Reborn in 80: Starting with hunting in the mountains to get rich

The forestry production brigade is planning to organize a search.

Seeing that the firepower had weakened considerably, the captain proposed organizing people, along with two hunting rifles, to go up the mountain for a search and rescue operation.

After a moment of thought, someone suddenly remembered something that Uncle Lu had said years ago.

"That one-eyed wolf is still on the hill. Could the young man from the Li family have run into him?"

"The Lu family used to be the fiercest wolf hunters. They not only hunted down large wolves, but also raided three wolves' dens and skinned the cubs. It was truly a terrible thing."

“Last time I was down the mountain, I saw someone collecting pelts, specifically wolf pelts. Isn’t that a terrible thing?”

In Northeast China, wolves are called "Zhang San," and bandits also call them "Black-hearted Skin." If someone in the Xing'an Mountains says you eat like Zhang San, it doesn't mean you eat like a particular person; it means you eat in a bad way.

Everyone shuddered at the thought of the one-eyed wolf's ferocity.

The Lu family had been hunters for generations. On that one wolf hunt, not only did Lu's cousin die in the mountains, but seven of the eight hunting dogs that the Lu family went into the mountains to rescue people died one after another, all because they encountered a one-eyed wolf.

In the village and the forest farm, everyone who mentioned the one-eyed wolf had a different expression, their eyes filled with fear, terror, and lingering dread—it was quite a spectacle.

The captain glanced at Old Tao, who was warming himself by the fire, and suddenly said.

"The young man from the Li family is also a stubborn mule. He insists on going into the mountains to hunt for yaks in this blizzard, all for the sake of getting a good dog."

He glanced at the group of Qingchuan dogs in Lao Tao's training kennel, sighed inwardly, and made a pointed remark.

Everyone knew in their hearts that the reason Li Ju'an was so eager to go into the mountains was nothing more than for Da Hu and his dog.

They sighed inwardly, wondering if it was worth losing their lives for a dog.

Old Tao finally raised his head and gave a cold laugh: "This young lad is arrogant, he doesn't know his own limitations before he charges in. If he doesn't die today, he'll die tomorrow. What's there to regret?"

The forestry team members remained silent, secretly thinking that Old Tao was indeed violent and eccentric. The young man had been missing for a day and a night, and he was still making sarcastic remarks. No wonder he had a bad reputation in the village; he was just a weirdo.

Only when the widow of the Chen family saw that after Lao Tao got up, he was gazing wistfully towards the mountains and at the open door of the dog kennel, she guessed what Lao Tao was thinking.

Old Tao is also worried about the young man.

The widow of the Chen family was a forthright and straightforward person. She spoke up for Li Ju'an, saying, "Captain, don't take Lao Tao's words for granted. He's secretly hoping that the young man from the Li family will hurry up and carry Bacha down the mountain. In Lao Tao's heart, he prefers the young man from the Li family so that he can take Dahu away."

Old Tao stood up, his face darkening as he coldly said, "Take him away my ass! This kid isn't good enough for me."

Everyone looked at each other.

They understood what Lao Tao meant. Da Hu was the best hunting dog in the entire Xing'an Mountains; many merchants from the south came specifically for Da Hu. If they couldn't buy Da Hu, they could buy any other Qingchuan dogs from the kennel. How could Da Hu, a dog that could outperform ten others, be taken away by a hunting novice?

Even hunters from established hunting families who came to buy the tiger were turned away by Old Tao with harsh words, let alone a newcomer like Li Ju'an.

At this moment, Li Ju'an led Da Hu down the mountain.

Li Ju'an wore boots, a cotton overcoat, and a large cotton hat. A green knife was tied to his waist with a hemp rope, and a hunting rifle was slung over his back. He dragged a sled in his hand, on which was tightly bound a wild male sika deer that had been gutted and was missing a hind leg.

Braving the wind and snow, he trudged along the snow-covered path, his breath steaming in the air as he gasped for air. The descent had clearly taken a toll on his energy, but his steps remained steady.

The members of the forestry production team stood up in astonishment, their eyes fixed on the male sika deer tied up on the sled in Li Ju'an's hand.

The antlers were strong and powerful. The sika deer had been gutted, and several pieces of meat had been cut off. The remaining meat was very fresh, with a slightly reddish hue.

