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

Tian Xiaohu took the seeds, examined them carefully, and then handed them to Li Mu. Li Mu took the seeds, his expression softening slightly, but he still didn't say anything.

“I don’t need these seeds for raising pigs, so I don’t want them.”

Li Mu casually tossed the seeds into Zhao Jianjun's basket: "We can't afford this stuff. If there's nothing else, let's go. It's still far from the county town."

As Zhao Jianjun watched Li Mu and Tian Xiaohu turn and leave, he felt a pang of unease.

"Pah! What kind of attitude is that? You got lucky and caught something, so you're all wagging your tail? You really think you're some big shot?"

Zhao Jianjun shook the snow off his shoulders and turned to walk towards Lijia Village.

Li Mu's silence throughout the journey made Tian Xiaohu feel somewhat awkward.

"Brother Mu, why did Zhao Jianjun suddenly give us seeds?" Tian Xiaohu scratched his head and asked, puzzled.

Li Mu finally spoke, his voice low: "Who knows what he's up to? But these days, nobody has it easy. If he's willing to give, we can't just take advantage of him."

It took Tian Xiaohu and Li Mu a long time to reach the county town.

Upon entering the county town, one immediately senses a lively atmosphere completely different from that of the mountain village. The streets are bustling with people, and various stalls offer a dazzling array of goods.

The snow on the ground was trampled black and compacted; the vendors didn't care, simply displaying their goods on the snow. Li Mu and Tian Xiaohu weaved through the crowd, curiously observing their surroundings.

The bustling county town and the tranquil mountain village formed a stark contrast, leaving the two feeling both excited and somewhat disoriented.

"Brother Mu, look at that!" Tian Xiaohu pointed at a vendor selling candied hawthorns and swallowed hard.

Following Tian Xiaohu's finger, Li Mu saw a middle-aged woman skillfully skewering candied hawthorns. The bright red hawthorns glistened enticingly in the sunlight. There were also stalls selling roasted chestnuts and various other snacks, which made Li Mu and Tian Xiaohu's stomachs rumble in unison.

"Brother Mu, how about we get something to eat?"

They set off from the mountain village early in the morning, and Li Mu and Tian Xiaohu's stomachs were already growling with hunger. Li Mu was also eyeing the tempting candied hawthorns, but he resisted his craving.

"Hold on, I don't have any money on me."

"Brother Mu, I brought it!"

Tian Mu immediately pulled a crumpled cloth bag from his clothes, carefully opened it, and found a few loose coins inside. He counted them and found that it was just enough to buy two strings of candied hawthorns and some roasted chestnuts.

Li Mu frowned and told him to put the cloth bag away. "Are you crazy?! You're just showing your money in front of everyone? Aren't you afraid it'll get stolen?"

Upon hearing this, Tian Xiaohu smiled sheepishly and quickly stuffed the cloth bag back into his pocket. He scratched his head and said, "Brother Mu, I was just a little excited."

Li Mu patted Tian Xiaohu on the shoulder and comforted him, "It's alright, just be careful. Let's go hungry for a while, then we'll find a place to sell our stuff first."

Tian Xiaohu nodded, and the two of them searched around the market, weaving through the crowds, with various vendors' cries rising and falling.

They passed a cloth stall, then bypassed an old man selling pottery, and finally found an empty spot in a corner.

"Brother Mu, what do you think of this spot?" Tian Xiaohu asked, pointing to the empty seat.

Li Mu looked around and nodded. "This place is good. There's a lot of foot traffic, and it's not far from the food stalls, so it can attract customers who want to buy some snacks and take a look at our products."

The old man selling porcelain was smoking his pipe, squinting at them.

What brings you here?

“We’re here to sell things,” Li Mu replied, pointing to the cloth bag in Tian Xiaohu’s hand. “We have some homemade trinkets and we’d like to see if we can sell them here.”

The old man exhaled a puff of smoke and examined the coarse cloth on the two men's bodies. His experienced eyes quickly discerned that Li Mu and Tian Xiaohu were not locals. He also noticed that their fingers were red from the cold, indicating that they were frequently exposed to cold water.

"What are you here to sell?" the old man asked again, his voice tinged with curiosity.

Li Mu smiled, took the cloth bag from Tian Xiaohu, and gently opened it, revealing fresh fish and rabbits inside.

The old man's eyes lit up immediately, and his voice revealed surprise: "Fresh fish and rabbits? You're here to sell these?"

Li Mu nodded and replied with a smile, "Yes, we caught the fish ourselves and just shot a wild rabbit. We're wondering if we can sell them here."

The old man approached the cloth bag with great interest, carefully examining the fresh fish and rabbit inside. He gently touched them with his fingers; the fish scales shimmered in the sunlight, and the rabbit's fur appeared remarkably smooth.

“Your stuff is good,” the old man nodded with satisfaction, “but do you know how to sell it? There are quite a few rules in this market.”

Li Mu and Tian Xiaohu exchanged a glance; they hadn't considered these details at all. Li Mu earnestly asked the old man, "Grandpa, could you teach us?"

The old man smiled and exhaled a smoke ring.

"To set up a stall here, you first need a table," the old man said, taking out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulling one out and handing it to Li Mu. "Do you have a table?"

Li Mu shook his head; neither he nor Tian Xiaohu had expected that selling things would require a table.

Seeing this, the old man smiled again and said, "Then you'll have to borrow one or buy one. However, I do have an old table here; you can use it if you don't mind."

"That's great, sir, we're willing to pay some rent." Tian Xiaohu hurriedly replied, afraid of missing this opportunity.

"Oh, so you do know you have to pay rent. This young man is quite shrewd."

"But you've come to the right place today, there are no guards around."

The old man lowered his voice mysteriously and said, "You can set up your stalls without worry, but remember to clean up before dark and don't leave any traces."

Li Mu understood the underlying principles: the market wasn't a place where you could just set up a stall and start a business. You needed the approval of the person in charge before you could even begin.

The old man waved his hand, "The rent is waived, just help me move this pile of things over there." He pointed to a messy pile of goods next to him.

Without a word, Li Mu and Tian Xiaohu started helping with the moving. They quickly organized the goods neatly, and the old man nodded in satisfaction as he watched their work.

"You two are quite efficient at your work," the old man praised. "Here's what we'll do: I'll teach you how to hawk your wares and attract customers. To sell things, besides having good products, you also need to know how to hawk them."

Before they could even get started, people came to the old man's stall. A simply dressed middle-aged woman, carrying a cloth bag, looked at Li Mu and Tian Xiaohu curiously, then turned to the old man and asked, "Old Zhang, why is it so lively today?"