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

Fortunately, the ice wasn't too thick, and after some effort, they finally filled the wooden bucket with clear, sweet spring water.

Li Mu picked up the wooden bucket and hurried home contentedly. Although the cold wind was biting along the way, his heart was warm.

Back at Huang Xiu'e's house, Li Mu poured the spring water from the wooden bucket into the large vat for brewing wine, and then eagerly took out the deer blood.

Huang Xiu'e was delighted to see that Li Mu had returned so quickly, and even brought back deer blood.

"Mu Zi, you're fast! Where did you get this deer blood from?"

Li Mu chuckled and briefly recounted his encounter with the sika deer.

Upon hearing this, Huang Xiu'e exclaimed, "Mu Zi, are you crazy?! If the inspection team finds out, you'll be fined for illegally hunting wild animals! In serious cases, you could even go to jail! You're something else!"

“Aunt Huang, don’t worry. The sika deer was caught in a hunter’s trap. I just saved its life and took some blood. I didn’t actually kill it. This doesn’t count as unauthorized hunting, does it?” Li Mu said nonchalantly.

Upon hearing this, Huang Xiu'e became even more worried: "Mu Zi, don't be foolish! Even if the sika deer gets caught in the trap, that's the inspection team's business. Don't get involved. If they really find out, your little body can't withstand their rough treatment."

Seeing Huang Xiu'e's worry, Li Mu was moved: "Aunt Huang, don't worry, I know what I'm doing. It would have died anyway even if I didn't hurt it. I've buried it all. When the hunter can't find it, it'll rot in the ground on its own. We'll just use a little bit of its blood to brew some wine, so its death won't have been in vain."

Huang Xiu'e was relieved: "Alright! You should go back early. I'll try your deer blood wine tonight to see how it goes. If it works, we'll discuss the next steps."

Li Mu responded, carefully handed the deer blood to Huang Xiu'e, gave her a few more instructions, and then turned to leave. It was already dark, and there were few people on the road.

After walking a few steps, Li Mu turned and took a detour towards the back mountain, still thinking about Aunt Huang's deer blood wine.

He knows this back mountain like the back; he could find his way home with his eyes closed. He also obtained the deer blood by chance from this area.

Lost in thought, I tripped and fell.

However, Li Mu was agile and regained his balance after a stumble. He dusted himself off and chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Looks like I used up all my luck today on finding the deer."

He continued walking deeper into the mountains, planning to go to the county in a few days to sell the deerskin for a good price.

Deer hides are even rarer than bear hides. If they could be sold to wealthy families in the city, they would definitely fetch a high price.

The back mountain wasn't very big, and after walking a short distance, Li Mu returned to the place where he had buried the deer during the day.

By the moonlight, he found the hiding place where the deer had been hiding during the day, and parted the weeds and withered leaves to reveal the large body of the sika deer.

By the dim moonlight, Li Mu carefully inspected the area and confirmed that the sika deer had not attracted any wild animals before he was relieved.

Fortunately, there were no wild beasts in the back mountain, otherwise the sika deer would probably have become their meal.

Thinking it over, Li Mu prepared to drag the sika deer home. However, the sika deer was huge, and it took Li Mu quite a bit of effort to drag it to the roadside.

It was already late, and all around was quiet, broken only by the occasional chirping of insects.

Li Mu wiped the sweat from his forehead. He was sweating profusely in the dead of winter. He took a breath, picked up the sika deer, and headed home.

Li Mu walked carefully along the way, afraid of startling the village dogs. Fortunately, everything went smoothly and Li Mu returned home safely.

Li Guozhang and Jiang Xuefen had been waiting for him, and they were stunned when they saw him carrying a huge sika deer back.

"Mu Zi, you... this dark thing is a sika deer! You rascal, where did you get such a big sika deer?" Li Guozhang asked in surprise.

Li Mu took off his coat, shook off the snowflakes and mud, and said with a smile, "Father, Mother, don't be surprised. I got this sika deer by chance today in the West Back Mountain. I was thinking that our family hasn't had meat in a long time, so I thought I'd bring this sika deer back to add some oil to our family's diet."

"Anyway, this sika deer is ours now. I'll process it tomorrow, and we can finally taste what venison tastes like."

Jiang Xuefen's eyes widened, somewhat worried: "Muzi, you didn't steal this sika deer, did you? We can't do anything illegal! Did you run into any patrol teams on the way?"

Li Mu was both amused and exasperated: "Mother, what are you thinking? I rescued this sika deer, and the hunter's trap is still stuck in its leg. How could I dare to steal it?"

Jiang Xuefen was relieved: "That's good, that's good. This sika deer is really big. Our family has never eaten such a big wild game before."

Li Guozhang was itching to see it. Why hadn't anyone in the village noticed? It was a real source of pride!

Seeing her husband's smug expression, Jiang Xuefen knew he was already plotting how to show off to the villagers. She said irritably, "Old man, don't go around bragging. This deer was rescued by Muzi, not stolen or robbed. Don't cause Muzi any trouble."

Upon hearing this, Li Guozhang quickly nodded: "Yes, yes, we need to keep a low profile, so as not to make the villagers envious."

As he spoke, Li Guozhang and Jiang Xuefen began to process the sika deer together.

Li Mu sharpened his knife, preparing to help butcher the sika deer.

He first removed the sika deer's limbs, then cut off its head, and then began skinning it.

This deerskin is a valuable item; we can't waste it.

After skinning the deer, Li Mu cleaned its internal organs, cut it into pieces, and prepared to stew it for the next day.

After working through most of the night, Li Mu finally finished processing the sika deer.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead, looked at the room full of venison, and couldn't help but feel a little proud.

Now, my family can finally try it out.

Thinking about it, Li Mu turned off the light and went back to his room to sleep.

That night, Li Mu slept exceptionally well, dreaming of his family sitting together, eating delicious venison and drinking strong liquor brewed from deer blood, enjoying a harmonious and joyful time.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Li Mu got up.

Jiang Xuefen squinted and muttered, "Where are you going? You haven't warmed up on the kang yet, why are you up so early?"

"Mother, didn't I tell you last night that I was going to the county to sell the deerskins today? Have you forgotten?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xuefen suddenly realized, "Oh right, right, look at my memory, I completely forgot about this. You should go quickly, and be careful on the way."

Li Mu responded, picked up the deerskin, and hurriedly went out the door.