Siheyuan: The Temptation of the Mountains

Smoke from cooking fires rises in the village, and every household is filled with the smell of everyday life. There is always a meat dish on every table.

Lin Changgui’s family’s New Year’s Eve dinner was also ready before dark.

Liu Ying came out and called the children to go home for the New Year's Eve dinner. Lin Changgui's family's New Year's Eve dinner could be considered one of the most sumptuous in the village.

Braised spareribs, braised pork, braised fish, small pheasant stewed with dried mushrooms, a big pot of steamed crabs...

Lin Changgui and Liu Ying sat at the table, looking at the dishes on the table, their hearts filled with happiness.

"Grandpa, grandma, happy new year!" the five children said in unison.

"Happy New Year! Come and have dinner." Lin Changgui said with a smile.

Everyone sat together and began to enjoy this sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner. They ate and talked, laughing constantly.

The whole family had a great time and spent this wonderful evening together.

Lin Changgui and Lin Zhengguo were both a little tipsy, and they kept talking about how difficult life was in the early years.

He also said that now that Lin Ze had made progress, all the family members would enjoy a good life with him. Lin Changgui actually had tears in his eyes when he spoke of this.

He said to Lin Wen, Lin Wu, Lin Hao and Lin Sisi, "I want the four of you to remember your eldest brother's kindness at all times and never betray him. Without him, you wouldn't have the good life you have now. Do you understand?"

The four little ones nodded heavily, not quite understanding. Lin Sisi was gnawing on a chicken leg, her mouth covered with grease. She said in a baby voice, "Sisi loves big pigeons the most!"

Seeing that the children all loved their eldest son, Li Xiuzhen turned her head and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

She knew that Lin Ze was forced to be as sensible as he is today.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, the family felt a little full. Lin Changgui half leaned back in his chair and chatted with his two sons.

Lin Ze took his four children and left home again to play firecrackers with the children in the village.

There are always some unexploded firecrackers during the New Year, and every child can pick up a lot of unexploded firecrackers from the pile of firecracker paper in his own home or in the neighbor's house.

When it was almost dark, the children ran around the village. Of course, when they threw firecrackers, they knew to avoid the piles of firewood and hay.

The children played until midnight and then reluctantly went back to their respective homes. They were so tired that they didn’t even take a bath and just lay down in bed and fell into a deep sleep.

Lin Ze took advantage of the moonlight and came to the Hot Spring Valley again. He did not rush to wake up Xue Yao, but jumped into the hot spring to take a bath first.

After taking a shower, he came to the wooden house where Xueyao lived and knocked on the door.

Xueyao had already woken up when Lin Ze was taking a hot spring bath, but she was too embarrassed to go out.

The door opened, and Xueyao walked out with her head down. Lin Ze looked at her with some distress, and gently stroked her hair.

"Sorry for waking you." Lin Ze said softly.

Xueyao shook her head and said, "It's okay. I just woke up."

The two stood quietly, enjoying the tranquility of the moment.

"Happy New Year." Lin Ze broke the silence.

"Happy New Year." Xue Yao raised her head and looked at Lin Ze, with a gleam in her eyes.

Lin Ze smiled and took Xue Yao's hand, "Let's go, take a rest, and then we'll go watch the New Year's sunrise together."

After waking up, the two walked to the top of the mountain together and watched the sky gradually turn pale.

"It's so beautiful." Xue Yao exclaimed.

"Yes, everything will be better in the new year." Lin Ze hugged Xue Yao and said gently.

The sun slowly rose, illuminating the entire valley. Lin Ze and Xue Yao smiled at each other, knowing that there would be more beautiful things waiting for them in the future.

"I'm going down the mountain." Lin Ze said.

Xue Yao buried her head in Lin Ze's arms and said softly in a muffled voice, "I can't bear to leave you."

"If you can't bear to leave, then don't leave."

Lin Ze chuckled and said, "When we get down the mountain, I'll tell my grandparents that I was hunting in the mountains."

Xueyao raised her head, her beautiful eyes twinkling.

"Is it okay?" Xue Yao asked.

"Of course, you can or you can't, it's all right."

Lin Ze said, "Today is the first day of the new year. After lunch, my parents and I will return to the city together. If I don't accompany you now, when will I be able to do so?"

When Xueyao heard this, her lips flattened on her pretty face, "Well, of course you have to stay with me longer."

"Come with me. Let's go over the cliff together and see if we can hunt some prey, right?"

Xueyao nodded and stayed beside Lin Ze, going deep into the forest.

Lin Ze and Xue Yao climbed over the cliff together and entered a dense forest. They walked carefully, looking for traces of prey in the snow.

"There is fresh feces and a bunch of footprints here. It should be..." Xue Yao touched her chin and speculated, "Lin Ze, judging from the shape of these footprints, they should be wild boars."

Just as Xue Yao finished her words, suddenly, a huge wild boar rushed through the cedars and appeared in front of them.

Lin Ze immediately pulled Xue Yao and hid behind a big tree.

"What a big wild boar!" Xue Yao exclaimed in a low voice.

Lin Ze observed the surroundings and quietly went behind the wild boar. He aimed at the right moment and shot at the wild boar's hind legs.

The wild boar was frightened and started running wildly. Lin Ze chased it closely and kept shooting at it.

Finally, the wild boar fell to the ground, and Lin Ze ran over excitedly, ready to take it back to the cabin.

"You are really awesome!" Xueyao praised.

Lin Ze smiled and carried the huge wild boar, and returned to the cabin with Xue Yao. They decided to roast some wild boar meat for lunch and enjoy this rare delicacy.

"Lin Ze, we can't finish eating all the wild boar meat. Why don't you bring some down the mountain for our parents and grandparents to eat?"

Xue Yao did not feel shy and openly called Lin Ze's parents "Mom and Dad". Just as she said, in her heart, she and Lin Ze had already become husband and wife.

"No need to bring it. We still have a lot of pork left at home from the last hunt. I'll clean up this pig and leave it in the wooden house. I'll pickle it and leave it for you to eat slowly." Lin Ze said with a smile.

Lin Ze expertly prepared the wild boar and then marinated it with salt and spices. Xue Yao helped him, and the two worked in perfect harmony.

"When I come to see you next time, the meat should be marinated." Lin Ze said while busying himself.

Xueyao nodded, her heart full of anticipation. She knew that Lin Ze would definitely come to see her often.

At noon, they enjoyed a delicious barbecue together. In the afternoon, Lin Ze accompanied Xue Yao for a walk in the forest, enjoying the tranquility and beauty of nature.

In the evening, Lin Ze had to say goodbye to Xueyao and go back home. Xueyao saw him off to the entrance of the Nanshan trail and waved goodbye to him reluctantly.

Lin Ze was in a good mood on his way down the mountain.