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

"Brother Mu! Come in quickly, it's cold outside."

Tian Xiaohu warmly pulled Li Mu into the house, where the stove was burning brightly and it was very warm.

Seeing that his parents were nowhere to be seen, he casually asked, "Why are you home alone?"

Tian Xiaohu scratched his head, a little embarrassed, and said, "My parents went to the next village to help Grandpa Li with farm work. Grandpa Li's son works outside, and it's just the two of them at home. With spring approaching and planting season coming up, they don't have enough manpower, so my parents went to discuss it with them."

Li Mu rubbed his hands together and said with a smile, "Tiger, I came to see you about something. How did the fish we caught in the river bend today go?"

Tian Xiaohu patted his chest and said proudly, "Don't worry, Mu Zi, Brother Chu Zi and I caught dozens of them. The fish are right behind us, take a look."

As he spoke, Tian Xiaohu led Li Mu to the backyard, where a large wooden basin was filled with fish, each one lively and jumping around, looking very fresh.

Li Mu nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad, Tiger, you guys did a great job today! These fish will definitely fetch a good price when you sell them."

Tian Xiaohu chuckled and scratched his head: "Brother Mu, we have to thank you for this. If you hadn't taught us how to fish, we wouldn't have been able to catch so many fish."

"Tomorrow, let's call Chuzi and the others to go to the county town to sell all the fish. We'll also check the market to see if there are any suitable buyers, and sell the fox and bear pelts we hunted as well. I reckon the fox and bear pelts will definitely fetch a good price, and then the two of us brothers can make a good fortune."

Upon hearing this, Tian Xiaohu's eyes lit up: "Really? No wonder I couldn't find you. You went into the mountains? You went alone?"

Li Mu set aside the Oroqen hunting techniques for the moment, and simply laughed, "Yes, Tiger, I had some good luck today. I hunted a few foxes and even got a bear pelt. Tomorrow we'll go to the county town together and sell them all to make some money."

Upon hearing this, Tian Xiaohu was filled with envy: "Brother Mu, you're really something! You managed to hunt this. I wish I could have your skills someday."

Li Mu patted Tian Xiaohu on the shoulder: "Tiger, don't worry. As long as you learn from me, you'll definitely be able to hunt wild animals in the future. Let's work hard together so that our family can live a good life."

The two chatted for a while longer before Li Mu left, just in time to run into Li Siming and He Yinglian.

He Yinglian glanced at him sideways, her expression sharp and sarcastic: "Oh, isn't this the busy man? What's wrong, coming back so late at night? What good stuff are you carrying?"

Li Mu still remembered He Yinglian and Li Siming betraying him, but he wasn't in the mood to argue with her. He simply said, "It's nothing. I just caught some fish and hunted some wild animals. I plan to sell them in the county town tomorrow."

He Yinglian's eyes lit up when she heard this: "Wow, Mu Zi, you're really something! You managed to catch this? Could you share some with us?"

Li Mu shook his head: "No, I'm going to sell all of these. Fourth Uncle and Fourth Aunt, if there's nothing else, I'll head back now."

After saying that, Li Mu left without looking back.

He Yinglian watched Li Mu's retreating figure, stomping her feet in anger: "That damned Mu, he's gotten so big for his britches now, he doesn't even recognize his own relatives anymore."

Li Siming advised from the side, "Forget it, Yinglian, Muzi is all grown up now and has his own ideas. Let's not force him."

He Yinglian snorted: "I just can't stand his smug look, like he's something special."

Li Siming didn't say anything more, but he was thinking to himself that once Li Mu sold the wild animals and got the money, he would see if Li Mu could share some with him.

The next day, I was woken up by a commotion before I even opened my eyes. I heard Jiang Xuefen smashing bowls and plates, and yelling, "What are you doing here if you're not up yet?"

"I...."

Upon hearing Li Siming's voice, Li Mu frowned and wondered to himself: What is Li Siming doing here so early in the morning?

He quickly got dressed, got off the kang (a heated brick bed), and went to the outer room, where he saw Li Siming standing at the door, looking at Jiang Xuefen with an embarrassed expression.

Holding a broken bowl, Jiang Xuefen said angrily, "What are you doing here? We don't have any extra food for you."

Li Siming said with a forced smile, "Sister-in-law, don't misunderstand, I'm not here for dinner. I'm here to see Mu Zi, I have something I want to talk to him about."

Li Mu stepped forward and asked, "Fourth Uncle, what do you need me for?"

Li Siming looked at Li Mu, then at Jiang Xuefen, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Muzi, could you lend me some money? I'm a little short on cash lately."

Upon hearing this, Li Mu felt somewhat displeased: Li Siming usually idles away his time and does nothing productive, yet now he actually comes to borrow money from him.

But he couldn't refuse directly, since they were all relatives, so he said, "Fourth Uncle, I don't have much money lately, and I haven't sold the wild animals I just hunted yet."

Upon hearing this, Li Siming's eyes lit up: "Then can you sell me the wild animal first? I'll pay you."

Li Mu shook his head: "No, I've already decided to go to the county town to sell them today. Fourth Uncle, if you really need money, I can help you find a job, as long as you're willing to work hard."

Upon hearing that there was work to be done, Li Siming's face immediately fell. He waved his hand and said, "Forget it, Mu Zi, your fourth uncle is an old man, how can he do any work? I'll go find someone else to borrow from."

Anyone who heard this would find Li Siming's words rather unpleasant to hear. What kind of logic is it to rush to buy something that someone hasn't even sold yet, and yet he speaks as if the other party has no choice but to sell it to him?

Li Mu thought the same thing, but he didn't show it on his face. He just said calmly, "Fourth Uncle, then you should borrow from someone else. I really don't have any money."

Li Siming was in an awkward position, standing there, unable to move forward or backward.

Seeing this, Li Mu didn't want to say anything more and turned to go back into the house. Li Siming became anxious and grabbed Li Mu's arm: "Muzi, your fourth uncle knows he has wronged you in the past, but this time your fourth uncle really has no other choice. Please help your fourth uncle."

Seeing the scuffling, Jiang Xuefen grabbed Li Siming's hand off Li Mu's arm and said irritably, "What are you doing? Can't you talk things out instead of resorting to violence?"

Li Mu looked at Li Siming and sighed, "Fourth Uncle, it's not that I don't want to help you, but I really can't. I'm planning to sell the wild animals and fish I just hunted in the county town today to get money, and my family is also short of funds. I really don't have any extra money to lend you."

"Why don't you have money? You'll have money if you exchange it today. Lend it to me first, and I'll pay you back when I have the money."

Li Mu's face darkened: "Is Fourth Sister-in-law here to torment you again? Do I owe your family anything? You're just waiting for you to fall on hard times to come to me for money, and I've never refused. Now look what's happened, I haven't even sold it yet, and you're already trying to steal my things. What kind of behavior is this?"