Chapter 194: The First to Return Home

“Then let’s have stewed yam for breakfast,” Lin Heng said as he grabbed a pine grouse and stewed it together with the yam.

There was no other choice—the rest of the yams had been ruined, and only this small portion remained. Besides, they weren’t that hungry at the moment, so they decided to cook it now and eat it at noon.

Once the pine grouse was simmering, Lin Heng came over to help process the large wild boar, which had just been bled again by his uncle-in-law.

He helped Old Man Gao set up a rack, and the three of them hoisted the massive wild boar onto it to burn off the bristles. But the coarse hair on the old boar was incredibly tough. Before they could finish singeing the hair, the rack itself caught fire.

“Damn, this pig’s hair is ridiculously tough,” Lin Heng muttered, exasperated. After more than ten minutes of burning, there were still stiff bristles rooted in the skin.

Li Baiquan looked at the collapsed rack and said, “How about this—we gut it first, cut the meat into smaller pieces, and then burn off the hair. Or just take it back and deal with it later.”

“Yeah, let’s do that. I’m too lazy to mess with it now anyway,” Lin Heng agreed. After spending so much time on the mountain, everyone was physically and mentally drained.

Old Man Gao nodded. “Sounds good to me.”

So the three of them hoisted the wild boar up and began gutting and processing it. Even this step took a lot of time—just cutting it up took two hours.

“Let’s give the pig lungs to Xiong Ba,” Old Man Gao said, handing them to Lin Heng.

“Alright.”

Lin Heng tossed the lungs into another pot to boil. Xiong Ba, as if he understood, sat nearby with his tongue lolling out, waiting eagerly.

Once the meat was all cut up, the three of them went to eat. They left the bristles for later, planning to deal with them back home. For now, they just rubbed some salt on the meat to preserve it.

“Woof woof~”

Xiong Ba devoured the boiled lungs with loud chomps, then lay contentedly by the fire for a nap. Though he didn’t get any golden pheasant, a whole pig lung was worth at least three of them.

After eating, the three of them went to the stream to clean the pig’s intestines and stomach. Then they started packing up—whatever could go in a bag was bagged, and the rest was bundled with vines.

Once everything was packed, they had dinner and went to bed early. At dawn the next day, they hoisted their loads and set off for home.

Each of them carried over a hundred jin (roughly 110 lbs), but it still wasn’t enough to haul everything. Just the big wild boar alone weighed nearly 300 jin. On top of that, there were seven small wild boars, four hog badgers, six golden pheasants, four pine grouse, and various other bits of meat and supplies.

Altogether, it was five to six hundred jin of stuff. They’d have to make two trips to get it all down.

And that was after some of the goods had been ruined—otherwise, it would’ve been even more.

Laden with their burdens, they finally arrived at the Three-Forked Gully Campsite by dusk. The weight slowed them down, and they couldn’t move fast.

When Lin Heng saw the glow of firelight in the campsite, his heart finally settled. He’d been worried that something might’ve happened to his elder brother while he was alone.

“Elder Brother!!” Lin Heng shouted from a distance.

A few seconds later, a disheveled figure emerged from the campsite. When he saw the three of them, his face lit up with joy.

“Little bro!” Lin Yue beamed and ran over quickly. “My god, did you guys catch all this?!”

His eyes went wide with astonishment—his mouth too. There was just so much.

Lin Heng handed over his load and grinned. “This is only half. We still have another trip to make.”

“Another half?” Lin Yue’s jaw dropped.

“How much did you guys hunt?” he asked, baffled.

“I’ll tell you all about it when we get back,” Lin Heng said, shaking his head as he went to help Old Man Gao with his load.

“No worries, I can carry it,” Old Man Gao said with a chuckle, waving him off.

Once inside the campsite, the three of them were stunned. There were three massive sacks of yams piled up—at least four to five hundred jin by the look of it.

“Elder Brother, you dug all this up?” Lin Heng asked, eyes wide.

Lin Yue nodded with a smile. “Yeah. I didn’t catch anything, so I just dug yams nearby. About forty to fifty jin a day—this is from over ten days of work.”

Even Old Man Gao couldn’t help giving a thumbs-up. “That’s some serious hard work.”

Everyone knew how tough it was to dig up yams. A single plant could take one to two hours to excavate and usually yielded only four to five jin—eight or nine if you were lucky.

To get forty to fifty jin a day meant digging up eight or nine plants. And that didn’t even include the time spent searching for them—not all yams could be dug up, especially those growing among rocks.

Lin Yue had done all this with just a small hoe. That was real dedication.

Hearing their praise, Lin Yue grinned. “It’s a lot, sure, but it’s not worth much—only about thirty or forty cents a jin.”

