After storing the mushrooms back at home, Lin Moyang first took Shen Youwei to the Commune office to register their marriage.
In this era, living together without being registered was punishable by a daily fine of 1.2 yuan. Worried that someone with malicious intent might report them, Lin Moyang decided to take Shen Youwei and get their paperwork sorted immediately.
The Commune was not far, and they reached the courtyard in front of it shortly. It was near noon, and the sun had baked the dirt yard until it was scorching hot; the air was thick with the scent of wheat straw and soil. The other slogans on the courtyard wall had faded, but the bold characters for "Family Planning: Benefiting the Country and the People" remained striking. Next to the wall was a faded poster of a chubby, smiling baby holding a sign that read, "Having Only One Child Is Good." A weathered wooden pole stood in the center of the yard, a red flag fluttering gently at its top in the breeze.
When they entered the civil affairs office, they ran into Zhao Wenshu, who was wearing a canvas bag emblazoned with "Serve the People" slung across his shoulder, busy tying up rapeseed. Upon hearing their reason for coming, Zhao moved to his desk to begin the registration.
With fingers stained by vegetable oil, Zhao fished a copper key from the depths of his canvas bag and unlocked the second drawer of a filing cabinet. He first placed a "Breeding Pig Registration Book" on the table, followed by the marriage certificate stubs, which were still encrusted with wheat chaff. In these times, commune workers were jacks-of-all-trades. Since the couple’s situation was straightforward—neither possessed significant assets like a watch, a bicycle, a sewing machine, or a radio—the requirement for asset verification was waived. Because they were from the same village and everyone knew everyone’s background, after asking a few simple questions, Zhao completed the registration and issued them their marriage certificates.
"The Commune will broadcast this notice for seven days. I wish you both a happy union and a wonderful marriage!" Zhao added a note of congratulation to the newlyweds.
Lin Moyang smiled politely in response. "Officer Zhao, you must come to our wedding feast when the time comes. You are, after all, the witness to our union!"
"We shall see. If I have the time, I certainly will, haha!" Zhao replied, neither committing nor refusing.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Lin Moyang and Shen Youwei bade Zhao farewell and left the Commune.
Looking at the bright red marriage certificate in his hands, with the words "Family Planning: Diligence and Thrift" printed on the back, a surge of excitement washed over Lin Moyang. "Xiaowei, we’re really married!" His tone was filled with both joy and a sense of disbelief.
In his previous life, Lin Moyang had died all alone. Now, to be registered with Shen Youwei, a future princess of a general's lineage, felt surreal. Seeing his happiness, a warmth bloomed unexpectedly in Shen Youwei’s heart, despite her earlier nervousness. He seemed so eager to marry her; his joy upon receiving the certificate was like that of a child who had just been given a piece of candy. At the thought of this, a bashful smile appeared on her face, and she nodded, "Yes!"
On the way back, as they passed Lin Zhensheng's house, they happened to see the village's barefoot doctor, Ma Daguang, parking his bicycle with a wooden medical chest strapped to the back seat. Lin Zhensheng was limping forward on a wooden crutch to greet him. Upon seeing Lin Moyang and Shen Youwei passing by, he spat in their direction and cursed, "Two jinxes from the Old Lin Family."
Since returning from Lin Moyang’s old house yesterday, both he and Liu Huiru had fallen ill. Needless to say, Lin Zhensheng was suffering, and Liu Huiru had lost a clump of hair while brushing it that morning, with red rashes erupting all over her face. The family had been in such a panic that they hadn't even gone to work in the fields, waiting all morning for Doctor Ma.
Watching Lin Zhensheng leaning on his crutch, the corners of Lin Moyang’s mouth curled up. Just as he suspected, the wild cat that had climbed onto the rafters of his old house last night was none other than him.
Seeing Lin Zhensheng glaring at him with pure malice, Lin Moyang smiled faintly. "Yo, whose bed were you sneaking into last night, and who broke your leg?"
