Chapter 65: Strange Cypress Trees on the Cliff

“We’ve packed up, let’s get ready to head home and process the deer meat earlier,” said Xiulan, looking at Lin Heng.

She was the first to wake up when Dahuang made a sound.

However, Lin Heng didn’t let her take part. He grabbed his bow and arrows and ran out first.

When she realized it wasn’t a hunting situation, she followed him, and when she saw Xiong Ba had gotten into trouble, she couldn’t help but suppress a laugh.

“Of course, once we get everything packed, we’ll leave,” Lin Heng nodded. They had to leave early; otherwise, once the sun came up, carrying such heavy loads would be exhausting.

After setting the weasel aside, Lin Heng and Xiulan packed everything up. All the mushrooms they had picked the previous day were placed into one basket, while the deer was packed into another.

Lin Heng originally planned to carry it, but after considering how inconvenient it would be to carry it through the forest, he decided to just use a backpack.

They took turns carrying the load, one person for a stretch of the journey. Fifty pounds wasn’t too heavy for either of them.

“This turtle is really big, I can’t bear to sell it,” Lin Heng said, looking at the turtle in the bag. It looked even bigger in the daylight, almost like a large pot lid.

The turtle was quite aggressive, constantly trying to attack him.

“I’ll put it in your basket.” After looking at it for a moment, Lin Heng tied the bag shut and handed it to Xiulan.

After she packed everything, Lin Heng asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to eat? Catching some fish would be easy.”

“No, let’s go quickly,” Xiulan shook her head.

“Alright, let’s go!” Lin Heng said, slinging the basket over his back and walking ahead.

“Woof woof!!”

Xiong Ba barked happily, running ahead to clear the path.

By the time they reached the northern side of Baishi Gorge, the sky had already brightened. It was summer, so it was already light by just after five.

“Let’s switch,” Xiulan said as she looked back.

“Okay,” Lin Heng nodded. He was starting to feel tired, and after climbing this slope, his clothes were soaked in sweat, with drops falling from his forehead like threads.

Lin Heng thought that if it wasn’t something he had hunted himself, he’d never carry such a heavy load.

By around six o’clock, the sun was already very strong, and they were still two mountains away from Tongshu Gorge.

“Let’s rest for a bit, I can’t go on,” Lin Heng said, finding a stone ledge and setting the basket down to catch his breath.

“The more I think about it, the more impressed I am by you, such a big catch,” Xiulan said as she walked over, wiping his sweat while looking at him with admiration.

“Heh, I didn’t expect it either. Sometimes, it’s just about luck,” Lin Heng chuckled as he sat down to rest.

They chatted while resting.

“Husband, look at that little pine tree down there, it looks really strange,” Xiulan suddenly remarked, noticing something peculiar.

“Now that you mention it, I hadn’t noticed. Wait here, I’ll go get it, we can plant it when we get home,” Lin Heng said, his eyes lighting up as he looked in the direction Xiulan pointed.

This was a natural cypress tree stump, and it was already perfectly shaped—no need for much pruning. The area she pointed out was a stone cliff at a 70-degree angle.

The cliff was made mostly of large gray stones, with only a few small cracks in the middle and above where some soil had blown in.

Wherever there was soil, plants could grow. At the top of the cliff was a small black pine tree, its trunk as thick as a child’s wrist.

Its roots had burrowed into the cracks, and because of poor nutrition, it had grown in a twisted, low form, looking like a natural bonsai shaped by nature.

If given the chance, it could possibly become a famous tree like the “Welcoming Pine” at Huashan.

In modern times, such a natural specimen could be sold for thousands of yuan.

Lin Heng planned to dig it up and plant it in the backyard—definitely a good addition to the landscape.

“Be careful, I’ll hold onto you,” Xiulan said, worried as she walked over to help.

“Okay,” Lin Heng replied as he approached the edge of the cliff. Xiulan stood a little farther back, holding onto an oak tree with one hand and Lin Heng with the other.

Lin Heng trusted her completely and tilted his body, almost hanging off the edge. If Xiulan let go, he had no chance of survival.

“I’ve got it,” Lin Heng said, reaching the limit of his lean, finally grabbing onto the branch of the black pine tree.

With a strong pull, most of the roots came out, but the main root, which was about the thickness of a thumb and had wedged into the stone crack, remained in place.

Without hesitation, Lin Heng tore it out.

“There’s also a natural ‘shari’ here. It looks really strong and old—this was worth it,” Lin Heng said, examining the pine tree. It looked even better up close.

The trunk had a natural “shari,” a bare spot caused by lack of nutrients, giving it a weathered, resilient look.

“Shari” refers to the exposed parts of the tree trunk, which are naturally formed due to various environmental challenges, giving the tree an ancient, enduring feeling. Sometimes people remove the bark to simulate this effect for bonsais, but it’s not as authentic as the natural kind.

This pine tree was no more than two meters tall. Lin Heng took a look, then stripped off the pine needles.

“Can you still plant this after removing the leaves?” Xiulan asked, confused. “Why take off the leaves?”

Lin Heng smiled slightly. “This is the only way it will survive. The roots and leaves are balanced. Now that the roots are exposed, most of the leaves need to be removed to reduce evaporation.”

Of course, not all of them could be removed—some still had to be left.

Xiulan was even more confused. With her elementary school education, she didn’t understand much about biology.

“I’ll explain from the beginning,” Lin Heng said as he sat down, patiently explaining to Xiulan.

“I understand a bit now,” Xiulan said, looking at Lin Heng with admiration. “You really know a lot.”

She was amazed that even planting a tree involved so much knowledge.

“Heh, understanding it is the same as you understanding it,” Lin Heng chuckled.

After removing the pine needles, they packed up the tree and continued on their way.

“Woof woof!!”

Not long after, Xiong Ba alerted them that he had found some mushrooms.

Lin Heng glanced over from a distance and saw a delicious-looking bolete mushroom. “Not picking that today,” he said, shaking his head.

“Awwoo.”

Xiong Ba seemed puzzled but continued searching.

“Go ahead and play. We won’t be picking mushrooms on the way back, it’s too tiring.”

Xiong Ba understood and happily ran off.

By 8:00, the two of them reached the Tongshu Gorge area. Seeing that home was not far away, Lin Heng sighed with relief.

“I’ll carry it,” Xiulan said, offering to take the load.

“Let’s wait until we get to Tongshu Gorge,” Lin Heng shook his head, not wanting his wife to be too tired.

After walking a bit more, just before entering the gorge, Xiong Ba suddenly started barking, “Woof woof!”

“What’s wrong? Is someone there?” Xiulan asked, looking into the gorge, but the dense forest blocked their view.

“It should be someone. Xiong Ba only barks like that when there’s someone ahead. Let’s go check,” Lin Heng said, nodding, and he walked ahead with the basket on his back.

(End of chapter)