Chapter 57: The Foolish Dog Who Forgot His Roots

Lin Heng returned to the bedroom and found his wife, Xiulan, staring at the mirror, occasionally biting her lip and smiling as if she had just eaten honey.

So much so that when he opened the door and entered, she didn’t even notice.

Lin Heng quietly walked over and wrapped his arms around her slim waist.

“Ah, what are you doing? You scared me!”

Xiulan shuddered and turned around to give Lin Heng a fierce glare.

Lin Heng held her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder, looking at the mirror and smiling. “You really are beautiful, I wasn’t lying.”

Xiulan blinked, feeling a little flustered from his closeness.

“I really like it, thank you, husband.” she whispered.

“Then give me a kiss! My lips are dry too!” Lin Heng grinned and whispered.

Xiulan bit her lip and glanced at the living room, feeling a little embarrassed—what if someone suddenly walked in?

But she didn’t want to refuse Lin Heng. After hesitating for a couple of seconds, she turned around and pecked his lips.

“Mmm~”

Just as she was about to pull away, Lin Heng pressed her head and held her in a long kiss.

Xiulan couldn’t help but lose herself in it but was also worried someone might come in. Her heart raced.

“You’re so bad, what if someone comes in?!”

Xiulan shot Lin Heng a glare.

“Who told you your little mouth is so tempting?” Lin Heng chuckled. “We don’t have anything to do this afternoon. I’m going hunting up the mountain. Want to join me?”

Xiulan looked at him and hesitated, “Are you taking the daughter along?”

“Of course not. I’ll leave her with Caiyun. She’s already weaned.” Lin Heng waved his hand. He had just given his sister a lip balm, taking care of a child was nothing.

“Well then, you go hunting, I’ll gather mushrooms.”

Xiulan nodded, happy to join Lin Heng on the mountain.

Since it had rained last night, there should be plenty of mushrooms on the mountain today.

After gathering their gear, they left the house.

“Dad, I’m going up the mountain to see if I can hunt anything. I plan to go a little farther today. Xiulan’s coming with me to gather mushrooms.”

Lin Heng said to his father, who was carving yellow willow trees (for making stools).

His father looked up and nodded. “Sounds good, two of you can look out for each other. Stay safe.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got a flashlight. If we’re not back tonight, don’t worry. We probably went farther than expected.”

Lin Heng nodded. He and his wife carried small baskets and a few bags.

“Second brother, what about Xiaoxia?” Caiyun came over carrying Xiaoxia.

“Mom…Mama…”

Xiaoxia reached out to Xiulan.

“Of course, you’re the one who’s taking her.” Lin Heng grinned.

“Alright, I knew it.” Caiyun pouted but reluctantly agreed.

Lin Heng patted Caiyun on the shoulder and smiled. “Don’t worry, I won’t make you do it for nothing. In a few days, I’ll get you something good.”

Caiyun’s interest was piqued. “What’s something good?”

“You’ll know soon enough.”

Lin Heng didn’t answer her directly. He unclipped the leash from the dog, Xiong Ba, and walked out the door with his wife.

“Woof! Woof!”

After being indoors for a while, Xiong Ba excitedly barked twice and ran around, chasing chickens, rubbing against trees, and relieving himself.

Then he returned to Lin Heng’s side but, within a few seconds, ran off again, just enjoying himself.

Lin Heng ignored him and ran over to rub against Xiulan.

“Which path are we taking?”

Xiulan asked Lin Heng.

“Let’s take the Tongshu Valley path. We’ll cross a few more mountains this time.” Lin Heng said.

Tongshu Valley was the place where Lin Heng had previously had a confrontation with an old hunter in the village, Tian Baishun. It was just over the ridge from their house.

The path led southwest, and the farther they went, the deeper they went into the Qinling Mountains, where people were sparse, and several mountains were completely uninhabited.

The people in this area mainly lived along the banks of the Shiban River.

Before the ridge, they hadn’t seen any mushrooms. The forest was filled with footprints, clearly indicating that the villagers had already been through it.

The rain last night had left no water drops on the leaves, but the forest floor was still damp. The decaying leaves, softened by the water, made it easier to step on.

Xiulan led the way, while Lin Heng playfully threw small sticks into her basket like a child.

By the time they reached the top of the mountain, Xiulan’s basket was filled with sticks. She turned and glared at Lin Heng. “Stop playing around, you’re acting like a kid.”

Despite being annoyed, she wasn’t really angry. Lin Heng had always played like this with his mother, and she had often slapped him for it.

So Lin Heng continued playing even more, and when Xiulan couldn’t get him to stop, she walked ahead a little bit.

“Woof! Woof!”

Suddenly, Xiong Ba, who had been wandering in the woods for a while, barked and pointed to a spot with his paw, looking at Lin Heng and Xiulan.

“What’s wrong with Xiong Ba?” Xiulan wondered, turning around. Her lips, coated with lip balm, shimmered in the dappled sunlight.

She didn’t realize that Xiong Ba could find mushrooms, so she was puzzled.

“You’ll find out if you go look.” Lin Heng smiled.

Xiulan, still confused, walked over to Xiong Ba’s position, and then a surprised exclamation came out of her mouth: “Two Qingtou mushrooms hidden under the leaves!”

After placing the mushrooms in her basket, Xiulan was about to turn around when Xiong Ba ran ahead again, barking.

“A batch of chicken oil mushrooms hidden under acorn leaves! Xiong Ba really can find mushrooms!” Xiulan exclaimed again.

She turned to Lin Heng. “I finally understand how you always find mushrooms. It’s because of Xiong Ba!”

Her expression was like she had discovered a new world. Following Xiong Ba, they walked forward, and soon gathered a couple of kilograms of mushrooms.

“Pick the good ones. We’re just getting started. There’s still a long way ahead.” Lin Heng reminded her, as he himself had only picked a few good chicken oil mushrooms, discarding the slightly rotten ones.

The reason they didn’t wait until later to pick more was that they might not pass this way on their way back, and there was a chance someone else would take them if they didn’t pick them now.

“I know.”

Xiulan’s voice came from ahead.

An hour later, the two of them reached the ridge on the Tongshu Valley side. Lin Heng checked the spot where he had previously picked some morel mushrooms but didn’t find anything this time.

Without the dog, it became much harder for him to gather mushrooms. In just over an hour, he had only picked about half a kilogram, mostly chicken oil mushrooms.

Meanwhile, Xiulan had already filled an entire cloth bag, the contrast was stark.

“Xiong Ba, come here!” Lin Heng called out. Without Xiong Ba, collecting mushrooms was tough.

“Xiong Ba, come to me!” Xiulan also called out, now completely fond of the dog.

“Woof! Woof!”

Hearing both of their calls, Xiong Ba looked around. After hesitating for a second, he happily ran to Xiulan, licked her hand, and rubbed his head against it, showing affection: “Awoo~”

Lin Heng: “…”

“Damn, you shameless little dog, I’m your master!” Lin Heng muttered under his breath.

But Xiong Ba, as if not hearing him, continued happily playing with Xiulan.

(End of Chapter)