Shen Youwei, hearing this, couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter.
Lin Zhensheng’s face twisted in rage; he raised his wooden crutch, pointing it shakily at Lin Moyang. "You little beast, you dare mock your father? You’ll get what’s coming to you sooner or later."
Seeing him so thoroughly exasperated, Lin Moyang laughed. "You won't be around to see whether I get what's coming to me, but it seems your own retribution has arrived quite quickly!"
With that, he walked away with Shen Youwei, not looking back, leaving Lin Zhensheng grinding his teeth in fury at his retreating figure.
All the way home, Lin Moyang remained in high spirits, completely unaffected by Lin Zhensheng’s curses. He was a reincarnated soul, a man of destiny with knowledge no one else possessed—how could he possibly suffer retribution? His life with Shen Youwei could only get better and better!
Back home, while Shen Youwei took care of the housework, Lin Moyang selected two smaller mushrooms, brought the two pieces of rotted wood he had retrieved from Diaoshui Cliff, grabbed a hoe, and headed toward the pine forest behind his old house. He checked the area carefully; the layout was exactly as it had been when he left that morning. Clearly, he was the first person to discover this patch of matsutake.
Avoiding the spot where the matsutake grew, Lin Moyang stepped carefully on the soft, thick pine needles and selected a spot that was the most shaded and damp. He squatted down, pushed aside the pine needles with his hands, and revealed the moist soil beneath. Using the hoe, he dug a shallow trench, placed the two pieces of rotted wood inside, and covered them with soil, leaving the surface exposed.
The combined scent of rotted wood and pine needles made him feel refreshed; he had just created an ideal ecological environment for mushroom cultivation. On the exposed surface of the rotted wood, Lin Moyang used his hoe to make a few shallow incisions. He then took out the mushrooms, carefully removed the mycelium, and gently inserted it into the cuts. The mycelium was the key to growth; provided the environment was right, it would take root in the wood and slowly flourish. With the surrounding pine needles, the mushrooms would eventually spread. It was a purely natural, manual cultivation process, though the time investment would be substantial.
After handling the mycelium, Lin Moyang covered the wood with pine needles and dried leaves to keep it moist and cool. He stood up, brushed the dirt from his hands, and looked at his work with satisfaction. This would be the foundation of his mushroom empire!
Meanwhile, at Lin Zhensheng’s house, Doctor Ma had finished massaging Lin Zhensheng’s sprained ankle to reduce the swelling and applied a layer of herbal paste. After instructing him to walk as little as possible for the next two days, he turned to check on Liu Huiru.
Liu Huiru’s eyes were unfocused; the arrogance and shrewishness she usually displayed were gone, and she pinned all her hopes on Doctor Ma. "Doctor Ma, please, you must help me. These rashes are spreading, they’re starting to grow on my hands now."
Looking at the red rashes on her face and hands, Doctor Ma felt a chill run down his spine. In all his years of practicing medicine, he had never encountered anything like this. He examined the rashes carefully, frowning deeply. He pressed his finger lightly against the skin surrounding a red spot. "Is it itchy? Do you feel any pain?"
Liu Huiru frowned, her voice weak. "Itchy, especially itchy. I can't sleep at night, and when I scratch hard, it stings a little."
Doctor Ma nodded, leaning in closer to examine the shape and color of the rashes. The edges were red, while the center appeared yellowish, as if there were some mild infection. He pondered for a moment. "Have you eaten anything unusual in the last two days? Or touched anything you don't normally come into contact with?"
Liu Huiru’s eyes flickered, and the image of the silver dollars from the Old Lin Family flashed through her mind. Her heart tightened, and she quickly shook her head. "No... nothing special. Just the usual food, the vegetables from the field, the pickles we made at home—nothing different."
That was a windfall, and she was certainly not going to let an outsider know about it. Even so, Doctor Ma had caught the evasive look in her eyes. He thought to himself, *This woman surely touched something she shouldn't have!*