Lin Heng shook his head. “In the city, it goes for more than that. This is wild yam. Give it to me—I can get you fifty cents a jin.”

“Thanks, little bro!” Lin Yue said, delighted by the news.

Lin Heng waved it off. “No problem at all.”

“Let’s get dinner going and chat while we eat,” Li Baiquan said. He was starving.

“I’ll make the rice,” Lin Yue offered. He hadn’t eaten yet either, so it was perfect timing.

Once the rice was ready, Lin Heng stir-fried some pork with fermented tofu. They’d long since run out of the vegetables they brought from home, and all they had left was fermented tofu, so this was the best they could do.

During the meal, Lin Heng recounted everything that had happened over the past days.

Lin Yue listened with a mix of awe and anxiety. “That sounds way too dangerous.”

Li Baiquan laughed. “If it weren’t dangerous, we wouldn’t have brought back so much.”

“Little bro, how’s your injury?” Lin Yue asked.

Lin Heng shook his head. “It’s fine now. It’s winter, so infections are less likely. My ankle barely hurts anymore.”

The next morning, the three of them left Old Man Gao at the campsite to hold down the fort while they went back to fetch the rest of the supplies.

“Take my hunting rifle with you—just in case something happens,” Old Man Gao said, handing it over.

“Alright,” Lin Heng said with a smile, slinging the rifle over his shoulder. He and his elder brother’s uncle-in-law set off again toward the campsite at the foot of Mount Taibai.

The snow had stopped that day, but the sun hadn’t come out. The path was covered in snow, and even with Liberation Shoes and walking sticks, they kept slipping and falling.

The ground was slick, and the snow by the stream had frozen into ice. Cold winds howled through the valley, making progress slow and difficult.

By the time they made it up, it was already afternoon. There was no other choice—they had to spend another night up there and carry the rest down the next day.

“Looks like we’ll be ringing in the New Year right here in the mountains.”

Lin Heng lay on the bed and shook his head helplessly. “It’s already the thirtieth today. I won’t be able to go back until at least the day after tomorrow.”

Lin Yue grinned. “We only celebrate the Lunar New Year anyway. With all this stuff, we’re going to have a real feast this year.”

Li Baiquan chimed in, “With all this meat, this is going to be the most extravagant New Year I’ve ever had.”

Lin Heng didn’t deny it. It really was the most lavish New Year he’d ever experienced.

The next morning, the three of them got up early and started heading back with their supplies.

The load was heavy, but the constant sweating helped them fend off the biting cold.

By the time the sun came out and the snow began to melt, the road became easier to walk. They arrived back at the Three-Forked Gully Campsite by 3 p.m.—much faster than the day before, mostly because they were carrying less.

After putting everything away, Lin Heng looked at the others and said, “It’s still early. I’m thinking of heading back on my own today. Tomorrow, we can have someone come up and help carry the rest.”

“It’ll be dark in three hours. Are you sure you can make it?” Li Baiquan asked, a little worried.

“I’ll make it. I’m not carrying anything, so I can run fast,” Lin Heng nodded. He wanted to get back early to store the ginseng—otherwise, it might spoil.

Old Man Gao saw right through him. He knew Lin Heng was eager to see his wife. He tore off the legs of a roasted hazel grouse and handed them over. “Here, take these to eat on the way. If you’re going, then get going.”

“Thanks, Grandpa,” Lin Heng grinned.

“Be careful,” Lin Yue reminded him.

Lin Heng nodded, took a bite of the chicken, and dashed off with Xiong Ba.

Alone, he moved fast—he was a strong young man, after all. And since he wasn’t stopping to hunt, he made it back to Red Maple Village by dusk.

In the freezing weather, everyone in the village was holed up inside, so Lin Heng didn’t run into anyone. He made it to his doorstep without issue.

*Knock knock!*

Lin Heng didn’t say a word, just knocked quietly.

“Who is it?”

As soon as his knuckles hit the door, Xiulan’s clear voice rang out.

“Daddy! Is it Daddy?!” came Xiao Xia’s soft, milky voice.

“No, your daddy probably won’t be back for a few more days.”

“I don’t care, I want Daddy!”

Xiao Xia burst into tears.

Xiulan sighed and picked her up to comfort her. Every time someone knocked, she’d ask for her dad. There was just no reasoning with her.

When she opened the courtyard gate and saw the tall figure standing outside, Xiulan froze.

Xiao Xia stared for a second, then launched herself into Lin Heng’s arms, fat tears rolling down her cheeks. “Daddy!!”

“Daddy, hold me! Daddy, hold me!”

