Chapter 146 Going Home

“How much?”
Lin Heng turned his head and asked. Chen’s father had handed it over wrapped in red paper, directly slipping it into Xiaoxia’s hand. Neither he nor Xiulan had received it at first.

“It’s not money, but a silver dollar.” Xiulan took it out and blew on it, making a clear, crisp sound.

Lin Heng glanced back and was immediately stunned. “Is this a Yuan Datou coin?”

Even in this era, these weren’t cheap; one could sell for over ten or twenty yuan. However, these coins were still quite common back then. Many rural folks didn’t have a way to sell them at a good price and often melted them down to make silver jewelry.

Xiulan smiled and nodded, “Yes, I actually knew a long time ago that Dad had a few. I didn’t expect him to be so generous this time. In the end, it’s because we brought him face by coming back. He’s quite the big shot in the village now.”

“Let me see.” Lin Heng reached out to take it.

In this era, counterfeiting rural items was unlikely; ninety-nine percent of these coins were genuine. But not all Yuan Datou coins from every year were valuable. He looked at the coin in his hand—it was marked as from the eighth year of the Republic of China.

Sure enough, it was a rather ordinary Yuan Datou; generally, coins from the third year of the Republic or those with special markings were worth more.

“Not bad. Let’s save it for Xiaoxia.” Lin Heng smiled and handed the coin back.

The longer this kind of thing is kept, the more valuable it becomes. Better to keep it at home as a keepsake for Xiaoxia.

Taking advantage of the cool morning, he had to drive the carriage faster. Although it was just a few days before October, the weather was still hot. Only near the end of October would temperatures drop, and everything would start turning yellow and red.

Since they had eaten breakfast before setting off, there was no need to stop for dry food on the road.

But so Hongzao wouldn’t be too tired, around ten o’clock they stopped to rest somewhere.

Fortunately, there were still some August melons and wild plums along the roadside.

By this time, most August melons had naturally split open, and the wild plums had turned bright red, looking very tempting.

Lin Heng climbed up, grabbed the vines of the August melons, and pulled them down.

There were five August melons in total; he picked three, but the other two were too high to reach and had to be left behind.

After getting the August melons, Lin Heng also picked some plums and put them in his pocket.

When they reached the road again, Lin Heng walked while eating one of the plums. He suddenly showed a surprised expression: “This plum is so sweet, honey, you have to try it.”

“Don’t try to fool me. Wild plums are wild plums—I’ve eaten plenty before.” Xiulan gave him a sideways glance, clearly not believing him.

“It really is sweet.” Lin Heng took two more bites with a crunch.

This made Xiulan suspicious. She took one, bit into it, and her face immediately scrunched up like a bitter melon—sour and astringent, with no sweetness at all.

“Yuck!”

Lin Heng spat while laughing, very happy. Seeing Xiulan chase him, he spun around and ran.

“Don’t run!” Xiulan bit her lip and chased after him, furious. This guy was so bad.

“If you don’t stop, I’ll get mad!”

After a while of chasing and realizing she couldn’t catch him, Xiulan gasped and threatened,

“You only ate one bite, but I ate the whole plum. I’m at a huge loss.”

“Forget it, Xiaoxia’s coming down, I’m going back.”

Xiulan glared at her, then turned and walked back.

Lin Heng had just taken a few steps when Xiulan suddenly turned back and grabbed him.

“No, none of that.” Lin Heng tried to resist, but his neck was already trapped under his wife’s arm.

“If you eat this, we’ll forget about it.” Xiulan shoved the sour plum she had bitten into at Lin Heng’s mouth, threatening him.

“Too sour, I won’t eat it.” Lin Heng shook his head hard, but being held like that by his wife was actually quite comfortable.

“If you trick me again next time, you’re dead meat.” Xiulan slapped his face, glared fiercely, then finally let go.

“Definitely won’t do it again.” Lin Heng smiled and promised.

Actually, he knew Xiulan had deliberately played along when she ate it, and he had deliberately let himself be caught.

It was just a little fun the two of them added to their boring life.

When they returned, Xiaoxia’s small hands were stuffing August melon into her mouth, having almost ruined one entirely, with melon juice smeared all over her hands and face.

