Starting from Mountain Farming and Hunting

Seeing that Lin Heng hadn’t made a move for a long while, while the brat’s cries grew louder and more pitiful, Liu Hao’s grandmother was caught in a dilemma, uncertain whether to keep hitting or stop.

“Haven’t you apologized to your cousin yet?” She kicked the child on the backside and scolded him.

“Wuwu— Cousin, I’m sorry! I was wrong! I really was wrong— wuwu!” Liu Hao sobbed and rubbed his tears away with both hands as he apologized through his cries.

“I can’t hear what you’re saying,” Lin Heng replied calmly. He had warned Liu Hao earlier, and now that the warning had gone unheeded, forgiveness would not come easily.

“Stop crying! Apologize to your cousin clearly and properly,” his grandmother said, raising the ruler threateningly again.

Liu Hao wanted to stop crying but couldn’t. This time hurt too much—it was the worst beating he’d ever suffered.

“Wuwu— Cousin, I was wrong.” Forcing himself to hold back some of the tears, he looked up at Lin Heng and said.

“Weren’t you talking about getting back at me just now?” Lin Heng asked, voice filled with annoyance.

“Wuwu— I wouldn’t dare,” Liu Hao whimpered.

Liu Hao fell silent, looking at Lin Heng with sheer terror in his eyes.

Lin Heng spread his hands and turned to his grandaunt. “Auntie, where are this kid’s parents?”

“They’re both busy working for other people most days. I’m the one keeping an eye on him at home,” the woman answered, a little embarrassed.

After pausing for a moment, she added, even more awkwardly, “About the money— I don’t have that much on me right now, but I promise I’ll save up when I get home and pay you back.”

Seeing Lin Heng’s lack of reaction, she quickly added, “Just now, I lost my temper for a moment. Please don’t take it to heart.”

“I don’t care whether you’re angry or not. The money should be paid by the kid’s parents. If you give birth but don’t teach your child, you can’t blame others. I warned him three times today and he wouldn’t listen, and Auntie, if you let him run wild, then you also bear responsibility.”

Lin Heng spread his hands and went to fetch the painting to show everyone. The scroll with plum blossoms was now completely ruined, of no further use.

Anyway, not a single cent of compensation would be spared today. He wasn’t going to give an inch. So what if they were relatives? He had no intention of saving face for them.

He wasn’t even afraid that this relative would go back and gossip—let them say whatever they wanted. Having fewer annoying relatives around would actually be a good thing. In his previous life, when his family hit hard times, none of these relatives ever helped. There was no value in keeping such ties.

Lin Heng’s words left Liu Hao’s grandmother completely stunned. Demanding money—where was she supposed to come up with so much?

Mother Lin hurriedly interjected, looking at Lin Heng, “Lin Heng, how can you expect your auntie to pay? I’ll pay for it. This is my responsibility.”

Lin Heng ignored his mother and looked over at his grandaunt, “It’s not about the money itself—I just want your brat to learn a lesson. Don’t you think so, Auntie?”

“Yes, that’s right, you’re not wrong,” Liu Hao’s grandmother exhaled deeply, glaring angrily at her crying grandson on the ground.

“In that case, we won’t stay any longer. We’re leaving now.”

With that, she dragged her grandson toward the door.

“We’ll leave too,” the other three relatives chimed in, all feeling a bit embarrassed and clearly unwilling to stay any longer.

“It’s nothing to do with you. Stay and have a meal,” Lin Heng said, pulling back Mother Lin and the remaining three relatives.

Mother Lin looked at Lin Heng, exasperation written all over her face, feeling that he had gone too far this time.

“That’s right, stay for lunch, Third Aunt. My brother was just too angry—he only bought that painting yesterday, and now it’s ruined,” Caiyun and Xiulan hurried over to smooth things over, persuading the others to stay. Once they’d succeeded, Xiulan went off to cook.

Very soon, a table was filled with fragrant, beautiful, and delicious dishes. Lin Heng smiled and introduced everything, and the three remaining relatives were instantly distracted by the food.

After a few drinks, Lin Heng explained that asking for compensation wasn’t directed at them. It was easy to win them over to his side.

