Chapter 299 Father's Talent, Chain
[Chapter 297 was killed, is being revised, and will be released tomorrow]
Lin Heng was carrying a lot of things, Xiulan was holding Xiaoxia, Xiongba was leading the way, and the three of them and the dog were walking up the path.
After the road was repaired, it was not crowded. Looking back, you can see fish ponds arranged neatly like emeralds. The mountain stream next to it and the Shiban River farther away surround this place like two ribbons, one white and one green.
As they walked up the mountain, the breeze was blowing gently, the mountain springs were clear, and the jumping water droplets reflected colorful light from time to time. Looking at the beautiful scenery all around them, they soon arrived at the tall woods on the top of the mountain.
There are maple trees, pine trees, and poplar trees here, as well as some other tall trees such as oak trees and fir trees. As the mountain breeze blows the leaves, they make a rustling sound. Walking in here suddenly feels a lot cooler, as if you have entered a different world.
"The forest is so beautiful now." Xiulan nodded. Without those messy small trees and dead branches, the forest looks transparent and clean. This environment makes people feel naturally happy.
Lin Heng looked at Xiulan. When she was happy, her big eyes were curved and watery as if she was smiling, with a unique charm. Xiaoxia inherited her eyes and their eyes were also curved when she was happy.
"Then let's stay a little longer." Lin Heng looked at her and smiled.
"Dad, I want to play on the swing!"
As soon as she arrived at the cabin, Xiaoxia pointed at the swing in the distance and said excitedly.
"I'll play with you after I've cleaned up." Lin Heng said as he glanced at the swing. It was not clear whether the rope was safe as no one had used it for the past few months.
Let Xiaoxia play on the wooden platform in front of the door, and Xiongba explore the surroundings, looking for snakes and other dangerous things. Lin Heng opened the door and walked in. Everything in the room was the same as before, with only a thin layer of dust. After all, he had lived there when he was growing ginseng.
Walking into the house, Xiulan was pleasantly surprised: "This room is really cool, not stuffy at all!"
"It's much cooler under this tree than inside the house." Lin Heng said as he opened the window.
After a quick check of the house to make sure there were no rats, snakes, insects or anything like that, he took a bucket to fetch water from the stream while Xiulan cleaned the house first.
If you want running water here, you either have to use a water truck or a water pump. Currently, you can only carry water.
Lin Heng has always wanted to make a waterwheel, but due to lack of time, he has not even built a model yet.
After carrying two buckets of water, Lin Heng and Xiulan began to clean the house. They made the bed and put a cool mat and the summer quilt they brought today on it, and then wiped various furniture.
The cooking place is outside the house. The stove is made of stone. When paving the road, Lin Heng reinforced it with cement. Now you can put an iron pot on it and cook directly.
There is a lot of firewood piled up behind the house. They were all brought up when we hired people to clear the forest this year. There will be no problem burning them for two years.
It took them about half an hour to clean the house inside and out. Lin Heng boiled a pot of hot water and made some honeysuckle and selfheal tea. Just as he was about to sit on the bench to rest for a while, Lin's father came up.
Father Lin carried two large rattan chairs and said with a smile, "I brought two rattan chairs up for you. I made them recently."
"Dad, you really succeeded." Lin Heng said in surprise. When he was making the sofa a few days ago, he saw his father trying to make a rattan chair, but he didn't succeed at that time.
He had never learned how to make it, so he bought one on the street and studied it. He didn't expect that he would be able to make it so quickly.
The main body of this rattan chair is made of wood, and the seat and backrest are woven with rattan. In addition, the backrest has a large inclination, making it much more comfortable to sit on than an ordinary wooden chair. It is very suitable for lying on your back to enjoy the cool air or bask in the sun.
Father Lin said proudly, "Of course it worked. These two are made of hemp ropes, so you can use them for now. Later I will use bamboo strips and rattan to weave a few good ones and bring them back to the house for use."
"Amazing!" Lin Heng praised. His father really had a talent for this, he could weave bamboo baskets and backpacks, he just learned it from others a few times or watched others do it twice and then he figured it out.
If he had learned from a young age, he would have been a very good carpenter.
Lin Heng took it and sat on it for a while to try it out. He said with surprise, "This hemp rope is more comfortable than I thought. It's very soft. Xiulan, you should try it."
Xiulan sat on it and nodded repeatedly: "It's very comfortable, much softer than ordinary chairs."
