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

As soon as Li Mu said this, before Liang Meizhen and Li Guozhang could say anything, Li Qianjin burst into tears.

"Brother! Can we please not go into the woods anymore?"

"Hey! Brother, what are you crying for, you big man? You scared me half to death." Li Mu shook himself before taking his hand out from under the quilt.

"I have to get into the forest; my future business depends on it. Besides, I've already received the deposit!"

Li Mu could lie so easily, but the money he actually handed over was real.

Of the two thousand three hundred yuan, one thousand fifty yuan was the money from selling bear skins and bear paws today, and the remaining eight hundred yuan was the money Li Mu brought with him when he went into the mountains.

"This... so much money?"

"Son, what kind of business are you in?"

Li Guozhang and Liang Meifen stared at the pile of money on the kang (a heated brick bed), their eyes widening instantly like copper bells.

More than two thousand yuan!

They probably couldn't earn that much money in ten or twenty years, or even a lifetime!

“Look how much money I can make in just one or two times. Besides, it’s not like I’m the only one going into the forest. All your worries are unnecessary.”

Li Mu spoke lightly, but when he turned around and saw Li Qianjin still wiping away tears, he quickly said, "Brother, I haven't eaten dinner yet! Can you get me some food?"

"Okay, okay! I'll go get it done right away." Li Qianjin replied and turned to go to the main room.

Li Mu glanced again at Li Guozhang and Liang Meifen, who were caressing the bills, and took off his clothes.

He hung the military overcoat on the hanger before speaking again.

“I’ve thought it all out. From now on, I’ll lead people into the forest to get mountain products, and my brother will fish in the Xiaohetao area. We don’t need to go every day; once every three to five days will suffice.”

"If the two brothers work together, they won't have to worry about not making money. Besides, my brother is already married to my sister-in-law, and he'll give me a niece in the future. My nephew will also have many expenses."

"Those who make a living by digging in the soil can't earn much money."

As Li Mu spoke, he sat down on the kang (a heated brick bed) and neatly gathered all 2300 yuan.

He then took out three hundred yuan and handed it to Liang Meifen, saying, "This is for my family. I have other uses for the remaining two thousand, so I won't give it to my family."

Upon hearing this, Liang Meifen's eyes widened even more.

"So, you little brat, you're just messing around with me, aren't you?

“Mother, look at what you’re saying. I’m not joking around, I really am useful.” Li Mu frowned, looking at Liang Meifen’s serious face.

Liang Meifen pursed her lips, then said seemingly nonchalantly, "It's your own money, you can spend it however you want."

“But son, the village chief said that the land will be distributed in the spring. Our family of four should be able to get at least ten mu of land.”

"Even though the grain won't sell for much money, we can't just leave our land barren."

For farmers, the land is everything – the sky and the earth.

He also remembered that in 97, Uncle Benshan sang a song in a skit called "Red Sorghum Model Team" on the Spring Festival Gala, and there was a line in the lyrics: "The land is the mother, and labor is the father."

This one sentence is enough to demonstrate the farmers' love for the land.

"We definitely have to farm the land. Even if my brother and I can't manage it all, we can always find someone to help us."

Li Mu was speaking.

Li Qianjin then brought in the already heated food.

"Brother! Dumplings, scrambled eggs, eat up!"

"Hey!"

Li Mu replied with a smile, turned around and took the plate of dumplings, his head buried in it without ever lifting it.

Judging from the way they wolfed down their food, you could tell it was a famine.

I wonder how Li Mu survived those dozen or so animals in the mountains.

The family of four, three of them surrounding Li Mu, watching him eat.

Some people reminded him, "Don't choke." Others asked, "Is there enough to eat?" and still others helped by bringing him tea and water.

Li Mu ate his fill as if he were surrounded by stars, but people tend to get sleepy when they are full, especially someone like Li Mu who hasn't had a good night's sleep in over ten nights.

Forget about letting him go home and sleep on the kang (a heated brick bed), I'd even let him sleep on the floor.

The Li family could tell that he was exhausted, so they stopped nagging him and simply laid out a blanket for him to sleep.

Li Mu was a really good sleeper, sleeping from night until noon the next day.

The moment he opened his eyes, he was startled by Li Siming staring straight at him.

"Damn it! Fourth Master, what are you doing? Don't you know that scaring someone can kill them?" Li Mu sat up abruptly, yawning as he reached for the kang (heated brick bed).

What was being boiled on the kang (heated brick bed) was not his old cotton-padded jacket that he had worn in the spring, but a thick, newly made black cotton-padded jacket.

This time, Li Mu not only woke up, but his mind almost exploded with shock.

"Mom, where's my old coat?" Li Mu shouted suddenly, startling Liang Meifen, who was struggling to stuff the old coat into the water. She slipped and almost strained her back.

"What are you yelling about? Did the dog bite you?" Liang Meifen stormed into the house with her coat in her arms. When she saw Li Mu's bare chest covered in bruises, her nose suddenly stung with tears.

Yesterday, the kid stripped naked and slipped out of bed. He was wrapped in the blanket and started snoring in less than a minute. I just felt sorry for him; he must not have slept well in the mountains.

Looking back now, I don't know if it was because he didn't sleep well or if he suffered a lot.

"Oh my god! Why are you crying again? Give me your coat right now, I have something hidden inside!"

Li Mu spoke urgently, reaching out to grab the coat from Liang Meifen's arms and quickly feeling around inside.

He pinched a piece of cardboard that made a "crackling" sound, and quickly reached his hand through the hole inside to take out the neatly folded piece of paper.

I carefully unfolded it and was relieved to see that it was undamaged.

At this moment, Liang Meifen also curiously leaned over to see what this precious thing Li Mu was.

You won't believe it until you look at it; once you do, you'll be shocked.

Deposit slip!

A deposit slip for 1,200 yuan.

"Luckily, it didn't get dirty, otherwise it would have been troublesome to withdraw the money." Li Mu said, handing the deposit slip to Liang Meifen.

"Mother, you'd better keep this safe for me. I'll need it very much after spring."

Although Liang Meifen didn't know what the great use Li Mu was talking about was, she didn't ask in front of outsiders.

Although Li Siming is considered the eldest member of the Li family, he's still several generations removed. He might be able to offer some help to people with different surnames, but with people of the same surname... well, that's another story.

"Okay, then I'll keep it for you." Liang Meifen carefully tucked the item into her bosom, planning to hide it somewhere after everyone in the family had left.

Seeing that Li Mu was about to put the old coat back on, he quickly said, "Why wear this old coat when you have a new one?"

As she spoke, Liang Meifang snatched the old coat from Li Mu's hand and threw the new coat at him.

"Hurry up and put it on for me."