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

As soon as Li Changqing entered, he drank hot water. Li Xiao smiled and poured him more water. He drank a lot until his bladder felt uncomfortable, so he ran to the outhouse.

The eldest and second aunts looked at the beautiful and intact civet pelt, their emotions fluctuating, and their gazes toward Song Lanhua were very complicated.

It's said that there's a certain art to getting along with relatives. If Li Ju'an's family is poor, his aunt looks down on him. If he has a little money, she'll compare him to Song Lanhua, subtly suggesting it. But if he's skilled and earns enough, her gaze changes completely. If he can't even catch up to her even if she takes off her shoes, how can they compare?

Mother Song Lanhua was just putting oil in the stove when the irresistible aroma of venison wafted into the house, trying to fill everyone's nostrils. She called out enthusiastically, "Sister-in-law, why don't you take some venison back with you later?"

The older woman and the second woman's eyes lit up, and they dared not mention borrowing money again. In those days, meat and grain were rationed. Before the land was distributed to individual households, even if the Northeast had a lot of land and high grain yields, it had nothing to do with ordinary people. The amount of grain, fine grain and coarse grain per person was fixed.

Even with high yields, there wasn't enough grain to go around. After harvesting, grain had to be handed over to the government, and then seeds were distributed for further rationing and allocation. The production teams kept a portion as emergency reserves, and the rest had to be sold at low prices to the grain stations. So, high grain production didn't necessarily mean there wouldn't be a shortage of food. The same principle applied to meat. Meat and oil were rationed and strictly controlled; even the wealthiest people didn't have extra meat.

Now, the aroma of lard wafted through the air, and the two women's minds were already wandering. They could tell the difference between borrowing 50 yuan and being able to get their hands on lard regularly in the future.

Second Aunt quickly clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Oh, sister-in-law, you're too kind. Make only a little, just enough to show your appreciation."

Seeing the change in the two old women's attitude, Li Ju'an called over Da Hu and Tie Chui.

"Good dog, come and eat!"

He cut off some wolf meat to feed Big Tiger, Iron Hammer, and the three muttons, and also cut off a piece of wolf fat. A piece of fat from the belly could yield half a jug of oil, which he quickly fed to the dogs. The already limited amount of fat was thus completely divided up.

The old woman shouted, "Ju'an, people don't even have oil to eat, how can you feed the dog lard?"

Li Ju'an said, "Auntie, dogs and hunters have a bond forged in life and death. It's not just a few pieces of lard; they often feed the dogs meat every day. We can't mistreat the hunting dogs. Besides, the dogs need to be well-fed before they can go hunting in the mountains, and the meat they catch every day is far more than they can eat."

The envy in the eyes of the older and younger women was palpable.

Li Changqing had just come out of the outhouse when he saw Song Lanhua bringing them some good oil, and he beamed with joy. He drank a pot of hot water that Li Xiao had brought him, chatted for a few minutes, then felt the urge to urinate again, so he went to the outhouse.

Looking at Song Lanhua's capable son, and then at her own good-for-nothing son who only knew how to use the outhouse, the old woman gritted her teeth and forced a smile: "Sister-in-law, then it's settled. After the land is allocated, the three of us will pool our money to buy a used tractor and a harvester. There's no rush; we'll talk about it after we get the land. Let's go back now."

"Going back so early? Take this oil with you."

"Oh, you're too kind, don't bother seeing me out."

……

The elderly couple led Li Changqing back to his home in the county town. Li Changqing still couldn't forget the two jars of deer antler wine and deer bone wine.

"Li Ju'an is so lucky, he even managed to get some wine. By the way, Mom, Old Zhang from the factory's security department also has deer bone wine. I'll go play cards with him tomorrow and win that jar of wine back, so Mom can have a taste too."

"Mom, isn't your son amazing? Last time I won a big sum of money in Pai Gow, wasn't that impressive?"

The old lady had just found a way to vent her anger, and now someone was practically walking into her trap. She raised her voice and shouted, "Playing cards, playing cards, all you ever do is play cards! Don't you feel ashamed? Huh? How old are you? You're older than Li Ju'an! Your job was found for you through your father's connections. Aren't you ashamed?"

Li Changqing was stunned by the scolding. He had wanted to show off his card-playing skills, but his mother gave him a thorough dressing-down.