"As long as you feel comfortable, remember to come down for lunch." Father Lin said this and wanted to leave home, but Xiaoxia hugged his legs.
"Grandpa, please play on the swing with me!" she said in a coquettish voice.
Father Lin wanted to leave but had no choice but to pick her up and said, "Then I'll play with you for a while. You better sit still."
He first tried to see if the swing rope was strong, then he picked up Xiaoxia and started swinging.
Lin Heng moved the rattan chair to a nearby poplar tree and lay on it with Xiulan to rest.
Even in such hot and humid weather, the forest is still very cool. In addition, the strong wind today can be felt in the forest, making it even more comfortable.
"This place is great for barbecue. Let's get something to barbecue next time." Lin Heng said, leaning back in his chair. He really missed the taste of barbecue.
Xiulan nodded in agreement: "I want to eat it too. Last year's barbecue smelled so good."
"Let's start a barbecue when I come back from the mountains this time." Lin Heng said with a smile.
"Then I'll cut some bamboo sticks for you in advance, and then we can have a good meal." Father Lin said from a distance.
"Okay!" Lin Heng agreed.
After resting for a while, Lin Heng went down the mountain with his father and continued to carry up some rice, flour and other daily necessities.
It doesn't need to be too much, at least enough for half a month.
After moving the things, he took a walk in the woods and took Xiongba for a few laps to check if there was any danger.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t read it, you will find something when you do.
There is one nest of hornets, three nests of 'arrow' bees, and one nest of snakeskin bees in a long honeycomb.
The most terrifying one is the bee, but its nest is on the top of a poplar tree and is as big as a child's head. But as long as you mark it and don't provoke it, there will be no problem.
They are mainly snake-skin bees and arrow bees. The nests of these two beehives are very low and you can easily touch them and get stung if you are not careful.
Lin Heng memorized the location of the nest, went back and got some firewood, tied a torch, poured some diesel on it, and brought it in front of the hive. A flame suddenly rose up, and the bees were burned to death before they could fly away.
Those who survived had their wings burned and could not fly.
Then Lin Heng repeated the same method with three other nests of arrowhead wasps and killed them all. The last nest was almost retaliated by the bees because it was difficult to burn, but fortunately the flame was strong enough to save him.
"We have bee pupae to eat for lunch today." Lin Heng walked over and said, holding three beehives.
Xiulan tilted her head and looked at him: "You weren't stung, were you?"
"No, I'm being careful." Lin Heng gave the beehive to Xiulan, took a small bowl and started taking out bee pupae, which are also foods with super high protein content.
After the two of them finished, there was only a small bowl, with about one or two bee pupae. The quantity was a little too little, barely enough for one meal.
Lin Heng didn't have a bee-proof suit, otherwise he could have climbed up the tree and destroyed the hornet's nest, which could contain several kilograms of bee pupae at a time.
"Let's go downstairs to eat." Lin Heng said after preparing the bee pupae.
"good."
Xiulan nodded, and they carried the animals back into the house, then went downstairs with the bee pupae.
When they got downstairs, Lin Heng went over to help with cooking. Since Lin's mother's skills in cooking fish usually required him to do it himself.
"Are you sure you want to come?" Lin's mother looked at him distrustfully.
"Leave it to me, I'm a professional at fishing." Lin Heng said with a smile. This is just the basic quality of an experienced fisherman.
Mother Lin handed him the knife and stood by and watched: "Then I want to see your skills."
The first thing Lin Heng made was the chopped pepper fish head, which had been processed and marinated yesterday, and all the sources of fishy smell such as black film and fish teeth had been removed.
Now put it on a large plate and steam it for eight minutes. When steaming the fish, he chopped up hot and sour pepper, millet pepper, erjingtiao, garlic, and ginger to make chopped pepper, seasoned it, and added a spoonful of lard.
When the time is up, take out the fish head and drain the steamed water in the plate. This is a very important step in making chopped pepper fish head. Drain the water and add chopped pepper and continue steaming for ten minutes, then drizzle with hot oil.
Lin Heng brought some fish balls made last night and added them to loofah to make a loofah fish ball soup. It was sweet and fragrant, and was Xiaoxia and Xiulan's favorite.
Then there are sweet and sour fish fillets and fried fish fillets.
The last dish is pickled fish. There is enough fish today so Lin Heng did not add vermicelli. The fish fillets alone are enough for everyone to eat.