“Daddy, candy!” She smiled foolishly when she saw Lin Heng.

“It’s all your fault. Look at what Xiaoxia’s done to herself.” Xiulan rolled her eyes at Lin Heng and took out a handkerchief to wipe Xiaoxia’s hands and face.

After playing for a while, the three continued on their journey.

By 12:30, they arrived at Huangtan Town. Today was the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, just the day of the market gathering. Lin Heng took his wife and daughter to check out the shop.

Wang Zhou was already there. On the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month yesterday, he had Caiyun notify everyone early to give them the day off.

“Brother Lin, sister-in-law!”

Seeing Lin Heng, Wang Zhou hurried to greet them and poured three cups of cooled honeysuckle tea brewed earlier in a large teapot.

“Nothing happened recently, right?” Lin Heng took a sip of the tea and asked.

“No, just that some goods in the small shop are running low. I wrote out the inventory list.”

Wang Zhou took a piece of paper from the ledger and handed it to Lin Heng.

Lin Heng glanced over it. They were mostly long-lasting items like salt, white sugar, and some daily necessities.

His bundled sales model turned out to work surprisingly well. The Procurement Station brought a lot of foot traffic, so the small shop’s sales were quite good.

Originally, the stock was estimated to last two or three months, but now it might only last another half month.

Of course, Liu Qicheng’s role couldn’t be ignored either. Lin Heng had overestimated this opponent; not only did he fail to pressure him, but he ended up helping him.

Lin Heng handed back the paper and casually said, “No problem. Keep selling for now. In mid-October by the solar calendar, you and I will go to the city to restock. Then we’ll bring up some autumn and winter items.”

“Okay.” Wang Zhou nodded.

Glancing at the sun outside, Lin Heng gave Hongzao two bowls of water to drink and then went to visit Grandpa Gao.

Two days ago, he had Caiyun deliver mooncakes to Grandpa Gao, so the old man was very warm and friendly when he saw him.

After chatting a bit, Grandpa Gao invited him fishing again, saying it was too boring without someone who understood fishing to go with him.

Lin Heng smiled and agreed, saying he would definitely come down in a few days. Autumn was the best season for fishing all year round, and he was eager to come to the Huangtan River to teach those ungrateful fish a lesson.

“Let’s go home,” Lin Heng said as he stepped out, looking at Xiulan and Xiaoxia.

“Okay.”

The two put on their straw hats and climbed into the carriage. Lin Heng urged the horses to drive them back home.

At this time of day, everyone stayed indoors to avoid the sun, so when they arrived at the doorstep, they saw no one around.

Xiulan took Xiaoxia inside to call for people, and soon Lin Heng’s father and eldest brother came out.

“How was Baisha Township? Did you have fun?” Lin Heng’s father asked while helping unload the carriage.

“It was great. There were so many fish over there. I brought back a lot of dried fish—you all can try some later,” Lin Heng said with a smile. Having money naturally brought happiness.

“Looks like you had a really good time,” Lin Yue, his eldest brother, smiled.

“Yes, I hunted a wild boar weighing around forty or fifty jin in Liulin Village, and even caught a big wild goose. Unfortunately, I didn’t encounter anything else on the way back,” Lin Heng said with a grin.

“That’s impressive! Tell me the details later,” Lin Yue said in surprise. His younger brother was really skilled—never coming back empty-handed.

“Come over for dinner tonight and tell us all about it. Your mother’s already prepared the food,” Lin Heng’s father added. They hadn’t done much besides harvesting corn these past few days.

“Alright.” Lin Heng nodded, then took his things inside.

Later, he went back out to lead the horse and tied it in the corral, feeding it fresh corn leaves.

“Woof woof!”

Not far from the corral, a black-and-white dog on a chain barked fiercely at him.

“So fierce?” Lin Heng laughed as he walked over. The dog was adorably dumb but cute.

“Woof!”

Lin Heng took two steps forward, and the dog took two steps back, all bark and no bite.

After Lin Heng gave it a good rub while it was in its kennel, the dog immediately turned into a little puppy, wagging its tail and sticking out its tongue.

After petting the dog, Lin Heng looked again at the fruit trees he had planted earlier. Only the cherry and jujube saplings had survived; the others had all died.

