novelraw Chapter 196: How Much Did You Get?
Chapter 196: How Much Did You Get?
Chapter 196: How Much Did You Get?
Back inside the house, Xiulan was in the kitchen cooking.
Her hair was pinned up with a white jade hairpin, revealing her slender, snow-white neck. The contrast between that delicate neck and her thick cotton jacket was striking—so much so that one couldn’t help but wonder what kind of breathtaking beauty lay hidden beneath those layers.
When Xiulan saw Lin Heng leaning against the door, staring at her in a daze, she smiled gently. “Did you tell Dad and the others?”
Lin Heng nodded with a grin. “I did. Make a bit more noodles—Third Uncle and Lin Hai are coming over too.”
That’s when Lin Heng suddenly remembered something and quickly apologized, “Wife, I think I forgot to wash the dishes. I’m sorry.”
He’d been too busy last night… enjoying his wife. He’d promised to wash the dishes in the morning, but ended up forgetting.
Xiulan chuckled. “You silly thing, what’s there to apologize for? It’s just a few dishes—I washed them while I was at it.”
Still, Lin Heng’s apology made her feel warm inside.
Lin Heng grinned. He loved that Xiulan never scolded him over little things. Unlike some women in the village who would go off on their husbands for forgetting a chore, turning the house into a war zone.And when he forgot something, she just quietly took care of it.
“I’ll go wash the clothes and bedsheets from yesterday,” Lin Heng said, looking at her.
“No need,” Xiulan shook her head. “I already did it at noon. Take a break—you’ll need energy to head up the mountain later.”
“It’s just a small chore. If your little hands get rough, I’ll feel bad.”
Lin Heng said with a smile, then ran off to the backyard to do laundry.
He never thought that just because he made some money, he could treat his wife like a servant. Hunting in the mountains was dangerous and exhausting, sure—but the chores at home were no less tiring.
He couldn’t stand those men who earned a bit and then acted like they were kings of the house, treating their wives and kids like hired help—as if they were the only ones contributing to the family.
The clothes soaking in the backyard were all his—plus the bedsheets and undergarments Xiulan had changed that morning.
The water was cold, but Lin Heng didn’t bother heating it. He scrubbed everything by hand, then brushed it clean. Most of the grime was just dirt and sweat from the mountains—nothing too stubborn. A couple of washes and it was all good.
Xiulan came out to the backyard after boiling some water. When she saw Lin Heng washing clothes in freezing water without even adding hot water, her heart ached a little. “It’s so cold—why didn’t you use hot water?”
Lin Heng looked up at her and smiled. “Just a few pieces. Look, I got them pretty clean, right?”
Xiulan walked over to inspect and praised, “Cleaner than I do it.”
As she spoke, she helped rinse the two pieces Lin Heng had finished washing.
“You don’t have to do this. What if you catch a chill?” Lin Heng said with a smile.
“I’m not that fragile,” Xiulan pouted. “Let’s just finish up quickly and go warm up by the fire.”
“Alright then.”
Lin Heng smiled and washed the rest of the clothes with her. Once everything was rinsed and hung up to dry, they went back inside.
They added some firewood to the fireplace and warmed their hands together.
“Did you forget to put on face cream?” Xiulan asked, looking at him.
Lin Heng nodded obediently. “I forgot.”
“I’ll do it for you.”
Xiulan blinked playfully, then got up to fetch the face cream Lin Heng had bought her. She rubbed some between her hands and gently massaged it onto his face and hands.
Lin Heng was so happy being pampered by his wife, he couldn’t stop grinning. Her soft little hands massaging his face felt heavenly.
“All done. Remember to do it yourself next time,” Xiulan reminded him, holding his hand.
“Okay.” Lin Heng nodded, then looked at her plump, rosy lips and said, “Wife, your lips look so shiny. Can I get some lip balm too?”
“Sure, I’ll go get it.” Xiulan nodded innocently and was about to stand up when Lin Heng pulled her down onto his lap.
“What now? Didn’t you just want lip balm?” Xiulan looked at him helplessly.
Lin Heng held her hand and chuckled, “I meant the one on your lips—just give me a little from there.”
Xiulan blushed instantly when she heard that. She poked his forehead and scolded, “You’re always thinking up naughty ideas~”
Lin Heng looked at her with puppy-dog eyes, grinning silently.
After hesitating for a moment, Xiulan leaned down and gave him a kiss to “apply” the lip balm.
A while later, Xiulan was panting, glaring at him. “You said just a little lip balm.”
Not only had he “eaten” the balm, he kissed her so hard she could barely breathe—her tongue felt like it was cramping.
“I got carried away,” Lin Heng said with a grin. “How about another round?”
Xiulan poked his forehead again and huffed, “I’m not falling for that again.”
She applied some lipstick on herself, then dabbed some balm on Lin Heng’s lips before getting up to wake their daughter.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Lin Heng went to answer it, but not before stashing the ginseng safely in the cabinet.
