Starting from Mountain Farming and Hunting

After washing the dishes, Lin Heng brought the wooden bath barrel inside and used the immersion heater to warm up some water. Although every meal during the New Year holidays had been filled with meat and fish, it had actually been pretty exhausting. Today, he just wanted to soak in a bath to relax.

Once the water was ready, Xiulan was already inside enjoying her bath. What Lin Heng hadn’t expected was for Xiao Xia to insist on bathing with her mother, pushing him out of the room altogether.

“All right, all right, you can bathe with your mom.”

Lin Heng took off her clothes and handed them to her mother, then sat in a chair, sipping tea and watching the mother and daughter bathing and playing together.

Over the past six months, he’d read more than half of the thirty or forty books stored in the house. He’d lost count of how many times he’d flipped through the children’s storybooks.

Thanks to the boost in memory from his reincarnation, he could remember nearly all the books he’d read. Combined with his sixty years of life experience from his previous life, his understanding went far deeper than most people’s.

Lin Heng figured he could probably write novels himself, weaving his insights and life experiences into the stories. Besides, he knew exactly what genres were popular in this era and what could easily become a hit.

But after mulling it over, he decided to just keep drinking his tea and practiced his fountain pen calligraphy for a while longer.

He did have that ambition, but it felt like he still needed more to accumulate. Maybe in the future.

It was also a way of packaging himself, making people see him as someone cultured and thoughtful instead of just a nouveau riche. His children would admire him more as well.

“All right, let your dad dry you off now.”

After half an hour, Xiulan called out.

Lin Heng walked over, lifted Xiao Xia out of the bath and set her on a wooden stool, drying her off with a towel, dressing her, and then leaving her on the bed to clamber around as she pleased.

Seeing that Xiulan had also finished drying off, Lin Heng smiled and asked, “Aren’t you going to soak with me for a bit?”

Xiulan tilted her head with a smile. “You heat the water again and soak by yourself.”

The room wasn’t cold. She was sitting by the fireplace in a set of black underwear, drying her hair.

Her pale skin contrasted sharply with the black underwear, radiating an air of mystery that Lin Heng found captivating.

The bathwater was still crystal clear; Xiulan and Xiao Xia bathed regularly and were hardly ever dirty. Lin Heng dipped the immersion heater in again and left it to heat for a while before sliding himself comfortably into the bath.

His head rested on the edge of the wooden barrel as he let the hot water seep into his body, enjoying the sensation without moving a muscle.

He only got out, somewhat reluctantly, when the water had cooled half an hour later. After drying off, he went to tell stories to Xiao Xia.

Xiulan, now with her hair dry, was sprawled against the headboard reading a novel. She hadn’t picked up these things for a long time and had found it tough at first, but after six months of Lin Heng’s influence, she’d fallen in love with novels and found their stories a hundred times more thrilling than village gossip.

After coaxing Xiao Xia to sleep, Lin Heng climbed into bed. Xiulan was still reading; she read slowly, often taking a month to finish a book, frequently pausing to ask Lin Heng for help with certain words and meanings.

As the saying goes, “You become like those you’re close to.” The kind of person at your side influences you, just like students who study with top achievers tend not to do too badly themselves.

“Time to sleep, time to sleep,” Lin Heng said with a smile as he crawled under the covers.

“Okay.”

Xiulan finished her current passage and set the book on the nightstand, turned off the light, and prepared to sleep.

As soon as the light was off, Lin Heng’s hand wandered over, fiddling with her underwear.

“You’re so annoying, let me do it ~”

Xiulan mumbled softly, but her wish didn’t come true. Lin Heng much preferred to take his time himself.

Under the bright red quilt, the two fooled around for a while. By the light of the fireplace, they could make out each other’s faces.

Xiulan’s cheeks were rosy, her eyes closed in bliss as she surrendered her inhibitions and matched Lin Heng’s pace wholeheartedly.

……

The next morning, as soon as Lin Heng woke up, he saw Xiulan already reading her book. She clearly had reached a pivotal plot twist.

Lin Heng rolled his eyes, then sneaked under the quilt to bury his face in the “white steamed buns.”

“Ah! You’re the worst!”

Caught off guard, Xiulan smacked Lin Heng’s head.

“It’s fine, you read your book, I’ll eat my breakfast—we won’t get in each other’s way~”

Lin Heng’s muffled voice came from beneath the quilt.

It wasn’t long before Xiulan’s cheeks were flushed, her whole body weak. There was no way she could concentrate on her book now.

She tossed the book aside and turned to “teach Lin Heng a lesson”—determined to wear him out. But in the end, both of them were left sprawled together, neither victorious.

Lin Heng was exasperated; all he’d wanted was a steamed bun, yet he ended up losing a substantial amount of “vital essence.” Talk about a bad deal.

“Getting up or not?” Lin Heng glanced at the beauty beside him.

“No strength left. Not getting up. I’m sleeping in!” Xiulan draped her fair arm over his shoulders, saying brazenly.

Lin Heng laughed, “Hey, I wasn’t the one who started it; you broke the rules…”

Xiulan leaned in with a sweet smile. “What? Regretting it now?”

