Chapter 223: Naming the Dogs and the Quiet Breakdown of Fair-Weather Friends

“Huh? What’s going on with Jin Hai and Zhao Hu? Why did they suddenly take off?” Lin Hai asked curiously.

Lin Heng waved it off indifferently. “Who cares? Not like it matters.”

“True, not a big deal.”

Lin Hai laughed heartily and walked off with Tian Yan toward Lin Heng’s house.

Xiao Xia, holding the dogs’ leashes, was the first to arrive home and waited at the door.

Lin Heng opened the door, and the three dogs darted inside. The two puppies barked in their soft, high-pitched voices. Jinbao, who had been sunbathing on the stone table, lifted his head to glance at everyone before lazily lying back down.

The sun was still shining in the courtyard. Xiulan had hung up the laundry, and Lin Heng brought out the tea set and some snacks. The group gathered around the stone table to enjoy the sun.

“Meow~”

Jinbao let out a disgruntled meow after being squeezed out of his spot. He yawned widely and moved to lie down under the eaves.

Lin Heng took a sip of tea and asked, “What do you think we should name these two pups?”

Lin Hai answered immediately, “I think Xiao Qing and Xiao Hei sound pretty good.”

“Then we might as well call them Azure Wolf and Black Wolf,” Tian Yan rolled her eyes and took a sip of tea before continuing, “The Qinglang Dog should be named Chasewind, and the other one Shan Dian. Only fast runners can catch prey.”

Caiyun thought for a moment and said, “How about Feng Shou and Yuan Bao? That way, every time they go out, they’ll bring back something good.”

“What names are you thinking of, Brother Lin?” Lin Hai asked curiously.

“I haven’t decided yet. Xiulan, what do you think?” Lin Heng turned to her.

Xiulan tilted her head and thought for a moment. “The Qinglang Dog can be called Lai Fu, and the Xiquan Dog can be Na Cai.”

Lin Heng considered it and said, “Alright, how about this: I’ll write down all the names on slips of paper and let Xiao Xia draw lots.”

“That’s a great idea,” Caiyun was the first to agree.

The others all nodded in approval, thinking it was a fair method.

Lin Heng went into the house to get paper and a pen, writing down all the names everyone had suggested. Since he hadn’t thought of any himself, he didn’t add any.

“By the way, what did Xiao Xia grab during her first birthday grab?” Tian Yan asked, holding Xiao Xia and turning to Xiulan.

Xiao Xia, fair and delicate, nestled comfortably in her arms. Tian Yan was quite fond of her and didn’t even mind when the little girl grabbed at her chest.

Xiulan thought for a moment and said, “Back then, the items were a book, a pen, money, a seal, and a flute. She picked the pen.”

“That’s great! She might grow up to be a writer or a scholar,” Tian Yan said with a smile.

As they sipped tea, the conversation drifted to what each of them had grabbed during their own first birthday ceremonies.

“All done.”

Before long, Lin Heng had finished writing, crumpled the slips into little balls, and tossed them into a bowl.

“Xiao Xia, come pick names for the puppies,” Caiyun said with a smile.

“Only one at a time, okay?” Tian Yan added from the side.

“Okay.” Xiao Xia nodded sweetly and toddled over to the table to pick.

As she reached into the bowl, everyone placed their bets, each hoping their suggestion would be chosen. The loser would have to drink a big glass of water.

Xiao Xia looked through the paper balls and picked one for the Qinglang Dog. She opened it, and the name written was Lai Fu.

“It’s Xiulan’s! Is this what they call a mother-daughter connection?” Tian Yan laughed.

“Aiya, I can only hope the next one is mine,” Caiyun said helplessly.

Xiulan smiled gently and said to Xiao Xia, “Go ahead and pick the second one. I’ll give you a candy afterward.”

At the mention of candy, Xiao Xia eagerly reached for the second paper ball. As she opened it, Caiyun let out a cheer—the name was Feng Shou.

“Haha! I don’t have to drink water!” Caiyun laughed joyfully.

