Return to the small mountain village in 1983

Chapter 93 It’s over, I’m surrounded by my wife’s tenderness
  After a morning of cooking, the second pot of lard has been finished. Xiulan fished it out and threw in the lean wild boar meat and fried it thoroughly.

After frying, you can pick it up and make canned meat. I found a large earthen jar, poured the lean meat into it first, and then poured the cooked lard into it.

After the lard cools down, the lean meat will be wrapped in the middle of the lard, which will isolate the air and bacteria and can be stored for one or two years without deterioration.

There seemed to be a lot of wild boar meat, but not much after being refined into lard, so I just transferred a pot, a vat, and a small bucket, which was only about seventy kilograms in total.

"Come on, let's go over and help thresh the wheat."

There is nothing much to do at home, Xiulan suggested.

"okay."

Lin Heng felt a little nostalgic. The method of harvesting wheat by threshing was so ancient in his memory that he almost forgot how to do it.

After locking the door, the family of three came to the yard of the old house. Before they even got close, they could hear the sound of slapping.

Walking into the house, Father Lin and his eldest brother were wearing straw hats and threshing wheat with flails.

A flail consists of a handle and a flail. The handle is usually made of three or four meters of bamboo, and the flail is connected to it through a wooden connecting rod.

The flail is made of bamboo and a very dense and heavy wooden stick. It is rectangular, one meter to two meters long and thirty to forty centimeters wide.

When you swing the handle, the flail on the connecting rod will rotate and beat the wheat ears on the ground under human control. This requires a certain amount of skill.

"Dad, let me hit it." Lin Heng took the flail and tried to operate it himself. He couldn't get it right the first few times. He couldn't make the flail completely fit with the ground, so he couldn't hit the wheat.

"You're so embarrassed that you can't even use a flail." Mother Lin laughed.

"How about you give it to me?" Father Lin said.

Lin Heng: "It's just that I haven't used it for a long time."

After practicing again, he quickly mastered the trick and the wheat crackled.

Threshing wheat can be considered a tiring job, but it is much better than cutting wheat.

"Tian Baishun gave you a gift, did you accept it?"

Father Lin took a sip of water and asked while sitting under the eaves.

"Yes, what else can we do?" Lin Heng shrugged. Many gifts are something that you have to accept, but you can't take them directly. You have to be polite.

Fortunately, he is not young at heart and knows all these things very well.

"Just accept it. I'm just asking. If someone comes to your door like this and doesn't accept it, it's offending someone." Father Lin nodded.

Lin Heng didn't want to talk more about this topic, so he changed the topic: "I'm going to the city to sell goods recently, is anyone with me?"

"I don't have time, go on your own." Father Lin shook his head.

Lin Heng looked at the others again, and even his wife Xiulan said she didn't want to go.

"Aren't you afraid that I'll wander around the city and never come back?" Lin Heng was speechless.

Mother Lin glanced at him: "If you don't want Xiulan, you won't come back."

Father Lin also said lightly: "It's no big deal, you will always come back. I will break your legs when you come back next time."

Lin Heng: "..."

Xiulan couldn't help but laugh next to her. Lin Heng glared at her, thinking that he had to teach his wife a lesson tonight. He was so bold that he dared to laugh at him.

When the wheat was almost threshed, Mother Lin came over and used a fork to skewer the wheat stalks. Then she took a large sieve and initially sifted the wheat and piled it aside.

The wheat at home had already been partially threshed the day before yesterday and yesterday, but not much today. In one afternoon, the family changed the threshing and finished it quickly.

After sieving twice, it was time to use the windmill. Lin Heng and his elder brother carried out the wooden windmill at home.

"I'll shake the windmill." Lin Heng took over this fun job.

The eldest brother Lin Yue served the wheat, while Mother Lin was picking up the wheat.

The principle of the windmill is simpler. It uses the principle of wind blowing to blow out those light wheat husks and tiny leaves. This thing existed in ancient China.

After passing the windmill twice, we got clean wheat without any impurities.

"Come on, weigh me and see how many pounds you have harvested this year."

As the setting sun continued to shine, Father Lin took out the steelyard, with an expression of joy on his face.

"Come!"

Lin Heng argued with his eldest brother, Lin's father said, and Caiyun took a piece of paper to record it.

"How many kilograms is Caiyun in total?" After weighing, Father Lin couldn't wait to ask.

"The day before yesterday it was 885 jins, yesterday it was 542 jins, and today it is 732 jins, a total of 2959 jins." Caiyun said.

