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

A huge wild boar lay on the ground and was dragged out by Li Ju'an. There were two holes in its body and a deep knife wound below its ear.

The Lu brothers' ancestors were all hunters, and they knew better than anyone that although one of the two shots hit the heart, the one that could kill a wild boar instantly was the cut below its ear.

Lu Zhiqiang immediately recognized the knife wound. To kill a wild boar with a single blow, the placement and precision of the knife were quite impressive.

His expression was complicated, and the way he looked at Li Ju'an changed.

Li Ju'an glared at the two men, then quickly slung the hunting rifle on his back. This Type 56 semi-automatic rifle, with its serial number filed off, was a counterfeit; even if he offered it to the supply and marketing cooperative, they wouldn't accept it. He couldn't let the Lu brothers see the counterfeit gun in his hand, lest they report him.

He thought to himself that he needed to keep the Lu brothers calm for now and prevent them from noticing the file marks on the gun. He also needed to get the money quickly to buy a second-hand hunting rifle from the hardware section of the supply and marketing cooperative. A gun that could be displayed openly would be less likely to arouse suspicion.

He dragged the heavy, large orphan out of the snow hole by himself, using the pine wood skis.

Lu Jinyang's attitude towards Li Ju'an is also conflicted.

They had been hunting and gathering in the mountains for several days without finding anything of value. It was obvious that Li Ju'an had hunted the wild boar. Moreover, it was Li Ju'an who used a dagger to stab the wild boar right under its ear and into its head, killing it instantly!

Putting aside the technique, the sheer audacity alone made the Lu brothers quite uneasy. As villagers whose ancestors were hunters, they were unwilling to admit that Li Ju'an had overshadowed them. This made them feel very uncomfortable, and their expressions were awkward.

Li Ju'an glanced sideways and cursed, "Get out of my way! Don't block my way. If you keep spouting nonsense, get lost!"

He had only been in the mountains alone for a day, but his basket was overflowing with his harvest. He was also dragging a heavy wild boar, so tired that he could barely pull it along, but he was filled with the joy of his harvest.

People can only be content when they compare themselves to others. Compared to Li Ju'an's bumper harvest, the Lu brothers had been in the mountains for many days, but their hands were empty, they hadn't harvested a single grain, and they were covered in dust, thin and emaciated, clearly malnourished and lacking in nutrients, and they looked dejected.

Lu Zhiqiang's eyes darted around, and he immediately started to have some mischievous ideas. He changed his expression, rubbed his hands together, and laughed.

"Our Brother Li is something else! With a wild boar in our possession, we absolutely have to make some 'pig-killing feast' tonight!"

"Warm up a pot of wine, wouldn't that taste much better than cornbread?"

He bent down to help Li Ju'an drag the pork. If the pork wasn't so heavy, he would have loved to carry it on his shoulder and walk around.

Lu Jinyang, quick to notice, laughed and said, "Brother Li is nothing like the money-grubbing guy the village women talk about. He's an absolute master hunter, a true hunting champion! He must be nominated for an advanced award at the forest farm at the end of the year."

The Lu brothers were full of empty talk, and they were shameless enough to get a free meal of pork stew.

Li Ju'an saw through it but didn't say anything. He decided to replace Sun Weimin in the forest farm as a helper, but he needed someone to introduce him. The Sun family was unlikely to introduce him; it would be good enough if the two didn't fight when they met. The best choice was the Lu brothers, who were forest farm leaders and temporary workers and members of the helper team.

He patted his thigh, finally feeling relaxed and carefree, and shouted.

"Corn flour, it's coarsely ground, so it's rough on the throat. Tonight, let's have some stewed pork with vermicelli, and a couple of sips of wine, it'll be so delicious and satisfying."

"What a pity, I don't have any wine at home."

The Lu brothers, one dragging a large pig's head and the other carrying a pig's hind leg, were so excited that they couldn't wait to rush to the Li family's old house for a free meal.

The two brothers were incredibly enthusiastic, nodding their heads like rattles.

"I have wine at home."

"My family has plenty of liquor: Beidacang liquor, Fengcheng Laojiao, Changde Daqu. Brother, if you're particular, I can steal some Wujia Bai that my dad keeps in his cellar."

Wujia Bai was a popular local liquor in the 80s, well-known in the area and a staple for a generation. Old Master Lu particularly loved Wujia Bai; he considered it a fine, high-quality liquor, suitable for display and collection.

The three of them dragged the heavy orphan back to the village.

……

The old houses in the village have become lively again.

The news that Li Ju'an had single-handedly defeated a large orphan quickly spread throughout the entire village, coming from the mouths of the women in the village.

Neighbors Aunt Zhang and Sister Wang scrutinized Li Ju'an, their eyes filled with disbelief. Was this really the same good-for-nothing son of the Li family? How had he changed so much? Hunting and gathering in the mountains were legitimate occupations! Who was spreading rumors before the New Year that the Li family's son was idle and lazy?

The villagers' gaze towards him changed, from disdain and avoidance to surprise, and then to unanimous praise.

The old house was surrounded by villagers who came to see the orphaned boy, as well as children who came to join in the fun.