“Alright then, the Qinglang Dog will be called Lai Fu, and the Xiquan Dog will be Feng Shou,” Lin Heng said with a smile and nodded. “Those who lost, time to drink up.”

Since he hadn’t participated in the naming, he was exempt from the penalty.

“I’ll pour for you. Sister Tian Yan, Brother Lin Hai!” Caiyun giggled as she filled two large cups with warm water.

Lin Heng had Xiao Xia call out the puppies’ names, while Lin Hai and Tian Yan drank their water. The courtyard was filled with laughter and joy.

“I’ll drink yours too,” Lin Hai said, finishing his own and then grabbing Tian Yan’s half-full glass to gulp it down.

“My poor Sister Tian Yan,” Caiyun teased from the side. Tian Yan stuffed a cookie into her mouth to shut her up.

After playing for a while, Xiulan went to cook, leaving the rest to enjoy lunch in the house.

The young folks weren’t too formal and happily stayed for the meal at Lin Heng’s place.

“This fish is good, right? Xiulan caught it herself,” Lin Heng boasted as he pointed to the braised carp on the plate.

“It’s delicious. Xiulan’s cooking is top-notch,” Tian Yan praised first.

Caiyun nodded. “Yes, my brother is one lucky guy.”

Only Lin Hai was missing from the table—he’d had too much water and was in the bathroom.

After the meal, they cleaned up, and Lin Heng saw Tian Yan and Lin Hai off at the door.

“Knock knock knock!”

“Lin Heng, it’s me.”

Just as he closed the door and stepped back into the courtyard, a knock came from outside.

Hearing the voice, Lin Heng recognized it as his childhood friend Liu Sheng and immediately went to open the door.

“Long time no see,” he greeted with a smile.

“Yeah, it’s been a while. Your place has really changed,” Liu Sheng said as he stepped into the courtyard, looking around with admiration.

The house and yard looked completely different from six months ago. Gone was the rustic feel of mud walls—now it looked elegant and cozy.

There was a beautiful red official’s hat chair in the courtyard and a powerful-looking sidecar motorcycle that exuded mechanical charm. Liu Sheng felt like he hadn’t just been gone for six months, but decades.

He glanced at Xiulan picking vegetables in the distance, and Xiao Xia walking the dogs. Lin Heng’s life looked absolutely perfect. Meanwhile, he didn’t even have a girlfriend, and his dad had already started nagging him the moment he got back.

“Haha, just did a little remodeling. Come on in,” Lin Heng led him into the main room and poured him a cup of tea.

Lin Heng had always held a warm regard for Liu Sheng and the bond they’d shared since childhood.

As they sipped tea, the two chatted. Liu Sheng didn’t hold anything back—he told Lin Heng everything about what he’d been up to.

Half a year ago, Zhao Hu had used his father’s connections to help the three of them get a loan from the bank. Zhao Hu took out 5,000 yuan, Jin Hai got 3,000, and Liu Sheng took 2,000.

They pooled their money to buy a large tractor and transported goods with price differences from Ancheng to Taibai City and a few other small towns to resell for profit.

By the end of the year, they had made a little over 2,000 yuan. Liu Sheng received 700 yuan. After repaying interest and part of the principal, he brought home a bit over 400. Jin Hai and Zhao Hu, on the other hand, only paid the interest and brought back a lot of cash.

“Honestly, I didn’t want to come right now, but Zhao Hu and the others kept pushing me to come check out your situation. I had no choice,” Liu Sheng said frankly, hiding nothing from Lin Heng.

If he had a choice, he would’ve preferred to start a business with Lin Heng. But none of Lin Heng’s ventures suited him, so he had to stick with Zhao Hu for now and make some money first.

“I figured as much. Back when I split from them, I knew Zhao Hu wouldn’t take it lying down. He probably just wanted to see me regret it,” Lin Heng said with a smile, not surprised by Liu Sheng’s honesty. After all, they’d grown up together.