He knocked on the back door, and soon Xiulan came over and opened it.

The backyard was mostly overgrown with weeds, but the only change was that a few chrysanthemums had bloomed—golden and beautiful.

The grass carp fry, fed here for five months, had grown to three or four centimeters long, forming a dense dark mass in the water.

Lin Heng felt they were ready to be transferred to the fish pond. Although the main focus was shrimp farming, raising fish was still possible.

This year’s plan was to dig out at least fifteen acres of fish ponds, making three or four ponds for raising fish without problems.

Once the ponds were ready, he could also raise some of the fish he caught himself, so in winter, when he wanted some, he could just grab them directly.

Inside the house, Xiaoxia was happily playing with Jinbao and Xiongba in the main room.

“Woof woof!” Seeing Lin Heng, Xiongba ran over affectionately, rubbing against him like a loyal dog, not only rubbing but also licking his hand.

“Sit!” Lin Heng commanded, and Xiongba immediately obediently sat down.

“Spin twice!” Lin Heng added.

Xiongba looked at him curiously, not knowing what his owner was up to, but still cooperated and spun two circles.

“Good boy. Tonight I’ll reward you with a fish.” Lin Heng rubbed the dog’s head.

“Woof woof!” Xiongba happily spun several more times.

“What kind of dried fish did Mom and Dad give?” Lin Heng asked as he walked over.

Xiulan spoke as she took the items out: “Mostly dried whitebait and grass carp—probably about fifteen or sixteen jin. Then there were two smoked mandarin fish that aren’t fully dried yet, so they need more sun. There’s also dried carp, crucian carp, more than half a bag of dried bighead carp, and a big sack of dried fish maw.”

“Fish maw is a good thing—very tasty,” Lin Heng said, picking it up. It must have weighed two or three jin. His in-laws were really generous; these things sold for a good price too.

Xiulan looked at him and asked, “How about we keep the fish maw for ourselves, and I send three jin each of the dried whitebait to Dad, Mom, and eldest brother?”

“Sounds good.” Lin Heng nodded.

Looking over the fish maw, he took out the porcelain and Boshan incense burner he had bought to have another look.

He couldn’t determine the porcelain’s age, but the incense burner seemed special—most likely an antique.

He put the porcelain away in the cabinet and placed the Boshan burner on the table.

He went outside to the old family house and brought back some three- to five-year-old mugwort, which he crumbled into loose fibers, then laid some wood ash in the burner and lit the mugwort.

Soon, thin wisps of smoke rose gently from the incense burner’s carved openings, looking like mist swirling over a mountain range in the distance.

As the smoke spread, a faint mugwort fragrance filled the entire room.

“Not bad, not bad. Next time I’ll make some incense to burn while having tea. That’ll be really pleasant,” Lin Heng said, feeling quite pleased.

Xiulan went to pick two cucumbers and came back in. After eating them, she lay down on the cool mat inside to rest.

The journey home had been tiring; even Xiaoxia didn’t feel like moving much.

The mat was a bit hard, so the three of them simply lay down on the bed.

Xiulan, who wasn’t used to naps, actually fell asleep on the bed.

Around four in the afternoon, Xiulan woke Lin Heng. “Liu Sheng’s here. He’s looking for you.”

She had woken up around three, fed the animals, and even gathered three eggs.

“Liu Sheng hasn’t left yet?” Lin Heng was surprised. He thought those guys would have left long ago.

He put on his shoes, yawned, and went out. Liu Sheng was drinking tea in the main room. Seeing Lin Heng, he smiled and said, “Your life’s really good, huh?”

“Not bad. If you’re here to borrow money, then get lost quickly,” Lin Heng joked.

“You’re straightforward,” Liu Sheng said with a helpless smile, then continued, “I’m definitely not here to borrow money. I’m here to say goodbye. I’m leaving tomorrow.”

“Did you get the loan?” Lin Heng asked curiously.

“Yes, I didn’t borrow much, just a thousand yuan. We’re planning to buy a tractor for hauling. If you need anything, just tell me. I’ll bring it back for you during the New Year.”

Although Lin Heng didn’t want to hang out with them anymore, his old friendship with Lin Heng hadn’t changed.

