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

Li Mu acted immediately. This time, he led a large group of people, including Li Chuzi, to the county before dawn to sell all the big fish they had caught a few days earlier and use the money to buy tools and fish fry needed to dig a pond.

When the group arrived in the county, it was just dawn, and there were already quite a few people in the market.

Li Chuzi thought he could just find a stall, set up the fish, and wait for people to come and buy them, just like last time.

Li Mu headed straight for the Lakeside Hotel, noticing quite a few fish vendors along the way.

"Why don't I see many of the familiar fishmongers? Didn't they try to steal our business last time?"

Li Mu smiled and said, "Who cares? Let's sell the fish first. Let's go to the Lakeside Hotel."

When they arrived at the Lakeside Hotel, the waitress at the entrance was wiping the tables. She recognized him; wasn't he the young fishmonger the landlady had mentioned last time? She quickly invited him in.

"Brother, you've finally arrived! Our restaurant is in dire need of fresh fish! You've really saved us from a tight spot!" the waitress said warmly, leading Li Mu and his group toward the kitchen.

"You haven't been here for the past few days, and the proprietress has been talking about you several times, saying that your fish is fresh and that we should keep an eye out for your arrival. So, as soon as you came, I quickly led you in."

Li Mu put down the fish basket, and plump fish were jumping and wriggling inside, looking very tempting.

The waitress's eyes lit up at the sight of the fish: "Wow, this fish is really good! The owner has such a good eye; she always picks the best fish!"

Li Mu smiled modestly: "Not at all, they're all homemade, and they're very fresh."

They followed the waitress to the kitchen, where Jin Dachuan was also present and was preparing to start cooking.

"Brother Jin!"

Upon hearing Li Mu's call, Jin Dachuan greeted him warmly and gestured to the kitchen staff to help unload the fish.

"Mu Zi, what brings you here? And so early!"

Li Mu said with a smile, "Brother Jin, I came here to sell some fish and buy some things to take back. I didn't expect to run into you so early."

Jin Dachuan patted Li Mu on the shoulder: "Haha, better late than never. We'll take all your fish! I can't say anything else, but when I wasn't here the other day, you were the one who helped me with the China Merchants Bank!"

He looked at the recipe for squirrel fish left by Li Mu and immediately made a dish.

After taking one bite, Zhou Li immediately decided to make this dish one of their restaurant's signature dishes.

Jin Dachuan was a little worried that the sweet and sour flavor of the squirrel fish might not suit the local taste, but he didn't expect it to be so popular as soon as it was launched. In the past few days, several repeat customers have been ordering this dish.

"Several older gentlemen ordered this dish earlier today, so you've delivered the fish at just the right time."

Jin Dachuan said happily, "Muzi, you've really helped us a lot this time. Here's what we'll do: I'll give you a slightly higher price for these fish, based on the market price, as a way of thanking you."

Upon hearing this, Li Mu quickly waved his hand: "Brother Jin, that won't do. We're all people who follow the rules. Just go by the market price, I don't want any more."

Seeing Li Mu's insistence, Jin Dachuan didn't press the matter further and said, "Alright then, Mu Zi, you're a man of principle. If you need any help in the future, just come to me."

He pulled him aside and whispered, "A few of my brothers have been asking about your fish and want to work with you. Could you spare some for them? They want to benefit from your business too."

Li Mu thought for a moment and said, "Brother Jin, it's not that I don't want to share, it's just that we didn't catch many fish this time, and we sold them all to restaurants. But don't worry, Brother Jin, once I've dug the pond and raised more fish, I'll definitely give you priority."

Upon hearing this, Jin Dachuan immediately beamed with joy: "Haha, Mu Zi, that's great! I'll be waiting for your good news."

After chatting for a few more minutes and receiving payment at the market price, Li Mu then took Li Chuzi and the others to buy the tools and fish fry needed to dig the pond.

They went to a farm tool shop, selected several sharp hoes and shovels, and bought some sturdy hemp rope and bamboo baskets to carry fish and fish fry.

"Muzi, aren't you going to buy some fish fry?"

"Why waste this money? If you want any fish, just go catch it in the river. The fish in our village's river are plentiful and plump, much better than what you buy."

Li Mu already had a plan in mind. He planned to first go to the river to catch some fish fry and raise them. Once the pond was dug, he would then release the fish fry into it.

This saves costs while ensuring the survival rate of the fish fry.

When Li Chuzi heard what Li Mu said, he also felt that it made a lot of sense, so he stopped mentioning the matter of buying fish fry.

After buying the tools and fish food, they hurriedly returned to the village.

The sun was already high in the sky. After the snow melted, they took off their coats, and the group was panting heavily.

But Li Mu and his group didn't care about any of that; they started getting busy as soon as they got home.

They put aside the tools and fish food they had bought and went to ask Tao Qingshan for advice on where to dig.

“This area, right next to our farmland, is a low-lying area with plenty of water, perfect for digging a pond,” Li Mu said, pointing to a patch of wasteland not far away.

Tao Qingshan squinted at it and nodded: "Hmm, this piece of land is not bad, but we have to be careful not to dig into the village's land."

Li Mu was overjoyed and quickly said, "Don't worry, Uncle Tao, we'll be careful while we dig. Shall we start now?"

Tao Qingshan waved his hand: "What's the rush, Mu Zi? Digging a pond is no small matter. You need to plan it out carefully and not dig it haphazardly. Try it out first. Use hoes and shovels to dig a few test pits to see what the soil is like and whether you can dig it. Also, you need to make sure to leave an outlet and an inlet so that the water in the pond can circulate and the fish can be raised well."

Upon hearing this, Li Mu found it very reasonable and quickly put Tao Qingshan's instructions into action.

They first dug several test pits in the planned area and found that the soil was loose and suitable for digging a pond.

Li Mu was overjoyed and quickly called on everyone to start working.

They brandished hoes and shovels, digging with great enthusiasm.

The sun rose higher and higher, its scorching rays making their skin burn, and sweat streamed down their faces.

But Li Mu and his men were completely unaware, focusing all their attention on digging the pond.

After a day of hard work, the pond is beginning to take shape.

Li Mu's actions were quite ambitious, and news of digging a pond had already spread throughout Li Family Village. He Yinglian spat and said with a face full of disdain, "This Li Mu, he really knows how to cause trouble. Why is he digging a pond? Isn't he afraid of damaging the village's land?"

Li Siming returned reeking of alcohol. He Yinglian was so angry she was convulsing. She glared at him and demanded, "Where did you go drinking again? You don't care about anything at home, all you do is drink!"