“I’m just worried I won’t make it out of bed today,” Lin Heng said, grinning. With both still in the nude, who could resist being clung to like this?

“That’s your problem. You’re the one who distracted me from my book.” Xiulan blinked, snuggling closer.

They lay together for a while. Just as Lin Heng prepared to get up again, Xiulan slipped out of bed and ran off to get dressed, even grabbing the sheets.

“Didn’t you say you weren’t afraid?”

Lin Heng chuckled to himself—he was ready to ‘sacrifice himself for his wife’ already.

Xiulan snorted lightly. “I’m just worried Xiao Xia will wake up.”

With that, she deliberately tossed a fresh set of clothes onto Lin Heng’s face.

By the time they got up, it was already past eight. Their morning routine didn’t change; after working out, Lin Heng helped Xiao Xia feed the livestock.

For breakfast, Xiulan made a refreshing cold dish with shepherd’s purse they’d dug up yesterday, along with fern root noodles. It was especially tasty.

After a hearty breakfast and with nothing else planned for the day, Lin Heng got ready to continue building his little wooden cart.

He spent the entire morning making four wheels, found a thick bull tendon tree trunk for the axle, and fitted it with bearings and wheels. Most of the cart was now complete.

After lunch, he worked on the finishing touches. By sunset, a somewhat rough-looking wooden cart was done. Lin Heng inspected it from every angle, thoroughly satisfied.

“Woof woof!”

Xiong Ba barked twice beside him, clearly intrigued.

“Perfect, since you’re here, you can help me test it out.”

Lin Heng went into the house to grab a rope, fashioning a makeshift harness to fit Xiong Ba, then attached it to the cart.

“Come on, Xiong Ba, let’s see you run!”

Lin Heng patted Xiong Ba’s hindquarters.

“Woof woof~~”

Xiong Ba obediently took off. Thanks to the bearings, the cart was light and easy to pull. He dashed happily around the courtyard, clearly having a great time.

“Daddy, I want to play too! I want to play too!” Xiao Xia, who had been riding her wooden horse indoors, ran out to chase after the little cart when she saw the scene.

“I’ll play for a bit, then let you have a turn!” Lin Heng was a little reluctant to give it up, steering Xiong Ba at the front while Xiao Xia chased from behind.

Xiulan watched, a bit helpless—so grown up, and still as childish as the kids.

“We’re about to go to Tian Yan’s house for dinner. You’d better let her play for a while.” She called out.

After a couple more laps, Lin Heng had had his fun and handed the cart over to Xiao Xia. With Xiong Ba pulling Xiao Xia, it was even easier. Sitting in the cart, Xiao Xia laughed out loud.

They didn’t play for long before Tian Yan came running over to invite them for dinner. Xiao Xia reluctantly climbed down and pushed the cart back into the house.

As soon as they arrived at Tian Dongfu’s place, he greeted them, “Come on, Lin Heng, let’s play a game of chess. Your Aunt Wang just has two dishes left to finish.”

“Sure thing.”

Lin Heng hadn’t played for a while and sat down for two rounds with Tian Dongfu. Tian Dongfu’s chess skills had improved a bit, but Lin Heng could still handle him.

After their games, they chatted about future plans and development.

Dinner was finally ready at seven. Although it couldn’t quite compare to the feasts at Lin Heng’s house, there were still over a dozen dishes, enough to show how much effort had been put in.

By the time they finished, it was nine in the evening. Ever since electric lights arrived in the village, people had been going to bed much later.

The next day was already the seventh day of the New Year. As soon as Xiao Xia woke up, she was clamoring to play with the wooden cart again. Lin Heng made a new harness for Xiong Ba so he could pull Xiao Xia around in the yard.

After breakfast, Lin Heng went to find his Elder Brother, Lin Yue. “Bro, are you busy today? If not, let’s go explore the Black River and maybe try some fishing.”

He planned to drive over and check out the Black River, scout things out first, and then next time bring Xiulan and the others for a picnic somewhere scenic.

Getting familiar with the area would make future hunting trips easier.

“I’ve got nothing going on. I was about to come find you, actually. Fishing sounds great—there’s nothing else to do anyway.” Lin Yue laughed.

“Great, let’s go ask Dad if he wants to join us.”

Lin Heng nodded and headed out.

Lin Yue turned back to tell his wife, then caught up with Lin Heng. On the way out, he said, “Your sister-in-law and I already discussed it. I’ve decided to buy a double-barreled shotgun.”

“This is the right decision. We’ll definitely make our money back,” Lin Heng nodded, then asked, “Elder Brother, do you have enough money, or do you want me to lend you some?”

“Just barely enough,” Lin Yue replied with a laugh.

“Then I’ll lend you a hundred. In a bit, I’ll contact the Village Party Secretary to get you a permit to buy a gun.”

Lin Heng said this. At that time, guns were still fairly common, and you could buy them in many places. Still, it wasn’t good to carry one openly without a permit, but if he asked Tian Dongfu for a hunting rifle license, there’d be no problem at all.

