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

Looking into Li Jianjun's sincere eyes, Li Mu felt a surge of emotion.

For Li Jianjun, this money might mean several months of hard work, or even the food for his family.

But at this crucial moment, Li Jianjun did not hesitate to offer his help; this sentiment was more precious than anything else.

"Jianjun, what... how am I supposed to explain this?"

Li Mu was speechless. He took the stack of change and felt its weight, not just because of the money itself.

“I failed to do what you asked me to do. Your fourth uncle and aunt did something unfair. This money isn’t for you either, so why are you being so polite? Hurry up and take the money to pay Uncle Tao’s medical bills. We need to get Uncle Tao’s illness cured as soon as possible.”

Li Jianjun finished speaking and left. Tian Xiaohu happened to arrive and brushed past him, turning his head in surprise: "Why is he here too?"

Li Mu shook his head: "I don't know, but the fact that he's willing to step forward and help shows he has a conscience."

Tian Xiaohu curled his lip: "Even if he wants to help, that little bit of money isn't enough to do anything."

Li Chuzi patted Tian Xiaohu on the shoulder: "You can't say that. The people in our village are all warm-hearted. As long as everyone works together, there's no obstacle we can't overcome."

The three of them carried the fish to the kitchen of the Lakeside Hotel. When Jin Dachuan saw them, he hurriedly came up to them: "Oh, you've finally arrived! I've been waiting for ages. Where's the fish? Bring it over here, I'll weigh it for you."

Li Mu and the other two put down the fish bucket, and Jin Dachuan began to busy himself weighing the fish.

"This one is big, it must weigh four or five pounds."

"This one is good too, lots of meat."

Jin Dachuan weighed the fish while muttering to himself, while Li Mu and the other two helped sort the fish.

Soon, all the fish were weighed, and Jin Dachuan took out his ledger and began to record the accounts.

"There are 320 jin in total. According to the price we agreed on before, it's five yuan per jin, which is 1,600 yuan in total."

After Jin Dachuan finished speaking, he handed the money to Li Mu.

Li Mu took the money, counted it, and after confirming that it was correct, said, "Thanks, brother! Is there anything else you need? We may not have much else in our village, but we have plenty of wild game! I'll bring you some next time."

Jin Dachuan smiled and said, "Alright, hunt as many rabbits and wild boars as you like! We're just short of some game to entertain our guests! The game in your village is famously delicious; I'll take as much as you have!"

"Alright, bro! That's easy to say!"

"Come on, Mu Zi, I have something to tell you."

Jin Dachuan pulled Li Mu aside, his expression turning serious: "Muzi, your squirrel fish dish has been incredibly popular in the county town lately, with many diners specifically requesting it."

“I’ve heard that some restaurants have even started to imitate your method, but none of them can replicate your taste. I was thinking, could we promote this dish in the city and let more people taste our cooking skills?”

"Look, our county town is only so big, and our customer base is limited. If we could expand our business to the city, our income could increase several times over. What do you think?"

Jin Dachuan stared intently at Li Mu's reaction.

A surge of excitement welled up in Li Mu's heart.

He certainly wanted to promote his family's brand and let more people taste the deliciousness from the mountain village. But then he thought, that would be difficult. How could he just promote it like that? Which restaurant in the city wasn't wealthy and had its own signature dishes?

Although our squirrel fish became quite popular in the county, it's hard to say whether it can gain a foothold in the city.

Li Mu frowned and said, "Brother Jin, your idea is good, but the competition in the city is fierce. Can our skills really stand firm?"

Upon hearing this, Jin Dachuan became anxious: "Muzi, why are you so unconfident? Our squirrel fish is made with a unique technique. Among all the restaurants in the county, which one can compare? Besides, don't people in the city like the fresh flavors from our mountains?"

Li Mu sighed: "Brother Jin, it's not that I lack confidence, it's just that every restaurant in this city has a powerful background. How can our small business compete with them?"

Jin Dachuan patted Li Mu on the shoulder: "Muzi, you can't just look at the surface of things. Although the competition in the city is fierce, our squirrel fish is made with the real deal. As long as we make sure it tastes good, we won't have to worry about not having customers."

"Besides, we don't need to compete head-on with those big restaurants. We can take a niche approach and specifically attract diners who love the flavors of the mountains and fields. Wouldn't that open up our market?"

Hearing this, Li Mu felt a little better, but he was still hesitant: "Brother Jin, you make it sound so easy, but this special route is not so easy to take. Besides, we don't have that much money to promote it."

"Don't worry about that! Sister Zhou is about to open a restaurant in the city, and we can take advantage of her connections to promote our squirrel fish. Sister Zhou has a lot of connections in the city, and as long as she's willing to help, our business will definitely thrive."

Is the proprietress Zhou Li planning to open a restaurant in the city?

This news couldn't have come at the perfect time!

Li Mu is worried about not having enough money!

Now that's great, with Zhou Li's help, the promotion of squirrel fish has a solution.

It seems that fate is on my side after all.

He hurriedly asked, "Brother Jin, is this a reliable plan? Is Sister Zhou really willing to help?"

"Don't worry, Mu Zi, I've already discussed this with Sister Zhou. She's very optimistic about our squirrel fish dish, saying that as long as it tastes good, it will definitely become a hit in the city."

Upon hearing this, Li Mu was thrilled: "Brother Jin, if this works out, I'll treat you to drinks for a month!"

Jin Dachuan laughed heartily: "Alright! It's a deal then! When the squirrel fish becomes a hit in the city, don't forget to treat me to drinks!"

"Oh, by the way! My buddies also want your fish. Next time, you might as well just take a taxi and have it delivered directly to the county town, so you don't have to run around all the way here!"

Li Mu's eyes lit up. That's right! The volume of goods is starting to increase! I have to buy a tricycle that can carry goods! It's open-top and practical, and it will be much more convenient to deliver goods in the future. Whether it's going to the county or the city, it will save a lot of time and energy.

"Then I'll come back in three days, Brother Jin. I promise I'll bring you the freshest goods then!"

After Li Mu went out, he discussed buying a car with Tian Xiaohu and Li Chuzi.

"This is everyone's money for the fish, you can take it and divide it among yourselves."

He kept some money, and with the money he still had in his pocket, he barely managed to scrape together enough to buy a tricycle.

Li Mu said, "Let's buy the tricycle first. It will be more convenient for delivering goods in the future, and it will save a lot of time."

Tian Xiaohu and Li Chuzi both nodded in agreement.

The three of them went to the motorcycle market in the county town and chose a sturdy and durable tricycle.

After buying the tricycle, Li Mu took the two men to the Black Wind Village Restaurant, where they sold the remaining fish and brought back some money.

Li Mu gave Tao Yimei the money left over from buying the tricycle and the money from selling fish, so that she could use it to pay Tao Qingshan's medical expenses.