Chapter 254: A Long-Awaited Heavy Rain and Xiulan in Spring

Xiulan tucked the money into her pocket for the time being and went with Lin Heng to the back hill to plant melon seedlings.

After Father Lin had taken some, there were still eight watermelon seedlings, five cantaloupe seedlings, and eight cucumber seedlings left.

Lin Heng pulled these seedlings up and took them to the back hill, finding a spot with plenty of soil to dig holes and plant them. After that, other than adding some manure, he wouldn’t bother with them anymore. If they bore fruit, they bore fruit; if they didn’t, so be it.

In the countryside, people didn’t really tend to melons and fruits. They were everywhere anyway, and there was bound to be at least one plant that produced something.

After they finished planting the melon seedlings, Xiulan said, “Dig a few more holes. I’ll go get some seeds for native cucumbers, pumpkins, and winter melons to plant.”

In their region, the long, thin ones were called water cucumbers, while the local short, thick ones were called drought cucumbers[1]. Water cucumbers didn’t produce as much fruit as the drought cucumbers, so people in the countryside preferred planting the latter.

Avoiding the area where the tree saplings were, Lin Heng dug ten more holes. When Xiulan brought the seeds over, Xiao Xia rushed forward and said, “Mom, I want to plant them too!”

“Here you go, just drop them in.” Xiulan handed the seeds to Xiao Xia and taught her how to scatter them into the holes.

“I’m planting!”

Xiao Xia took the seeds and scattered them haphazardly, dropping a dozen or twenty seeds into a single hole.

It didn’t really matter, though. The seeds they saved themselves weren’t worth much. If too many sprouted, they could just pull the extra ones out later. Of the ten holes, they planted three with pumpkins, three with winter melons, and three with native cucumbers.

They naturally wouldn’t be able to finish all these melons and vegetables themselves. By the summer and autumn seasons, most of them would be picked to feed the pigs.

“I’ll do the watering!”

Once the planting was done, Lin Heng brought water over, and Xiao Xia wanted to try it herself.

“Pour it right in the middle!”

Lin Heng watched from the side, giving her guidance. There was a great sense of accomplishment in watching a single seed grow into a flower, then into a fruit, and finally eating a melon you had grown with your own hands.

When he was a child, he and his brother loved finding a small patch of land to plant cucumbers and sunflowers. They would check on them and water them every day, picking up cow dung everywhere to use as fertilizer. Finally eating those cucumbers and sunflower seeds would fill their hearts with a sense of achievement and happiness.

During the planting process, one could clearly observe the growth of plants and gain experience. Taking a child to plant melons and fruits was definitely a very worthwhile parent-child activity.

After watering, Lin Heng checked his watch; it was only ten-thirty. However, the sky remained a dull gray. There was no sunlight, and a significant wind was blowing.

Returning to the front yard, Lin Heng and Xiulan continued planting other vegetables, mainly green beans, cowpeas, tomatoes, eggplants, loofahs, bitter melons, and chili peppers.

There wasn’t much land in the yard, so planting a bit of each was enough. There was no need to worry about not having enough to eat; Father Lin and Mother Lin planted a large plot every year, and the only worry was having too much to finish.

These vegetables didn’t require nursery seedlings either. They just scattered a few more seeds in each spot, and some were bound to come up. If there were too many, they could just transplant them.

“Let’s plant some of both the large and small tomatoes,” Xiulan said, holding the tomato seeds.

She had asked someone for these small tomato seeds last year. They produced tomatoes about the size of a pigeon egg, and they tasted great when eaten raw.

“You can plant them however you like,” Lin Heng said with a smile.

“Well, I still have to ask for your opinion,” Xiulan said with a slight smile as she scattered the seeds.

In a short while, all the land in the yard was planted, with only half of the strawberry patch remaining empty because Lin Heng planned to fill all twenty square meters with strawberries.

After finishing the work, Lin Heng glanced at the sky again and turned his head. “Xiulan, I’m going to Red Maple Mountain to take a look.”

“Go ahead, but be careful of the rain.”

Xiulan nodded. She had originally wanted to go out and pick some wild vegetables, but she decided against it for fear of the rain.

Lin Heng waved his hand and went to the back hill to lead Hongzao out. He didn’t even bother with a saddle, simply mounting the horse and riding toward Red Maple Mountain.

“Neigh!”