When he opened the door, his father, Third Uncle Lin Xutao, and cousin Lin Hai were standing outside.
“Third Uncle, you’re here! Come on in,” Lin Heng greeted them with a smile.
Lin Xutao looked around the neat courtyard with admiration. “Looks like you had quite a haul this time—need all these people to help?”
He hadn’t seen the newly renovated courtyard yet, and now that he did, he was full of envy. The bluestone tiles underfoot felt solid and clean—so much better than the muddy ground most homes had.
Lin Heng chuckled. “Got a fair bit of meat. I even managed to bag a musk deer.”
Of course, he wasn’t going to mention the ginseng. Only Xiulan knew about that.
Lin Xutao was stunned. “That’s impressive! Your hunting skills are something else.”
Lin Hai’s eyes widened. “Damn, Lin-ge, how do you always manage to catch the good stuff?”
A musk deer could easily fetch fifteen hundred. Sure, some villagers had caught one before, but none had Lin Heng’s kind of luck.
He already had two at home, and now he’d caught another one in the mountains?
“Guess I got lucky this year,” Lin Heng said with a wide grin.
Only Xiulan knew that Xiong Ba had played a huge role in all this. The hardest part of hunting was finding the prey—then came the actual shot.
Xiong Ba was a master at tracking, and Lin Heng’s archery was fast and deadly. Together, they were a formidable team, and it showed in their results.
“Alright, enough chatting. Let’s eat and head out,” Father Lin said, waving his hand.
Lin Heng nodded. “Got it. I’ll go cook the noodles—Xiulan’s helping Xiao Xia get dressed.”
He headed to the kitchen to cook while his father and Third Uncle wandered around the courtyard, checking out the greenhouse. They were amazed by the lush, vibrant vegetables growing inside.
In the dead of winter, most vegetables were wilted and lifeless—only the hardiest, frost-resistant ones could still grow. Yet under the plastic sheeting in Lin Heng’s yard, vegetables from other seasons were thriving.
During the meal, Lin Xutao couldn’t help but ask, “Lin Heng, how did you grow those vegetables under the plastic? They look amazing.”
Father Lin was equally astonished. He had always thought Lin Heng didn’t have a green thumb, yet the vegetables he’d grown were beautiful.
Lin Heng smiled slightly and said, “It’s simple. I’ll explain it to you slowly once we’re up the mountain.”
The three of them nodded curiously.
The four quickly finished their pickled vegetable noodles. After the meal, Father Lin set off first with Lin Xutao and Lin Hai. Lin Heng took a bowl of corn porridge to feed Hongzao in the back mountain, then led the horse to join the others.
“Will you be back tonight?” Xiulan asked while collecting eggs with Xiao Xia.
Lin Heng nodded. “Of course. But it might be late, maybe around midnight. You can go ahead and rest.”
There was no way the mountain shelter could accommodate so many people overnight—they’d have to return the same day. “Alright, I’ll wait for you,” Xiulan nodded.
Lin Heng told Xiulan to take Xiao Xia home first, then mounted his horse and rode off. Xiong Ba stayed behind this time—since they weren’t hunting, there was no need to bring him.
When he reached Red Maple Mountain, Lin Heng dismounted and led the horse on foot. After just a few minutes, he caught up with Father Lin and the others.
As they walked, Lin Heng explained the basics of greenhouse farming.
Everyone knew they had to make a round trip today, so they moved quickly. By just after one in the afternoon, they reached Three-Forked Gully, and by two o’clock, they could already see smoke rising from the Campsite.
By two-thirty, they arrived.
“Dad, Third Uncle, you’re here!” Lin Yue was the first to run out and greet them.
Everyone introduced themselves, and Lin Heng took the chance to introduce them to Old Man Gao.
When they saw the goods stacked outside the Campsite, the three newcomers were completely stunned.
Lin Xutao was so shocked he held his breath. “All this is yours?”
Father Lin’s jaw dropped. “Just the meat alone must be seven or eight hundred jin!”
“Good grief, this is way too much,” Lin Hai said, equally stunned. There was just too much good stuff.
His eyes were practically glowing with envy.
“Yep, let’s all help carry it,” Lin Heng said with a grin.
Including the yams and other medicinal herbs, the total haul weighed around 1,300 jin.
They loaded 300 jin of pork onto Hongzao’s back. Lin Heng and the other seven each carried over 100 jin.
Once everything was packed, Lin Heng led the way with the horse, and the others followed behind.
The sun hadn’t been strong these past two days, so while the snow on the trees had melted, there was still plenty on the forest floor.
Mount Taibai in the distance was a silver wonderland, like a frozen fairy realm straight out of a novel.
The wind in the valley never stopped, and though their faces were cold, everyone was sweating from the exertion.
The path was rough, and with so much weight on their backs, their pace was slow.
