Chapter 93: I’m Doomed, Surrounded by My Wife’s Gentleness

After simmering all morning, the second batch of lard was finally done. Once Xiulan scooped out the fried residue, she threw the wild boar lean meat into the pot to fry it until thoroughly cooked.

Once the meat was fully fried, she scooped it out to prepare for making jarred meat. She found a large clay jar, poured the lean meat in first, and then added the freshly rendered lard.

After the lard cooled, the lean meat was completely encased in it, isolating it from air and bacteria, allowing it to be stored for a year or two without spoiling.

Although the wild boar meat seemed like a lot, once rendered into lard, it wasn’t that much—just one basin, one jar, and a small bucket, totaling around seventy pounds.

“Let’s go help with the wheat threshing,” Xiulan suggested since there wasn’t much else to do at home.

“Alright!”

Lin Heng felt a wave of nostalgia. This method of threshing wheat felt so ancient that he had almost forgotten how to do it.

After locking the door, the family of three headed to the courtyard of the old house. Before they even got close, they could already hear the rhythmic slapping sounds of threshing.

Inside, Lin’s father and eldest brother were wearing straw hats, using flails to thresh the wheat.

A flail consists of a handle and a beater. The handle is usually a three-to-four-meter-long bamboo pole, connected to the beater via a wooden linkage.

The beater is made from bamboo and a dense, heavy wooden club, forming a rectangular shape over one to two meters long and about thirty to forty centimeters wide.

By swinging the handle, the beater rotates and strikes the wheat ears on the ground. Controlling the force and angle requires some skill.

“Dad, let me try,” Lin Heng said as he took the flail and attempted to use it.

At first, he couldn’t get the hang of it. He failed to make the beater land flat on the ground, so it wasn’t effective in threshing the wheat.

“What a disgrace, can’t even use a flail properly,” his mother mocked.

“Maybe you should just give it back,” his father added.

Lin Heng retorted, “I just haven’t used it in a long time, that’s all.”

After practicing a few more times, he quickly grasped the technique, and soon the flail was striking the wheat with crisp, rhythmic thuds.

Threshing wheat was hard work, but it was much easier than harvesting it.

“Did Tian Baishun bring you gifts? Did you accept them?”

Lin’s father took a sip of water, sitting under the eaves as he asked.

“Yeah, what else could I do?” Lin Heng shrugged. Some gifts couldn’t be outright rejected, but they also couldn’t be accepted too easily—there had to be some polite refusals first.

Fortunately, his mind wasn’t young, and he understood the nuances of these social exchanges, handling them just right.

“As long as you accepted them, that’s all I wanted to know. If someone personally delivers a gift and you refuse, that’s as good as offending them,” Lin’s father nodded.

Not wanting to dwell on the topic, Lin Heng changed the subject. “I’m planning to go into town to sell goods soon. Anyone want to come along?”

“No time. You go by yourself,” his father shook his head.

Lin Heng looked at the others, but even his wife, Xiulan, said she didn’t want to go.

“You guys aren’t worried I’ll have too much fun in town and never come back?” Lin Heng was speechless.

His mother shot him a glance. “If you’re willing to leave Xiulan behind, then go ahead and don’t come back.”

His father casually added, “No big deal. You’ll come back eventually. If not, I’ll break your legs when you do.”

Lin Heng: “….”

Xiulan, standing beside him, couldn’t help but laugh. Lin Heng glared at her, thinking that he would have to teach her a lesson tonight—she was getting too bold, even daring to laugh at him now.

Once most of the wheat was threshed, Lin’s mother used a fork to clear away the straw and grabbed a large sieve to do an initial sift before piling the wheat to the side.

Most of the wheat had already been processed over the past two days, so there wasn’t much left. The whole family took turns threshing, and they finished quickly.

After sifting the wheat twice, they brought out the winnowing machine. Lin Heng and his eldest brother carried out the wooden winnower.

“I’ll handle the winnowing,” Lin Heng volunteered for the fun job.

His eldest brother, Lin Yue, fed the wheat into the machine while their mother collected the cleaned grain.

The principle of the winnower was simple. It used wind to blow away lighter chaff and small leaves. This method had been around in China since ancient times.

After passing the wheat through the winnower twice, they had clean, impurity-free grain.

“Alright, let’s weigh it and see how much we harvested this year,” Lin’s father said cheerfully as the setting sun cast its golden glow.

“Bring it over!”

Lin Heng and his brother carried the weighing pole while their father did the weighing, and Caiyun recorded the numbers.

“How much in total, Caiyun?” Lin’s father eagerly asked once they finished.

“885 pounds the day before yesterday, 1,542 pounds yesterday, and 732 pounds today—a total of 2,959 pounds,” Caiyun reported.