Taking a sip of tea, Liu Sheng chuckled. “They didn’t believe it when they heard you bought a sidecar motorcycle. Now that I’ve seen it, their faces are going to be priceless. Their whole New Year’s mood is going to be ruined. They came back thinking they’d show off in front of you.”

“Haha, well, I guess they’re in for a disappointment,” Lin Heng said with a grin.

After sipping some tea, the two chatted a bit more about other topics, like future plans and development.

Liu Sheng looked at Lin Heng and said, “They’re planning to work a few more years, take out a loan, and buy a large truck or a few tractors to start a transport company.

It’s actually pretty profitable. Following Zhao Hu around is already way better than doing farm work at home. The only downside is that having a rural household registration is really inconvenient.”

“That’s good. Just remember to take it slow when it comes to big decisions.”

Lin Heng nodded. It was a good thing for young people to venture out. No matter what, it was better than staying home farming.

But transport work like that—small-scale is fine, but scaling up isn’t so easy. In his past life, the reason things went so badly was because they blindly took out loans to expand during the 90s.

Back then, right after the company was founded, Zhao Hu offended a well-connected transport company. They set him up and dumped a huge shipment on him that ended up rotting in his hands.

The company’s cash flow broke down. Lin Heng, Liu Sheng, and the others were still trying to figure out how to get through it, but Zhao Hu secretly sold off the assets, took the money, and ran, leaving them buried in debt.

Zhao Hu always seemed loyal on the surface, but when it came down to the wire, he only knew how to betray his friends.

To be fair, Lin Heng and the others were partly to blame too. They trusted Zhao Hu too much and gave him control of all the stamps and documents. Otherwise, things wouldn’t have ended so badly.

“For now, everything seems fine,” Liu Sheng said.

Lin Heng looked at him and offered another piece of advice. “I suggest that once you start making money, you save it. Don’t throw too much back in. Use it to improve life at home first.”

In his past life, he had also made money at the start, but he kept reinvesting it all and barely gave anything to his wife and kids. In the end, it all vanished in one go.

“Yeah, I will.” Liu Sheng nodded. After taking another sip of tea, he added, “Show me around your place. You’ve really got it set up nicely here.”

“Sure.”

Lin Heng nodded, though he wasn’t sure if Liu Sheng had really taken his advice to heart.

After walking around Lin Heng’s house, Liu Sheng was a bit shocked. “You’ve really made it. Is hunting really this profitable?”

He remembered when they used to play with bows and arrows, Lin Heng had said that even if he was a good shot, he didn’t want to hunt. But now it was clear that was all just a front. Hunting had made him a fortune.

“Haha, it’s all about luck,” Lin Heng said with a small smile.

Liu Sheng shook his head lightly. “My dream is to live like you do now. Too bad I can’t even aim a slingshot. Otherwise, I’d give hunting a try too.”

They chatted a bit more, and Liu Sheng went to check out Lin Heng’s vehicle. After that, he was ready to leave.

Lin Heng wanted to keep him for dinner and have a good chat.

“Can’t stay. Zhao Hu and the others are still waiting. Maybe another day.” Liu Sheng pointed outside as he spoke.

“How about tomorrow night?” Lin Heng asked with a smile.

“Sure, I’ll come by tomorrow night.” Liu Sheng nodded as he walked out.

After leaving Lin Heng’s courtyard, he didn’t go home. Instead, he headed straight to Zhao Hu’s place.

When Zhao Hu and Jin Hai saw Liu Sheng arrive, they quickly crowded around and asked in unison, “So, what did you find out?”

Liu Sheng nodded and told them everything he had seen and heard at Lin Heng’s house—the sidecar motorcycle, the walls full of wild boar meat, the bog wood furniture, the house renovations, and some of the things Lin Heng had said.

He had asked Lin Heng beforehand what he could share, and only told Zhao Hu and Jin Hai what he had permission to.

Zhao Hu frowned. “That doesn’t make sense. He doesn’t even go out. How can he be this rich? Is there really that much wealth hidden in the mountains?”

