Chapter 142: Being valued, the scenery of Liulin Lake
"Your name is Chen Xin, right? Ask your uncle to give you some candy!"
Lin Heng went to the carriage and took out a bag of White Rabbit milk candy, then looked at the children and said with a smile.
"Uncle!" Chen Xin called out shyly.
"Very good, two each, come and get them yourself." Lin Heng said with a laugh.
"Thank you, uncle!"
All the children from the Chen family ran over and happily received the candies.
After the candies were distributed, Lin Heng looked at Xiulan and asked, "Where is the horse's trunk?"
"Just pull it in and put it in the yard. Pull the carriage in as well." Chen's father Chen Changxia came over to help.
"good."
Lin Heng pulled the horse, Xiulan's father and eldest brother helped to lift it, and the carriage entered the yard.
After removing some of the pulling tools from Hongzao, Lin Heng pulled the cart and tied it under a cherry tree in the yard.
"Dad, you caught so many fish." Following Xiulan into the house, Lin Heng saw a pile of fish under the eaves and asked with a smile.
"They were all caught in Liuhu Lake. There aren't many. When the time is good, we can catch big silver carp and redtail carp." Xiulan's elder brother Chen Zhidong said with a smile.
"Compared to our side, it's already a lot." Lin Heng said with a smile.
"If you want to go, we can take you with us tomorrow." Xiulan's third brother Chen Zhiliang said.
"Okay." Lin Heng nodded in agreement. He was really interested in visiting Liu Lake.
After entering the house, Xiulan's parents quickly arranged for Lin Heng and Xiulan to sit down, poured sugar water for Xiulan, and brought some dried sweet potatoes and dates.
"Xiu Lan, Lin Heng, you and your father sit down first, I will go to cook for you." Chen's mother Wang Zhi pulled Lin Heng's arm and said with a smile. The more she looked at this son-in-law, the more she liked him.
"Okay, Mom, you can fry this rabbit too, otherwise it will go bad. I bought it on the way today." Lin Heng agreed and handed the big gray rabbit to her.
"Okay!" Chen's mother smiled and took the things away.
Father Chen looked at Lin Heng and asked curiously, "I remember you didn't know how to hunt before? Not only do you know how to hunt now, but you also use a bow and arrow?"
"Yes, I only learned it in the past two years." Lin Heng nodded and said with a smile.
"That's good. Hunting can provide you with food for a long time." Father Chen nodded, thinking that he had really misjudged his son-in-law. It turned out that this son-in-law was a studious and inquisitive person. Hunting techniques are not easy to learn.
For a moment, his impression of Lin Heng changed a lot.
Next to them, Xiulan's sister-in-law Zhang Shuiqin looked at the two and couldn't help asking, "Lin Heng, can I ask what you do now? You don't look like farmers anymore."
The others also looked over. In fact, everyone wanted to ask this question when they first met, but were too embarrassed to speak up.
Xiulan took over the conversation: "We are definitely farmers. Lin Heng made some money from hunting and opened a purchasing station in town, which means he barely has some money."
"Purchasing station, that will probably cost a lot of money!" Father Chen and others were shocked and looked at the two of them.
No wonder life has become so good, it turns out it’s because I started a business.
Xiulan's elder brother Chen Zhidong asked with a smile: "The purchasing station is very profitable. If it can be opened, the annual income can be several thousand, right?"
Zhang Shuiqin and Liu Huaxin were also shocked. They thought that Lin Heng Xiulan hadn't come back for a long time and was just trying to show off. Now it seems that she might have really made a fortune.
Several people were immediately envious. Zhang Shuiqin felt a little regretful that she had made the relationship very strained before Xiulan got married.
The third sister-in-law Liu Xue and the fourth sister-in-law Liu Hua were already thinking about how to get along well with Xiulan.
Xiulan shook her head and said with a wry smile, "We just opened this year and haven't made any money yet. Lin Heng also built a fish pond to raise fish, so I can't get any money at all."
Of course, she couldn't say that her family still had more than 6,000 yuan in savings. Her parents might not ask, but her sister-in-law would definitely ask to borrow money.
Her family now lives in a crowded house and has wanted to build a new house for many years, but they have not had enough money to complete it.
Now she said she had no money, and even if she really had no other choice, she could borrow a little more. She told her husband all this in bed last night, and told him not to say anything nonsense.
She was reluctant to lend her husband's hard-earned money, even to her brother, because the money was destined not to be returned in a short time.
"It just opened this year." A flash of disappointment flashed across Xiulan's sister-in-law Zhang Shuiqin's eyes.