"It's not bad. It's a good harvest. After paying the public rations and other messes, we can still have about [-] kilograms left." Father Lin grinned and was in a good mood.

In the [-]s, there were various agricultural taxes and public grains in rural areas. If they were combined together, they would get one hundred kilograms of grain per acre of land.

Those who have money can also pay.

Grain can only be sold to or purchased from grain stations. Private individuals are not allowed to buy or sell grain.

Although the Lin family has thirty acres of land, after it is handed over, it will only be enough for themselves.

Not only agricultural taxes, there is also a huge gap between rural household registration and urban household registration in this era.

That's why Lin Hengcai said he wanted to start a business and engage in breeding. These are much better than farming, and the policies are loose.

"You all help carry the grain into the house first, dry it in the sun in the next two days, and then take it to the town to hand it over."

Father Lin looked at everyone and said that he didn't have any problem with paying grain, because farmers have been required to pay it since ancient times.

If you tell him that he doesn’t need to pay it in the future, he may still find it strange.

After moving things into the house, Sister Xiulan also prepared the meal.

The whole family ate happily and shared the joy of harvest.

"When the public food is paid in two days, we will go to the village together and separate the household registration and other things. From now on, we will live our own lives."

Father Lin said with a smile.

"It's not urgent. It doesn't matter whether they are separated or not." Lin Heng shook his head and said that it would not have any impact on his family.

"It's better to separate." Lin's father insisted. He felt that since the family was going to be separated, it should be done thoroughly.

"Then let's divide it." Lin Heng spread his hands and didn't care.

After dinner, the sky was already cloudy, and Lin Heng took his wife and daughter home quickly to collect their things.

After simply adding a roof to the pig-badger pen and feeding Xiongba, Lin Heng went to make some fish ponds. He was afraid that heavy rain would wash away the fry.

"Roar!!"

While washing his feet, Lin Heng noticed that he hadn't fed the little wild cat yet today.

"What are you feeding?" Xiulan glanced at the closed little wild cat.

"Make some batter and feed it. It doesn't deserve good food. It has a bad temper. It would have died on the slope if I hadn't rescued it."

Lin Heng glanced at the little wild cat. He had no interest in raising the cat as his ancestor.

If you are good and make people lovable, give them something delicious to eat. If you are cruel, just give them something to keep them hungry.

If you really make him angry, just throw him out to die.

"Okay, it just so happens that there is still a little bit of the soup left today." Xiulan nodded and went to the kitchen to put the remaining soup into a bowl.

At night, just as Lin Heng and Xiulan fell asleep, there was thunder and heavy rain outside.

It seems that God thinks it is not easy for farmers to grow crops, so they wait until the wheat harvest is finished before planting crops.

Early the next morning, it was still raining, so Lin Heng and Xiulan didn't get up in a hurry and just lay in bed chatting, which was rare and leisurely.

After getting up, having a simple breakfast and feeding the chickens and ducks, Xiulan began to knit straw hats.

Lin Hengze is working on his purple bamboo fishing rod. It was not finished yesterday because Tian Baishun came to the door, so he will continue today.

Xiaoxia stayed close to Xiulan and was not helpful from time to time. Anyway, she couldn't take any time off.

"How much have I harvested during the past few days of hunting?"

Lin Heng asked while straightening the purple bamboo.

"I collected about ten kilograms. Not many people came to sell. They are all kept in the cabinet." Xiulan said casually.

Lin Heng had already expected this result and knew that he would not be able to collect much from Murakami. This was mainly because Gang Lin's father, Lin's mother and others got used to it, making small moves at first, and then gradually increasing the effort.

After chatting for a few words, the room became quiet, with only the sound of daughter Xiaoxia's babbling and playing.

Occasionally, when they remembered something, they chatted for a few more words, and then fell into silence again. The sound of rain outside the house continued, and the sound of their daughter's play could be heard from time to time in the house.

It was noon, Xiulan cooked, and Lin Heng helped take care of her daughter. After the meal, the rain subsided, and the two went out to collect some fodder to feed the sheep and pigs and badgers.

The small days are dull and happy.

It was already night before they knew it. The two energetic people discussed the philosophical issues of human creation and improved their understanding of each other.

The love is deep, so they cherish each other especially. Xiulan has a gentle and delicate personality and treats Lin Heng in every possible way. Lin Heng carries a lifetime of guilt in his heart. He also loves his wife in his heart and loves above actions.

Love that is intense and deep at night relies on actions, while love that is delicate and warm during the day relies on the heart. It rained continuously for five days, until the [-]th day of the fifth lunar month and the [-]st day of the seventh lunar month.