“Not bad, a good harvest. After paying the agricultural tax and other deductions, we should have around 2,100 pounds left for ourselves,” Lin’s father grinned, clearly pleased.

In the 1980s, rural areas still had various agricultural taxes and grain levies. For their area, it was calculated at 100 pounds per acre.

Those with money could also pay in cash instead of grain.

All grain had to be sold to the state grain station or purchased from it—private grain trading was not allowed.

The Lin family had about thirty acres of land, but after paying the required amount, they would only have enough left for their own consumption.

Beyond agricultural taxes, rural and urban household registrations had significant differences in this era.

That was why Lin Heng was determined to start a business and go into farming—it was much better than relying solely on crops, and the policies were more flexible.

“Let’s bring the grain inside. We’ll sun-dry it for another couple of days before taking it to the town grain station,” Lin’s father instructed.

He didn’t see anything unusual about paying grain levies. Farmers had been doing it for generations. If someone told him that in the future, there would be no need to pay, he would probably find it unbelievable.

Once everything was moved inside, Xiulan and her sister-in-law finished cooking.

The family sat down for dinner, enjoying the fruits of their labor.

“In a few days, when we go to submit the grain, we’ll also go to the village office to split the household registration. From then on, we’ll live separately,” Lin’s father said with a smile.

“There’s no rush for this. Whether we divide or not, it’s all the same.” Lin Heng shook his head. Whether they split or not, it made no difference to his family.

“It’s better to separate.” Father Lin insisted. Since they were going to split, it should be done thoroughly.

“Then let’s split.” Lin Heng spread his hands indifferently.

After finishing their meal, the sky was already overcast. Lin Heng hurried home with his wife and daughter to pack up.

He quickly added a roof to the badger pen, fed Xiongba, and then went to check on the fish pond. He was worried that the heavy rain at night might wash away the fish fry.

“Roar!!”

When washing his feet, Lin Heng suddenly realized that he hadn’t fed the little wildcat today.

“What are you feeding it?” Xiulan glanced at the caged wildcat.

“Just make some mush for it. It doesn’t deserve anything good. Its temper is awful. If I hadn’t rescued it, it would’ve died on the hillside.”

Lin Heng looked at the little wildcat. He had no interest in treating a cat like a deity.

If it behaved well and was likable, it could get some good food. If it acted fierce, then it would just get enough to survive.

If it really angered him, he’d throw it out to fend for itself.

“Alright, there’s some leftover soup from today.” Xiulan nodded and went to the kitchen, scooping the leftover soup into a bowl and putting it inside.

That night, just as Lin Heng and Xiulan fell asleep, thunder rumbled outside, and rain poured down in torrents.

It was as if even the heavens sympathized with farmers, waiting until all the wheat had been harvested before bringing the storm.

The next morning, the rain was still falling. Since there was no urgency to get up, Lin Heng and Xiulan lay in bed chatting, enjoying a rare moment of leisure.

After getting up, they had a simple breakfast, fed the chickens and ducks, and Xiulan began weaving straw hats.

Meanwhile, Lin Heng continued working on his purple bamboo fishing rod. Yesterday, Tian Baishun’s visit had interrupted him, so he picked up where he left off.

Xiaoxia stayed close to Xiulan, occasionally “helping” in her own way—she just couldn’t sit still.

“How much Sanghuang mushroom was collected while I was out hunting these past few days?”

Lin Heng asked while straightening the bamboo.

“About ten pounds. Not many people came to sell, so it’s all stored in the cabinet.” Xiulan answered casually.

Lin Heng had expected this result. He knew that collecting in the village wouldn’t yield much. This phase was just to get Father Lin, Mother Lin, and the others used to it—starting small before gradually expanding later.

After a few more words, the house fell into a comfortable silence, with only Xiaoxia’s cheerful babbling as she played.

Occasionally, when something came to mind, the couple would chat for a bit before falling silent again, accompanied only by the continuous patter of rain outside and the occasional laughter of their daughter inside.

By noon, Xiulan cooked while Lin Heng took care of their daughter. After eating, as the rain lightened, they went out together to collect fodder for the sheep and badgers.

Their days were simple yet fulfilling.

Before they knew it, night had fallen. With energy to spare, the couple delved into the philosophy of reproduction, deepening their understanding of each other.

Their love was profound, making them cherish each other even more. Xiulan’s gentle and meticulous nature meant she cared for Lin Heng in every possible way. Meanwhile, Lin Heng, carrying guilt from his past life, cherished his wife deeply, expressing his love through actions rather than words.

Their love at night was intense and passionate, expressed through action. During the day, it was gentle and warm, rooted in the heart.

The continuous rain lasted for five days, stopping only on the 13th day of the fifth lunar month—July 1st in the solar calendar.

