Chapter 97 The dog is gone
Time flies, and several days have passed. Xiulan's feet hurt so she stayed at home and didn't go out to run around.
She was either making soap or weaving straw hats.
Lin Heng didn't go hunting, but occasionally went fishing. Every day he took Xiongba to walk around nearby, hoping to catch a hare or a pheasant.
But every day he came back, he only brought two frogs and a few green bearded crickets. He was too lazy to eat them, so he fed them to Xiongba.
Maybe he caught too many green bearded crickets this year, and now there are fewer traces of these birds.
Lin Heng had to give up and didn't catch frogs. After all, they are beneficial creatures for farmland.
But poor Xiongba, he had no meat to eat recently, and could only eat corn paste and leftovers.
Fortunately, there was a wild boar head at home. I wanted to eat it, but the wild boar hair was really hard to clean.
In the end, I had to cut off the ears and tongue for people to eat, and boiled the rest and fed it to Xiongba.
However, the tusks of this wild boar are quite long. After sawing them off and polishing them with sandpaper, they are very beautiful in snow-white color.
Lin Heng originally wanted to make a hairpin for his wife, but it was too curved, so he could only make two pendants.
He cut a few more bamboos and tied them together with the wild boar's tusks to make a wind chime and hung it in the backyard.
As long as there is a breeze, you can hear the crisp sound of hitting, the pleasant movement, and the buzzing of bees form a natural melody.
The black pine in Linshui behind the old house has also survived, and Lin Heng and his eldest brother carried it to the backyard.
Today, the backyard is very rich in plants, including more than a dozen orchids, black pines, small pyracantha trees dug from the mountains, gardenias, roses, lilies...
Lin Heng arranged these plants according to his own ideas, and added some strange stones. Even without a lawn, this small garden is now very perfect.
Although the house is a mud house, this place is not mud at all.
That afternoon, Lin Heng was taking a nap in the pavilion with his daughter in his arms, listening to the sound of water, bees, and the occasional sound of wind chimes. He felt so comfortable that he didn't want to move.
Xiulan was picking honeysuckle beside him, and she didn't say much. The family of three wasted time like this, leisurely.
"Sister-in-law Xiulan, open the door."
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door in the backyard.
"I'm coming."
Xiulan said, and took the initiative to walk over to open the door. Her ankle sprain had healed. Although the scratches on her feet had not healed yet, they were no longer a problem.
"Caiyun, why are you here?" Xiulan opened the door and asked with a smile.
"I knew you must be in the backyard." Caiyun smiled, walked into the yard and commented: "My second brother is good at eating, drinking and having fun. This backyard is beautifully decorated."
Lin Heng: "...If you don't know how to talk, you can go out."
Caiyun laughed: "My sister-in-law and niece won't chase me away, right, Xiaoxia."
"Aunt!!" Xiaoxia got off the chair and ran to Caiyun's arms.
Caiyun hugged Xiaoxia and kissed her, then told her the reason for coming here this time: "Sister-in-law, actually I came to share with you the interesting things I saw these days."
The so-called interesting things are gossip.
"What's the matter?" Xiulan didn't know much about the gossip in the village, but she occasionally heard Xiulan talk about it.
"I went to Teacher Tian for extra lessons recently, and became good friends with her because she also likes reading and is much more knowledgeable than me."
Caiyun said with a smile, looking very happy.
"Then, these two days, Teacher Tian often played chess for a long time by herself. I didn't know why at first.
It wasn't until today that I found out that this is really a shocking secret." Caiyun suddenly stopped talking here and kept it a secret.
"What secret?" Xiulan was a little curious.
Before Caiyun spoke, Lin Heng spoke first: "I guess it's because she can't beat others, so she studied it herself."
Caiyun couldn't help but widen her eyes when she heard this: "Second brother, how did you know?"
"Guessed." Lin Heng smiled and spread his hands.
"Then you guessed it accurately."
Caiyun didn't think much and couldn't wait to announce the answer: "The big secret I found is that every afternoon after school, Teacher Tian would play chess with someone in the classroom.
And she lost every time, so she was angry and played chess by herself."
"And the person who played chess with Teacher Tian was a man, guess who it was?" Caiyun kept it a secret again.
Lin Heng shook his head: "I'm too lazy to guess."
"Caiyun, tell me quickly, I can't guess it either."
Xiu Lan's curiosity was aroused, and she shook Caiyun's hand and urged.