In the morning, the rain stopped, and heavy fog spread from the mountains to the river. Lin Heng's yard was covered in white.

"It's over, I'm surrounded by your tenderness."

Lin Heng stood in front of the gate, stretched and said with a smile.

Xiulan glanced at him: "You say such things again in broad daylight."

Lin Heng grinned: "I'm telling the truth, how would you know if I didn't tell you."

"Then next time, whisper it in my ear." Xiulan looked at him.

"Okay." Lin Heng leaned over and said again.

Xiulan's face suddenly turned red and she glared at Lin Heng: "It's so bad."

Lin Heng not only said shameful words, but also bit her ear.

"Okay, let's go up the mountain quickly. There will definitely be a lot of honeysuckle in this rain." Xiulan said again, carrying the basket on her back and going up the mountain.

Lin Heng held his daughter and took Xiong Ba up the mountain together. The two of them got up early today. It was only half past five. The road was covered with fog and the visibility was less than three meters.

But even so, there were still many people going to Shibadanggou. Especially when he saw Father Lin and Mother Lin, Lin Heng was even more shocked: "Dad, Mom, you guys got up before dawn?"

"What do you think? I've never heard that the early bird catches the worm." Mother Lin disliked him.

"That's crazy." Lin Heng shook his head and turned around to help his wife cut honeysuckle vines. This time it wasn't as much as the first time, but it was still a lot.

"Dad, there is one here!" Xiaoxia imitated the two of them and called him by pulling on the flower vine.

Lin Heng led Xiaoxia while cutting, while Xiulan searched everywhere at a very fast speed.

"There's a lot of space there, but it's too high."

Xiulan pointed to a high hill and said, there is no way, she can't go up.

"I'll do it." Lin Heng handed his daughter's hand to Xiulan, grabbed the stone ridge and climbed up at once. This was too easy for him.

"Be careful." Xiulan said worriedly.

While she was talking, Lin Heng had already climbed up and cut down the flower vine in just a few strokes.

"It's amazing, but it's not necessary. It's not good if people get hurt." Xiulan said while looking at Huateng.

"Don't worry." Lin Heng said with a smile. He came just for his wife's compliment.

In two hours, I cut two baskets, all full of honeysuckle.

On this foggy day, it is quite refreshing without rain. Being in the mountains is simply a kind of enjoyment. Xiaoxia runs around with flower vines.

Seeing that the backpack was full, Xiulan said, "Let's go, it's almost gone. Let's go home and make breakfast, and then go to other places to collect mushrooms."

As the fog dissipated, more people came, but fortunately they had done enough.

"Okay." Lin Heng picked up his daughter, whose shoes were already covered with mud, and followed Xiulan home through another forest path.

"Dad, what is this?" Xiaoxia asked, pointing to a tree.

"That's a chestnut tree. The chestnuts it bears are edible."

"What about this?"

"This is also a chestnut tree."

"and this!"

"This is a medicinal tree, poisonous!"

Xiaoxia was very curious, and the voices of father and daughter asking and answering echoed in the quiet forest in the early morning. Xiulan walked in front, listening to the conversation between father and daughter, the corners of her mouth raised slightly.

"Dad, what's that?"

Xiaoxia pointed to a tree.

"The chestnut tree." Lin Heng replied helplessly. He couldn't remember how many times he had answered.

"No, it's that one! Chong Chong!" Xiaoxia shook her head and pointed upward with her little finger.

Lin Heng raised his head and looked in the direction pointed by Xiaoxia's little finger.

"Oh my god, it's a bee!"

It doesn't matter if you don't look at it, but you will be shocked when you look at it. On the branch of a chestnut tree above your head, countless bees gathered there to form a bee ball with a diameter of more than ten centimeters.

Obviously, this is a bee that has just separated and has not yet found a new nest.

"Bee?" Xiulan turned her head curiously.

"Xiaoxia is really my lucky baby." Lin Heng couldn't help but kiss his daughter twice. If it weren't for Xiaoxia, he wouldn't have discovered this nest of bees.

Bees make almost no sound after the rain. They huddle up in a high place and are invisible to ordinary people.

"Bee, bee!" Xiaoxia couldn't connect bees with honey, so she waved her hands and thought it was fun.

"What a bee." Xiulan couldn't help but look surprised.

Lin Heng looked at the bees and made an immediate decision: "Xiulan, take your daughter and wait here to avoid being robbed by others. I will go back and find someone who knows how to collect bees to help collect the bees."

