Reborn in the Great Northern Wilderness in 1982, I farmed and hunted to support my whole family.

When I got back to the room, my mother was already asleep.

On the contrary, his father Li Guozhang and eldest son Li Xiangqian had not returned yet, so Li Mu did not think much of it and quietly crawled into the quilt and started snoring.

The next morning, Li Mu was awakened by the aroma of fish soup.

He rubbed his eyes and looked up to see the old man and woman chatting on the kang (a heated brick bed). Li Guozhang was puffing on his pipe and occasionally tapping the pipe bowl against the sole of his shoe.

A young man sat opposite Li Guozhang.

He had a square face, was very tall, and looked about seven or eight parts like Li Mu; he was none other than the eldest brother, Li Xiangqian.

However, compared to Li Mu's youthful face, Li Xiangqian, although only two years older than him, had a weathered face and looked like he was in his mid-thirties.

"Big brother's back?"

Li Mu called out, then pulled the blanket over himself and crawled inside.

Getting out of bed is so hard.

Before Li Xiangqian could even open his mouth, his mother, Liang Meifen, who had just entered through the curtain, showed no mercy. She wiped her hands and grabbed Li Mu's ear, scolding, "Lazy, lazy, lazy! All you know is laziness! The sun's already high in the sky and you're still not up. Did you go thief yesterday?"

"Tiger has been here since early morning, waiting for you for ages. Get up and get the hell out of here, or don't blame me for ripping your ass off."

He was met with a barrage of insults, and Li Mu immediately wet himself, thinking to himself, "She's still the same old her."

Then he peeked out and, sure enough, saw Tian Xiaohu squatting on the threshold of the east and west rooms, holding a large bowl and drinking steaming hot water.

Seeing Li Mu looking over, Tian Xiaohu grinned foolishly, showing off his big white teeth.

Li Mu was taken aback, then immediately laughed.

"Tiger, why are you still squatting here? Come sit on the kang, it's warmer there."

Tian Xiaohu wiped his mouth and shook his head, saying, "No need, no need, I'm fine squatting here. Brother Mu, Auntie's cooking is really good. This 'Five Black' dish is garlic clove meat, you can eat it with just a mouthful of garlic, and the soup is delicious too."

Upon hearing this, Liang Meifen immediately beamed with joy.

Her own family, young and old, only knew how to eat in silence, not even remotely as good as Hu Zi at providing emotional support. This prompted Liang Meifen to add two more large spoonfuls of fish to Tian Xiaohu's plate without further ado.

Li Mu shrank back and didn't dare to say anything more. He got up tremblingly and prepared to put on his clothes.

Everyone was up, and he couldn't just be lazy. But his older brother, Li Xiangqian, reached out and patted him on the shoulder, laughing, "You're all set, second brother. You even have the skill of catching fish. Tiger was right, these fish are indeed quite good."

Upon hearing this, Li Mu smiled.

Thinking to myself, this isn't decades later, when gutter oil and pig feed are rampant. This is a genuine wild black carp, all meaty like garlic cloves, and the fish soup is incredibly delicious. It's not bad at all.

"Bro, what's the deal with your girlfriend/boyfriend situation?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangqian was taken aback, not expecting his brother to ask such a question, and his face immediately showed unease. The old man beside him, Li Guozhang, tapped the sole of his shoe with his pipe in displeasure, and said...

"Kids shouldn't meddle in adult matters. I have plenty of ways to handle things."

“Your older brother’s affairs are your father’s business. You shouldn’t be idle either. You’re not getting any younger, so bring home a daughter-in-law for me. When the time comes, I, as your father, won’t show favoritism. You’ll get the same treatment as your older brother.”

Upon hearing this, none of the three members of Old Li's family uttered a sound.

I thought to myself, "Isn't this one boast enough for you to brag about? Why is the next one coming right after?"

What can you do? You still have to borrow from house to house.

A few hundred yuan for a three-wheeled watch and a radio isn't just a few cents or dollars. Let alone whether Old Man Li has any influence in the village, even if he did, an extra three hundred yuan would be enough to keep Old Man Li's family struggling for years.

Li Mu didn't dare say much, knowing that his old man was a man of pride.

He wiped his face haphazardly, then gulped down a mouthful of fish soup, finding it so delicious he smacked his tongue.

"gone."

Li Mu called out to Tian Xiaohu and headed outside. Surprisingly, Liang Meifen didn't stop him. She even slipped a steamed bun into each of their hands so they could eat it on the way.

When Li Mu stepped outside, he noticed that Tian Xiaohu was carrying several bags of feed, as if he was ready to return with a full load.

"Don't rush, come with me up the mountain first."

"What are you doing up the mountain?"

Tian Xiaohu was a little confused.

"Of course I have something to do. Yesterday I set a few rabbit traps on the mountain. I'll go check them out; maybe some will take the bait?" Li Mu explained casually, but to his surprise, Tian Xiaohu was completely dumbfounded.

"Brother Mu, you can even set rabbit traps?"