Hongzao hadn’t had a good run in a long time and let out a loud whinny as he galloped down the road. With the cold wind brushing against his face, riding the horse felt like being a swordsman traveling to the ends of the earth.

At Red Maple Mountain, after a night of settling, the ground had begun to harden, and people could already stand on it.

Lin Heng felt refreshed looking at the neat and clean road, then turned toward the nearby mountain stream.

“The cinnamon ferns[2] were actually snapped off. That was fast!”

When Lin Heng reached the spot, he found the plants were gone. He had seen a patch of cinnamon ferns here before, but they were too small to pick then. Coming back now, they were already gone.

Cinnamon ferns were a type of fern, but they were covered in a layer of fuzz that looked like spider silk. Once that was stripped away, they were just like regular fiddlehead ferns.

Besides the cinnamon ferns, there were many small toon trees[3] nearby, but none of them had sprouts yet. The elevation here was high, so toon sprouts wouldn’t appear until the Qingming Festival. Those massive toon trees that were dozens of meters high wouldn’t have sprouts until a week after the festival.

“Oh no, it’s raining.”

Lin Heng had intended to look around some more, but a light rain began to fall from the sky.

Feeling that things were about to take a turn for the worse, he immediately ran to Hongzao, mounted up, and headed back.

Boom!

He was only halfway there when, accompanied by a loud roar of thunder, the rain suddenly intensified.

“Damn, that was fast!”

Caught off guard, Lin Heng gripped with his legs and sped up.

Neigh!

Hongzao broke into a gallop, rushing back quickly.

The people working in the fields in the village were just like Lin Heng, running back as fast as they could. However, human strength was ultimately too slow. By the time Lin Heng had returned home and put Hongzao in the stable, the people in the fields had only moved a few hundred meters.

Crash!

A long-awaited spring rain poured down. This rain was heavier than any that had come before. In an instant, streams of water began to flow on the ground, and the dripping from the eaves turned into solid lines.

The raindrops drummed against the ground, splashing into round bubbles that burst in an instant. Lin Heng stood at the main gate, watching the people in the fields getting soaked like drowned rats[4], feeling a bit of mischievous joy in his heart.

But even though they were soaked, no one complained that the rain shouldn’t have fallen; they only felt it had come too suddenly.

After running back home, the people stood in their doorways just like Lin Heng to watch the rain. They watched as the trees were washed into a lush green, as life gradually returned to the earth, and as the sky slowly turned a deep blue.

“This really is a good rain! Truly a gift from heaven.”

Lin Heng closed the main gate and ran quickly back into the house, shouting with a smile.

“Yes, this spring rain came at the perfect time!” Xiulan nodded as well. It had been a long time since she had seen such a heavy rain.

After this rain, the survival rate of the fruit trees, medicinal herbs, and pasture they had planted would increase by at least double or triple.

“Rain is good, rain is good!”

Xiao Xia hopped and skipped along with Benben, her hands waving and her three pigtails swaying back and forth.

It wasn’t just the three of them watching the rain; the three dogs and one cat of the house were also standing under the eaves, tongues lolling as they watched the downpour.

Not only was the rain heavy, but the wind was also quite strong, making the wind chimes produce a crisp, tinkling sound.

“Let’s go back inside, it’s getting a bit cold!” Xiulan said after watching the rain for a while.

Lin Heng nodded, called the dogs and cat into the house, and closed the front door. He then opened the back door to give the dogs a way to go out and use the bathroom.

They returned to their bedroom, opened a window, and sat in chairs to watch the rain out of boredom. When they grew tired of watching, they could only pick up a book to pass the time.

Without the internet or television, one could get absorbed even in very obscure books. In fact, Lin Heng had read many of these books in his previous life, but reading them again gave him a different feeling.

Recently, Lin Heng had started reading Das Kapital[5], which he hadn’t been able to get into in his past life. To be an excellent entrepreneur for the people, how could he allow himself not to have studied this great work?

However, this kind of book was far too profound. Even Lin Heng found it difficult to read, so it was impossible for Xiulan and Xiao Xia to understand it.

Therefore, Xiulan picked up a book of her own to read, while Xiao Xia played with playdough, molding little figures.

Time seemed to fly while reading; it was already dark after he had read only fifty pages or so. But the rain still hadn’t stopped, pouring down with a loud roar that drowned out all other sounds in the world.

