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

Lu Zhiqiang and Lu Jinyang are cousins ​​and were selected as members of the village's assistance team.

They work as temporary workers at the forest farm, earning 17.5 yuan a month. They dream of becoming permanent employees of the forest farm, where their salary would rise to 38.5 yuan. Moreover, having a permanent position would make it easier for their families to find them spouses.

The two brothers both had their eyes on Fang Xiaoxia, the daughter of the Fang family. But she had left the village to become a teacher in town, earning a salary from government-subsidized grain rations. According to Old Man Lu, the girl wasn't bad, just a bit too thin, which might make her difficult to bear children.

When the two brothers saw Li Ju'an carrying a large basket and slowly walking down the mountain through the snow, they were filled with doubt and disbelief. Then they looked at each other and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Brother Li, are you wandering around in the mountains all by yourself?"

"You relentlessly pursued Lin Mei but couldn't catch up, and even fought with Sun Weimin? What good did it do you to win? Lin Mei still ignored you. Stop strutting around all day, find something serious to do."

In their eyes, Li Ju'an was a good-for-nothing who had just beaten someone into the hospital a few days ago and was now out partying in the mountains.

Let alone Lin Mei, which respectable family within a radius of several hundred kilometers would introduce their daughter to Li Ju'an?

In his past life, Li Ju'an did not marry, but not because of deep affection for Lin Mei. Rather, he was indulging in a life of pleasure and debauchery in the south, and had no intention of getting married. When he finally wanted to get married, he was betrayed and reported by his business partner, which tarnished his record and landed him in jail. After his release, he couldn't find a wife even if he wanted to.

He originally thought that after being released from prison, he would only be able to watch videos of provocative female idols on the internet every day, which he thought was fine. He never expected that he would be reborn and that everything would take a turn for the better.

Li Ju'an also shouted.

"Stop making sarcastic remarks and spouting nonsense, or I'll make sure you two go to the hospital with Sun Weimin."

Lu Zhiqiang clicked his tongue, genuinely feeling a lingering fear when he thought of Li Ju'an's ferocity when he went berserk. He was truly afraid of being beaten and sent to the clinic as well.

He could only laugh and say, "Brother Li, how could that be? Speaking of which, Brother Li, you're not getting any younger. Why don't you get married? That would put Aunt Song at ease and give the family some support."

He claimed to care, but his words were actually mockery. Who in the village didn't know the Li family's situation? Their father was dead, their mother frail, and they had an eight-year-old sister to care for. The village hadn't yet implemented the land redistribution policy, so Li Ju'an had no official position, no proper salary, and spent his days idly.

Even if a girl from a good family agrees to date him, her parents can't agree.

These days, who would marry someone without money or connections?

Li Ju'an could easily hear the mockery in Lu Zhiqiang's words, and he laughed along.

“We’re like family, we’ve been so close since we were kids, we could practically share a pair of pants, why don’t you introduce us?”

Lu Zhiqiang chuckled: "Me, introduce them? I only have a few pretty older cousins. But they've all gotten married and moved out of the village. They only come back to visit their parents' home during holidays."

He chuckled, but suddenly met Li Ju'an's equally smiling eyes, which made him freeze in shock, his smile instantly turning to ice.

Lu Zhiqiang's expression changed drastically, and he shouted angrily, "Li Ju'an! What does that expression mean? Do you want me to introduce you to my cousin?"

Li Ju'an said leisurely, "When it comes to getting married, besides the other party and their parents disagreeing, there are many other reasons why the other party's husband might not want to marry."

The Lu brothers looked sullen, unable to retort after being humiliated.

As temporary workers at the forest farm, they were ashamed to face outsiders, but fortunately, Li Ju'an was even more idle than them. By comparison, their mockery of Li Ju'an highlighted their sense of superiority and gave them a sense of satisfaction. But now, they had been outmaneuvered by Li Ju'an, failing to gain any verbal advantage, and they felt extremely upset.

Lu Zhiqiang was furious, but he could only put on airs as a forestry worker.

