Chapter 68: Did Xiulan Get Beaten to Tears?

“You want to make a flower pot? That’s simple. A square one will work, right?”

Liang the carpenter said with a smile.

Lin Heng nodded, “Of course, a 40 cm diameter should be fine.”

Is this simple for a carpenter? After sawing a few pieces of wood and making two mortise and tenon joints, it was done in half an hour.

Taking the completed square wooden pot, Lin Heng went to the back of his family’s old house.

It was dark and damp here, with no more than two hours of direct sunlight a day—an ideal place for nurturing seedlings.

He placed the pot down and then dug up some humus soil from the forest. After trimming the roots of a black pine a little, he shaped it and planted it in the pot.

Since it was originally styled to grow near water, Lin Heng didn’t alter much, just made a root exposure by leaving part of the roots above the soil. This gave the tree a stronger, more dynamic appearance.

Once done, he trimmed the branches slightly, watered it thoroughly, and left it to grow new leaves. When that happens, he could move it along with the pot to the backyard.

Returning home, Lin Heng was greeted by the smell of meat. His mother was already stir-frying venison.

The meat from the roe deer was already divided between his father and older brother, and the skin was being dried in the sun.

“Lin Heng, I’ve thought about it. The venison is all lean, and smoking might ruin it. Let’s cut it into small pieces and make jerky. That way, it will last longer.”

Upon seeing Lin Heng, his father shared his decision.

“That’s a good idea. Add more spices,” Lin Heng agreed, nodding. It was indeed a great suggestion.

Venison, like that from the deer family, is characterized by being low in fat and high in lean meat. For making cured meat, you need a balance of fatty and lean, but pure lean meat spoils too easily.

With Lin Heng’s approval, his father immediately started cutting the meat, reserving just enough for three meals and slicing the rest into pieces for jerky.

“It’s ready. We’ve got plenty of spices at home: chili, alfalfa, fennel seeds, Sichuan peppercorns, and patchouli powder. Mixing them all together will definitely taste great,” said Lin Heng’s sister-in-law, Liu Juan, as she and Xiulan worked with the spices, drying them and then crushing them.

“How much roe deer fat do we have?” Lin Heng asked.

“Not much. This season’s fat is scarce, about four or five pounds,” his father pointed to the white fat hanging on the wall.

“Deer fat is tasty and nutritious. Let’s keep it. I’ll use some of the pig fat,” Lin Heng said, looking at his mother, Lu Hongmei.

“What are you up to this time?” his mother asked, unwilling to part with the fat.

“You’ll find out later. Consider it a trade for some deer fat,” Lin Heng said, not mentioning that he planned to make soap, as he wasn’t even sure he could pull it off.

His mother eyed him suspiciously. “Do you want it now?”

In the past, if he had wasted oil like this, she would have scolded him severely, but now that he had skills, it was a bit more forgivable.

“Not yet. I’ll tell you when I need it,” Lin Heng shook his head. He hadn’t prepared the other materials yet, and he was too tired today to bother with it.

“Alright then.”

His mother shook her head.

Lin Heng found a bench, sat under the eaves, and held his daughter in his arms, watching the sunlight while taking a nap.

“Daddy!!”

Xiao Xia was restless, tossing and turning in Lin Heng’s arms. She tugged at his hair, pinched his face, and made noise.

“Come on, let me teach you some words: table, chair…”

Lin Heng sat up helplessly and began teaching his daughter words and objects.

He used Mandarin, as he didn’t want her to have to learn it slowly later when going to school.

“Juezi… yi yi zi…”

The little girl struggled to speak, making an effort to mimic the sounds, though still far from clear.

“You’re making progress. Now, say it again: table, chair.”

Lin Heng became more interested and continued teaching.

While Lin Heng taught his daughter, his father and older brother, Lin Yue, had finished cutting the venison into two large bowls, each piece about 2 cm wide and 5 cm long, totaling 28 pounds.

After cutting the meat, they sprinkled salt, poured wine, and added the prepared spices, mixing everything evenly and leaving it to sit for an hour before drying the jerky after the meal.

Watching his father and older brother work, Lin Heng found himself missing a refrigerator. With one, it would be so much easier—just toss the meat inside, no need for all this complicated work.

Unfortunately, there was no electricity.

“Time to eat.”

His mother called out and went to fetch Liang the carpenter.

Lin Heng’s uncle had made three chairs that morning—classic rural-style chairs with backs. They were made of yellow willow (yellow rhus), which didn’t need dyeing, as the wood naturally had a beautiful golden color.

