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

Li Ju'an became alert and noticed his wife moving. He quickly opened his eyes, stood up, and said, "I'll make the formula."

Seeing his reaction as he jumped up, Lin Mei smiled gently and said, "Honey, I want your help."

Li Ju'an hadn't even realized what he was trying to help with when the mother-in-law of the woman in the next bed started scolding him: "What business is it of yours if other people buy formula? You need to eat a lot to produce milk. If you don't eat, you won't have any. What woman is as delicate and fussy as you when she gives birth? You're so dramatic."

As Lin Mei listened to these words, she thought of what her mother, Lin Mu, had said to her before she passed away.

Li Ju'an keenly sensed his wife's low spirits and comforted her, saying, "I'll help you with anything. Once we're discharged from the hospital, I'll take you to see your favorite movie. We'll go to the Workers' Cinema, and after we come out, we'll go to the arcade next door and play a couple of games."

Lin Mei was both amused and exasperated. It wasn't her who wanted to play games; it was clearly Li Ju'an who wanted to play games.

After his wife was discharged from the hospital, she returned to the Li family's self-built house. This year, road construction began on the path leading to the entrance of Changchonggou. The government allocated funds to transform this path into a winding mountain road, connecting it to the expressway. This means that in the future, this road from Changchonggou will lead to the provincial expressway, making it much more convenient to go in and out of the city.

The Li family's self-built house has been constantly disturbed by road construction noise this year. The rumbling noise has disrupted the peace of their life deep in the mountains. The villagers who live far away don't find it too noisy. Lu Zhiqiang and Lu Jinyang brought a foot-long grass carp they caught from the fishing village to visit Li Ju'an and his child, offering them a red envelope. Lu Zhiqiang complained, "What's with this noise? It's so loud! If I lived here, I wouldn't be able to sleep a wink all night."

Li Ju'an, on the other hand, didn't think so. Instead, he smiled happily and looked forward to the opening of the highway.

Lu Jinyang slapped Lu Zhiqiang on the back of the head. Lu Zhiqiang yelled, "What are you doing? Why are you hitting me? Always getting physical, no wonder you can't find a wife."

Li Ju'an laughed and said, "It's not hard for Lu Jinyang to find a wife. The young lady in the forest farm's finance department has been eyeing him for a long time. He just needs to give in and it will be fine."

Lu Zhiqiang also thought of the young girl in the forest farm's finance department and said, "That leader's daughter who got in through connections. Lu Jinyang doesn't like her. He said if he were to get together with her, he would have to humble himself and become her son-in-law. Don't let Lu Jinyang's quiet demeanor fool you; he's very proud and would never become a live-in son-in-law."

Lu Jinyang glared at him and slapped him again, saying, "What nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly be worthy of her? Besides, that girl is really, really a bit... a bit fleshy."

Li Ju'an laughed heartily.

"Still too young. Young people don't know the value of being curvy, mistaking a slender figure for a treasure." He gestured with his hand to show his curves, clicked his tongue, and said, "If you ask me, having some meat on your bones is the real deal. The feel of it is something a slender person can't compare to."

Lu Jinyang laughed at him: "You're so quick-witted. If you really found a wife, look at your sister-in-law, she's so slim. You're just trying to fool me."

Li Ju'an said, "You can't say that. We'll take care of our own wives. Your sister-in-law will gain weight this year, just you wait and see."

The Lu brothers then discussed the mountain path beside the Long Worm Gully.

Looking at the smugness and longing in Li Ju'an's eyes, Lu Jinyang suddenly realized something and said, "Li Ju'an is lucky. The value of this piece of land is going to double."

That evening, after the Lu brothers returned home, Li Ju'an prepared formula for the baby. He was overjoyed to have a daughter; such a plump and adorable girl was a treasure he cherished dearly, truly a precious gem.

"Nannan, come and drink some Nai Nai."

He imitated his mother Song Lanhua's movements when preparing formula, adding water exactly as indicated on the label—not too much, not too little. Qian Dingxiang had been visiting Song Lanhua these past few days, saying that some people in the county town also prepared formula, but the grandmothers, fearing their children would go hungry, would add too little water and too much formula, causing the child to suffer from intestinal obstruction and require surgery.

Li Ju'an couldn't bear to see his precious little girl suffer like that. He carefully added water according to the instructions and then shook it. The little girl had already opened her little mouth impatiently, waving her tiny, chubby hands, wanting to hug him.

He carefully lifted the baby by the back of her neck, about to put her mouth into his daughter's wide-open mouth. His mother, Song Lanhua, stared at him, then suddenly kicked him lightly, saying, "We haven't checked the temperature yet."

Li Ju'an quickly patted his forehead. Oh right, he forgot! Luckily, his mother reminded him. He quickly dripped some pacifier onto the back of his hand to test the temperature. It was warm, just the right temperature. Only then did he feed it to his daughter.

The little girl had been crying loudly from hunger for a while, and eagerly grabbed the bottle, gulping down the milk. She choked twice while drinking, so Li Ju'an quickly straightened her up, patted her, and after she stopped crying, comforted her and let her continue drinking.

Feeding, changing diapers, burping, getting up every two hours at night to make formula—Li Ju'an's eyes were dark from all the work these days. He felt that raising a child was truly exhausting. Looking at his mother, Song Lanhua's, thin figure, and his wife, who was also not getting enough rest, he felt sincerely grateful for the sacrifices of the two women he loved most.

He said, moved, "Mom, wife, don't be busy tonight, I'll cook dinner."

“No, that’s fine, I’ll do it.”

"Mom, you rest. These past few days have been so hot with smoke and fire, and the strong winds have kept me from going out. Let me help out more. Otherwise, I'll have to go back into the mountains or to the city. If I can't help the family, I'll feel really bad."

Song Lanhua, the mother, kept praising her son for growing up and becoming more considerate of the family. Looking at her son, who had changed so much in the past two years, she felt a mix of emotions—a mix of gratitude and emotion. She truly couldn't understand how her son had suddenly transformed overnight; in the past, she would never have dared to dream of having such a son.

Before the end of the year, hunters from all over would go into the mountains to hunt, hoping to ensure their families had a good New Year. In the past, Li Ju'an would share his hunted game with his neighbors as a way of exchanging gifts. Now, he stays at home with his wife who has just given birth and is taking care of his daughter. Hunters from various villages come to visit him, bringing their game, and the warm hospitality of the village flows freely.

The Li family's house was piled high with fresh game. There was the hind leg meat of a yellow-haired cat, as well as pheasant, half-pound hamster, and leaping cat meat. There was even fish sent by the fishing village.

The Lu brothers also brought a grass carp that was a foot long. Li Xiao curiously hugged the grass carp and asked, "Brother, why doesn't the fish's tail splash water all over my face?"

Li Xiao read in the book that when a grass carp is caught, it is incredibly strong. Its tail can lash out and smash a person's face, breaking a tooth.

"Brother, this fish doesn't look like it's moving. Is what the book says fake?"

The grass carp that the Lu brothers brought was still barely alive, its lips twitching weakly in the water basin. He said in a serious tone, "Grass carp only punish evil people, but our Ah Xiao is kind and beautiful, and fish don't punish good girls."

Li Xiao glared at him and said, "Brother, I'm not an 8-year-old anymore, I'm 10 years old. Do you still believe your sweet words to coax your sister-in-law?"

The family burst into laughter.