By the time they reached Red Maple Mountain, dusk had already fallen. Winter evenings were dim and short, and all that remained of the sun was a red dot sinking behind the western peaks.
It lacked the fiery splendor of summer or autumn sunsets.
“Good thing we made it through the toughest part before nightfall,” Father Lin said with relief.
Lin Xutao nodded. “Yeah, the rest of the way is much easier.”
Lin Heng said nothing, just glanced up at the sky while leading Hongzao. After nightfall, there were no stars, no moon.
It was New Year’s Day, but the village had no celebrations.
When they finally returned home, it was already nine-thirty at night.
Luckily, the village now had electricity, so it didn’t matter if it was late—they could still eat and drink.
Xiulan, Caiyun, Mother Lin, Liu Juan, and the others were already at Lin Heng’s house. Knowing people would be returning, they had prepped all the ingredients in advance. As soon as they saw Lin Heng and the others come in, they started cooking.
They piled all the goods in the main hall. Everyone stared at the mountain of supplies in a daze.
Without hesitation, Lin Heng smiled and said, “Take what’s already been divided.”
He began distributing everything on the spot.
The yams had all been dug up by his Elder Brother, so they naturally belonged to him.
The two wild boars that Lin Heng and Old Man Gao had hunted together totaled about 200 jin. After curing, 120 jin of meat remained. Since his Elder Brother had helped watch over it for half a month, he got 20 jin, while Lin Heng and Old Man Gao each took 50 jin.
Then there was the forest musk deer Lin Heng had hunted. Eight jin of meat remained, and the hide had already been dried. That, of course, belonged to him alone.
Next were the hog badgers—four in total. Lin Heng and Old Man Gao each took one, and his uncle-in-law, Li Baiquan, got two.
Finally, there was the large female wild boar and her seven piglets.
The big sow had been taken down by Old Man Gao alone, so it was all his.
As for the piglets, Lin Heng got three, and Old Man Gao and Li Baiquan each got one.
Then came the birds—whoever shot them, kept them.
Only the ones brought back counted—those eaten on the mountain didn’t.
Lin Heng brought back three golden pheasants, two bamboo partridges, and one hazel grouse.
Li Baiquan brought back six bamboo partridges, one golden pheasant, and one hazel grouse.
Old Man Gao only brought back two golden pheasants. He had actually hunted the most, but most of his kills were eaten on the mountain.
After the division, everyone looked at Old Man Gao and Lin Heng with envy.
Old Man Gao had brought back the most game, while Lin Heng’s forest musk deer alone was worth more than everyone else’s haul combined.
And they didn’t even know Lin Heng had found a hundred-year-old ginseng. If they had, even Old Man Gao would’ve been floored.
Mother Lin came out of the kitchen and said, “You’re done dividing things? If so, come eat—the food’s ready.”
“Let’s eat, then,” Lin Heng said with a smile.
They set the goods aside, wiped down the table, and sat down to eat.
“Let’s eat, I’m starving,” Father Lin said as he went to the kitchen to bring out the dishes.
A table full of hearty dishes was soon served, and everyone dug in with joy and laughter.
A bit of wine added to the warmth, and their cheerful voices echoed through the quiet village.
After the meal, Lin Heng handed two pieces of meat to Third Uncle and Lin Hai, smiling as he said, “Thanks for helping carry everything. Take these home and give them a try.”
“What are you doing? Hurry up and take it back,” Lin Xutao said, shaking his head firmly, refusing to accept it.
Father Lin and Mother Lin tried to persuade him for quite a while, and only then did he reluctantly agree to take back ten pounds of meat.
After seeing them off, Lin Heng helped his father carry the yams back home for Elder Brother.
When he returned, he prepared a room for Old Man Gao to sleep in and even boiled water for his bath.
Once Old Man Gao was settled in, Lin Heng finally went back to the bedroom with Xiulan and Xiao Xia.
That night, he first coaxed Xiao Xia to sleep, then took a bath and got some rest himself.
Lying in bed, Lin Heng looked at his wife and said, “Old Man Gao might be staying with us for a few days.”
Xiulan nodded in agreement. “Then let him stay. It’s not like we’re short on money or food. One more person at the table doesn’t make a difference.”
“Good.” Lin Heng grinned and pulled her into his arms, planting a kiss on her forehead.
“You’re not planning to go hunting in the mountains again today, are you?” Xiulan asked softly, snuggled up against him.
Lin Heng smiled at her. “Probably not. Even if I wanted to, I’d hate to leave you behind.”
“That’s good.” Xiulan nodded. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder—Lin Heng had only been gone a few days, and she was already missing him terribly. She didn’t want him leaving again so soon.
The two chatted quietly for a bit. Lin Heng fed Xiulan a White Rabbit Creamy Candy, and Xiulan fed him a big white steamed bun—his favorite.
Then, wrapped in each other’s arms, they drifted off into a sweet and blissful dream.
(End of Chapter)