"Hey, this person is very close to us, and his surname is also Lin." Caiyun said with a smile.
Xiu Lan suddenly had an idea and suddenly said: "Could it be Lin Hai?"
"How did you know, sister-in-law?" Caiyun was shocked. How could Xiu Lan guess so accurately.
"Because Lin Hai is good at chess, your second brother is not his opponent." Xiu Lan said with a smile.
"So that's the case, then it's not surprising, cousin Lin Hai is too good at chess.
I watched secretly, and every time he defeated Teacher Tian, Teacher Tian was so angry that he wrote about him in his diary.
I feel that Brother Lin Hai is pursuing Teacher Tian, but he is too straightforward and doesn't know how to give in a little."
Caiyun's gossip soul was burning, she didn't dare to spread it everywhere, and wanted to find someone to share it with, so she found sister-in-law Xiu Lan.
Because she never talks nonsense, she wanted to come here to share.
"By the way, brother, don't talk nonsense. I trust Sister Xiulan." Caiyun said again.
"Got it." Lin Heng shook his head and squinted his eyes to rest.
Next to him, Caiyun was still chatting with Xiulan.
The two of them had no idea that the culprit causing all this was right in front of them.
After hearing what Caiyun said, Lin Heng felt relieved. Lin Hai was quite reliable and could strictly follow what he said. He was a promising talent.
They chatted for a while. Lin Heng sat up and looked at Xiulan and asked, "Are you really not going to go with me when I go to town tomorrow?"
Xiulan shook her head: "I'm not going. Go back quickly. I'll wait for you at home."
Lin Heng was helpless: "Okay, do you want to eat anything? I'll buy some for you."
"No, don't buy me clothes or anything like that. I won't let you in the house after spending money on me." Xiulan warned.
Caiyun looked on and laughed, but was slapped in the head by Lin Heng.
Caiyun said angrily: "Second brother, you beat me stupid, I will not leave because of your family."
Lin Heng sneered: "If you don't leave, I'll feed you and Pig Shuan to the pigs."
"I'm so angry. I'm leaving and I won't let you pasture the sheep once."
Caiyun put down Xiaoxia, turned around and left.
Halfway through, he turned back and smiled: "Second brother, don't forget to buy a few more used books tomorrow. I will pay you back when I make money."
"Oh, got it."
Lin Heng stretched, stood up, and went to pack the things he was going to take to the city to sell.
Everything is packed in opaque snakeskin bags. It is not safe these days and money cannot be leaked.
Early the next morning, it was July 7th in the Gregorian calendar and May 20th in the lunar calendar, which happened to be Xiaoshu.
Because Lin Heng was going to the city, Xiulan made rice for him. The dish was pork stir-fried with shredded sour radish. Extremely tired of eating, Lin Heng ate two large bowls of rice.
When leaving, Xiulan arranged his clothes and looked into her eyes and said:
"Pay attention to your safety and don't buy random things for your family. Don't lack anything. Otherwise, I really won't let you in."
Lin Heng grinned: "You really have the heart to prevent me from entering the house?"
Xiulan glared at him: "You will know then."
"Don't worry, I won't buy anything randomly." Lin Heng squeezed his wife's hand, took the things and left.
Coming over to the old house, Brother Lin is carrying wheat to the newly made wooden cart. Today he has to go to town to deliver the public grain.
Not only do you have to pay the public grain, but you also have to grind flour. There is a large flour grinding machine in the town, which is much better than using a stone mill at home.
"Dad, brother, I'm leaving first." Lin Heng looked at his father and brother and said
"Do you want us to wait for you in Huangtan Town?" Father Lin asked.
"No need, I'll come back by myself then." Lin Heng shook his head.
"Okay, please pay attention to your safety." Father Lin nodded and said.
"rest assured."
Lin Heng waved his hand and walked away carrying his things.
Today is the day when their village delivers wheat rations, and there are wooden carts pulling rations on the road.
Walking to the front, Lin Heng found that the village party secretary Tian Dongfu was giving instructions. He didn't pull any food, so he was probably preparing to pay.
"Uncle Tian."
Lin Heng smiled and said hello. Tian Dongfu is a respectable person who has spent his whole life leading the villagers to get rich.
Especially when his son comes out of school in two years and is assigned to work as a civil servant in the county, he can go to Nanping County with him to enjoy the blessings, but he still chooses to work here.
