Chapter 472: Walking in the mountains and forests, searching for
It was a cold and windy day in mid-December, and the ground was covered with withered yellow leaves. Lin Heng drove a green pickup truck past, stirring up gusts of leaves that flew toward the sky.
We rode our bike along the bumpy cement road and entered Taibai City, then came to a brand new asphalt road, and finally entered a winding dirt road.
“Woof woof!!”
“Ahhh!!”
Accompanied by a few dog barks, several big dogs and six puppies from Red Maple Mountain surrounded them, forcing Lin Heng to stop the car and let his eldest brother and Li Shiwei get out to drive the dogs away.
"You're back! Did everything go well on the journey?" Lin's father and mother came out of the house, driving the dog aside as they spoke.
"It went smoothly." Lin Yue nodded in response.
After driving the dog away, Lin Heng parked the car smoothly. After he got out of the car, the puppies came up to feed him again. These little puppies, which were more than a month old, were very friendly.
"This time I came back and bought some materials for building a sheep pen, and also bought two black goat breeders." Lin Heng said to his parents while teasing the puppy.
These little puppies are all very strong, with big paws and round bodies. They walk with great vigor, and their fur is yellow and black, giving them an air of dominance.
He tried them one by one and felt that only five of the six in the litter were good. They were not afraid of people when caught and their tails would not be tucked up. Only one dog would tuck its tail up when someone caught it. Such dogs were not to be kept and he would deal with them when they grew up a little.
He thought that among the remaining five, there was a chance that one would be a top-quality dog, the kind that was strong in body and smart in mind. Even if it was not as good as Xiongba, it would not be much worse.
Father Lin walked to the back of the car, looked at the black goat breeder and said, "Such a big goat, it can be bred in the spring."
"Keep these two sheep outside for the time being. Wait until spring when there are no more problems and then put them back into the sheepfold." Lin Heng went up and took out the two sheep and said.
Although I checked them carefully when I bought them, there is no guarantee that there won’t be any problems. I’ll keep them in isolation first so that if there are any problems, they won’t endanger other goats.
Father Lin nodded and looked carefully at the black goats that Lin Heng was holding. Although the two goats were only three months old, they were already very strong and they were obviously good goats.
After tying the sheep to the stakes outside the original Musk Deer pen, Father Lin came over and looked at the wire mesh and iron tiles and said, "Let's unload these on the first platform on the mountain. It will be convenient for us to use them next year."
"This is going to be unloaded there. Wait for me to drive up." Lin Heng nodded, motioned to his father, eldest brother Li Shiwei and the other two to get in the car. Then he started the car and stepped on the accelerator, drove up the mountain, and arrived at the first platform at the top of the mountain.
There was a large amount of open space on the platform, which was now covered with fallen leaves. Lin Heng drove to the warehouse at the back, and then he and his father and eldest brother Li Shiwei unloaded the things and put them into the house.
After unloading the things, they drove down the mountain. Lin Heng did not eat here, but asked his parents to go back to the village to eat together. Xiulan should have been ready, so he told Xiulan that he would be back tonight.
When he returned home and walked into the yard, Lin Heng smelled a rich fragrance and couldn't help swallowing.
"dad!!"
The children ran over to greet him one after another, surrounded him and expressed their longing for him.
Carrying the child into the house, Xiulan came out of the kitchen and said in surprise: "You came back early today, it's not dark yet."
"Because it didn't snow in Ancheng this time, it wasn't dark." Lin Heng said with a smile.
Xiulan nodded: "Then you sit and wait for a while, I will prepare the food soon."
Lin Heng nodded and added some firewood to the fireplace. Soon the water in the small kettle boiled. He brewed a few cups of warm black tea and ate a few pieces of dried sweet potatoes, and he wasn't so hungry anymore.
"Brother, when are you planning to go hunting?" Lin Yue asked with a smile after taking a sip of tea.
"We'll set off after two days of rest. We still have to go to my uncle's house these two days. I've already called him twice." Lin Heng said with a smile.
"Oh, yes, I almost forgot." Lin Yue slapped his head and said.
After everyone chatted for a while, the meal was ready. There were five dishes and a soup, including meat, vegetables, fish, and cicada monkeys caught in the summer.
After a simple dinner, it was already dark.
After arranging for Li Shiwei to live in the old house, Lin Heng didn’t want to do anything else at night. He told stories to the children and went to bed early.
The next morning, Lin Heng woke up late. Xiulan knew that Lin Heng didn't want to get up, so she got up, took care of the child until he urinated, and then went back to bed.
"It's not snowing outside, is it?"
Lin Heng held her in his arms, resting his chin on her head and asked.