"Okay, it's all done. What do you think, Mom?" Lin Heng said with a smile after finishing the work.
Mother Lin was a little shocked that her son actually had such skills. It was completely beyond her expectations. These dishes not only looked delicious but also smelled delicious. She even suspected that he had secretly learned how to cook from a chef outside.
But as a mother, she said calmly: "Then I will make the remaining fish into dried fish. It would be a waste to feed it to the dogs."
"It's all fine. It's up to you." Lin Heng said helplessly. This was his mother's habit and there was no way to change it.
But there are still five pounds of fish at home, and I can feed some to Xiongba and Fengshou when I go back in the afternoon.
“It’s time to eat!”
Lin Heng brought the pickled fish to the living room and said loudly.
"Hey, it smells good!" Father Lin said with a smile and went over to help serve the dishes.
When all the dishes were served on the table, Lin's mother couldn't help but say, "This is more sumptuous than the Chinese New Year."
"Indeed, there are ten dishes, which is too many. We don't need to eat today." Father Lin said with a smile.
"Let's eat quickly, everyone sit down." Lin Heng had been hungry for a long time, so he picked up a fried bee pupa and tasted it.
It has a little sweetness and is very delicious. You can't stop eating it after eating one. It is full of protein aroma.
"It's a pity that there are too few!" Lin Heng sighed.
Xiulan picked up a piece of pickled fish fillet for him and said, "You'd better eat the fish quickly, otherwise you won't be able to finish it."
"Leave it to me."
Lin Heng smiled and said that pickled fish is his favorite because it is sour and spicy and appetizing, so it is no problem to eat it.
Xiaoxia likes to eat loofah fish balls today, while Lin's father thinks that fish head with chopped pepper is the most delicious. Lin's mother likes to eat fried fish nuggets, which are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, which suits her taste very well.
The five people were very strong. After eating for nearly an hour, they had almost finished all the dishes on the table, and the remaining ones could basically be thrown away.
After the meal, everyone leaned back in their chairs and didn’t want to move. They were so satisfied with the meal today.
"We've had a good meal today!" Father Lin grinned. It was like Chinese New Year, and it was the day he had always dreamed of.
Mother Lin also said: "Your father really ate well today, and he didn't even have time to drink a few sips of wine."
"Let's have barbecue next time, that's even better." Lin Heng said with a smile. He was happy when his family was happy with the food.
Xiulan walked outside and looked at the sky and said, "Lin Heng, I think it's going to rain. Let's go home quickly."
"Go out and take a look."
Lin Heng also went out. While he was eating, he heard the howling wind outside, but he didn't pay much attention to it.
When I came out and took a look, I was immediately shocked. The dark clouds were much lower than in the morning, and there were flashes of lightning from time to time, giving a feeling of dark clouds covering the city.
You know, it's only one o'clock now, but the sky is almost evening.
The wind outside was incredibly strong, much stronger than in the morning. Trees as thick as wrists were blown crooked, and people standing in the wind felt a little suffocated.
"Please, all the epimedium I dried out in the sun has been blown away!" Mother Lin clapped her hands in regret, she had forgotten about it.
The so-called asking for it means it’s over.
"It should still be over there and can't blow too far." Lin Heng said, pointing towards the vegetable garden.
Father Lin looked at the sky and said, "Son, you guys should go back quickly. Xiulan is pregnant and can't get wet in the rain. I'll go feed the cattle and sheep."
"I'll get a few bags of hay, too."
Lin Heng walked towards the warehouse. The sunny weather lasted too long this time. He estimated that it would be a heavy rainy day, which had never happened this summer.
So he had to take more fodder for rainy days, and he felt that the little fodder stored there was not enough.
After tying the hay with ropes, Xiulan held Xiaoxia and sat behind him. Xiongba could only run home behind the car. After they got on the car, he drove the tricycle quickly towards home. Halfway through the journey, he felt the rain falling.
The strong wind makes people feel a little suffocated.
Fortunately, it was not raining when they got home. After taking the hay to the back hill to store it, Lin Heng said to Xiulan, "I'll go over there again and get the sofa planks over so we can assemble it if it rains."
"Take the raincoat." Xiulan stuffed the raincoat into his hands.
Lin Heng put on his raincoat and drove twice to bring back all the wooden boards for assembling the sofa. It started to rain on the road, but it was not heavy.
"Let's go back to the house quickly, the rain is getting heavier." Xiulan looked at him and said.