Xiulan turned on the light and looked at Lin Heng. “What should we have for dinner tonight?”

“Anything is fine. How about we just make some simple noodles?” Lin Heng said, looking up.

“Alright, I’ll go make the noodles then.”

Xiulan nodded and opened the door to go to the kitchen.

Before long, the meal was ready. There were three bowls of clear soup noodles with chopped green onions, a drizzle of sesame oil, and a fried egg. It was incredibly fragrant.

After eating, Lin Heng didn’t really want to continue reading. He leaned against the doorway and watched the rain for a long time, until it was so dark that no light could be seen.

Inside, Xiulan was practicing her penmanship, and Xiao Xia was still playing with her playdough. Lin Heng read for a bit longer, then started telling Xiao Xia stories. After she drank some milk, she gradually drifted off to sleep.

The rain continued throughout the night, only stopping around five or six o’clock on the morning of the twenty-seventh.

“I think the rain stopped!”

At six-thirty, Xiulan woke up groggily and nudged Lin Heng.

“Yes, it seems it just stopped not long ago. If the sun stays out all day today, we can go for an outing tomorrow.”

Lin Heng replied without opening his eyes, habitually reaching out to pull Xiulan into his arms.

“Mhm…”

Xiulan gave a soft hum, resting her face against Lin Heng’s chest and hugging him back, then fell silent again.

Lin Heng was the same; his eyes hadn’t opened once, and he soon fell back asleep.

They had slept a bit late last night, so both were a little drowsy this morning. It was mainly because they had read late into the night, not because of any intimate activities.

“Mommy, I need to go to the bathroom!”

At seven-thirty, Xiao Xia suddenly spoke up, startling them both awake instantly.

“Coming, coming.”

Lin Heng threw on his clothes in two seconds and carried Xiao Xia to the bathroom. Xiulan took the opportunity to find a fresh set of undergarments and get dressed.

Outside, the air was fresh and the sky was a brilliant blue. The forest seemed to have turned much greener overnight, and even the Bluestone floor tiles washed by the rain looked exceptionally clean.

In the sky, the golden sun was particularly dazzling, and its scorching light was about to reach their courtyard.

After going back inside to dress Xiao Xia, the family of three went to the backyard to exercise.

“The sun is great today. I’ll air out the quilts after we finish exercising,” Xiulan said, looking at the sky that was as clear as a blue wash.

Sensing it would be hot today, she dressed quite lightly. She wore a white undershirt with a pink and white plaid shirt over it, paired with grey trousers and white canvas shoes.

Her hair was tied up high, held in place by only two thin, needle-like black clips for her stray hairs. This look gave her a youthful and vibrant air, yet also an elegant and intellectual beauty.

Her exquisite figure made Lin Heng’s mind wander a bit. Although he had long seen what was underneath, she felt completely different in different clothes.

It got to the point where his aim was unsteady while practicing with his bow and arrow.

“Do I look good?”

Xiulan blinked at Lin Heng and asked with a smile. She had dressed up specifically for him to see.

“Yes, very beautiful,” Lin Heng nodded repeatedly.

“That’s good then.”

Xiulan was satisfied, and her steps became much lighter as she walked.

When the three went to milk the cows, the path to the back mountain was a bit muddy. Fortunately, some broken Bluestone had been laid down, otherwise it would have been impossible to walk this morning.

“This was a good rain!”

After they had been milking for a while, Father Lin returned with a bundle of cattle grass. He had been up for a long time and had already walked around the village several times.

“Dad, are you going to plant corn and soybeans in a couple of days?” Lin Heng asked, looking at his father.

Father Lin nodded and said, “Yes, I’ve already set the rice sprouts[6], and they’re three centimeters high now. Once the weather clears, I’ll plow the fields to plant early corn and soybeans. The rest will wait until the wheat and rapeseed are harvested.”

“What’s wrong, do you want to go up the mountain?” Father Lin asked with a smile as he gave some grass to the cows.

Lin Heng nodded and said, “Yes, we’re going for an outing at Heihe tomorrow, and then around the Qingming Festival, we’ll head to the source of the Heihe to hunt bears. Dad, do you want to come?”

Once the bear hunt was over, he could start breeding shrimp larvae. Green Shrimp[7] began reproducing in April and May, and their life cycle was only about a year, so they would be fully grown and ready for sale by September.