“I don’t need anything,” Lin Heng said with a smile, patting Liu Sheng on the shoulder. He had originally wanted Liu Sheng to take a look at a modern compound bow, but then remembered he’d be going to Ancheng for the New Year anyway—he might as well buy one then.

“Alright, I’ll be off. Once I make some money, I’ll find a beautiful wife, get married, and build a small house—just like you, living the good life,” Liu Sheng said, smiling as he patted Lin Heng’s shoulder. He understood Lin Heng’s mindset well—once you have a beautiful wife, going far away no longer felt right. Plus, he admired Lin Heng for making a fortune right at the doorstep.

“Stay for dinner tonight before you leave. My mom should have started cooking by now,” Lin Heng invited with a smile.

“No thanks, I still need to pack. Next time I’ll join you for a drink,” Liu Sheng waved off and left.

Lin Heng saw him to the gate. He understood his old friend’s feelings—his own path wasn’t something easily replicated. All Liu Sheng could do was go out and try his luck.

After seeing him off, Lin Heng checked the old house. His father and brother were husking corn, and the courtyard already had a huge pile of husks.

He hadn’t been there long before Xiulan arrived, wearing gloves and helping Lin’s mother with the corn husking.

Xiaoxia was causing a little mischief nearby—Xiulan husked one ear, and Xiaoxia handed it to her.

They stripped most of the husks, leaving one or two leaves to hang under the eaves for drying. When winter came and they had more time, they’d slowly remove the rest and collect the kernels.

Lin Heng asked where his father and brother were, changed into a fresh set of clothes, slung a basket on his back, and went to help husk corn.

This farm work was exhausting, but he still went.

The corn leaves could cut your skin, and some had live thorns. Being scratched by the leaves and then sweating was pure torture.

“How much corn is left to husk?” Lin Heng asked as it neared seven in the evening.

“Just three acres by the roadside. We’ll finish it all tomorrow,” his father replied with a smile.

“Alright, you guys handle the rest. I’m going home to shower—I can’t take it anymore,” Lin Heng shook his head, set down the basket, and headed back.

“After you finish husking, let’s go bathe in the river,” Lin Yue suggested.

“Let me help you finish then,” Lin Heng said after thinking it over.

After two trips, they finished the last bit of corn. Lin Heng and his brother grabbed towels and went to the river.

After a day in the sun, the water was perfectly warm and clear. Finding a pool with a gravel riverbed to soak in was pure bliss.

After soaking for a while and swimming a few laps, he was so comfortable he didn’t want to say a word.

Bathing in the river on such a hot day was truly a wonderful thing.

Back home, Lin Heng saw Lin Hai was there. Lin Hai looked at him and said, “Looking for me?”

“Hehe, Lin Ge, let’s go talk outside,” Lin Hai smiled slyly.

Lin Heng hung his towel over Xiulan’s chair and walked out with Lin Hai.

Not far from the door, Lin Hai suddenly threw his arm around Lin Heng’s shoulder, excitedly saying, “Brother, from now on, you’re like my second parent. Without you, I’d probably still be hanging by Jin Yan’s strings. From now on, I won’t listen to my dad—I’ll listen to you. You’re amazing.”

Lin Heng glanced at him and patted his shoulder with a smile. “What’s this? Did you go out with Tian Yan during Mid-Autumn? Things moving forward?”

Lin Hai chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, I kissed her. We’re officially a couple now. She’s amazing, seriously.”

Thinking about the Mid-Autumn festival made him grin like an auntie.

Luckily, Lin Heng was already married and spared from all this “dog food.”

“You confessed first?” Lin Heng asked curiously.

Lin Hai nodded eagerly. “Yeah, we went to the temple fair. She was dressed so beautifully, I couldn’t hold back and confessed. Didn’t expect it to work right away. She even scolded me for waiting so long to say it.”

He had always thought Tian Yan was cold, but actually she just didn’t like talking to strangers.

Lin Heng was a bit surprised; their progress was really fast.

“That’s great. Since it’s successful, work hard from now on and build a career,” Lin Heng said, patting his shoulder.

“Brother, I’ve decided to dig two fish ponds when I go back. When you raise fish next year, teach me, okay? I’ll give you a third of the income,” Lin Hai said, looking at Lin Heng. He thought fruit trees were good but took too long to mature.