Xiulan's fourth brother Chen Zhicai asked curiously, "Doesn't that mean we have to compete with other purchasing stations?"
The names of Xiulan's brothers and sisters are easy to remember. The last characters of the names of the eldest brother, the third brother, and the fourth brother together form "pillar of the country". The second sister is named Chen Xiuhua, and her name is Chen Xiulan.
"It was like this before, but the owner of another purchasing station was arrested for gambling a few days ago. Maybe he can make a little more in the future." Xiulan shook her head.
"This is a good thing. If you run your business well in the future, you won't have to suffer from poverty." Chen's father said with a smile. It was also a good thing for him to have a rich son-in-law. If he had any difficulties, he could still have a place to borrow money.
After chatting for a few more minutes, Chen's father was left alone to accompany them while the others went to work. The fish would go bad if it was not processed.
"Dad, let me help you catch the fish. Don't treat Xiulan and me as guests." Lin Heng stood up and said. It was boring to sit there all the time.
Father Chen quickly held him down: "No, you can't get your clothes dirty, the fish stinks."
Xiulan knew that Lin Heng couldn't sit still, so she said, "Dad, then you go and do your work, don't worry about us, I'll take Lin Heng for a walk."
Father Chen nodded: "That's fine, just tell us if you have anything to say, and just leave your things in my and your mother's room. You can sleep in our room today."
"Okay." Xiulan stood up, took her daughter and Lin Heng to their parents' bedroom, and put the bow and arrows and other things on the desk in the room.
After putting the things away, Xiulan looked at Lin Heng and said with a smile: "Let's go, I'll take you out to have a look."
"Actually, my waist hurts." Lin Heng smiled.
Xiulan glared at him and said unhappily, "As if you blame me!"
She took the initiative to repay her husband last night, but only once. Later, he was still in high spirits and asked her to cooperate with him in some strange postures, so she couldn't blame her.
Lin Heng spread his hands. It was not his fault anyway.
The two took their daughter out to watch Xiulan's father and three brothers prepare the fish.
The fish they catch here can be sold directly to fishmongers if they are big, while the whitebait and the like have to be made into dried fish before they can be sold, and some are just eaten directly.
Just like most people in Nanping County go up the mountains to collect medicinal herbs and mushrooms, they live by the mountains and the water. There is plenty of water here, so there are many fishermen.
There are also people collecting medicinal herbs and hunting, but their numbers are much smaller than in Nanping County.
However, because it is close to both mountains and water, Lushui County is richer than Nanping County. It ranks in the upper middle among the top ten counties in Taibai City, while Nanping County is in the middle and lower reaches.
Of course, because Taibai Mountain is located in Nanping County, the value will naturally increase as you go further back.
"Dad, has anyone contracted the Liu Lake here?" Lin Heng asked with a smile.
"Of course not. Liu Lake is nearly 100 acres and is publicly owned. Anyone living nearby can go fishing." Father Chen shook his head.
"Oh." Lin Heng nodded. Now they make a living by fishing, so even if they want to contract the business, they probably won't be allowed.
After chatting for a while, he went to the kitchen and brought a basin of water for Hongzao. Hongzao drank the whole basin and brought another basin. Xiulan went out and got some corn leaves to feed it.
Then the two of them took Xiaoxia for a walk in front of their house, because it was too sunny at noon and they couldn't go too far.
"Every time I come here, I have to sigh that your place is really flat."
Under a bent jujube tree, Lin Heng looked at him and said with a smile.
The area around Liulin Village is very flat. The Qinling Mountains are one or two kilometers away. Another four or five kilometers in depth are the mountains that are similar to those in Hongfeng Village.
The environment here is more suitable for raising fish and shrimp than Hongfeng Village, but it is better to do it on your own land these days. If you rashly come to other places to do these things, you may lose all your money.
"I think it's nice to have mountains." Xiulan said with a smile. She likes mountains and finds this plain land boring.
"Let's go shopping in the afternoon." Lin Heng looked around. As far as he could remember, the last time he came here was a long time ago.
"Okay." Xiulan nodded and went back to the house with Lin Heng.
Xiulan's father and several brothers have already cleaned up all the fish and shrimp. Except for those to be eaten today, the rest have been made into dried fish.
After killing, sprinkle salt and wine on it and marinate it for a while, then spread it on a bamboo mat and cover it with a gauze net to dry. If the sun is good, it will usually be completely dried in four or five days.
This kind of dried fish tastes good and is chewier, and it tastes different from the one that is fried directly.
A group of people sat at home and chatted for a while, telling each other about their recent situation.