“I probably won’t have time. You guys go and have fun. You and your brother are enough for hunting bears,” Father Lin said, shaking his head with a smile.

“It’s just for one day. I’ll just have to make a few more trips, it won’t take much effort,” Lin Heng said. He felt his father chose not to go only because he felt he couldn’t leave the work.

“Let’s go fishing in the summer. I have to plow the fields tomorrow,” Father Lin shook his head.

“Alright then.”

Lin Heng didn’t push any further. After finishing the milking, they headed back. For breakfast, they had potato pancakes and drank milk.

After finishing his meal, Lin Heng didn’t feel like going out. Everything outside was a muddy mess, and it would be best to let the sun dry it out for the day.

Xiulan carried the quilts out and draped them over the line to air out. Then, she picked up a basket of laundry and walked over to nudge Lin Heng. “Hubby, come wash clothes with me.”

“I don’t want to. Let’s soak up the sun for a bit first. Why don’t you come sit with me?” Lin Heng shook his head. The sunlight felt too comfortable at the moment.

“I don’t want to go to the river alone. Hurry up and get up!”

Xiulan gave him a tug, her tone playful and coaxing.

Seeing that Lin Heng wasn’t moving, she stood in front of him to block the sun, staring at him with her large, watery eyes.

Looking up at her delicate and beautiful face, Lin Heng threw up his hands. “Fine, fine, let’s go. You really can’t stay still, can you?”

“The river is fun! The water level is really high today.” Xiulan winked and pulled him up with a smile.

Even if Lin Heng just played in the water and ignored her while she washed the clothes, she would still be happy. It was much better than washing clothes with the other women in the village.

“Let’s go, Xiao Xia.”

Lin Heng picked up Xiao Xia, who had been playing with a ball, grabbed an extra small bamboo basket, and headed out with Xiongba.

The ground was a bit muddy, but it wasn’t too bad; at least they weren’t sinking into it.

A gentle spring breeze blew along the path. In the distance, the fields and ridges were tinged with green. That fresh, tender green was incredibly soothing to the eyes.

“The water is so beautiful!”

Before long, the three of them and the dog arrived at the riverbank. The water of the Shiban River[8] was still clear, but the volume was more than four or five times its usual size, surging powerfully downstream.

Under such a warm sun, the crystal-clear water made one feel like playing in it.

(End of Chapter)

[1] drought cucumbers: Refers to ‘Han Huangua’ (旱黄瓜), a landrace cucumber variety common in northern and rural China. Unlike the long, smooth ‘water cucumbers’ (Suyu type), these are shorter, thicker, and have a bumpier, tougher skin, favored in home gardens for their resilience and strong flavor.

[2] cinnamon ferns: Refers to ‘Niumaoguang’ (牛毛广), a specific type of edible Osmunda fern. It is distinguished by a thick layer of brown, hair-like fuzz (resembling ‘ox hair’) that must be rubbed off before the fiddleheads are blanched and eaten.

[3] toon trees: The Chinese Toon (Xiangchun) is highly prized in Chinese cuisine for its young, aromatic reddish-purple sprouts. Because they are only available for a very short window in early spring, they are often considered a seasonal delicacy.

[4] drowned rats: A translation of the Chinese idiom ‘luotangji’ (落汤鸡), literally ‘a chicken in broth.’ It describes someone who is soaking wet and looks pathetic or disheveled, often used with a touch of humor or mockery.

[5] Das Kapital: The protagonist’s choice to read Marx’s foundational theoretical text on capitalism reflects the 1980s/90s setting of many ‘slice-of-life’ Chinese novels, where characters seek to transition from traditional farming to ‘entrepreneurship’ during the Reform and Opening-up era.

[6] rice sprouts: Refers to the practice of ‘shui dao ya zi’ (水稻芽子), where rice seeds are pre-germinated or grown in a nursery bed before being transplanted into flooded paddies. The three-centimeter height indicates they are nearly ready for the next stage of the planting cycle.

[7] Green Shrimp: Specifically the Oriental River Prawn (Macrobrachium nipponense), a common freshwater species in China highly valued for its tender meat. Its short life cycle makes it a popular choice for seasonal aquaculture in rural regions.

[8] Shiban River: Literally ‘Slabstone River.’ In rural China, rivers are often named after the geological features of their beds; a ‘shiban’ river typically has a flat, rocky bottom that keeps the water clear even when the volume increases.