Lin Heng covered the car with a waterproof tarpaulin, walked into the house, picked up the hoe and said, "I'm going to clear the ditches near the house to avoid any problems when it rains."
If this is not done properly, water may accidentally enter the house.
"I'll go with you!" said Xiulan, picking up a hoe.
Lin Heng put the hoe back, looked at her and said, "Stay home obediently."
"Oh!" Xiulan puffed her lips and didn't argue with him.
Lin Heng took a hoe and went outside to quickly repair the ditch.
Pah! Pah! The rain started to fall before he finished, hitting Lin Heng's back in his raincoat, and the frequency was getting faster and faster, so he quickly sped up.
"Finally done." Lin Hengshen breathed a sigh of relief as he ran back to the house.
He put down the hoe and stood at the door to watch the rain. There were continuous lightning and thunder. The ground was already soaked. The heavy rain was pouring down, and water formed on the ground in a moment.
"Let's go into the study!" Lin Heng shook his head. They would get wet if they stood at the door in this heavy rain.
But the front and back doors and windows were all open, waiting for the wind to blow away the heat in the house.
Lin Heng didn't read a book in the study. He looked through the window at the heavy rain outside and the trees on the opposite mountain that were beaten to the ground by the rain. He was in a daze, his mind was empty.
Xiaoxia started playing with the spring frog, while Xiulan turned on the light and picked up the unfinished book to read carefully. She read slowly and it took her one or two months to finish a book. At first she just wanted to know what Lin Heng was reading, but gradually she was attracted by the story.
Lin Heng looked at the rain for a while and felt a little chilly. He walked to the desk and didn't want to read much, so he picked up a pen and copied some ancient poems.
After copying for more than an hour, he calmed down and picked up the third volume of Capital to check. He was about to finish the book, but he was still a long way from digesting and understanding it.
At about four o'clock, Xiulan walked to the desk and looked closely at Lin Heng: "What are we having for dinner tonight?"
Lin Heng looked up at her and could see the fine hairs on her snow-white face. Her slightly chubby face made her look cute, but the most eye-catching thing was her lively eyes that were like water.
Lin Heng stretched out his hand and pinched her face and said with a smile: "There are still some fish balls. Let's make some fish ball noodles. If you want to take a rest, go ahead. I'll do it."
"Okay, I'll go and have a rest." Xiulan pursed her lips, rolled her eyes playfully, and walked over with the book in her hands behind her back.
Xiulan left, and Xiaoxia ran over after getting tired of playing and said, "Dad, I want to hear a story."
"Okay, come here and let daddy teach you to read a story." Lin Heng waved at her.
“Yeah!”
Xiaoxia ran over happily and sat on Lin Heng's lap. Lin Heng took a children's book and taught her how to read, telling her stories at the same time.
"Dad, learning to read is so difficult." Xiaoxia acted coquettishly in his arms. After all, she was just a two and a half year old girl.
Lin Heng touched her little head and said, "Only when you can read can you read stories every day. Don't you want to read more interesting stories?"
Lin Heng did not say anything that would be more motivating, such as giving her rewards based on the number of words she recognized, as this would develop her subconscious mind that learning is for rewards. He wanted her to study spontaneously for her own reasons and cultivate good study habits from an early age.
"I just want my dad to read to me." Xiaoxia tilted her head, her eyes as bright as her mother's, but with a little more innocence and curiosity.
"But I also want to listen to Xiaoxia reading to me. When I get old, dad won't be able to read books anymore." Lin Heng said softly.
Xiaoxia thought for a moment and said, "Then I need to learn to read and tell stories to my father."
"Then let's continue." Lin Heng said with a smile.
After helping his daughter learn to read for a while, he started drawing with her. He drew a big duck and Xiaoxia learned to draw a small duck. Then he made up a story and asked Xiaoxia to continue.
Xiaoxia really liked this kind of drawing and story-telling game. She played it with great enthusiasm and before she knew it, it was completely dark outside.
"Okay, that's all for today. We can play together another day. I have to go cook dinner."
Lin Heng looked at the sky outside and said.
"I'm hungry too!" Xiaoxia said, touching her stomach.
"Then I'll go cook. We'll have fish ball sour noodle soup tonight." Lin Heng said with a smile.
After packing up his things, he took Xiaoxia out and went under the eaves to check on the chickens, only to discover something unexpected.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