Lin Heng didn’t care how dirty he was—he scooped her up and kissed her.

He hadn’t seen his precious daughter or his wife in so long. He missed them like crazy.

“Honey!”

Xiulan’s voice was soft as silk. She wanted to hug Lin Heng too, but didn’t have the heart to fight her daughter for it.

While he was gone, she thought about him countless times every single day.

“Come on, let’s go inside!”

Lin Heng shut the door and pulled his wife into the house.

“Daddy, you stink!”

After clinging to him for a while, Xiao Xia finally wrinkled her nose. Apparently, she hadn’t noticed the smell at first.

“Alright, go play for a bit. Daddy’s going to take a bath,” Lin Heng laughed as he tried to set her down.

“No! Daddy, don’t run away!”

Xiao Xia wrapped her arms around his neck and hooked her legs around him, refusing to let go—even if he did stink.

Xiulan looked at her daughter and said helplessly, “Daddy’s not going anywhere. Come on, let go.”

“No!” Xiao Xia shook her little head like a rattle drum. Even though Daddy smelled, she wasn’t letting go.

“I really won’t leave. Let’s pinky promise, okay?”

Lin Heng kissed her soft, fair cheek and smiled.

“I don’t want to!”

She still shook her head.

Lin Heng had no choice but to let her cling to him. She wasn’t doing anything wrong—just wanted to be close to him. After ten minutes of coaxing, she finally agreed to a pinky promise and got down.

Xiulan looked at him and said, “Go take a bath. I already heated the water with the electric heater.”

“I’ll wash up in a bit. Come with me first, honey.”

Lin Heng grinned and tugged her hand toward the inner room.

He hadn’t held her soft, smooth hand in so long—he missed it terribly.

Xiulan blushed, her expression a mix of shyness and hesitation. “Let’s wait till tonight, okay? Besides, you haven’t even bathed yet…”

Lin Heng glanced at her flushed face and smirked. “You’ve got it all wrong, sweetheart. I meant I have something to show you.”

“Ah!” Xiulan’s cheeks turned crimson. She’d totally misunderstood him—how embarrassing!

Lin Heng looked at her lovingly. “But… I really, really missed you.”

“Mommy missed Daddy too. She says it all the time,” Xiao Xia piped up from the side.

Xiulan shot him a glare. “You jerk. First thing you do when you get back is make me look bad.”

“I’m a jerk, I admit it,” Lin Heng grinned. He was genuinely happy—her misunderstanding meant she’d missed him just as much.

If he weren’t so filthy right now, he’d pull her into his arms and feast on her kisses. It had been so many days—he missed her like crazy.

“So, what do you want to show me?” Xiulan asked as he pulled her into the room.

She had meant to keep a straight face, but the moment she saw his face, her heart melted. All she wanted was to know what he’d been through, whether he got hurt, and whether he missed her.

“Here, this.”

Lin Heng pulled out something tightly wrapped in a plastic bag from his coat pocket.

“What is it?” Xiulan asked curiously as she took it.

Lin Heng looked at her with eyes full of affection. “Open it and you’ll see.”

Xiulan unwrapped it with curiosity, and soon the musk gland of a forest musk deer was revealed. A strong, rich scent of musk filled the air.

Her face lit up with surprise. “You hunted another forest musk deer? That’s amazing!”

Seeing the joy and admiration on her face filled Lin Heng with satisfaction. This was the reason he endured days of wind and sun.

“Hehe, impressive, right? So, how are you going to reward your hero?” Lin Heng teased.

Xiulan’s beautiful eyes locked onto his. “What do you want?”

“Not in a rush. I’ve got something else to show you.”

“More?” Xiulan’s curiosity was piqued. Whatever it was, it had to be even more valuable than the musk.

Lin Heng pulled another item from his coat pocket and opened it right there.

Xiulan’s eyes widened, her mouth agape. After a moment, she finally exclaimed, “Oh my god, ginseng! And such a huge one!”

“It’s the dead of winter—how did you even find this?”

Xiulan couldn’t believe it—how was it possible to dig up ginseng in the middle of winter?

And not just any ginseng—this one was fresh, clearly just unearthed. She was completely stunned.

Lin Heng didn’t explain right away. Instead, he took her hand with a grin and asked, “This is a hundred-year-old ginseng. Impressive, right?”

The moment she heard it was a century-old ginseng, Xiulan’s expression turned to one of utter shock. She looked at Lin Heng and nodded repeatedly. “So impressive! You’ll always be the most amazing man in my heart.”

Seeing the look in his wife’s eyes, Lin Heng felt completely satisfied. All the hardship he endured on the mountain no longer mattered.

(End of Chapter)