At the entrance of the Tao family's old house, all the production team members stood up in disbelief.

"Have you hit the eight-point mark yet?"

"The young man from the Li family really did come down the mountain in a split stance!"

"Good lad! Turns out you weren't just bragging, you really do have some skills, hahaha!"

Old Tao also stood up straight, his brows furrowed as he looked at him.

But Lao Tao wasn't looking at the male sika deer; instead, he carefully examined Li Ju'an's wounds all over his body. This kid! Going into the mountains alone in the heavy snow, and sustaining so many injuries—it seems he really encountered a fierce battle.

Li Ju'an's cotton overcoat was torn open at the shoulder, revealing the cotton batting. The marks of his wound, which had been hastily treated, were visible, suggesting that the bloodstains and wound beneath the bandages were quite obvious.

After confirming that his wound was alright, Lao Tao snorted heavily and sat back down on the kang table.

The production team leader teased him, "Old Tao, you're a strange guy, and you're not trustworthy either. The young man from the Li family has already come back with eight crosses, you should at least keep your word and give him the tiger."

When the surrounding team members saw Lao Tao's expression, they understood what was going on.

It wasn't that Lao Tao disliked Li Ju'an; he actually admired the young man and cared about him deeply. But Da Hu was Da Hu, Lao Tao's precious darling. After retiring from the underworld, he had poured all his energy into raising Da Hu, and it was simply too much for him to give him away, both emotionally and logically.

Li Ju'an strode into the Tao family's old house, untied the hemp rope from his shoulder, and threw the male sika deer he had shot down in front of Old Tao.

His firm and resolute gaze was fixed on Lao Tao as he shouted.

"Brother Tao! We've caught the sika deer. I'll take care of Big Tiger."

The atmosphere froze; everyone in the production team held their breath, not daring to utter a sound.

Everyone pretended to look elsewhere, but actually they were all listening intently, each one keeping a close eye on this one spot.

Old Tao turned his gaze away, avoiding eye contact, and sighed.

"We'll talk about this later."

The widow of the Chen family looked at Li Ju'an and winked at him, as if to comfort him. Old Tao had relented, meaning there was still room for negotiation and compromise.

Li Ju'an didn't respond at all; he took off his cotton-padded coat with a cold smile.

He took off his heavy cotton overcoat, revealing three thick animal hides wrapped tightly around his body. Everyone in the Tao family's old house was stunned, their pupils trembled, and they opened their mouths.

This is... a wolf skin?

And three of them?

Li Ju'an's youthful and dignified gaze stared straight at Lao Tao, unmoved, and he spoke bluntly.

"After killing the eight-forked wolf, we hunted three wolves. One of them was a one-eyed old wolf."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone was quite surprised.

The forest farm production team leader was just telling his team about the one-eyed wolf in the Xing'an Mountains and the feud with the hunter Lu family. He never expected that Li Ju'an would go into the mountains alone in the blizzard and actually hunt down three wolves? One of them is very likely the one-eyed wolf that had a feud with the Lu family!

They took down eight forks and three wolves.

Everyone looked at Li Ju'an with awe and respect.

In the village, being able to hunt wolves signifies courage and daring. Especially for a young hunter like Li Ju'an, successfully hunting and taking down three wolves alone is enough for them to brag about back at the forest farm for a whole year!

Old Tao stared in astonishment at the three thick wolf pelts on the ground, his eyes filled with emotion.

He looked at the small tuft of white fur on the third animal hide and recognized it as the marking of the one-eyed wolf. Years ago, after he retired from hunting, the Lu family begged him to go back into the mountains to hunt one-eyed wolves, but he refused. Now, he was a young hunter who had personally hunted down the one-eyed wolf.

Looking at Li Ju'an, Lao Tao seemed to see his own spirited self from back then, and his eyes were filled with complex emotions.

He moved his lips with difficulty, but he still couldn't bring himself to say, "Take Da Hu away."

Suddenly, a member of the forestry production team asked in surprise, "Young man, you can hunt down three wolves all by yourself? Don't you have any help?"

Li Ju'an grinned, revealing his neat, handsome white teeth: "Of course I'm not alone, I have helpers."