This had always been the brat’s fault. And now, with these relatives as witnesses, it would be much harder for the other side to spread rumors in the future.

On one side were relatives from a Ten-Thousand-Yuan Household. On the other, relatives just as poor as themselves. There was no question as to which side they would choose—Lin Heng had no need to explain.

When the three took their leave, Lin Heng told Father Lin to give them bigger red envelopes. That way, everything would be handled smoothly.

This clearly proved he was a polite, considerate, and upright young man. When they said goodbye, all three relatives wore beaming smiles as they held Lin Heng’s hand, inviting him to visit if he ever had time.

They were even warmer to him now than when they’d first arrived. Having witnessed Lin Heng’s forcefulness and indifference, coupled with his proper manners, their attitude had changed completely.

In essence, it was like hitting them with a stick but handing out a sweet date right after—the principle was universal.

When everyone was gone, both Mother Lin and Father Lin looked at Lin Heng with helpless expressions. “Just giving that brat a beating would have been enough. Why did you have to make it so heartless?”

Lin Heng waved a hand dismissively. “Like father, like son. You can tell a person’s character from the way they raise their children. Folks like this aren’t worth associating with.”

He added, smiling, “Dad, Mom, mark my words—this family won’t pay up. They’ll just intentionally forget about the whole thing, and from now on, they’ll cut ties with us completely.”

Caiyun nodded in agreement. “I think my second brother did exactly the right thing. Dad, Mom, you both care too much about saving face.”

Mother Lin remained unconvinced. “But what if they really come and pay up?”

“Mom, if they actually come and pay, I’ll give you ten times that amount, and personally go apologize to them,” Lin Heng replied with a smile.

His parents were honest and upright people—if they borrowed money or owed someone, they’d rather go hungry than miss repaying a debt.

But there are so many people who only ever want to take advantage, borrow money and never pay back, always looking for ways to gain a little from others. There were far too many like that.

With people like that, his parents’ kind nature would only get them taken advantage of. Caring too much about other people’s opinions was nothing but a form of self-punishment.

“Forget it then. Losing one relative isn’t a big deal. That kid really was aggravating.” Father Lin waved it off and turned to leave.

Lin Heng turned around and went home to help Xiulan clear up the dishes.

Just as Lin Heng entered the house, he saw Xiao Xia come over, nervously twisting the corner of her shirt, looking at him timidly. “Daddy, I won’t go through other people’s things again.”

Lin Heng was amused by her expression. He understood—she’d been frightened after seeing him hit someone. After all, the brat had been beaten quite badly this time.

Lin Heng squatted down and stroked her cheek, smiling. “I know that, Xiao Xia. You never mess with other people’s things. Next time, if you want to move something, just ask first. If they agree, then you can play with it, alright?”

“I understand, Daddy,” Xiao Xia nodded and went back to the table to play with her wind-up little frog. It was one of the new toys he bought her in town yesterday.

Just as Lin Heng was about to go into the kitchen, Xiulan walked out, smiling. “I’m all done washing up, you don’t have to help.”

“Then I’ll go work on my little wooden cart,” Lin Heng nodded, grabbed his tools, and got back to making his wooden cart.

Yesterday, while in town, Lin Heng had even specially bought four bearings for the cart.

He’d already finished the wooden base for the little cart earlier. Now, he just needed to create the frame and add a steering wheel.

He started by using mortise-and-tenon joints, then soaked the wood for better durability, doing everything he could to make it sturdy. First, he built a rectangular cargo bed.

Lin Heng designed his cart to look like an SUV: one meter long, eighty centimeters wide, and twenty centimeters tall. Once done, it could be pulled by a dog or by hand, and it would seat up to two kids.

He knew he couldn’t match the craftsmanship of a professional carpenter, but his work wouldn’t be bad either. He’d done some woodwork in his previous life, after all.

After finishing the boxy cart body and installing it on top, he’d basically completed the core shape. All that was left was to smooth out the edges and add details later.

Lin Heng spent the whole afternoon working on the cart. Xiulan, meanwhile, took care of the Jerusalem artichokes she’d brought back from his eldest uncle’s house—saving some for planting, while most were peeled and soaked in the same jar they’d used for pickling bamboo shoots.

