fine.

Along the way, he also dug up some young plants under the cherry trees, apricot trees, and plum trees from a nearby farm.

Back home, he first fed Hongzao some corn stalks, and once it had sweated it out and calmed down, he fed it a bowl of corn porridge.

At the back mountain of the house, Lin’s father and older brother were working together with a diesel saw, cutting down a large area of trees. Except for a few trees providing shade, the rest were all chopped down.

The felled trees would be made into fences to prevent others from wandering in.

“Lin Heng, do you think it’s better to build the horse pen over there?” When Lin Heng arrived, his father asked.

“Let’s place it a bit farther east, this spot is close to the path, and it’ll be easier to lead the horses out.”

Lin Heng chose a spot. Horses, unlike cows, need to be ridden frequently, bathed, and groomed.

The horse pen also needs to be cleaned daily, or the manure will make it impossible to properly clean the horses, so it’s important to pick a good location.

“Alright, we’ll cut some wood and build a horse pen later.” Lin’s father nodded.

Lin Heng first planted the fruit trees he had dug up. Although the variety wasn’t great, they could be grafted in the future.

After planting and watering the fruit trees, Lin Heng went over to help build the horse pen.

Using two live oak trees as the main trunks, they dug holes and set them upright, then placed horizontal bars and tied them with wire. A frame quickly formed.

Three sides of the horse pen were surrounded by wood, leaving one side open to the mountain valley, where they used wooden planks to make a door.

They first laid wood across the top, securing it before adding a layer of straw. A thin water film was placed on top of the straw, and another layer of straw was added, secured by wood. It was as secure as could be.

In the morning, they built the horse pen, and by the afternoon, they surrounded it with wooden fences.

Inside the wooden fence, there was an area of about 300 square meters, and outside the fence, they planted firethorn trees and thorns.

Aside from two pigsties, two chicken and duck pens, and the horse pen, there was nothing else. The chickens could be let out to roam soon.

Lin’s older brother tied his five black dogs to the pigsty, so even if someone tried to sneak past the thorns to steal, the five black dogs would be on guard.

With Xiongba in front and the five black dogs behind, they had real security.

By the time all this was finished, it was 4 PM. Lin’s older brother invited Lin Heng and his parents over for dinner, and his sister-in-law was already cooking.

Lin Heng took Hongzao and Xiongba with him, bringing soap along to the river.

He gave Hongzao a bath, rubbing its body while it stood comfortably in the water, not moving.

“Hiss!!”

After Lin Heng finished, Hongzao even let out a satisfying snort, almost like it was a human gesture.

“Alright, go eat some grass over there.” Lin Heng smiled, patting the horse’s rear.

It seemed Hongzao understood, walking to the riverbank and grazing on the grass.

“Woof woof~”

Xiongba stuck its tongue out at Lin Heng, as if saying, “It’s my turn now.”

It had been swimming in the water for several rounds, just waiting for Lin Heng to come and give it a bath.

“Don’t shake the water off,” Lin Heng warned, glancing at it while grabbing the soap to wash it.

Xiongba happily lay on a rock, letting Lin Heng turn it over and scrub it from every angle.

“All done, time to get in the water,” Lin Heng said, grabbing it and tossing it into the river. He rinsed the fur a few times, and the water immediately turned murky.

“You’re really dirty! Stop rolling around on the ground all the time.” Lin Heng patted its dog head.

“Awoo!!”

Xiongba howled, seemingly protesting that it wasn’t its fault.

“Ah! Help!!”

Just as Lin Heng was washing Xiongba, a terrified scream suddenly came from above, leaving him frozen. Who was that? What could possibly happen in broad daylight?