"No, it's just that the frost is a little heavy." Xiulan shook her head slightly.
"That's good, sleep a little longer."
Lin Heng nodded gently and let Xiulan turn over. He held her face to face and fell into a deep sleep.
I don’t know why, but I always feel bored after waking up. It seems that everything is empty, I can’t muster up the energy, and my body has no strength.
I can’t seem to find the meaning of life anymore, and I don’t know what to do with my life.
At this time, only by hugging someone deeply can you feel the reality and the warmth.
After hugging for a while, Lin Heng held Xiulan's face again, looked at her carefully for a while, and kissed her pink lips.
Xiulan closed her eyes slightly and hugged his neck to respond with her love.
"Wake up, wife!"
After a long time, Lin Heng looked at Xiulan and said with a smile.
He just kissed her affectionately and didn't do anything extra.
"Okay." Xiulan nodded with a slight blush on her cheeks.
Xiulan wore black pants with a white sweater and brown coat today, her hair tied into a ponytail, and brown leather boots on her feet. Lin Heng wore a navy blue cotton jacket, grey pants and black boots.
After exercising in the yard, the two took buckets to milk the cows. Lin Heng took an orange from home, peeled it, ate one slice himself and fed one slice to Xiulan.
Watching her puff up her cheeks as she ate, he also felt a sense of happiness.
While milking, Lin Heng looked at her and said, "Leave the child to his mother later. I'll take you to pick hawthorns, my dear."
Sometimes he suddenly doesn’t want children anymore and just wants to take his wife for a stroll to someplace they like, so he decided to do so today and enjoy their own world of two.
"I'll accompany you wherever you want to go." Xiulan smiled sweetly and reached out to straighten Lin Heng's untidy collar.
Lin Heng smiled slightly and quickened the milking speed. After going home to make breakfast, they took the children and the remaining milk to Hongfeng Mountain.
Asking his mother to take care of the children, Lin Heng hardened his heart and refused to let the three clingy children go with him. He let them stay with their grandmother, and then he and Xiulan carried a backpack, a medicine hoe and a machete and went to the place where they picked hawthorns last year.
There might be no hawthorns left at this time, but Lin Heng didn't care. He was enjoying the feeling of strolling in the mountains and forests with Xiulan.
The thick leaves were like a carpet, and the slow and leisurely stream seemed to be playing a piano. Exploring every bit of the mountain, the two walked slowly, and when they were tired they stopped to rest, taking out their thermos and drinking water one sip at a time.
"This flower is so beautiful!" Lin Heng casually picked a blooming autumn chrysanthemum and inserted it on Xiulan's head, smiling, "It looks even better now."
Xiulan smiled and pointed to the distance and said, "Look, there is a big bunch of yam, let's go and see if we can dig it out."
"Okay." Lin Heng nodded with a smile. The two of them walked over one after the other and soon found the big yam. It was a pity that it grew in the cracks of the rock and they couldn't dig it out.
But it didn't matter, they continued to move forward, sometimes picking up two chestnuts, sometimes a pear or a wild plum.
In this season, as long as the fruits are not rotten, they will be very sweet if you pick them up, wipe them and eat them.
"Here, this one is so sweet." Xiulan stuffed the half-eaten plum into Lin Heng's mouth.
Lin Heng shuddered at the sourness as soon as he chewed it. Not all plums are sweet. Even now, they are still sour.
"Ha ha!"
Seeing that Lin Heng was fooled, Xiulan ran away happily.
Lin Heng caught up with her after walking for a while. She waved at him under the tree: "Come and help me. We found a yam that can be dug this time."
“Here I come.”
Lin Heng nodded and ran over to see that it was a small yam of relatively shallow depth. He and Xiulan worked together to dig it out in half an hour. Although it was only about two kilograms, they were both very happy.
In the mountains, you are lucky as long as you get something.
"There are some enoki mushrooms here, but it's a pity that they're all frozen!" Xiulan said regretfully as she looked at a large bunch of mushrooms on a tree stump.
Lin Heng took them off and found that there was not a single good one. He shook his head helplessly: "It's such a pity."
After walking and stopping for a while, Lin Heng suddenly saw a turtledove eating on a tree in front of him. He didn't bring a gun or bow and arrow today, but he did have a slingshot.
After quietly approaching, he tried to fire a shot, and with a bang, the dove fell to the ground.
"Awesome, so accurate!" Xiulan ran over, picked up the turtledove, and gave Lin Heng a thumbs up with admiration in her eyes.
"I'm lucky. I didn't have much confidence, but this is a gift from God." Lin Heng said with a smile.
"That's amazing." Xiulan pulled his arm and smiled.