Once they’d soured up, the result would be sweet, tangy, and crunchy—a delicious snack.

After Xiulan finished with the artichokes, Caiyun came to call her out to gather wild vegetables. This was the time of year when shepherd’s purse grew especially lush.

When Xiulan finished digging up the wild greens and came back, Lin Heng had also wrapped up the basic frame of the cart and had done some initial sanding on the edges.

Now only the detailed sanding and the wheel installation remained.

Lin Heng went to ask Father Lin to help saw five sections of oak, each ten centimeters thick and about twenty-five centimeters in diameter. Four would be sanded down as tires, and one would become the steering wheel.

“You’re not going over to your second uncle’s place anymore?” Father Lin asked as they were sawing the wood.

“No, it’s too far. I don’t feel like making the trip,” Lin Heng replied, shaking his head.

“That’s fine, too,” Father Lin said with a nod. It was up to Lin Heng, after all.

After the wood was cut, Lin Heng stacked it under the eaves. He’d work on it slowly when he had time. He’d spent all afternoon busy and just wanted to rest now.

That night, he and Xiulan made love, taking their time as they always did.

The following day was the fifth of the new year. The Spring Festival was almost over, and all the relatives who were supposed to leave had already left.

Lin Heng discussed inviting the Village Party Secretary, Tian Dongfu, and his family over for a meal. Xiulan agreed, and they planned for dinner.

To his surprise, at noon, his second uncle’s son—his cousin Lu Zhe—showed up unprompted with his family to pay a New Year visit.

Lin Heng was quite familiar with this cousin. They’d often seen each other as kids, but after turning fifteen, Lu Zhe was sent by his father to study in the county, so they’d barely met since then.

With a smile, Lin Heng welcomed them, took the family on a stroll around the village, showed them around, and chatted about the things they’d seen and experienced over the years.

This cousin Lu Zhe was extremely shocked by Lin Heng’s current accomplishments. In his opinion, his younger cousin could never possibly have this kind of ability.

But after talking with Lin Heng, he was shocked all over again. Lin Heng had changed so much from before, it was no wonder he could achieve different things now.

After lunch, Lu Zhe had to take his leave. They were going up the mountain to visit his mother-in-law, as well as the eldest uncle and Third Uncle.

Lin Heng saw him off, and that evening he invited Village Party Secretary Tian Dongfu and his family over for dinner. Tian Yan had already run over early to play with Xiulan.

“Your courtyard is really beautiful now.”

Tian Dongfu entered the courtyard, speaking with amazement.

“I just messed around with it myself, the main thing is that it makes me happy.” Lin Heng smiled casually, his tone holding no hint of seeing Tian Dongfu as an official, but simply as an elder older than himself.

“It’s much nicer than my courtyard.” Tian Dongfu chuckled.

When they went inside, Tian Dongfu noticed the new furniture in Lin Heng’s home. He touched it and asked, “I heard you picked up some Bog Wood. Is this furniture made from it?”

“Yes, all of this is made from Bog Wood. This desk in the study is, too.” Lin Heng answered with a smile.

Tian Dongfu felt the table, chairs, and even the benches. He usually didn’t envy others, but today he truly felt jealous.

He thought to himself, “This kid really has a good eye. That wood was lying by the river for who knows how long, and only he managed to spot it.”

He also felt a pang of regret—if only he’d realized earlier how much potential this kid had, he would have tried to pair his daughter with him. Lin Hai is diligent too, but compared to Lin Heng, he’s still a bit lacking.

Lin Heng looked at Tian Dongfu and said with a smile, “Uncle Tian, I heard your brush calligraphy is excellent. Could you gift me a scroll as a keepsake?”

“Of course, no problem.” Tian Dongfu readily agreed, then let out a laugh. “I see your two paperweights here are pretty nice. Mind if I take them?”

“Uncle Tian, if you like them, take them.” Lin Heng laughed heartily. He had made five pairs of these at the time from a piece of Bog Wood with a ruined core from a red toon tree, so he wasn’t lacking at all.