After scolding her son, the old woman didn't forget to scold the man: "Aren't you ashamed? How can you two be so smug? You were thinking of showing off at Song Lanhua's house, but they're much better off than us. Even their dog eats lard every day. You two could have asked for more lard, but you didn't dare to say a word. I had to ask Song Lanhua for the lard."

The father and son sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), receiving criticism and lectures from their wives. In the Xing'an Mountains, which family doesn't have a matriarch in charge? The men mainly go out to show off; when it comes to important matters, it's still the matriarch's word. Once married, the wife takes over.

The old woman's face turned red with anger. She pointed at Li Changqing and continued to berate her son angrily: "Li Ju'an is capable of supporting the family, and you're still out there running wild, spending your time eating meat, drinking, and playing dominoes. The blind date I introduced you to last time didn't work out. Are you trying to drive me crazy? You'd better get married and have a wife, save money, and stop gambling!"

Li Changqing was furious. He opened his mouth to retort, but when he saw his mother's angry posture as she was about to scratch his face and her teeth-grinding expression, he immediately backed down and muttered in a low voice, "Anyway, it's none of your business if I secretly find people to play cards with."

The old man was criticized by his wife and was really afraid that she would get angry and stop cooking for him, or that she would go back to her parents' house for a few days. He would have to go to his father-in-law's house with a smile and coax her. He really couldn't bear to lose face, so he took his anger out on Li Changqing.

The old man slapped Li Changqing so hard he didn't dare breathe, and said sternly, "You think you're so great to me? Do you think your father didn't hear you? Listen to your mother, or get out."

Li Changqing was beaten twice by his parents, so badly that he didn't dare to utter a sound, feeling incredibly wronged. He just couldn't understand why his parents, who had always doted on him and spoiled him every day, suddenly stopped caring for him after he went to Li Ju'an's house once.

Meanwhile, things didn't calm down even after Second Master and Second Madam returned home.

Second Aunt was a shrewd woman who married and had children early; her eldest son was already married with a grandson. She noticed that Li Ju'an's family ate meat at every meal, and after her son and daughter-in-law had their second child, they couldn't take care of their eight-year-old grandson. It just so happened that Li Ju'an's younger sister, Li Xiao, was about the same age as her grandson. Eight-year-old boys have huge appetites and are very mischievous; even dogs dislike them.

She thought about discussing it with her second uncle: "They're all family, so we should visit each other more often. How about we talk to our son and have Da Bao stay with Li Ju'an for a while? He can get some benefits and strengthen our relationship. In terms of seniority, Li Ju'an is Da Bao's elder."

Upon hearing this, Second Uncle retorted, "When we go to someone else's house, we can just eat one or two meals. But if we're staying for a while, we have to give them food coupons and money."

Second Aunt rolled her eyes: "Why give us food coupons? Da Bao is a junior, why do we have to be so calculating about how many days he'll stay?"

Everyone says that women are short-sighted, but Second Master felt he couldn't bear the shame and said, "If you don't want grain coupons, then give me grain directly. Nobody has enough grain. When the old man was still alive, I had to give him grain when I went back to live. Don't even think about it this time. It's not appropriate, and it would make me lose face for no reason. Our family doesn't have any extra grain either."

Second Aunt also got angry and blocked him in the house, scolding him: "You were quite the show-off in front of the younger generation, suggesting to buy a tractor and a harvester. You act all high and mighty outside, but then you come here complaining about being poor. You're always bragging outside, but all you do is bully me at home!"

The eldest daughter-in-law was still outside coaxing the baby when she heard her parents-in-law arguing inside. The second daughter-in-law scratched his face enough, packed her things, and left to go back to her parents' home.

Second Uncle was still calling from behind, "Hey, don't go! Zhang Cui, quickly persuade your mother. There's no one to cook at home."

……

Li Ju'an had no idea that a simple visit would cause such a commotion among his relatives' families, turning the place into a complete mess.

Now he is leading a well-fed Iron Hammer, three skewers, to Old Tao's house in the village, and carrying a complete mountain fox pelt in his hand.

Old Tao wasn't surprised to see him. He nodded, and the three puppies obediently wagged their tails and went back to their kennels. Iron Hammer, on the other hand, was less obedient, wandering around the yard, curiously sniffing what delicious food was in the bowl in Widow Chen's hand.

Old Tao remained expressionless, his expression revealing neither happiness nor unhappiness. He said, "Leave the hide there. Are you going to make raw hides or finished leather?"