"We'll grill them at noon, and then see if we can get some small mackerels." Lin Heng said with a smile as he threw the turtledove into the backpack.
Yes, they are not planning to go back for lunch and will go back in the afternoon.
"Okay, then it will be up to you to catch the fish." Xiulan said with a smile. She knew that Lin Heng was an expert at catching fish with his bare hands.
Soon they finally arrived at the hawthorn tree they had visited last year, but unfortunately there were not many hawthorns left on the tree.
They picked up some good ones on the ground and collected about three or four kilograms, which was much less than last year.
"The ones that fell on the ground are delicious." Xiulan said as she washed two hawthorns and ate them.
Lin Heng ate one and nodded, saying, "Let's go. Since there's nothing here, let's go to the ditch to catch fish."
I took Xiulan to the creek. It is actually easier to catch fish in winter than in summer because the fish are less active and don't like to move when hiding, so they are easy to catch.
The only downside is the cold, especially the mountain streams.
They found a sheltered bay sandwiched between two basalt rocks and made a fire. Then Lin Heng rolled up his sleeves and went to the creek to catch fish. He had good skills and caught more than a dozen creek groupers in a short while.
After cleaning it, skewer it with wooden sticks and roast it over the fire. He brought the eyes and barbecue ingredients, and plucked the turtledoves, cleaned them and roasted them together.
While barbecuing around the fire, the two looked at the silent valley. Apart from the whistling mountain wind, there was only the occasional bird call.
But it was this kind of environment that gave the two of them a sense of physical and mental relaxation, and they looked at each other with calm and peaceful eyes.
Xiulan picked up the red maple leaves on the ground, and used them with bamboo shoots and dragon whisker sticks to make red roses. After tying them into a bouquet, she handed it to Lin Heng: "Hey, sister is giving you a bouquet of flowers."
"Thank you, sister!" Lin Heng took it with a smile, pulled Xiulan over to sit on his lap, and looked at her oval face.
As she looked at him, she kissed him. This kind of Xiulan had a different kind of beauty. There was no one around, and Xiulan responded to his passionate love with a blushing face.
Kissing in such an environment has a different feeling, making the two people feel dazed.
"If you don't stop, the fish will get ruined!" Xiulan held Lin Heng's hand and blinked, her pretty face still blushing.
When Lin Heng saw the grilled fish, he took his hand out of Xiulan's clothes and said with a smile, "I almost forgot."
Xiulan got off him and sat next to him, took the two fish, sprinkled some barbecue seasoning on them, and they each ate one slowly.
The meat of the creek grouper is tender and almost has no fishy smell. It tastes delicious when grilled. When there was only one left, Xiulan broke it in half, ate half herself and fed the rest to Lin Heng. After Lin Heng ate the fish, he also sucked the grease and barbecue sauce off her fingers.
Xiulan rolled her eyes at him, then picked up the turtledove and looked at it again: "The turtledove seems to be fine too!"
As she spoke, she tore off a little meat and fed it to Lin Heng to let him test the poison. Lin Heng tasted it and nodded, "It's edible. It tastes good."
He also heated up the steamed buns he brought from home and shared them with Xiulan. There was no one else in the valley and there were very few living creatures. The two of them huddled together. Xiulan fed Lin Heng turtledoves and Lin Heng fed her steamed buns.
It was already 1:30 in the afternoon after dinner. Xiulan looked at her watch and then looked at Lin Heng: "Should we go back directly now?"
"Do you want to go back?" Lin Heng said.
Xiulan spread her hands: "I can do anything."
"I really want to build a small house here to spend the night." Lin Heng said. The feeling of being in the dark and silent outside and having only two people hugging each other for warmth in the shelter was very wonderful. He had a very happy time in Baishigou with Xiulan last time.
"That can't be built in a day." Xiulan smiled.
"Yes, so let's go to the mountains to look for some yam and then go home." Lin Heng put out the fire and pulled her up.
Xiulan pointed to a road and said, "Let's go up the hillside and take a look at the ditch over there."
"Okay, this is the direction home anyway." Lin Heng nodded. They had never been to the ditch over there.
The two of them climbed up slowly with backpacks on their backs, taking a rest every few meters without being in a hurry. Walking too fast would make them sweat and their inner clothes would get wet, which would be very uncomfortable.
It took nearly an hour to climb the mountain. When they stopped to rest, Xiulan was looking for a leaf to fold a rose. Lin Heng liked to throw the leaves at her head, and when she got impatient, he would hit himself and pinch his face.
"Hubby, look over there!"
When they climbed over the ridge and reached the other side of the mountain, Xiulan pointed ahead and exclaimed.
(End of this chapter)
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