Chapter 419: Contentment
Lin Heng turned his head and looked at his father, wondering what he was going to say.
"Tomorrow you and I will go to the mountain, and your elder brother and your uncle will not go." Father Lin said.
"Well, any one of you can go with me." Lin Heng said with a smile.
"So what time do we leave tomorrow?"
"We can leave at 8 or 9 tomorrow. We won't be back until the day after tomorrow. It will be dark tomorrow after we get up the mountain and pack up. We will have to get up early the day after tomorrow and come down, so we probably won't be back until dark."
"I understand." Father Lin nodded.
After returning with the musk, everyone sat together and chatted for a while, basking in the midday sun.
During the chat, Lin's mother told Lin Heng something. She borrowed ten yuan from his fifth aunt in March this year and said she would pay it back before August 15th, but there has been no news until now.
"Didn't you send someone to deliver a letter asking for money?" Li Baiquan asked from the side.
Mother Lin spread her hands: "Why didn't you bring a letter? Even if you brought a letter, there was no reply. I don't know what's going on."
"Then you can only treat it as a waste of money. Let's see when people will remember it." Lin Heng sighed as he looked at his mother.
Borrowing money, especially when borrowing a small amount, is the most troublesome thing. Either you make people think you are not generous enough, or you make people completely ignore it.
Often when people borrow money, they smile when asking you for the money, but when it comes time to pay you back, they become impatient and treat you like an enemy.
There were actually quite a few people in the village who came to him to borrow money, but he simply said... No. Unless they were close friends or something bad happened to their families, he would not lend money.
Father Lin shook his head: "Alas, some people will consciously pay you back on time, and if they can't pay it back they will come to your house in person to tell you the reason. Some people will just ignore it if you don't ask them for it, and these uneducated people are often the most common."
Li Baiquan also echoed: "What I hate most is the kind of people who say they are fine when they borrow money, but don't show any trace when it comes to paying it back. Murakami's Liu Qichang is one of them. He took me half a year to pay back the three dollars I borrowed."
Lin Heng didn't say much. He stayed at Hongfeng Mountain for a while and then went home with Xiulan and the child.
On the way, Lin Heng looked at Xiulan and asked, "When are you going to visit your parents for the New Year this year?"
Xiulan looked up, thought for a moment and said, "Forget it. It's not convenient to bring three little ones with you. It's too long a journey and they will easily catch a cold."
"Let's go once. We haven't seen our mother for a long time. We can let our parents and Caiyun take care of the child when the time comes." Lin Heng said. He knew that Xiulan still missed her parents a lot.
Xiulan looked at Lin Heng and smiled, then said softly, "Let's go on New Year's Day. We'll go in the morning and come back in the afternoon."
Lin Heng understood her heart, and she also understood Lin Heng's indulgence towards her.
Back in the house, Lin Heng made some lime water to degrease the brushes. He used the weasel's tail hair in the mountains to make six bundles of brush hair, and used wolf skin to make four bundles of brush hair. If nothing went wrong, he could make ten brushes.
He knew the traditional method of making brushes and had tried it twice, and felt that the results were quite good.
"Dad, look at the little rabbit I drew." Xiaoxia held a piece of paper and showed her work to her father, which her mother taught her to draw recently.
"What a talented painter! This head is very beautiful..."
Lin Heng held his daughter and talked to her. He didn't just praise her perfunctorily, but also expressed his thoughts and suggestions on both the good and the bad.
There is nothing to do at home, so he is happy to use this time to educate his children.
Xiulan was doing needlework nearby and watching with great interest because she was the one who taught her how to paint.
After playing with Xiaoxia for a while, Lin Tao, Yang Qing and others came to play with her. Several people were playing house in the yard by pulling a small wooden cart. Dazhuang, who looked 80% like a Husky, was hired as a laborer to pull the small wooden cart for them.
Lin Heng teased his son, then sat next to Xiulan and watched her do needlework, then quietly felt the passage of time.
"The cows are going to give birth soon, and we'll have fresh milk to drink soon." Xiulan said suddenly.
Lin Heng then remembered that the cows had been weaned for two months and it was time for them to give birth.
"I hope it's not tomorrow or the day after tomorrow." Lin Heng said.
Xiulan smiled and said, "If this calf is also a cow, we will have three female dairy cows and one male dairy cow."
"This dairy cow will be eliminated next year. It's enough for us to have milk to drink at home. I'm too lazy to sell milk powder or milk," said Lin Heng.
This is how it is with dairy cows, they generally struggle to live past five years old.
"I'm tired, let's go out for a walk." Xiulan put down her needle and thread and said, pulling the soles of shoes is not an easy task and it is very tiring on the hands.