Tian Dongfu sat down as Lin Heng helped him grind ink to the side. He had heard from his father that Tian Dongfu had studied at an old-style private school when he was young, and had practiced brush calligraphy from an early age. Over the years, with time on his hands, he had kept practicing.

Just by watching his brushwork, Lin Heng could tell that this old man was far better than he was. The flow of his calligraphy exuded a kind of poise and polish.

As he wrote, the lines of an Ouyang Xiu poem, “Butterfly Loves Flowers,” soon appeared vividly on the paper.

“Uncle Tian, you could be a professional calligrapher with this,” Lin Heng said with a smile.

Tian Dongfu waved his hand. “Far from it, I just imitate the masters of the past. I can’t really capture much of the spirit.”

“I think your calligraphy looks wonderful. I’ll have it mounted and hang it on my wall,” Lin Heng said with a smile.

“Do as you like, as long as you enjoy it.” Tian Dongfu laughed heartily, clearly pleased by the compliment.

It wasn’t long before dinner was ready, and Tian Yan went to call her mother Wang Qin over as well. When Wang Qin saw the arrangement of Lin Heng’s house, she was even more envious.

Especially the bluestone floor tiles and the Bog Wood furniture—she admired them so much she was nearly drooling. They were simply beautiful, and even the feel of them was miles better than ordinary furniture.

But no matter how much she wanted them, she was too embarrassed to ask, and Tian Dongfu would never permit it.

“Uncle Tian, Aunt Wang, please try these dishes,” Lin Heng said with a smile.

“Gladly, gladly.” Tian Dongfu looked at the table set with dishes and couldn’t help but marvel at how well Lin Heng lived. He really spared no expense at all.

Tian Yan also laughed. “Dad, Mom, Xiulan’s cooking is amazing. You have to try it.”

“It’s delicious. You should keep learning from Xiulan. If you can master even half her skills, you’ll have no worries about getting married.” Wang Qin said with a smile.

“I won’t have any trouble marrying even if I don’t learn,” Tian Yan sniffed lightly.

Everyone laughed and chatted, eating and drinking wine together. There was no doubt that Lin Heng’s food thoroughly satisfied everyone.

After the meal, Tian Dongfu invited Lin Heng to their house for dinner the next night, then left, beaming, with a pair of paperweights in hand.

This old man almost never took things from anyone else. The fact that he’d help himself to Lin Heng’s paperweights showed he really saw him as one of his own.

After everyone left, Xiulan asked curiously, “You invited the Village Party Secretary, but not the Village Head?”

“Of course not.” Lin Heng shook his head.

“That’s good. I don’t want to see Zhao Hu coming to our house either.” Xiulan nodded. She didn’t like Zhao Hu.

“After tomorrow’s drinks, it’ll be time to think about other things,” Lin Heng said as he helped tidy up.

“What are you planning? Getting ready to build the warehouse at Red Maple Mountain?” Xiulan asked, turning her head.

“There’s no rush for that, or for buying saplings. All that can wait until after the Spring Festival. What I’m thinking is, we could go fishing and have some fun at the upper reaches of Black River. There are a lot of Asian trout there. The whole family could have a picnic and see the great rivers and waterways.”

Lin Heng smiled as he spoke.

(This chapter ends)

#### Translator’s Notes

Ouyang Xiu: A prominent Chinese statesman, historian, essayist, and poet of the Song Dynasty (1007-1072). He is regarded as one of the Eight Masters of the Tang and Song and was a key figure in the Classical Prose Movement.

Butterfly Loves Flowers: A famous cí (词) poetry form and poem title. Cí is a type of lyric poetry from the Song Dynasty, set to specific musical tunes. This particular poem by Ouyang Xiu is a classic example of the genre.

grind ink: Refers to the traditional process of preparing ink for Chinese calligraphy by rubbing an inkstick against an inkstone with water. It is a meditative practice that requires skill and patience.

old-style private school: Refers to a ‘sishu’ (私塾), a traditional Chinese private school where children were educated in the Confucian classics, calligraphy, and poetry, common before the modern education system was established.

Spring Festival: The Lunar New Year, the most important traditional holiday in China, marked by family reunions, feasts, and various customs meant to bring good luck in the coming year.

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