His uncle was quite skilled, though not a professional carpenter, but he could make tables, chairs, and stools. He also hunted, so the family was well-off, though his temper wasn’t great and he could cause trouble when drunk. He’d once had a woman, but she left after he hit her.

“Lin Heng, are you planning to sell that old turtle of yours?” his uncle asked as he tidied up.

“Not sure yet. It depends on the price. If it’s too low, I won’t sell. It’s still alive, so no rush,” Lin Heng shrugged, saying the 30-year-old turtle was rare, and he wasn’t in a hurry to sell.

“I think the same. Ask around. It’s a good thing, and some people will pay a high price. Don’t rush,” his father agreed, nodding.

Today’s lunch was hearty—big bowls of stir-fried venison and venison offal, mainly the heart, liver, and kidneys, which were all cooked but only half served for the meal.

The roe deer’s stomach, intestines, and eggs were also processed and set aside to be eaten tomorrow after being oiled.

The roe deer’s antlers were hung to dry, meant for making medicinal wine. It was a valuable ingredient.

Venison has no fat and is similar to beef but finer in texture. Stir-fried in pig fat, it became very fragrant and had a satisfying chewiness.

“This male roe deer doesn’t have much of a strong taste. It’s quite good,” Lin Heng commented after taking a few bites.

“The venison is good. It wasn’t very gamey to begin with, and your mother did a great job processing it. Naturally, it’s delicious,” Lin’s father said with a smile.

“This is a good thing. Every part of the roe deer is valuable. The ancients said it helps to tonify deficiencies, boost qi, strengthen the five organs,” Liang the carpenter chuckled.

“Yes, eat more so you’ll have the strength to work,” Lin’s mother said, placing a large serving onto each person’s plate.

Lin Heng was focused on eating, consuming a lot of venison kidneys. He felt the need to replenish himself and strengthen his body.

After the meal, Lin Heng cooked the skinless weasel meat and fed it to Xiong Ba. It had been eating meat every day for the past few days, and it was hard to find any rice for it.

Because of the daily meat, Xiong Ba had noticeably grown bigger, its fur was shinier, and its bones were strengthening.

“Crunch crunch!!”

The bones cracked loudly as Xiong Ba chewed.

Meanwhile, Xiulan and the others were drying the marinated deer meat on bamboo racks.

With the strong sun today, it would almost be dry by the end of the day.

The mushrooms that had been dried earlier in the morning were now almost completely dried.

With such a strong sun, Lin’s father had already moved the wood into the main room to continue making stools.

Lin’s mother and sister-in-law had gone to the river to wash clothes, while Lin Heng and Xiulan stayed home to rest.

He checked on his fish pond, and the fish were all doing well. He tossed some wheat bran meant for feeding pigs into the water.

The pond was still a bit small, but since it was in the yard, it wasn’t suitable for making it too large.

Once the development in Hongfeng Mountain was completed and villas were built, he planned to create a much larger pond and stock it with more fish.

“Here you go.”

When Lin Heng returned home, Xiulan handed him a cup of cool tea made with dog’s-tail grass and honeysuckle.

The root of the dog’s-tail grass, also known as “Zhe’er Gen,” was loved by some but disliked by others.

This type of cool tea was common in rural homes. It helped cool the body and was a must-have in summer.

After drinking the tea, Lin Heng went to the room and held his daughter, Xiao Xia, teaching her to speak and recognize objects.

Before long, Xiao Xia fell asleep. Lin Heng himself lay down on the bed and fell asleep as well.

When he woke up, it was already around four or five in the afternoon. He had been woken by Xiao Xia’s cries as her diaper was wet.

“Wah wah… wah wah…”

“Stop crying, little ancestor. Let me change your diaper.”

Lin Heng helplessly found a new diaper and changed her, and only then did Xiao Xia stop crying.

After changing her, Lin Heng went into the main room and saw his uncle and father working on carpentry.

Without asking, Lin Heng knew that Xiulan and the others had gone out to work since they couldn’t sit still.

After exchanging a few words with his father, Lin Heng took Xiao Xia out for a walk.

“This is a pig, this is yam, this is dog’s tail grass…”

Lin Heng held his daughter and pointed to everything they passed, teaching her to speak and identify objects.

“This is bamboo, this is the hillside, and this is dog’s tail grass…”

Xiao Xia, full of curiosity, was scared when she saw the pig and ran behind Lin Heng, unwilling to look.

When Lin Heng taught her about flowers, grass, and trees, she excitedly ran off to grab them, tugging them back and feeding them to her father as a sign of “filial piety.”

“You really are a big filial daughter!” Lin Heng helplessly looked at her.