Lin Heng nodded, stood up and went with her, leaving Xiongba to look after the house.
After leaving the main room, the backyard felt a bit colder, so Xiulan held Lin Heng's hand.
The backyard remains the same as always, with vigorous pines and cypresses, verdant calamus, elegant orchids, and wintersweets that are about to bloom.
The small backyard offers extraordinary scenery all year round.
After strolling around the back hill and looking at the cows, Xiulan looked at him and said, "I'll prepare the ingredients for hot pot these two days and make some meatballs. We'll have hot pot when you come back the day after tomorrow."
"good."
Lin Heng nodded in agreement and watched the wind ruffle her hair.
After returning home, Xiulan started kneading the dough and preparing to make steamed buns in the evening. She would eat some of it in the evening and give some to Lin Heng to take up the mountain to eat tomorrow.
For dinner, Xiulan made venison pie, a delicacy so delicious that you could eat three large ones without any side dishes.
After it’s done, it’s eaten together in a large pot with various vegetables stir-fried together. It looks a bit strange, but it actually tastes very good.
They are alone tonight. My uncle-in-law Li Baiquan has already returned to Mujialiang, and the outsiders will come down the day after tomorrow.
After finishing his meal and cleaning up, Lin Heng leaned against Xiulan and fell asleep peacefully without doing anything else.
The next morning, after breakfast, he set off for Xiaozhuo Township with his father.
Before leaving, he went to Huangtan Town to check on his shop, where Caiyun and Lin's father would often come to visit.
When Lin Heng met Wang Zhou, he asked him to go to the river to get some shells. After checking the store's bill, he left.
It was already two o'clock in the afternoon when they arrived at Xiaozhuo Township. After parking the car, the two of them walked towards the mountains.
He didn't carry anything this time, because there were basically no other good things in the two villages in the mountains, and he was too lazy to do any exchanges.
"It's so far, haven't you arrived yet?"
At around four o'clock, Father Lin asked.
"We're almost there. It's only a few kilometers away." Lin Heng said after looking at the direction.
Father Lin nodded and said with emotion: "No wonder you can catch so many prey, this place is too remote."
"For hunting, the more remote the place, the better." Lin Heng smiled. This is the same as fishing. In areas that have not been exploited by humans, all kinds of creatures are always stupid.
They arrived near the camp at around five o'clock, and Lin Heng called out from a distance, "Uncle, third uncle, are you there?"
"Here you are! Finally you are here. If you hadn't come, we would have run out of food." Lu Honggang shouted with a smile.
"Brother Eldest and Third Brother, you have worked hard. You have been guarding for so long." Father Lin shouted with a smile.
Hearing Lin's father's voice, Lu Honghai made a surprised sound: "Hey, Xu'an, you're here."
Soon the four of them met up and chatted around the fire.
After warming up, Lin Heng asked, "Uncle, have you guys caught any prey in the past two days?"
Lu Honghai shook his head: "I was the only one who caught a white rice seed, and your trap yielded nothing."
Lu Honggang said, "I give up. We have dug about 30 to 40 kilograms of yam in the past two days. Let's take them back and eat them."
"Oh, I'll go collect all the traps, and we'll go home early tomorrow morning," said Lin Heng.
After saying that, he prepared to get up and do it, he had to hurry or it would be dark.
"I'll go around with you." Father Lin stood up and said.
"Okay then." Lin Heng agreed.
The two men walked in the woods, and Lin Heng took a slingshot. He didn't bring anything this time, not even the dog.
He looked at the traps one by one and dismantled each one he saw. He collected all the clamps and ropes, and destroyed all the wooden traps such as bridges to ensure that no one would be hurt in the future.
It was already dark when they finished their round. Lin Heng looked at the clamp in his hand and shook his head with emotion: "I thought there would be prey, but it seems I was overthinking."
This is just a slight regret. What he gained from this trip into the mountains is enough and he is satisfied.
"You have to be content." Father Lin patted his shoulder and said.
Lin Heng smiled and returned to the camp with his father.
In the camp, they stewed some pork ribs and yam in the evening, as well as the steamed buns that Lin Heng brought over. This was also a rare delicacy.
After finishing their meal, they packed up their things and went into the shelter to rest.
I got up early the next morning, ate the meat from last night and the last bit of rice, and saved some steamed buns for the way back.
"Let's go."
After finishing the meal and turning off the fire, Lin Heng picked up the things and said.
The shelter will not be demolished. If anyone who goes into the mountains to hike sees it, it can continue to be used.
"Let's go."
The other three also nodded and walked out carrying their things.