"Li Ju'an, don't be so smug. I'm a member of the forest farm now. If you want to ride the forest farm's little train, you'll have to get my approval."

If the villagers want to go to the county town for the market, they have to walk more than 30 miles, which will wear out their shoes.

Some elderly people, unwilling to part with their shoes, simply walk barefoot for over 30 li (approximately 15 kilometers). However, if they could take the forest farm's small train, they could easily catch a ride along the way. To hitch a ride, besides forest farm workers, one had to be a family member. As a temporary worker, Lu Zhiqiang could bring one family member on the train each time, including Li Ju'an, who could sneak on for convenience.

Lu Zhiqiang and Lu Jinyang, thinking about how sought-after they were now, stood taller and more arrogant in front of Li Ju'an. The benefits of the forestry workers were their source of confidence.

"Li Ju'an, didn't you say last week that you wanted to take the forest farm's little train to the county town?"

“That’s our forest farm’s shuttle bus. If you take it on your own, you’ll have to pay 2 cents per person for the fare. Do you think Aunt Song would let you pay 2 cents?”

"Hand over a cigarette to us brothers, be a little softer, say a nice word, and maybe if we brothers are in a good mood, we'll give you a ride on the little train into the county town, and even take your sister to the market."

The moment they mentioned his younger sister, Li Xiao, they knew they had hit Li Ju'an's weak spot.

Li Ju'an was known throughout the village for his doting love for his younger sister. He always saved the best food and drinks, including the milk candy given out by the village head, for his sister, something he never ate himself.

When the Lu brothers saw Li Ju'an remain silent for a moment, they exchanged a glance and both saw a smile in each other's eyes.

Sure enough, using the forest farm's small train made Li Ju'an need their help, giving them a sense of superiority.

Suddenly, Li Ju'an weighed the basket on his back. The heavy basket emitted a unique, rich, and sweet aroma, a subtle and tempting scent that wafted through the air.

"No need, I can afford the two cents."

The Lu brothers greedily inhaled the sweet scent in the air, still wondering what this pleasant smell was.

They peered inside and discovered that Li Ju'an's basket was overflowing, including three cloth bags filled with sticky, white honeycomb. Where did the honeycomb come from in the dead of winter, November?

Lu Zhiqiang shrank back in fright: "Brother Li, where did you steal this? Honey from the production brigade? Does the brigade leader know?"

Li Ju'an laughed and scolded, "Nonsense, it's ownerless."

The Lu brothers watched intently as he pulled out three bags of honey, their eyes fixed on him, their mouths smacking incessantly, their tongues brimming with saliva.

Goodness, this is wild linden honey from Northeast China, and each slab can sell for several dollars.

They had only seen one last year at the production team leader's house, and they never expected to see it in Li Ju'an's hands today. Both of them stared wide-eyed.

With such good luck, how come they couldn't find any linden honey? They had been searching the mountains for days, and hadn't seen a single jujube, let alone a jujube. Unexpectedly, Li Ju'an, whom they had laughed at for not having enough money for the forest train, casually pulled three jars of linden honey from his basket.

Lu Zhiqiang bent down a bit, lowered his posture, and rubbed his hands together with a grin: "Brother Li, we're good buddies, where did you find this? Tell your brother about it."

In the mountains, unclaimed goods belong to whoever finds them. As long as they know where they came from, they can easily take a few boxes and sell them for a good profit.

The Lu brothers, empty-handed, were all smiles, practically plastered on their faces. If they hadn't just been teasing and mocking Li Ju'an, they would have really wanted to ask him for a plate of honey to try.

Li Ju'an ignored them, put down his basket, and began digging through the withered vines under the cut old tree trunk. The sun was about to set, and he needed to drag the eldest son back to the old house before sunset.

The Lu brothers, still looking rather sneaky, peeked their heads into the baskets, trying to see what good things Li Ju'an had gathered. Suddenly, a snow hole was dug open, and a large, muscular, fat man, weighing over 250 pounds, was pulled out, his belly ripped open and his legs tightly bound.

Lu Zhiqiang and Lu Jinyang stared wide-eyed.