“No need to split profits. If you can dig the ponds, I’ll help you out, no problem,” Lin Heng smiled and patted him again.

“I’ll definitely convince my parents to dig two acres of fish ponds,” Lin Hai nodded firmly.

“Come on, let’s eat at my place,” Lin Heng said, not asking more, turning to go inside.

“Sure!” Lin Hai didn’t hesitate and followed him in to help husk corn, hoping for a free meal.

Lin Heng’s mother had prepared a hearty dinner—eight dishes, three with meat, and a “divine tofu” dish.

During dinner, Lin Heng shared some stories about his time at Xiulan’s family home.

They also chatted about other trivial things.

“Second brother, today Liu Cihua told me she saw rabbits twice near the red maple mountain’s soybean field. She said they’re eating our soybeans,” Caiyun said after taking a bite.

“Alright,” Lin Heng nodded. He had also been thinking of continuing hunting in the mountains.

All the crops at Red Maple Mountain wouldn’t be harvested until the end of October, so digging fish ponds couldn’t start just yet.

After eating a bite of the divine tofu, Lin Heng took a piece of dried whitebait. Soaked in water and stir-fried with chopped chili peppers, it tasted amazing.

“Tomorrow we’re planning to go gather chestnuts. If we don’t go now, others will pick them all,” Lin Heng’s father said while eating.

“Yeah, leaving the corn a few days won’t matter, but if we don’t pick the chestnuts, they’ll be gone,” Lin Heng’s mother agreed.

“Where exactly are you planning to gather chestnuts?” Lin Heng asked.

“Of course at Chestnut Mountain. That whole mountain is full of chestnuts, and it’s wild land—not owned by anyone,” his father said.

“I’ll go with you guys. Xiulan, are you coming?” Lin Heng asked after thinking it over.

“I’ll stay home with Xiaoxia. It’s too far for her to walk,” Xiulan shook her head, though she really wanted to go.

“Alright,” Lin Heng nodded.

After dinner, Lin Heng coaxed his daughter to sleep while Xiulan went to wash up.

Because Xiaoxia had taken a nap in the afternoon, it wasn’t until after reading storybooks for an hour that she finally fell into a deep sleep.

“I poured you some water on the desk,” Xiulan said as she looked at him.

After taking a sip, Lin Heng couldn’t wait to climb into bed and leaned close to his wife.

“What’s up?” Xiulan asked knowingly.

“What do you think?” Lin Heng said with a mischievous grin.

Xiulan grabbed his hand and blinked, “Chestnut Mountain is far away. You’re going up the mountain tomorrow, so you should get a good rest.”

“I’m not afraid,” Lin Heng said, pulling her into his arms, and they collided solidly together.

…

The next morning, Lin Heng woke up fairly late—past eight. His parents and the others had already left.

But he wasn’t in a hurry. After breakfast, he started getting ready.

He brought a basin of corn mush to feed Hongzao, then saddled the horse.

Chestnut Mountain lay in the direction of Shanghe. Though far, the road wasn’t difficult and was rideable by horse.

Once Hongzao had eaten and drunk enough, Lin Heng led him to the door, went inside to grab his backpack, a woven bag, and of course, his bow, arrows, slingshot, and dagger—all carried with him.

“Xiongba, you’ve got to keep up.”

Lin Heng patted Xiongba’s head and swung up onto the horse.

“Let’s go!”

On the road, Lin Heng clicked his tongue against Hongzao’s flank, and the horse instantly galloped away.

“Woof woof!”

Xiongba barked twice, excitedly chasing after, sprinting behind the horse.

“Too bad I can’t train hawks. Without that, it’s really just leading a yellow one on the left and a blue one on the right,” Lin Heng sighed. Still, it felt pretty good.

He rode all the way to the border of Shimen Village before slowing down. Ahead was a narrow path about fifty centimeters wide.

Though it was still possible to ride, it was no longer suitable for galloping.

Even without running, the pace up the mountain was much faster than walking.

They hadn’t gone far into the forest before spotting a group of people—about ten or so—gathered together, seemingly arguing heatedly. Their voices carried clearly from a distance.

“What’s going on?” Lin Heng stopped the horse and asked curiously.

(End of chapter)