That morning, the rain finally ceased. Thick fog rolled down from the mountains, covering everything down to the riverbanks. Lin Heng’s yard was shrouded in a hazy white mist.

“Damn, I’m completely surrounded by your gentleness.”

Standing at the front gate, Lin Heng stretched lazily and grinned.

Xiulan shot him a glance. “Saying things like that in broad daylight.”

Lin Heng grinned wider. “I’m just being honest. If I don’t say it, how would you know?”

“Then next time, say it softly, whisper it in my ear.” Xiulan looked at him.

“Got it.” Lin Heng leaned in and whispered again.

Xiulan’s face instantly flushed red. She shot him a glare. “You’re terrible.”

Not only did Lin Heng whisper sweet nothings, but he even nibbled her ear.

“Alright, let’s head up the mountain. With this rain, there must be lots of honeysuckle.” Xiulan reminded him, slinging a basket over her back as she set off.

Lin Heng carried their daughter and led Xiongba along as they followed. They had woken up early—it was only 5:30 AM. The road was blanketed in fog, reducing visibility to less than three meters.

Even so, by the time they reached Shibadang Valley, there were already many people there. Lin Heng was especially surprised to see his parents.

“Dad, Mom, you were up before dawn?”

“What do you think? Haven’t you heard the saying, ‘The early bird catches the worm’?” Mother Lin scoffed at him.

“You guys are insane.” Lin Heng shook his head before turning to help his wife cut honeysuckle vines. This time, there weren’t as many as the first time, but it was still a decent haul.

“Daddy, over here!”

Xiaoxia mimicked her parents, tugging at a vine and calling him over.

Lin Heng guided Xiaoxia while cutting vines, while Xiulan quickly searched the area, moving with impressive speed.

“There are a lot up there, but they’re too high.”

Xiulan pointed to a steep embankment. There was no path up, so she couldn’t reach them.

“I’ll go.”

Lin Heng handed Xiaoxia over to Xiulan, grabbed onto the rocky ledge, and climbed up with ease. For him, it was nothing.

“Be careful.” Xiulan warned.

Before she even finished speaking, Lin Heng had already reached the top, swiftly cutting down the vines and tossing them below.

“You’re amazing, but you don’t have to take risks. If you get hurt, it won’t be worth it.” Xiulan said while gathering the vines.

“Don’t worry.” Lin Heng chuckled. He had done it just to hear her praise him.

In two hours, they had filled two baskets with plump honeysuckle vines.

The misty weather, now without rain, was incredibly refreshing. Being in the mountains felt like a luxury. Xiaoxia ran around with a vine in her hands, playing happily.

Seeing that their baskets were full, Xiulan said, “Let’s go. We’ve picked enough. We’ll head home, make breakfast, and then go gather mushrooms elsewhere.”

As the fog gradually lifted, more people arrived. Fortunately, they had already collected what they needed.

“Alright.”

Lin Heng picked up his daughter, whose shoes were now caked with mud, and followed Xiulan down a different forest path toward home.

“Dad, what’s this?” Xiaoxia pointed at a tree and asked.

“That’s a chestnut tree. The chestnuts it produces are edible.”

“What about this one?”

“This is also a chestnut tree.”

“And this one!”

“That’s a medicinal tree. It’s poisonous!”

Xiaoxia was full of curiosity. The father and daughter’s question-and-answer exchange echoed through the quiet morning forest. Xiulan walked ahead, listening to their conversation with a slight smile on her lips.

“Dad, what’s that?”

Xiaoxia pointed at a tree.

“A chestnut tree,” Lin Heng answered helplessly. He had already lost count of how many times he had answered this question.

“No, not that! The bug!” Xiaoxia shook her head and pointed upward with her little hand.

Lin Heng looked up in the direction she was pointing.

“Oh my, it’s bees!”

One glance was enough to startle him. On the branch of a chestnut tree above their heads, countless bees clustered together, forming a ball about a dozen centimeters in diameter.

It was clearly a newly split swarm that hadn’t found a new nest yet.

“Bees?” Xiulan turned her head curiously.

“Xiaoxia is truly my lucky star.” Lin Heng couldn’t help but plant two kisses on his daughter’s cheek. If not for her, he never would have noticed the bee swarm.

After the rain, bees were almost silent, huddled together high up, making them nearly impossible to spot.

“Bees, bees!” Xiaoxia waved her hands excitedly, finding them fun without yet connecting them to honey.

“They really are bees.” Xiulan’s expression also showed delight.

Lin Heng examined the bees and immediately made a decision. “Xiulan, stay here with our daughter to keep others from taking them. I’ll go back and find someone who knows how to handle bees to help collect them.”

Xiulan nodded. “Alright, I’ll wait here for you.”