Li Ju'an was pulled into the house by his mother, Song Lanhua.

When Song Lanhua, his mother, saw that he was carrying a gun and had so much loot, she was startled. She didn't dare to ask him in front of others, so she pulled him into the house and asked him secretly.

"Son, where did you get the gun?"

Li Ju'an casually replied, "Uncle Zhang lent it to me. He said he would teach me how to hunt, and if I hunted anything good, he would share the profits with me. When I took what I hunted to sell, he said he would sell me a good gun."

His tone was sincere. Uncle Zhang was an old man in the forestry station's security department. He used to be a hunter, but he pulled some strings to get a stable job at the forestry station and lived a carefree life. Uncle Zhang had a good reputation in the village; he was a kind-hearted person, and my mother wouldn't suspect anything.

The mother, Song Lanhua, breathed a sigh of relief. She glanced at her eldest son lying on the ground and saw the bloody hole where the knife had plunged into his ear. She was terrified for her son.

The mother grabbed Li Ju'an and examined him several times to make sure there were no serious external injuries. Her face darkened, and she said, "Don't go into the mountains alone again next time, you know? The mountains are dangerous. If you don't have anyone to guide you, just stay in the village. What kind of good work is that? It's a huge wild boar. Don't learn from those two animals from the Lu family. What can you possibly learn?"

Li Ju'an knew his mother was worried about him.

Not to mention his mother's heartache at seeing the bruises on his waist from the impact, even he himself felt lingering fear when he thought about how he had almost been bent in the waist by the big orphan.

To reassure his mother, he took the two Type 56 semi-automatic rifles off his back. The rifles were about 80% new, with the serial numbers filed off; they were two counterfeit rifles.

Song Lanhua's heart ached so much that tears streamed down her face. She examined his wounds with great care, her voice filled with anxiety, fear, and dread, yet also with a complex mix of emotions.

"That bastard surnamed Zhang, he lent you a black gun, what a shameless thing."

"Don't go hunting in the mountains by yourself anymore."

"We don't need to eat the best meat or drink the most oily food; the most important thing is for the family to be well."

Li Ju'an saw worry and heartache in his mother's eyes.

The Type 56 semi-automatic rifle he found in the mountains was from tomb raiders; it didn't even have a serial number, it was a stolen gun. If he really wanted to become a hunter to support his family, it would be foolish to carry around dirty money hunting; illegal guns can't be brought into the open.

He decided to disassemble the gun, sell the parts, and then use the money to buy a decent used gun from the supply and marketing cooperative in the county town.

Li Ju'an grinned.

"Mom, I'll go find the forestry leaders to help with the enclosure. Don't worry, with a large group of people helping, nothing will happen."

Song Lanhua also knew that her son wanted to take on the responsibility of supporting the family.

She thought about her son's behavior over the past few years: skipping school and dropping out early, fighting with the village bully. She cried and tried to persuade him, but to no avail. He refused the temporary job that a relative introduced him to, saying it was too far and the pay was too low.

Now, her son finally has the ambition to do things properly, which makes her very happy.

When she heard that her son wanted to replace Sun Weimin in the forest farm that morning, she went to the brigade headquarters with the only box of Changbai Mountain cigarettes she had at home, hoping that the brigade leader would make an exception for her.

A pack of Changbai Mountain cigarettes cost 14 cents, a considerable expense for the Li family. The brigade headquarters was an earthen house with an office containing a coal stove surrounded by tables. The brigade commander, a demobilized soldier, was upright and incorruptible, and he worked at the tables.

Brigade leader Yang Dezheng was very prestigious. As the head of the village, when he looked up and saw Song Lanhua carrying cigarettes and smiling obsequiously as she entered the door, he roughly understood her purpose.

It wasn't that he was unwilling, but that he was truly in a difficult position.

“I understand what you’re thinking, sister-in-law, but Ju’an has never been to the mountains to hunt before. The forest farm is taking this organized assistance very seriously. The leaders have said that it can only succeed and cannot fail. Although Sun Weimin can’t come, Ju’an is not someone who can handle the task of hunting.”

How can someone who has never hunted join a hunting party? If they can't even keep the time right, the whole team could easily be caught off guard, and the leader would also be criticized by his superiors.

Despite Song Lanhua's best efforts, she was still politely declined.

The captain didn't even take the cigarettes. He escorted Song Lanhua to the door, waved his hand, and looked very apologetic.

Everyone in the village knew about the Li family's predicament. They had lost their husbands and had to raise an 8-year-old girl and an idle eldest son who was always getting into fights.

But the rules of the embassy are the rules, and no one can plead for leniency.

Now that Li Ju'an has brought his eldest son into the family, his mother, Song Lanhua, is very pleased. Her son is ambitious, and she doesn't want to hold him back.

With such a big wild boar, why would Brigade Leader Yang Dezheng disagree? My son is capable; with the help of the forest farm, he'll definitely be able to get in!

She deftly put on her apron and quickly got to work. With her mother calling out from the doorway of the old house, all the women in the village became excited.

The Li family is slaughtering a pig today!