Xiulan nodded and said, "Okay, I'll wait for you here."

Lin Heng nodded and hurried back home, with Xiong Ba following behind him to have fun.

Lin Heng was carrying honeysuckle and passed by Wang Jin's house at the end of the village. Wang Jin's house was also one of the thousand-yuan households in the village. His house kept more than [-] buckets of bees.

Wang Jin happened to be at the door when he came over. Lin Heng quickly smiled and said, "Uncle Wang, could you please do me a favor?"

Wang Jin is a middle-aged man in his forties, the same generation as Lin Heng's father. He has a pair of mung bean eyes and a small mouth. His face is very fat. He has gained weight from eating well.

"What's the matter?" Wang Jin turned to look at Lin Heng and took a good look at this young man, who had recently become famous in the village.

Taking a closer look, he felt a little jealous. The Lin family were all good-looking, so how could they still have money?

"It's like this. I found a nest of newly separated bees on the wild slope. Uncle Wang, can you collect it for me?" Lin Heng said with a smile, and his attitude of asking for help was very low.

When Wang Jin heard this, he quickly asked: "Where are the bees? Could they be separated from my bee bucket?"

Lin Heng frowned and thought to himself, who has discovered the bees in the wild since ancient times. Why does this person still want to identify them as his?
  But he still didn't say it, but said with a smile: "Uncle Wang, if you help me, you won't let your work go in vain. I will give you thirty cents as travel expenses."

Wang Jin waved his hand and refused: "I won't do it. Tell me the location and I'll give you [-] cents and I'll collect it. You don't know how to keep bees and it's a waste to collect them. Besides, they might have escaped from my house." .”

Not only did he refuse, he also wanted to take advantage.

Lin Heng was stunned for a second, not expecting Wang Jin to be so shameless.

"Forget it, I'll figure it out myself, no more trouble." Lin Heng said, turned around and left.

"To be honest, you still don't listen. Hunting and collecting bees are different. If you get stung, don't blame me for not warning you." Seeing Lin Heng leave, Wang Jin felt dissatisfied.

Lin Heng shook his head. He could see that this person didn't want other people to have bees, for fear that each family would have its own honey and not be able to sell it.

The layout is too small.

"If they don't help, I'll take it myself." Lin Heng shook his head, too lazy to look for anyone else.

Fortunately, his uncle had talked to him about how to collect bees before, so if he followed it, there should be no problem.

After returning home, he first sawed wooden boards and nailed a beehive. When raising bees in rural areas, they usually use buckets or boxes.

It's not like modern times where you have to put in a nest or something like that. You have to rely on bees to be self-sufficient. In the winter, you might take a little care of them so that they don't starve to death.

The farming method is more inclined to the ancient method of beekeeping.

After half an hour of nailing, Lin Heng finally nailed a tight rectangular beehive, fifty centimeters long, thirty centimeters wide and high. There were also some small holes on it for the bees to enter and exit, which are currently blocked. state.

After finishing it, Lin Heng found another bamboo pole, took out the honey at home, tore off a piece of cloth, a rope, and brought a bamboo basket to control water, as well as a handful of dried pine needles.

There were only so many tools, and they were all put into the backpack. Lin Heng went up the mountain to find Xiulan.

Xiulan held her daughter and sat on the basket to look at the flowers and trees. When she saw Lin Heng coming alone, she asked in confusion: "Why did you come alone?"

"If we can't find anyone, then Wang Jin won't help because he's afraid that if we collect the bees, he won't be able to sell the honey." Lin Heng shook his head and said.

"So you're going to take it yourself? It's better not to, it's very risky." Xiulan said worriedly. She didn't expect Wang Jin to be so cautious.

"It's okay. You take your daughter and stay away. I'll give it a try and forget it if it doesn't work." Lin Heng said.

Xiulan knew that she couldn't persuade her, so she could only nod: "Then be careful. If it doesn't work, forget it."

"Got it." Lin Heng said and started to operate.

He tied the bamboo basket to the bamboo pole, tied the cloth strip to the bamboo basket, and then smeared honey on the bamboo basket, the cloth strip and the bee bucket.

There should be less on the bamboo baskets and cloth strips, and more on the bee buckets.

After applying it, Lin Heng piled dry pine needles on the rocks. If the bees accidentally provoked a riot, this thing could be lit to protect himself.

"I'm starting. You and your daughter should go further."

Lin Heng said something and held the bamboo pole and handed the bamboo basket tied to it to the pile of bees on the trunk.

(End of this chapter)