Although the distance is not far, the altitudes of the two places are different, and the conditions are quite different. The rice below has been harvested, while the rice in the south has just turned yellow.
Lin Heng envied them for having plenty of water and fishing. They envied Lin Heng for having a lot of wild delicacies, such as matsutake, morel, and hericium. They had very few here, and they couldn't pick up much every year.
"Lin Heng, is it difficult to hunt with a bow and arrow?" Brother-in-law Chen Zhidong was very interested in this.
"This is much more difficult than using a shotgun. It's better to use a shotgun if you haven't learned it yet." Lin Heng shook his head.
You can rely on luck when shooting shotgun pellets with the ball bearings, but you can't rely on luck when shooting with a bow and arrow.
After a pause, he smiled and said, "Brother, if you want to experience it, you can come to my house in a few days when winter comes. I will take you to the mountain to experience it."
"That's fine, let's go when we have time." Chen Zhidong was somewhat tempted.
Third uncle Chen Zhiliang said, "There are many pheasants and ducks near our Liu Lake. Lin Heng, you can also try with a bow and arrow."
"That's what I thought. I'll go and take a look with my bow and arrow in the afternoon." Lin Heng said with a smile.
On the other side, the three sisters-in-law also pulled Xiulan aside to chat. They were so friendly that they looked like real sisters, and there was no flaw at all.
They surrounded Xiulan and talked most about her clothes, shoes and watches, revealing their unconcealable envy.
Xiulan also brought them gifts, which were osmanthus soaps she made herself. It wasn’t worth much, but it was a very nice little gift.
After chatting for a few minutes, they went to the kitchen to see their mother.
Soon, the meal was ready. Since there were many people in the family, they set up a big round table.
"The dishes are so rich and varied, there are so many of them." Lin Heng praised as he looked at the dishes served.
There were twelve dishes of various sizes. In addition to vegetables, there were braised carp, dried crucian carp with chopped pepper, fried white strips of pork, stir-fried rabbit meat and a dish of fried bacon.
It was really sumptuous. Lin Heng had been hungry for a long time, and now his appetite was even greater.
"Haha, none of them are very good dishes. Come, let's have a drink first." Father Chen raised his glass with a smile.
After taking a sip of the wine, Lin Heng exclaimed that the wine was too strong.
But the chopped pepper dried crucian carp and fried white strips were really to his liking.
"Dad, eat fish!" Xiaoxia snuggled in Lin Heng's arms, pointing at the braised carp with her little hand.
"Come, eat slowly." Lin Heng picked up a piece of carp, repeatedly picked out the bones and fed it to her mouth.
The children in the family would pick up some dishes and take the rice out, and would never go to the table. This was basically the case in rural areas at that time.
After feeding Xiaoxia, Lin Heng picked up the wine glass again and said with a smile: "Dad, come, I'll toast you a glass."
After he drank a glass each with his father-in-law, mother-in-law and elder brother, Xiulan spoke up and stopped him from drinking any more, saying that he couldn't drink any more.
Lin Heng was indeed feeling dizzy, and seeing him like this, the others just let it go.
Lin Heng sat down and ate a few bites of food to calm himself down. His father-in-law was really drunk.
After dinner, Chen's mother Wang Zhi re-made the bed so that Lin Heng and Xiulan could take a rest at noon.
Lin Heng fell asleep on the bed, and it was Xiulan who took off his shoes for him.
When he woke up again, he looked at the clock and saw that it was already past four in the afternoon, and he felt a little dizzy.
He put on his shoes and walked out of the house. No one was there, so he had to leave.
After walking around the area, he saw Xiulan in the vegetable garden. She and her mother were there, and Xiaoxia was also running around in the vegetable garden.
"Xiu Lan!" Lin Heng walked over and shouted.
"Dad, eat some vegetables." Xiaoxia ran towards him with a radish leaf in her hand.
Lin Heng took a look at his beloved baby and pulled her back.
Xiulan came over and said with a smile: "Now that you are awake, I will take you for a walk around the neighborhood."
"You help mom, it's the same for me to play here." Lin Heng shook his head.
Chen's mother Wang Zhi waved her hands quickly: "I don't need any help here, you guys go shopping."
Xiulan also nodded and said, "I just want to talk to my mother, let's go."
After saying that, she took her daughter and Lin Heng out.
"Are you sober? Do you have a headache?" Xiulan looked at him and asked.
"Fortunately, your alcohol is too strong. You get drunk every time." Lin Heng smiled helplessly.
Xiulan squeezed his hand and asked with a smile: "Do you remember the last time you were drunk?"
"Haha, I remember, but I really didn't mean it." Lin Heng laughed.