“All right, I’ll pay you back once I’ve shot something.” Lin Yue didn’t pretend to be polite and agreed with a smile.

As they spoke, the two arrived at the old house. Father Lin was in the yard cutting potatoes, apparently preparing to plant potatoes.

Seeing them, Father Lin looked up and asked, “What are you two up to?”

“We’re going fishing at the Black River, want to come, Dad?” Lin Heng asked with a smile.

He sounded a little skeptical. “The Black River… do you think you’ll actually catch anything right now?”

“The weather is so nice today, I’m sure we will. And planting potatoes isn’t urgent, a few days won’t make a difference,” Lin Heng said, looking at his father.

Father Lin was about to say something else when Mother Lin interjected, “Just go have some fun with the kids. It’s not like you have to walk there yourself.”

“Fine, I’ll get ready and then we can head out,” Father Lin said, smiling and nodding.

“I’m going to get ready and drive over,” Lin Heng responded, turning to leave.

As soon as he got home, he heard Lin Wei next door clamoring to go with his father. Lin Heng smiled, glanced over at Xiao Xia playing with a toy car in the yard, then went inside to grab fishing line and hooks. He dug up some earthworms from the garden, took the bait he’d made himself, and loaded it all onto the vehicle.

Of course, he didn’t forget his compound bow. The area along the Black River was rich in wildlife—who knew what they might run into, so it was best to be prepared.

“You should take Xiong Ba too. Maybe you’ll stumble on something good,” Xiulan suggested.

Lin Heng thought for a moment, then shook his head. “Let Xiong Ba stay with you all today. I’ll take him next time.”

With that, he filled up the tank and drove out. Although there was a screen at the entrance to the driveway, the road was wide enough for a three-wheeler to get through, just not wide enough for a four-wheeler.

Father Lin was already waiting on the road. He had with him a small hoe, a machete, and a bag.

“Aren’t you bringing a fishing rod?” Father Lin asked curiously as Lin Heng got down.

“The purple bamboo rods are too long. I’ll cut some bamboo when we get there instead,” Lin Heng said, laughing. Carrying such long rods was too cumbersome on the vehicle, but fishing line was enough.

“True.” Father Lin nodded, then got into the vehicle. He even checked over a scratch on it carefully, only relaxing when he saw it was a mud stain.

“I’m here!”

Just then, Lin Yue finished convincing his son Lin Wei to stay behind, hurried over, and sat right behind Lin Heng.

Once they were all settled, Lin Heng checked the time—it was exactly 10:03 in the morning. The sun was warm. Getting to the Black River would take about forty or fifty minutes.

It was just a bit closer than the route into town. In truth, the river wasn’t far in a straight line, but the drive took longer due to detours.

The three chatted as they traveled, and half an hour later, the Black River came into view. This river was much bigger than the Huangtan River. The narrowest parts of the gorge were one or two hundred meters wide, and the current was swift—the rushing sound of the water could be heard from far away.

Right beside the river was Songlin Town, which had about the same population as Huangtan Town. But that wasn’t their destination. Instead, they followed a dirt road along the riverbank that would eventually lead them all the way to the foot of Mount Taibai.

“This Black River doesn’t look black at all,” Lin Yue remarked, gazing at the river in curiosity.

“Maybe it was black in the past, or perhaps certain parts are darker,” Father Lin said beside him. Either way, it’s always been called that.

As they continued uphill, the mountains became increasingly steep, and the dirt road grew steeper as well. The river narrowed a lot.

After another ten-odd kilometers, they crossed a narrow mountain pass and a wide, beautiful river valley unfolded before them.

There were no homes around the valley, only two distant households on the high slopes of the mountains. The valley floor was dotted with enormous bluestones, densely packed river rocks, and vast patches of sand.

In the sunlight, the sand gleamed a dazzling gold, looking beautiful.

Here, the river flowed much more gently, winding slowly along. Looking southwest, the towering peak of Mount Taibai seemed almost within arm’s reach.

“This is the place—absolutely gorgeous,” Father Lin said with a big smile.

“Yes, any farther and we’d be at Mount Taibai,” Lin Yue agreed with a nod.

Lin Heng had already parked the vehicle by the roadside. He liked this spot, too. The scenery was breathtaking, untouched and pristine, and there wasn’t a speck of trash on the riverbed.

“Come on, let’s go check it out,” Lin Heng said with a cheerful smile. They’d actually passed many good spots along the way, but he hadn’t stopped.

The curiosity about what lay ahead always called him forward, always tempting him with the hope of a better view. If he hadn’t thought going any farther would be too much of a trek, he would have continued onward.

“Let’s go take a look first.”

The three got out and made their way into the beautiful river valley.

【End of Chapter】

#### Translator’s Notes

You become like those you’re close to: This is a translation of the Chinese proverb ‘近朱者赤，近墨者黑’, meaning one’s character is influenced by the company they keep.

white steamed buns: A common Chinese metaphor for a woman’s breasts, referring to their shape and color.

vital essence: A translation of ‘精气’ (jingqi), a concept in traditional Chinese medicine and Daoist philosophy referring to the essential energy that sustains life, often associated with sexual vitality.

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