Chapter Twelve: Hei Wa and Little Jin

Wang Susu grew up in the countryside and was no stranger to farm work, so she could tell the quality of soil at a glance. After examining the two small piles of earth that Chen Ling had emptied from his pocket, she was somewhat surprised.

“Is this really soil from that patch of barren land at Er Zhu’s family place?”

Chen Ling smiled and nodded. “Of course, why would I fake it?”

“After lunch, I’ll take you there. You’ll see for yourself.”

With that, Wang Susu seemed to believe him more readily. However, she soon furrowed her brow again, as if still harboring some worries.

Chen Ling understood what his young wife was concerned about and comforted her gently: “Don’t worry, Susu. As long as the soil isn’t completely ruined, I have ways to make things grow.”

“I told you before, you have to trust me!”

He winked at her with a mischievous smile.

Wang Susu froze for a moment before bursting into a soft laugh at his playful gesture. Chen Ling laughed along.

Stretching as he stood up, he got ready to prepare lunch.

“Woof, woof, woof...”

Two little puppies, restless as Chen Ling moved away, wriggled free from Wang Susu’s arms and, wagging their tiny tails, toddled unsteadily after him.

But they were still too small to keep up; their short legs hurried too much, and the two clumsily bumped into each other, tumbling several times onto the ground.

Looking up and seeing Chen Ling had vanished, they immediately barked anxiously.

Wang Susu couldn’t help but smile. When Chen Ling emerged from the house carrying pots and bowls, she said amusedly, “Ling, I think these two puppies have taken you for their mother. They’re so anxious when they can’t see you.”

No kidding. The moment Chen Ling reappeared, the two little creatures wagged their tails excitedly and scrambled to climb up his legs.

Seeing Wang Susu so happy was a rare sight, so Chen Ling put down the pots and bowls and picked up one of the puppies with one hand.

Holding it up before his face, he lowered his voice and joked, “Little ones, I’m your mom, and that over there is your dad...”

“Silly Ling!” Wang Susu’s cheeks flushed slightly as she shot him a mock reproachful glance. “Don’t say nonsense.”

But the laughter in her eyes betrayed her amusement as she added, “How about we give them names?”

“Names? Sure!”

Chen Ling thought for a moment. “The black one’s a boy, so we’ll call him Blackie. The yellow one’s a girl, so she should have a delicate name—let’s call her Little Gold.”

“Blackie and Little Gold—what do you think, Susu?”

Chen Ling grinned, clearly pleased with his naming.

What was with “Little Black” or “Little Yellow”? He wouldn’t give such common names. They sounded either good or bad, but mostly too ordinary—lacking any distinctiveness or character.

“Hm? Blackie, Little Gold...” Wang Susu repeated softly, finding the names quite pleasant. She couldn’t help but smile and nodded. “Sounds good. Let’s call them Blackie and Little Gold.”

And so, the two puppies were christened.

For lunch, Chen Ling made a simple dumpling soup using the spring water from the cave realm and added some spinach.

The spinach had been transplanted from seedlings he dug up in a neighbor’s garden while returning from the fields. They quickly took root and grew well in the cave realm.

As a result, the dumpling soup tasted unexpectedly delicious.

Wang Susu couldn’t resist and ended up overeating again.

Originally, Chen Ling planned to cook two signature dishes for her at noon.

But it was still early February, bitterly cold in the mountains, and there were hardly any leafy greens in the fields. He also didn’t want to take any from the cave realm.

He decided to wait until tomorrow after selling the peanuts in the county town to cook for her, which would also provide a convenient excuse.

...

Shortly after lunch, the loudspeaker in the village blared again.

It announced that every household should stay indoors that afternoon because the township family planning office would be visiting each home for inspections and registrations.

So, Chen Ling and Wang Susu stayed home all afternoon.

Yet, this scene stirred many memories in Chen Ling’s mind.

He remembered that in his previous life, when his eldest aunt’s family had a second child, they had to move back to their mountain village for two whole years.

Back then, ordinary families couldn’t withstand the pressure if the officials came knocking.

And that was just for having a second child.

What was even more poignant was that, before he transmigrated, only twenty years had passed, and yet the situation had completely reversed.

Now, childbirth was encouraged and supported.

Yet, at that time, very few young people were willing to have children.

This stark contrast between eras was deeply moving.

After such reflections, Chen Ling took the opportunity to tidy up the peanuts harvested from the cave realm, preparing to sell them in the county market the next day.

He also saved the leftover peanut leaves and vines to feed the chickens, unwilling to waste good fodder.

While Chen Ling busied himself, Wang Susu made two pairs of spring shoes.

At dusk, Qin Qiumei arrived with personnel from the township family planning office.

After a brief registration and leaving two boxes of family planning supplies—what would later be known as small raincoats—they hurried away.

But before leaving, Qin Qiumei gave Chen Ling a look that sparked his irritation.

When she saw Wang Susu, that woman’s eyes plainly conveyed a thought: a beautiful flower stuck in the middle of manure.

Chen Ling felt stifled, unable to refute such a disparaging notion.

Wang Susu, however, sensed nothing unusual. After finishing the shoes, she eagerly began making a little doghouse for Blackie and Little Gold.

The two little ones had polished off a small bowl of dumpling soup at noon and were now snoozing curled up by the stove all afternoon, their bellies round and full.

“Eat and sleep, sleep and eat. Don’t let yourselves get too fat, or chasing a rabbit will be hard...” Chen Ling muttered as he got up to prepare dinner.

In this region, winters were cold, so cooking was usually done indoors.

Yet Chen Ling preferred the aroma of food cooked over wood fires, so he continued using the simple stove he had built from stones in the yard that morning.

After two meals cooked by Chen Ling, Wang Susu happily left the cooking to him.

The food was simply too delicious, leaving a lasting impression after just one taste.

Besides, in this era, the mountain village had no delicacies to speak of.

The best meals were usually reserved for New Year’s, when families might have a few meat dishes or dumplings.

So Wang Susu had no reason to compete with Chen Ling in the kitchen.

Still, when it came to washing pots and dishes after meals, she couldn’t bear to let him do it all alone.

Chen Ling tried to persuade her twice to rest, but to no avail.

Eventually, he gave in, realizing this routine was a good way to strengthen their marital bond.

After sharing these chores twice—at noon and in the evening—Wang Susu became noticeably more talkative and smiled more often around him.

For Chen Ling, that was the greatest source of satisfaction and happiness.

...

The night passed quietly.

At dawn the next day, Chen Ling rose early to prepare breakfast.

After eating, he borrowed a donkey cart from Wang Laishun’s family and set off toward the county town under the rising sun.

His main task today was to sell peanuts at the early market in the county’s agricultural trade zone.

Of course, he couldn’t let outsiders know this.

Using the pretext of buying plows, harrows, and other farm tools, he borrowed the donkey cart to cover his real purpose.

After all, with so many peanuts appearing out of nowhere, transporting them without a vehicle was impossible.