That was the first time he was brought home by Xiulan. They had just confirmed their relationship and they just held hands, but didn't do anything else.
He was drunk, and Xiulan went to his room to ask him about the situation. He pushed her against the wall and kissed her, and her father saw it.
Xiulan rolled her eyes at him and said, "You're still laughing. Your behavior made my dad think you were unreliable and he refused to agree to my marrying you."
In this day and age, how can a man push a girl against the wall and kiss her before they are even married? The old father was so angry that his teeth were broken.
Lin Heng leaned closer and whispered, "I can't help it. I like you too much. When I first saw you, I felt that you were the type I wanted to marry in my dreams."
After hearing this, Xiulan pouted and looked at him with her beautiful phoenix eyes. Her eyes were full of emotion, like autumn water that was touching.
The two were chatting when a dark-skinned man who looked to be in his twenties or thirties came towards them, pulling a buffalo.
He glanced at Xiulan and Lin Heng with a complicated look in his eyes, and greeted them with a smile: "Chen Xiulan, long time no see, you haven't changed at all."
Xiulan smiled and asked, "Are you herding cattle?"
"Yes." The man nodded and pulled the cow over.
This was not the first person they met while walking. Several men in their twenties deliberately ignored Lin Heng and only talked to Xiulan.
Lin Heng didn't say anything, he just pulled Xiulan and Xiaoxia and smiled.
Every time this happens, the men's eyes become much more complicated, mixed with frustration, regret, loneliness and other emotions.
At that time, many people liked Xiulan. They would pass by her and say hello to her every day under various pretexts, wanting to marry her home.
In the end, they were out-competed by Lin Heng, a guy from another county. How could they not be angry?
What made them even more angry was that Lin Heng returned home with Xiulan in glory. They couldn't help but feel a little lonely because they couldn't give Xiulan this kind of life.
Lin Hengze was very proud and confident. Xiaoxia didn't understand what her father was doing, so she followed his example and walked forward with her head held high.
Xiulan rolled her eyes at Lin Heng and said, "I just said hello, why do you have to take it so seriously?"
"Not holding you in my arms is a sign of respect." Lin Heng said with a smile. He just wanted to make his identity clear.
"Let's go, I'll take you to the Willow Lake." Xiulan was actually quite happy. She reached out and picked a dry leaf off Lin Heng's head.
"Did our dad and eldest brother go to the lake?" Lin Heng nodded and asked again.
"Yes, they went to set up the fishing nets and traps, and several sisters-in-law went to the fields." Xiulan nodded.
"Then let's go back and get our bows and arrows. If we run into a pheasant or something, we can still shoot it."
Lin Heng thought for a moment and said.
"Forget it, let's just take a walk now. It's still early. If we really find something, we can come back and get it." Xiulan shook her head and pulled him forward.
"That's fine." Lin Heng nodded.
The two men took their daughter for a walk. It was just five o'clock and the sun had not yet set, but the temperature had dropped a lot.
Liu Lake is right next to their village. When they arrived at the lake, the lake of more than 100 acres looked really spectacular.
But this is actually an artificial lake surrounded by an earth-rock dam. There are many rivers in Lushui County, and there is also a larger Lushui Lake, which covers an area of more than 3,000 acres and is a real large lake.
As they walked along the lake, they saw many people riding on bamboo rafts and setting nets and traps in the lake.
There are mostly willow trees on the shore, some are weeping willows and some are not.
Liulin Village got its name because there are many willow trees here, many of which are eight or nine meters tall.
The big willow trees provide shade, and the lake breeze makes it very cool to walk under them.
Lin Heng walked to the surface of the water, wanting to see if there were any fish or anything, but of course he couldn't see anything. However, the vast water area aroused his fishing addiction.
"My dad and the others are back." At this time, Xiulan said, pointing to a bamboo raft that was paddling quickly towards them from a distance.
Chen's father and his companions obviously saw them and quickly came over in a bamboo raft.
"Dad, have you finished lowering the fishing nets?" Lin Heng asked with a smile.
"No, Lin Heng, do you have a bow and arrow?" Father Chen asked anxiously.
Lin Heng shook his head and asked curiously, "No, what happened? Did you find a pheasant or something?"
"Lin Heng, then you should go back and get the bow and arrow, we found something big!" Brother-in-law Chen Zhidong said hurriedly.
"Yes, it's not as simple as a pheasant! Whether you can hit it depends on your ability." Third uncle Chen Zhiliang said with a smile.
Ah, I haven’t been fishing for three months, and I’m addicted to fishing again!
(End of this chapter)
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