Jin Hai shook his head. “No way. He’s not the only one in the village who hunts or goes into the mountains. No one else is this loaded. He must’ve found gold or something out there.”

The two of them discussed it and decided that finding gold was the most logical explanation.

They didn’t say it out loud, but both felt a wave of defeat. It was bad enough that Lin Heng had money, but he also had a happy family. It was enough to make someone choke with envy.

Especially Jin Hai, who completely gave up on trying to show off to Lin Heng. With that kind of wealth, even if he worked another year outside, he still wouldn’t be able to compare.

“Our business is just getting started. It’s only a matter of time before we surpass him. Even if he found gold, it’s not like he can keep finding it, right?” Zhao Hu tried to hype himself up. He couldn’t understand how he had never noticed Lin Heng had this kind of ability before.

“Sigh, my sister said it was Lin Heng who gave Lin Hai the idea to go after Tian Yan. That bastard,” Jin Hai said bitterly.

Just mentioning it made even Liu Sheng a little angry. Tian Yan was the only cultured and elegant woman in the village. They had all wanted to marry her, but somehow Lin Hai had snatched her away.

“Hmph, maybe we can’t deal with Lin Heng, but we can definitely deal with Lin Hai, right?” Zhao Hu snorted coldly, his dislike for Lin Hai growing stronger.

…

…

Meanwhile, after seeing Liu Sheng off, Lin Heng went back to the courtyard to train the Qinglang Dog Lai Fu and the Xiquan Dog Feng Shou.

The two little pups howled adorably, though training them was proving to be a bit of a challenge.

Xiao Xia watched from the side, seemingly trying to learn. Xiulan, feeling bored, picked up a book and started reading slowly.

Before they knew it, night had fallen. Another day had slipped by. As usual, Lin Heng read a story to Xiao Xia to help her fall asleep, then cuddled with Xiulan, whispering sweet nothings before drifting off together.

The next day was already the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month. Every household had started cleaning and preparing for the New Year.

Lin Heng’s house was newly built and already very clean, so they didn’t get up too early and lazed around in bed for a while.

They got up, exercised, and had breakfast. That was the usual routine. But living with someone you love, even the ordinary felt enjoyable.

After breakfast, Lin Heng heard some news from Caiyun.

Apparently, Zhao Hu and the others had gone to show off in front of Lin Hai, even mocking him a bit, saying he wasn’t worthy of Tian Yan. But the funny part was, Lin Hai kept calmly repeating “Tian Yan is my girlfriend,” and it completely broke their composure.

They tried to chase after Lin Hai to teach him a lesson, but they couldn’t even catch him and ended up getting played.

When Tian Yan found out, she went straight over and drove Zhao Hu and Jin Hai away. She openly declared that she had chosen Lin Hai and would never be interested in the three of them. Then she even pulled Lin Hai in for a kiss.

“What happened after that?” Xiulan asked curiously, clearly enjoying the gossip.

Caiyun chuckled and replied, “Word is they rode off on the motorcycle together. No one knows if they went out for fun or decided to skip New Year’s altogether. But when they left, their faces were as dark as thunderclouds.”

Xiulan couldn’t help but laugh. Lin Heng, curious, asked, “Caiyun, how’d you find out?”

“A little boy in the village told me,” Caiyun said with a shrug. She had quite a few little admirers in the village.

(End of Chapter)

— Translator’s Notes —

• Lai Fu: Means ‘Bringing Fortune,’ a common name for pets to symbolize good luck.

• Na Cai: Means ‘Bringing Wealth,’ another auspicious name for pets.

• Yuan Bao: A type of gold or silver ingot used in imperial China, symbolizing wealth and prosperity.

• Feng Shou: Means ‘Bumper Harvest’ in Chinese, symbolizing abundance and good fortune.

• Shan Dian: Means ‘Lightning’ in Chinese, suggesting speed and agility.

• first birthday grab: A Chinese tradition where items are placed in front of a one-year-old child; the first item they pick up is believed to predict their future career or fortune.