Chapter 19: A Smart Dog Doesn’t Need Training
“Then let’s help each other.”
Lin Heng obediently lay on the bed, saying this and enjoying the moment.
Under the dim light of the kerosene lamp, the air was filled with the smell of kerosene, but the hearts of the two people were gradually drawing closer.
Xiu Lan had only a primary school education and a simple mind, just wanting to live a peaceful and happy life with Lin Heng.
Lin Heng only wanted to stay with this kind, gentle woman for the rest of his life, so that she would never suffer again.
“Let me give you a massage.”
After a while, Lin Heng got up and signaled his wife to lie down so he could serve her.
After massaging for a short time, Xiu Lan couldn’t help but speak out, saying in an annoyed tone, “Can’t you press somewhere else?”
However, after a while, Lin Heng’s hand again wandered up to his wife’s chest, making Xiu Lan pout and give him a glare. She turned over, lying down to avoid him.
Lin Heng laughed heartily and seriously began massaging her shoulders, careful not to continue his mischief, fearing that he might lose control and end up in a battle.
If that happened, he probably wouldn’t be able to get out of bed for days.
“Rest now.”
After a while, Lin Heng blew out the kerosene lamp and lay next to his wife. He soon fell asleep.
The next morning, Lin Heng woke up when the sun had already risen high, shining through the window. He felt sore all over; every movement made him feel an intense ache.
Turning his head, he saw that Xiu Lan had also just woken up and was breastfeeding their daughter, Xiao Xia. Clearly, the 60 kilometers of walking back and forth yesterday had exhausted her.
“Stop breastfeeding Xiao Xia, she can eat solid food now. Too much milk isn’t good for your body,” Lin Heng said to his wife.
Xiu Lan hesitated, looking at their daughter, worried that the food might not be nutritious enough for her.
“Don’t worry, I guarantee she will eat meat every week,” Lin Heng reassured her, understanding her concerns.
“Alright, I’ll start weaning Xiao Xia today,” Xiu Lan smiled and nodded in agreement.
“Today, no matter what, I’m going to rest for the day,” Lin Heng groaned as he rubbed his legs and struggled to get out of bed.
When his feet touched the ground, pain shot through his body.
Getting up, Lin Heng found that no one else was home. Only Xiong Ba, their dog, was excitedly barking, pulling at his iron chain.
“Come, let’s go out and play,” Lin Heng said, unhooking the chain and petting the dog’s head as he led it out of the yard.
Once outside, Lin Heng saw his older brother and sister-in-law working in the vegetable garden.
His third uncle, Lin Xu Tao, was also there helping with the digging. Lin Heng greeted him with a smile, “Third uncle, what brings you here?”
“I was going to bring you some yellow eel I caught yesterday, but I saw you caught two big grass fish,” Lin Xu Tao replied with humor. “So, I’m here to help out and hopefully get a taste of the fish.”
“Ha ha, I was lucky last night,” Lin Heng laughed. “You can take half a fish back for my third aunt to try.”
Lin Xu Tao was good to Lin Heng’s family, but his third aunt was a bit petty and often complained. If he didn’t bring something back, she would argue with him.
“Lin Heng, come help dig the soil. Dad has already gone to the village to discuss building the house. We need to move the yellow soil from the garden to one side to expose the hard ground underneath,” his sister-in-law, Liu Juan, called out as soon as she saw him.
“You all dig, I’ll rest for a while. I walked too much yesterday,” Lin Heng refused directly.
Ignoring his sister-in-law’s disapproving look, Lin Heng walked toward the west side of the garden to check the water seepage there.
The garden was over an acre in size, about 30 to 40 meters long and more than 20 meters wide, covering over 800 square meters. It was more than enough to build two houses.
At the far west of the garden, there was a spring with seepage. The water flow wasn’t large, but it had been there for years and never ran dry, even in droughts.
After a quick look, Lin Heng made a decision and turned to his brother. “Brother, I want the western half of the land.”
He planned to dig a pond at the spring to raise the grass fish fry.
Next year, when the fry had grown a little, he would move them to the maple forest on the west side of the village. This winter, he could have someone help dig a fish pond there.
Before Lin Yue could speak, Liu Juan interjected, “Are you sure? Once you choose, there’s no turning back.”
She had already set her sights on the eastern part of the garden and hadn’t decided how to approach it. Lin Heng had jumped ahead and made his choice.
To Liu Juan, Lin Heng seemed lazy and clueless about the dampness of the ground, not realizing how uncomfortable it would be to live there.
Lin Xu Tao shared the same thought, but he didn’t speak up because both were his nephews.
“Of course, as long as you don’t regret it later,” Lin Heng smiled.
To him, the damp ground wasn’t a big issue. There were ways to deal with it, and the proximity to the spring made water access much easier. Even if it was a bit damp, it didn’t matter—he wasn’t planning to live there forever. For now, he would raise the fry and deal with it later.
“I won’t regret it,” Liu Juan said proudly.
Lin Heng glanced at the land again and then took Xiong Ba back into the yard. He checked on the fish eggs, realizing they needed the pond dug soon; the wooden basin wouldn’t work once the eggs hatched.
“Woof~~”
Xiong Ba jumped excitedly around Lin Heng, rubbing against his legs, trying to get his attention.
“Come here, Xiong Ba, sit down.”
Lin Heng thought for a moment and went inside to get a leftover steamed bun from the previous day. He started training the dog.
Even though a dog could be smart, Lin Heng believed it still needed training to become a good dog.
He pressed Xiong Ba to sit and gave the command.
“Woof?”
Xiong Ba barked and obediently sat down, eagerly accepting the broken pieces of steamed bun from Lin Heng, his excitement palpable.
“Don’t move, stand up!”
“Sit again!”
Lin Heng trained Xiong Ba, and soon, he was astonished.
The dog was too smart—after only three commands, it understood.
Even a Border Collie would need dozens of repetitions to grasp these commands, right?
Lin Heng now had a clear understanding of how smart Xiong Ba was.
“Come, fetch!” Lin Heng threw a stick and commanded the dog.
“Woof woof~”
Xiong Ba barked joyfully and sprinted to grab the stick, running back proudly, eager to show off.
“Here!” Lin Heng gave the dog the rest of the steamed bun, patting its head as it ate.
The little dog didn’t protect its food at all and let Lin Heng touch it freely.
Watching this, Lin Heng couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh. “A good dog doesn’t need training; a bad dog can’t be trained.”
This dog was so clever—no wonder it had brought so much profit to the old man in the past.
Too bad it had ended up being sold by the old man without a good ending.
“Don’t worry, this time you’ll enjoy a good life with me,” Lin Heng smiled and patted Xiong Ba’s head, planning to take it up the mountain soon for a trial run.
“Come help me!”
At that moment, Xiu Lan’s voice called out to him.
(End of Chapter)