They arrived at Liba Village at noon. Lu Honghai stopped and said, "Lin Heng, wait for us here. Your third uncle and I will bring some cured pork to my cousin's family."
He came here because he received a favor from others. Although he had already accepted the gift, he should still say hello when he leaves.
Lin Heng and his father stopped and waited for a while, then saw Lu Guancheng's family chasing his uncle and third uncle out, insisting on taking everyone back to eat.
It is basically like this here. It is impossible for them to let guests leave with an empty stomach. As farmers, everyone understands the feeling of being hungry. It doesn't matter whether there is food or not, or whether it is good or not, the sincerity of the hospitality must be shown.
"Really not!" Lu Honghai smiled and shook his head.
After a long struggle, everyone was able to leave after everything was made clear and some white lies were told.
But even so, they were still stuffed with some persimmon cakes and dried sweet potatoes, and were told to eat them while walking.
"You can't drink this wine. If you drink it, it will be dark today." Lu Honghai said with a smile on the way out.
"Of course, we drank so much that it was dark." Father Lin nodded.
"We have to speed up now, otherwise we will get home in the middle of the night." Lin Heng said after looking at his watch.
Father Lin also looked at his pocket watch and quickened his pace. Although he said it was a waste of money, he actually liked it very much.
It was already four o'clock in the afternoon when they arrived at Xiaozhuo Township. After packing up their things, the four of them and the dog quickly headed home.
However, the load was too heavy this time, and we managed to get it back with some bumps and bruises. It was already 9:30 or almost 10 o'clock in the evening when we got home.
"You are finally back."
As soon as they stopped on the road, the gate of the yard inside the road opened, and the eldest brother's family, Xiulan Caiyun and their mother all came out.
Obviously, they knew that Lin Heng and others would come back today, and they were all waiting.
"Come in, the meal is ready. Let's eat first and then talk about other things." Lin's mother came over and said.
Xiulan also smiled and said, "The hot pot is ready, just waiting for you to come back and eat."
"So many animal skins, so many!" Liu Juan said in shock as she looked at the animal skins placed on the car.
"Let's go back to the house first." Lin Heng also nodded and handed things to everyone.
When most of the things had been moved, he drove the car into the yard and packed up the things. Then everyone washed their hands and faces and prepared to eat. The copper pot in the house was already cooking very fragrant food.
"Are Xiaoxia and the others asleep?" Lin Heng asked Xiulan after washing his face.
"I just went to bed. Xiaoxia said she was waiting for you and then she fell asleep while waiting." Xiulan said with a smile.
Lin Heng thought for a moment and said, "Should we wake her up and have something to eat?"
Xiulan shook her head: "No, let's eat. Children are prone to stomach upset when eating at night."
Lin Heng nodded in agreement and sat down at the table with everyone else. Except for his uncle-in-law, all the other hunters were here tonight.
"Come on, let's eat."
After Lin Heng sat down, he didn't care about anything else. He first ate some venison, then raised the rice wine glass and signaled everyone to drink.
There is no need to divide the spoils tonight. You can deal with them slowly tomorrow after you sober up.
The hot and spicy hot pot makes people quickly forget the severe cold of winter, and the various delicious ingredients make people immersed in the enjoyment of food.
When Lin Heng eats hotpot, he mainly eats the meat. He doesn't just eat the meat himself, but he also picks up some meat for Xiulan and others from time to time.
Feeling a little full, Lu Honghai smiled and said, "This year's hunting trip was very successful. Do you want to go again next year?"
"I also think we can try it again. We made a lot of money this time." Lu Honggang looked at Lin Heng and said.
They all looked at Lin Heng. Whether to go or not depended on him. If he didn't go, it would be difficult for them to act.
"Let's talk about this later. I may not have time to keep running." Lin Heng said with a smile. Going up the mountain to hunt is a matter of luck. He likes hunting and adventure very much.
But he also understood that in this era he couldn't just think about hunting. If he wanted to make big money, he had to go to the Burning Eyes City.
"Okay, let's wait and see next year." Lu Honghai nodded. Everyone was a little puzzled, thinking that Lin Heng didn't seem as excited as they had imagined.
"But even if I can't go there at that time, I can still take you there." Lin Heng added.
"We understand. We'll talk about it when the time comes." Lin Yue said with a smile. He knew that Lin Heng had a lot of things to do.
"Come on, let's continue eating meat." Father Lin said with a smile, trying to smooth things over.
It was already early morning when they finished their meal. After cleaning up, they arranged for his eldest uncle and third uncle to rest in the old house. Lin Heng and Xiulan also went to bed quickly. He was very sleepy as he had to count the final harvest tomorrow.
(End of this chapter)
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