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

When Li Mu carried the heavy sack home, his older brother Li Qianjin was squatting anxiously at the entrance of the village.

"Muzi! Where have you been? Your parents are waiting for you to eat! Why are you only coming back now? And you're carrying such a big sack, what's in it?" Li Qianjin bombarded him with a series of questions.

Li Mu smiled and put the sack on the ground, patting it: "Big brother, guess what it is."

"What? Why is it bleeding? Could it be a wild animal?"

Li Mu nodded and smiled mysteriously: "Brother, you guessed right. These are fox and bear pelts I hunted. I'll take them to the county town to sell tomorrow and make another fortune."

Upon hearing this, Li Qianjin's eyes widened as he stared at Li Mu in astonishment: "Mu Zi, you, you hunted a wild animal? How, how is that possible? Didn't you say you didn't know how to hunt?"

Li Mu laughed and patted Li Qianjin on the shoulder: "Brother, times have changed. I'm learning hunting skills from the old Oroqen man now, and these fox and bear skins are proof of that. I'll take them to the county town to sell tomorrow, and I'm sure I'll get a good price."

Li Qianjin couldn't help but feel a little envious: "Mu Zi, you're really something, managing to hunt wild animals like this. So, how do you plan to sell them?"

"I plan to go to the market in the county town first to check out the prices, and then find a buyer. Brother, do you want to come with me?"

Li Qianjin shook his head: "I won't go. I still have to help with chores at home. You go ahead."

"Okay, what do you want to buy? I'll go to the county town tomorrow and bring it back for you."

"No need! You're going by yourself? Aren't you taking Tiger with you? Tiger came looking for you this afternoon, and he was quite disappointed to see you weren't there. But he said he'd ask you to come see him when you get back; he has something to tell you."

Did he say something?

Before leaving, Li Mu had already instructed Tian Xiaohu and Li Chuzi to fish in the small river bend, to catch as much as they could. After this round of fishing, he planned to go and ask Tian Xiaohu for clarification that evening.

The two brothers entered the house, and Zeng Xiangnan sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) chatting with Jiang Xuefen.

"My sister-in-law is here too."

Zeng Xiangnan looked up and smiled at Li Mu: "Come on, your sister-in-law roasted some melon seeds herself. Try them, they're very fragrant." She liked this little brother-in-law from the bottom of her heart, thinking that Li Mu was both filial and capable, and that he had built a house for Li Qianjin first.

My mother has become much more assertive at home.

"Thank you, sister-in-law!"

Li Mu grabbed a handful of melon seeds, sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and chatted with Zeng Xiangnan and Jiang Xuefen while cracking the seeds. He heard his sister-in-law mention the land division.

"The village chief will talk about how the land will be divided the day after tomorrow. If it's the same method as the year before last, our family has more people, so we can get a few more acres. Your older brother is also thinking that once the land is divided, we can plant more crops and harvest more grain."

Li Mu chimed in, "What good crops can we grow? I remember our corn and sorghum harvests were quite good last year, so how about we plant those two again this year?"

Zeng Xiangnan couldn't get a word in edgewise; she could only listen to the two of them chattering.

Jiang Xuefen thought for a moment and said, "That's fine. Corn and sorghum are easy to grow and drought-resistant. But we should also try planting some other crops, like potatoes and sweet potatoes, which can yield quite a lot."

Upon hearing this, Li Mu became interested: "Mom, let's plant blueberries."

"Blueberries? What are those?" Jiang Xuefen looked puzzled upon hearing this, as she had never heard of blueberries before.

The Northeast in the 1980s was indeed a time of scarcity, and many fruits and crops that are common now were rare at that time.

But Li Mu remembered that in Northeast China in later years, blueberries were a very popular fruit, not only for their good taste but also for their high nutritional value.

He thought that if he could grow blueberries in this era, he might be able to sell them for a good price and let his family have a taste of them.

He then shared his thoughts with Jiang Xuefen and Zeng Xiangnan.

"Blueberries are a fruit with a sweet and sour taste, rich in nutrients, and can be made into blueberry jam, dried blueberries, and other foods. I read in a book that the soil and climate here are suitable for growing blueberries. If we can successfully grow them, we can not only eat them ourselves, but also sell them for money."

Zeng Xiangnan, who was listening nearby, had a bright idea: "Hey, Mu Zi, that's a great idea! If it can really be grown, that would be wonderful. Our family can grow another crop and have an extra source of income."

"Have you ever seen blueberries before? I've never seen you grow them either? Can they even grow here?" Jiang Xuefen still had some doubts. She had never seen blueberries before and didn't know if this crop could grow in the Northeast.

Li Mu shook his head: "I've never grown it before, but the book says it's possible. We can give it a try. If it doesn't work, that's fine. If it does, we'll have an extra source of income."

"That won't do, then this land will be wasted."

Upon hearing this, Li Mu quickly explained, "Mom, listen to me, these blueberries are really worth a try. I know you're worried they'll go to waste, but we can try planting them on a small plot first. If it really doesn't work, we can just plant corn and sorghum instead."

Jiang Xuefen has been farming for so long that she knows far more about crops than Li Mu, and she knows the proper growing environment and conditions. She'd never even heard of blueberries, let alone grown them.

She shook her head, still disagreeing: "Muzi, Mom knows you mean well and want to earn more money for the family. But this land is our lifeline. What if we plant some unreliable things and let the land go to waste? If your dad finds out, he'll definitely scold us."

"Forget about planting them, where did you get the seeds? Nobody sells them. Where are we supposed to get blueberry seeds?"

Li Mu knew where the seeds came from; big cities had specialized blueberry nurseries, especially in the Greater and Lesser Khingan Mountains and the Changbai Mountains, where wild blueberries grew.

The area is rich in resources, and local people often have the habit of picking wild blueberries.

"Mom, don't worry, I can solve the seed problem. I know a friend who works in the city, he might be able to help me get blueberry seeds or seedlings."

"Really? You even know people who work in the city?"

Li Mu lied without batting an eye, saying earnestly, "Yes, Mom, I met a friend in the city. He's a really nice guy. I mentioned to him that I wanted to grow blueberries at home, and he said he would keep an eye out for me and see if he could find any blueberry seeds or seedlings."

Jiang Xuefen didn't take the matter to heart and turned to chat with Zeng Xiangnan about everyday things.

After eating, Li Mu went out to find Tian Xiaohu. Tian Xiaohu's house was at the east end of the village, only a few hundred meters away from Li Mu's. Li Mu trudged through the snow and soon arrived at Tian Xiaohu's doorstep.

He knocked gently on the door, and after a while, the door creaked open, revealing Tian Xiaohu's honest face.