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

Li Ju'an felt a chill run down his spine.

The Lu family did have a grudge against One-Eyed Wolf, but One-Eyed Wolf was old and clumsy, and had already been shot dead. Even the wolf skin that had been skinned had been exchanged for money at the supply and marketing cooperative.

But Lu Zhiqiang spent his days either hunting wild clubs or gathering resources in the mountains. His family forbade him from hunting, and he didn't even own a hunting rifle. What grudge could Lu Zhiqiang possibly have against the wolves of the Xing'an Mountains?

A chill ran down his spine, his hair stood on end, and a thought crossed his mind. Could it be that the wolf was seeking revenge? Or had it just happened to run into Lu Zhiqiang, who was walking alone on the old path?

Moreover, the ground where Lu Zhiqiang collapsed was covered with wolf paw prints, not just from one wolf. If, as he said, there was only one white wolf, then that wolf's intentions were truly terrifying, deliberately leaving so many paw prints to threaten the hunters behind and prevent them from approaching. If he had insisted on following Da Huchong then, he might have fallen into the white wolf's trap.

Li Guaizi thought the same thing and said, "This white wolf is even more cunning than the lone wolf. That damned thing has become a spirit."

At that moment, Zhang, the deputy captain of the production brigade, happened to be leading a group to check on Xiao Jiang, the duty team member.

The deputy leader of the production team arrived with his men. He was a tall, strong, and forthright man. He spotted the mule at the entrance of the clinic immediately. Beside the mule, on a large sled, lay a black bear weighing at least 400 jin (200 catties).

He shouted, "The forest farm got hunters to shoot that beast down so quickly?"

Deputy Captain Zhang was both shocked and delighted. When he thought of all the pigs that the production team had lost, he angrily kicked Black Bear's disemboweled belly and vented his anger.

He kicked hard, feeling a sense of satisfaction at finally getting revenge. The female nurses around him saw through his act but said nothing, letting Zhang, the deputy leader of the production team, vent his emotions.

For just this one animal, he led his entire team into the mountains, searching high and low for pigs, like looking for a needle in a haystack. They stayed up all night, but still couldn't make up for the losses. Anyone would be furious in that situation.

Li Ju'an remained silent. He couldn't guarantee that this bear was the same one that attacked the production team. There were countless bears in the Xing'an Mountains; who could tell which bear was which?

The bustling health clinic woke up Xiao Jiang, a staff member on duty in the inpatient department.

Xiao Jiang, a member of the duty team, is usually strong and not afraid of getting dirty or tired when working. He is always eager to do tasks such as cleaning the pigsty and removing pig manure.

He was a temporary worker, hoping to become a permanent employee after two years if he performed well. So he worked hard on night shifts and tried his best to get promoted.

In those days, the policy of distributing land to individual households had not yet been implemented. Production teams were divided into production squads, each responsible for specific areas of work. Skilled groups, such as carpenters and bricklayers, were also allowed to take on jobs outside the village. Everyone in Lijiatun dreamed of joining a production team, even as a temporary worker, which was considered a good job. If one performed well for two years and became a formal employee, their income would be deposited into the brigade's account, and then individual work points would be awarded, with rewards distributed according to work done—the more you worked, the more you earned.

The production team selected technicians to form a forestry team, planted fruit trees, and distributed substandard apples to each household, with each household receiving about 20 jin (10 catties) of apples annually. The good-quality apples were then sorted into three grades, packed into baskets, and taken to the market for sale. The income was handed over to the brigade, and at the end of the year, money was distributed according to work points.

The production team also had a small workshop with a sunflower seed roasting machine, which roasted sunflower seeds and wholesaled them to other communes to earn profits. The old bricklayer also advocated that the brigade set up a brick and tile factory, so that when people built new houses, they could fire bricks and tiles. They set up the first brick and tile factory in the entire commune, which contributed to the brigade's economic income.

Li Ju'an often heard his mother talk about how she had the opportunity to work as a temporary worker in the production brigade. At that time, the production team organized women into a hand-weaving group. However, later, her father became seriously ill and bedridden. Her mother had to take care of her seriously ill father and raise young Li Xiao, so she couldn't go out to find work and had to give up such a good opportunity.

Therefore, he always kept a close eye on things in the production brigade.

Xiao Jiang, a young man who was on duty, opened his eyes to see a hunter covered in blood.

Li Ju'an and Li Guaizi, covered in the bloody smell of their fight with the bear, stood at the entrance of the hospital ward, watching him. They didn't think the smell was strong, but for Xiao Jiang, who was lying in the ward smelling disinfectant, the smell was too strong. It made his hair stand on end and his heart tremble. He immediately thought of the thrilling scene of fighting the bear that night.

"Captain Zhang! Captain Zhang!"

Deputy Captain Zhang led the guild members to comfort him, which finally calmed Xiao Jiang down.

Upon hearing that there was a black bear at the door, Xiao Jiang, without caring whether it was dead or alive, screamed in terror.

It's heartbreaking and a pity that such a fine young man suffered such a severe shock, with a chunk of his scalp being slapped off by a bear.

"Xiao Jiang, take a look and see if it's that black bear from last night."

Deputy Captain Zhang was reluctant to say this, and he secretly hoped that the bear Li Ju'an had killed was the same vicious bear that had attacked the pig farm. But whether it was or not, only the person involved could identify it. If it wasn't the same bear, it was likely the other thief who would come back and cause trouble again, and the production team would have no good days.

Xiao Jiang put on a green military overcoat, his hands tucked in his sleeves, and with the help of the guild members, he walked to the door and immediately recognized the huge black bear on the sled. He shouted.

"This is it! Its fingernails are flipped off; I caught them in the door frame!"

Li Ju'an was also surprised and went over to take a look.

If it weren't for Xiao Jiang, the person involved, pointing it out, he wouldn't have discovered such subtle details even after thoroughly examining the black bear's body. The fingernail was flipped over.

Hei Xiazi, who attacked the production brigade's pig farm in the middle of the night, was killed by the hunting team organized by Li Ju'an.

After the news spread, all the members of the production brigade excitedly rushed to the clinic, wanting to see this Li Pao. They were puzzled; when the forestry farm called for hunting teams, they had looked for many veteran hunting leaders, but they had never heard of any one named Li. Given Li Guaizi's eccentric personality, he couldn't possibly recruit anyone to be a hunting leader.

If Li Pao isn't Li Guaizi, then who is he?

When the production team members arrived at the clinic, they were all astonished to see the large black bear on the sled.

So big!

That must weigh over 400 pounds, right?

The big black bear was on display in front of the clinic for half a day, and all the production team members ran over to watch. They wished they could kick the bear each to vent their anger from catching pigs on the mountain every day for the past few days.

The production team leader was named Chen Guang'an. Upon hearing the news that day, he immediately dropped everything and rushed to see Li Ju'an.

As he jogged, he thought to himself that he had originally planned to ask the forestry station for help in catching the offending black bear. Black bears have good memories; having come to the pig farm once and tasted the benefits, they would surely return. And a black bear that attacked people would definitely attack people again next time. He was even prepared to ask the forestry station for help.

He didn't expect that before he even asked the forest farm, Li Pao Tou'er had already helped him take down the black bear.

This joy made him run even faster, almost rushing over against the howling wind. He wanted to see who this Li Pao was.