Lin Heng nodded in return and quickly hurried home, with Xiongba playfully following at his heels.

On his way, Lin Heng passed by Wang Jin’s house at the village entrance. Wang Jin was one of the wealthier households in the village, raising over twenty hives of bees.

As he arrived, Wang Jin happened to be at the door. Lin Heng immediately put on a smile and said, “Uncle Wang, could I trouble you for a favor?”

Wang Jin was a middle-aged man in his forties, from the same generation as Lin Heng’s father. He had small mung bean-like eyes, a tiny mouth, and a chubby face, clearly well-fed and a bit plump.

“What is it?” Wang Jin turned to look at Lin Heng, sizing him up. Recently, Lin Heng’s reputation in the village had been spreading, and upon closer inspection, Wang Jin couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous. The Lin family was already good-looking—how come they were getting rich too?

“It’s like this—I found a newly split bee swarm on a wild hillside. Uncle Wang, could you help me collect them?” Lin Heng said with a smile, keeping his tone respectful since he was asking for a favor.

Upon hearing this, Wang Jin immediately asked, “A split swarm? Where? That wouldn’t happen to be from my beehives, would it?”

Lin Heng frowned slightly. Wild bees had always belonged to whoever found them—how could this man try to claim them as his?

But he didn’t say anything directly. Instead, he maintained his smile and said, “Uncle Wang, I wouldn’t ask you to do this for nothing. I’ll pay you thirty cents as a service fee.”

Wang Jin waved his hand dismissively. “I won’t do it. Just tell me the location, and I’ll give you thirty cents while I go collect them. You people don’t know how to raise bees anyway. If you take them, it’ll just be a waste. Besides, they might have come from my hives.”

Not only did he refuse, but he also wanted to take advantage of the situation.

Lin Heng was stunned for a second, not expecting Wang Jin to be this shameless.

“Never mind then, I’ll figure it out myself.” Lin Heng turned and left.

“You won’t listen to good advice. Hunting and collecting bees are two different things. Don’t come crying to me if you get stung,” Wang Jin sneered, his tone full of mockery.

Lin Heng shook his head. He could tell that Wang Jin simply didn’t want others in the village to have bees, fearing that if every household had honey, his own wouldn’t sell.

Such a small-minded way of thinking.

“If no one’s willing to help, I’ll just do it myself,” Lin Heng muttered, no longer bothering to ask around.

Luckily, his uncle had once taught him how to collect bees, so as long as he followed the steps, there shouldn’t be a problem.

Back home, he sawed some planks and nailed together a beehive. In the countryside, people used barrels or wooden boxes to raise bees.

Unlike modern beekeeping, which involved installing honeycombs, rural beekeepers let the bees fend for themselves, only providing some care in winter to prevent starvation.

The method was closer to traditional beekeeping.

After half an hour of hammering, Lin Heng finally finished a sturdy rectangular beehive—50 cm long, 30 cm wide, and 30 cm high. He also drilled a few small holes for bee entry and exit, which were currently sealed.

With the hive ready, Lin Heng found a bamboo pole, took some honey from home, tore a strip of cloth, grabbed a rope, and packed a bamboo basket used for filtering water. He also took a handful of dry pine needles.

That was all the equipment he needed. He packed everything into a basket and set off up the mountain to find Xiulan.

Xiulan was sitting on a backpack with their daughter, teaching her to recognize different flowers, grasses, and trees. When she saw Lin Heng returning alone, she asked curiously, “Why did you come back by yourself?”

“I couldn’t find anyone willing to help. That Wang Jin refused, afraid that if we got the bees, he wouldn’t be able to sell his honey,” Lin Heng said, shaking his head.

“So you’re planning to collect them yourself? Maybe you shouldn’t—it’s pretty risky,” Xiulan said worriedly. She hadn’t expected Wang Jin to be this petty.

“It’s fine. Just take our daughter a little farther away. I’ll give it a try, and if it doesn’t work, I’ll leave it alone,” Lin Heng reassured her.

Seeing that she couldn’t persuade him otherwise, Xiulan could only nod. “Alright, just be careful. If it doesn’t work, don’t force it.”

“Got it,” Lin Heng replied before getting to work.

He tied the bamboo basket to the bamboo pole, secured the cloth strip inside it, and then smeared honey on the basket, the cloth strip, and inside the hive.

There was only a little honey on the basket and cloth strip, but he spread a generous amount inside the hive.

Once that was done, Lin Heng piled up some dry pine needles on a stone. If the bees got aggressive, lighting the pine needles would provide some protection.

“I’m starting now. You and our daughter should move farther away,” Lin Heng said.

He held up the bamboo pole with the bamboo basket tied to it and carefully brought it close to the cluster of bees on the tree trunk.

(End of Chapter)