"Lin Heng, aren't you with your dad?" Tian Dongfu asked with a smile.
His attitude towards this young man has changed drastically recently. He likes people who are down to earth.
He felt that Lin Heng had a junior high school education and could have a bright future as long as he worked hard.
"No, my brother and my dad are together, and I will sell some medicinal materials." Lin Heng said with a smile.
"Oh, go ahead and live a good life, down to earth."
Tian Dongfu said with a smile, very amiable.
"OK."
Lin Heng nodded, thought for a while and then said: "Uncle Tian, there are a lot of snakes and insects recently, you must be careful when walking."
He just remembered something. In his previous life, Tian Dongfu seemed to have been bitten by a poisonous snake recently.
Although the venomous snake was not very venomous and was rescued in time, his physical condition has plummeted since then.
"Okay." Tian Dongfu was a little surprised that Lin Heng reminded him, but he still kept these words in his heart.
After the reminder, Lin Heng walked away quickly. He didn't know the specific time when he was bitten, so he could only remind him like this, which can be regarded as the most benevolent thing.
Today is not a market day, the town is relatively deserted.
Lin Heng searched around and didn't find any rides, so he walked to the school, preparing to take a small road to the city.
"Lin Heng, where are you going?"
Walking near the school, Lin Heng suddenly heard someone calling him.
Turning around, he saw a young man in his mid-twenties, with a jet-cut hairstyle and wearing a black leather jacket.
"Hello, Teacher Guo, I'm going to walk to the city to sell some herbs." Lin Heng responded with a smile.
This person was Guo Xu, the teacher who was hired the semester before he dropped out of junior high school. At that time, he even tried to persuade him several times to drop out of school.
"Go to the city, then you can wait. I will have a class in the morning today on Friday. After that, I will go back to the city and I can take you with me."
Guo Xu said casually that his family was wealthy and he had a motorcycle of his own at a young age.
"Teacher Guo, your family is not from Nanping County. How can you get to the city?"
Lin Heng asked curiously.
Although Huangtan Town belongs to Nanping County, it is farther from the county seat than Taibai City, and the road is not easy to walk. He chose to go directly to the city to sell medicinal materials.
"I'm going to the city to see an elder. Don't worry about mother-in-law and mother-in-law. Come to school with me. I'll take you down to the city after nine o'clock."
Guo Xu's tone meant that he could not refuse. He felt that Lin Heng was a little afraid of him.
And he also wanted to know the current situation of this student who had not been persuaded back then.
"Okay, thank you very much, teacher." Lin Heng could only walk over, took one out of his pocket and handed it to Guo Xu.
"Have you had breakfast? If you haven't eaten, I'll go to the school cafeteria and get you some."
Guo Xu took the cigarette and asked again. It was only seven o'clock now. He had just finished breakfast and went out for a walk to eat. He happened to see Lin Heng and stopped him to chat.
"have eaten."
Lin Heng nodded and followed the teacher into the school.
"Are you farming at home to make a living now? Is it hard?" Guo Xu asked.
He felt that Lin Heng must regret it now. If he had continued studying, it would have been much better to pass the technical secondary school examination and get a job instead of farming.
"That's right. I also learned how to hunt, and my life is pretty good now."
Lin Heng nodded and said nothing about his ambitions.
"Hunting?" Guo Xu was a little curious. Lin Heng still had this ability.
Walking to Guo Xu's office, Lin Heng sat down and briefly talked about his hunting routine.
Guo Xu couldn't help being a little shocked: "Can you hit pig badgers and muntjacs with your bow and arrow? Please tell me in detail."
"Yes." Lin Heng also showed him the suede leather.
He wasn't worried that Guo Xu had any bad intentions, as others looked down upon his money.
When Lin Heng told about his experience, Guo Xu felt a little envious. Hunting looked like fun.
"I didn't expect you to find a way out again. If you have time, make me a fishing rod. I also want to try fishing. I'll pay for it."
Guo Xu patted Lin Heng on the shoulder and said, but he still felt it was a pity that hunting could not last long.
Lin Heng said with a smile: "Bamboos are not valuable and are everywhere. I will bring you one when the time comes."
After chatting for a few more words, Guo Xu felt more and more that Lin Heng had changed a lot. He even looks a little less like a twenty-year-old young man. He has completely lost his previous irritability, and his knowledge seems to be higher than before.