The little girl giggled and pointed at Lin Heng. “You really are a big laughing girl…”

After recognizing a few more flowers and plants, she lost interest and started running around, stumbling as she moved forward. Every step made Lin Heng nervous, afraid she might fall.

But somehow, she kept going, teetering on the edge of falling without actually doing so.

Only Lin Heng was frightened, keeping a close watch on her.

“Daddy, hold me~”

After running around and tiring herself out, she climbed into Lin Heng’s arms again. But once in his embrace, she didn’t sleep. She had enough energy to keep playing and babbling with Lin Heng.

The entire afternoon passed like this. Lin Heng taught her for hours, but the little one didn’t seem to learn much. She was just playing and smiling the whole time.

Back in the yard, Xiong Ba had been caught again, and it insisted on tugging at its tail.

“No! The dog will be hurt.” Lin Heng glared at her sternly.

Xiao Xia opened her mouth as if to cry, but when Lin Heng ignored her, she seemed to remember that crying wouldn’t help. She ran over and started punching Lin Heng with her little fists.

That evening, another big dinner was served, and the smell of oil and spices wafted out, reaching hundreds of meters away.

People walking by couldn’t resist salivating as they looked at the Lin family’s house in silence.

The worst off were the Li family. Their yard was closest to Lin Heng’s kitchen. They sat in the yard eating dinner while the delicious meat aroma filled the air.

The cornmeal porridge in their bowls seemed to be perfectly satisfying.

After a bath and going to bed, Lin Heng wasn’t sure if it was the venison or something else, but he felt overheated.

Fortunately, his daughter had fallen asleep on her own.

When Xiulan got into bed, Lin Heng immediately hugged her.

“Be gentle, careful not to wake up Xiao Xia.”

Xiulan whispered, but she cooperated with Lin Heng.

They were both 20 and 21, at the peak of their energy.

The half-hour long battle left both of them a little unsatisfied, and they cuddled, exchanging small affectionate gestures.

Lin Heng couldn’t help but miss the new house where they could make a crib for their daughter and leave her in a corner so they could enjoy their time without restraint.

The morning of the 17th arrived, and Lin Heng got up to find that his father and older brother had already gone to town to fetch gypsum powder.

He took care of his daughter while helping his uncle and Liang the carpenter.

Liang had already finished making the nine doors and three windows for his house and had applied tung oil before installing them.

Lin Heng took his daughter on a walk through the village, finding some straw from last year and continuing to teach her to talk and recognize objects.

She had completely forgotten yesterday’s lessons, but when Lin Heng started teaching again, she was full of curiosity and eagerness, mimicking his words.

In the afternoon, Lin Heng walked along the road, holding his daughter’s hand and teaching her words as Xiong Ba followed behind, happily running around.

Lizards occasionally ran across the road, scaring Xiao Xia so much that she clung to Lin Heng’s thigh. When she saw an ant, she mischievously stepped on it with her foot.

“What’s the point of teaching a one-year-old these things? It’s exhausting, and there’s no result. When she’s a bit older, she’ll naturally learn,” Liu Lan, who was working in the field outside the road, commented, a little confused by Lin Heng’s actions.

Lin Heng smiled. “It’s nothing, just bored.”

He wouldn’t explain that he was giving his daughter an early education. Teaching her from a young age was definitely better than learning on her own, and his daughter’s speech was already noticeably improving.

“Want some water?” Liu Lan pointed to the kettle on the ground. She had taken off her outer coat due to the heat, revealing a V-neck floral short-sleeve shirt underneath, which highlighted her full figure.

“No thanks.” Lin Heng shook his head.

“Not interested? With your hunting skills and money, you should be drinking good tea,” Liu Lan chuckled, not sure if it was intentional or accidental, but when she bent over to pull up weeds, her figure was partly exposed to Lin Heng.

“I’m leaving.”

Lin Heng didn’t look at her and turned to leave, taking his daughter with him. He wasn’t interested in whether it was intentional or not; he wouldn’t let it affect his relationship with Xiulan.

Liu Lan was a bit puzzled. In the past, if she had acted like this, a group of men would have been unwilling to leave.

Although her face had many pockmarks, her body was fair and shapely, one of the best in the village.

Lin Heng’s reaction confused her.

After walking around the village with his daughter, chatting with the villagers, Lin Heng returned home.

His father and older brother had already come back. The weather was hot these past few days, and the road was dry, making it much easier to transport the gypsum compared to before.

He hadn’t hunted today, and that evening, as expected, he spent some intimate time with his wife, Xiulan.