"I'm going to class first. You can take a break by yourself. We'll set off after class is over."
Guo Xu said with a smile.
"Okay." Lin Heng nodded, took a book and read it.
After watching for a while, he got up and went to the back of the school to see the remaining dogs.
After searching around, Lin Heng couldn't find any sign of the dog. He didn't know if it had gone somewhere else or if it had been caught again.
He asked people in the school again, but they all said they hadn't seen him for a long time.
"Oh." Lin Heng sighed and walked back with his hands behind his back.
Looking at this dilapidated campus and listening to the sound of Lang Lang reading, he felt a little emotional. Sometimes the encounters in life are like this dog. If you miss it, you will never find it again.
Returning to the teacher's office, he flipped through historical records.
An hour passed quickly, and Lin Heng had already turned over more than a thousand years of Chinese history.
Guo Xu returned to the office with his textbooks and saw Lin Heng reading. He smiled and said, "You still like reading now."
"Haha, I read some occasionally." Lin Heng smiled slightly.
"It's good. Reading is a good thing." Guo Xu said with a smile. He felt that this was Lin Heng's nostalgia for the days when he was in school.
As one of his first students, he still had feelings for Lin Heng and felt it was a pity.
Putting down the book, Guo Xu was packing his things while chatting with Lin Heng.
"You said you caught an old turtle that was more than thirty years old. Is it still there?" Guo Xu asked with a smile.
Lin Heng smiled and nodded: "It's still there, he's being raised at home."
"How much can you usually sell it for?" Guo Xu asked again.
"At least thirty yuan, it depends on whether the person needs it or not," Lin Heng said.
"Then you sell it to me. I bought it for fifty yuan. I'll buy it back and make soup for my grandpa to replenish his body." Guo Xu said with a smile.
Lin Heng was a little surprised. He didn't know whether the teacher felt that it was not easy for him to buy it intentionally to help, or whether he really bought it to give away.
Guo Xu looked at Lin Heng and asked, "Why, do you think it's cheap?"
"No, teacher, if you buy it, thirty is enough. If it's more, I won't sell it." Lin Heng shook his head, not wanting to make money from the teacher.
Guo Xu was unhappy and said with a straight face: "What, you think I'm giving you alms? Fifty is fifty. I bought it for my grandpa, so I can't let you lose money."
Before Lin Heng could say anything, Guo Xu said, "I've packed my things. Your old turtle is at home, right? I'll ride my bike and let's go get it."
Lin Heng had no choice but to say no, so he nodded and walked out.
Guo Xu's motorcycle is a very classic Honda CG125, which sells for about 1,500. Even in the 21st century, many people still ride this motorcycle.
The red paint looks very handsome and is definitely a sign of wealth in this era.
Lin Heng didn't know what Guo Xu's family did, but he knew he was very rich.
"Sit down."
Guo Xu said something, and with the roar of the engine and a puff of smoke, the motorcycle sped out.
It's already thirty degrees now, and it's so comfortable to sit on a motorcycle and enjoy the wind.
Lin Heng pointed to the road, and it took him more than ten minutes to return to Hongfeng Village.
"Teacher, this is my home, a newly built house." Lin Heng pointed at the earthen wall inside the road and said with a smile.
"Very good." Guo Xu nodded, parked the motorcycle, and followed Lin Heng up the stairs.
Many people in the village came out when they heard the roar of the motorcycle and watched from a distance, full of curiosity and envy.
"My wife doesn't seem to be at home. Let's go in directly." Lin Heng found that the door was locked, opened the door, and invited the teacher to come in.
Guo Xu nodded and walked into the yard with curiosity.
"Is this the badger cub you mentioned?" Guo Xu looked at the badger in the pen curiously. This was the first time he saw a wild badger.
"Yes, it was caught by setting a trap." Lin Heng said while opening the door and taking a cup to pour water for the teacher.
"You are indeed much more mature than before." Guo Xu took the water with a smile.
Looking up at Lin Heng's house, he was a little surprised that it was painted with plaster inside and stones were laid on the ground.
"Where is the old turtle, let me see." After taking a look, Guo Xu said again.
"In the backyard." Lin Heng took him to the backyard.
Passing through the dark corridor, the backyard appeared in front of the two. Guo Xu looked at the backyard of Lin Heng's house and couldn't help showing a look of shock.
"Did you arrange this yourself?"
He was shocked by this beautiful backyard.