On the morning of the 18th, Lin Heng’s father started helping to plaster the walls inside the house, finishing the gypsum work and smoothing it onto the mud walls with a spatula.

Lin Heng’s skills weren’t great, so he could only help with the gypsum mixing.

—

Every morning, Caiyun would go to gather cowgrass. This morning, she met Liu Lan and several other women from the village by the river, who were there early to wash clothes.

As they washed clothes, they inevitably started chatting. Rural people, as long as there’s no major grudge, always have something to talk about when they meet.

“Caiyun, did you put something on your lips? They look so smooth and rosy.”

As they chatted, Liu Lan asked the question on her mind.

In the summer, everyone’s lips are usually dry, hot, and cracked, but Caiyun’s lips were smooth and rosy.

“Yes, my second brother made some lip balm.” Caiyun smiled and explained, taking out the lip balm wrapped in a small cloth from her pocket and demonstrating it.

The women by the river immediately showed envious expressions. They had seen lip balm before but couldn’t afford it.

“You mean your second brother made it? How did he make it?” Liu Lan asked, confused. She didn’t understand how Lin Heng could make such a thing.

Caiyun shook her head. “I don’t really know. He mixed beeswax, camellia oil, and flower petals for a while, and then it was done. It was for my second sister-in-law, Xiulan.”

“So that’s why your second brother bought camellia oil and broken honeycomb that day, he’s really talented.” Liu Lan said, somewhat envious. She couldn’t help but feel a little sour thinking about how good Lin Heng was to Xiulan.

She had thought Lin Heng was wasting money, but it turned out he was making things for his wife.

Meanwhile, her own husband never even bought her flowers, which made her feel bitter.

The other women nearby also looked a bit envious. Although Lin Heng was considered lazy and a bit of a drifter, they hadn’t heard of him hitting his wife.

Now, it seemed he had turned over a new leaf and treated Xiulan so well, which made them feel a little jealous.

Many of the men in the village were known to beat their wives, and even those who didn’t, argued over trivial matters all the time.

However, the women weren’t willing to believe that Lin Heng and Xiulan were this affectionate, thinking that the rumors hadn’t spread yet.

“Do you think your brother has any more? I’ll trade something with him for one, or just buy it,” a woman named Li Yan asked.

Li Yan was very beautiful, with a good figure and fair skin, but her big mouth lowered her overall attractiveness significantly.

If her mouth were smaller, her looks would rival those of Xiulan or Caiyun.

Maple Tree Village had about 200 households, with a population of around 1,200. There were only a handful of wealthy families, around ten or so, who could be considered upper-middle-class.

The wealthiest households might have a few people who could afford to build a villa, but the value of money was much stronger back then.

Li Yan’s family was one of the wealthier households. When she and her husband Li Changfu got married last year, they built a two-and-a-half-story red brick house at the eastern end of the village.

“I’ll ask my brother when I get home. If he sells, I’ll deliver it to your door.” Caiyun nodded and smiled.

“Great.” Li Yan nodded, feeling confident it wouldn’t be a problem.

After finishing cutting the cowgrass and returning home, it was already past 10 AM. She fed the grass to the family’s big yellow cow and then went straight to Lin Heng’s new house.

Inside the new house, Lin Heng, his older brother, and his father were busy spreading gypsum. The living room had been completed, and they were now working on the bedroom walls.

Although the gypsum wasn’t dry yet and was still grayish-white, it had already brightened the entire house considerably. Caiyun felt proud and happy as she looked around.

“Second brother, Li Yan in the village wants to buy some of the lip balm you made. Will you sell it?” Xiulan walked in and asked.

“Not selling for now. This is for your sister-in-law.” Lin Heng immediately refused without thinking.

What would he make from selling one or two? He didn’t even want to bother making it; if he had the time, he’d rather go hunting on the mountain for some rabbits or grouse.

“Alright, I understand.” Caiyun nodded. She had guessed that Lin Heng would refuse. After all, he was talented and didn’t care for small amounts of money.

After Caiyun left, Lin Heng and his family continued applying the gypsum.

By the end of the day, they had finished plastering all the walls on the first floor, making the entire house feel much brighter.

As for the second floor, they decided not to do it for now. The first floor was enough for Lin Heng and Xiulan to live in.

“Second brother, hurry and go see, Xiulan’s been beaten and is crying. Mom’s arguing with someone about it.”

Just as Lin Heng, his father, and older brother came out of the new house, Caiyun rushed over to deliver the news.

Upon hearing this, Lin Heng froze, and his voice immediately turned angry: “Where? What happened?”

(End of chapter)