Reborn in 1963: I Hunted and Stockpiled Meat During a Famine

Liu Xiuqin stood there dumbfounded, while her little sister, who was no longer sleepy, struggled to jump down from her arms and circled around the bear.

The little girl hid behind Qin Qiming, clutching her fingers as she asked, "Brother, is this... is this bear something the Earth God gave us to eat for the New Year?"

"Of course! Huihui, it's been so long since you've had meat. How about I make you a pot of meat soup to satisfy your craving?"

Qin Qiming patted his little sister's head affectionately, saying that after all, his little sister was still young, and if she didn't get enough nutrition at such a young age and developed any health problems, it would be a great loss!

As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Qiming took advantage of the moonlight to gather a lot of dry firewood outside the station. After lighting it with matches, the room became warm. Liu Xiuqin didn't ask any more questions at this point...

They melted the snow to make water, lit the old kerosene lamp in the house, and placed the pitted aluminum pot on the honeycomb briquette stove. Qin Qiming then began processing the bear's hind leg meat.

After working for almost half an hour, the aroma of bear meat soup filled the entire house. The little girl's stomach was rumbling as she stared intently at the soup.

"Mom, stop fussing and eat something to warm up!"

Qin Qiming looked at Liu Xiuqin, who was tidying up the wooden bed, and spoke.

Liu Xiuqin had been hungry all day, but when a bowl of meat soup was placed in her hands, she was at a loss.

As for the younger sister, she didn't care much. Even though there wasn't much seasoning in the broth, she still ate it heartily without any restraint.

Liu Xiuqin smiled as she looked at the child, but after taking a sip of the meat soup, she worriedly said, "We left in such a hurry that we didn't even bring a bed or anything. I'm afraid we won't be able to get through the night in this temperature!"

"Mom, let's just use the bear skin for tonight. It's warmer than a blanket. I'll go buy some New Year's goods tomorrow!"

"Hmm... Ah! Bear skin?"

……

Liu Xiuqin felt as if her son had become a completely different person. Qin Qiming, who used to be someone she had to worry about, had now taken on the responsibility of a family.

A feeling of both relief and worry welled up in Liu Xiuqin's heart...

The night was now even more hazy, and the moonlight was hidden by the dark clouds. The mist blurred the glass, and Liu Xiuqin and her younger sister slowly fell asleep under the bearskin.

Qin Qiming lay on the edge of the bed, gazing out the window. Perhaps this was the life he had always longed for...

Meanwhile, not far from the station, the production team leader stood behind the wall, watching the layers of steam rising from the station, and couldn't help but let out a cold snort...

The next day, while it was still barely light, Qin Qiming shivered from the cold. After getting up, he quickly relit the firewood under the honeycomb briquettes to bring some warmth to the house.

Despite the heavy snow that fell all night, Qin Qiming still strapped his iron knife and hunting rifle to his body and walked toward the blinding sun in the distance.

Even in the depths of winter, bears haven't stored enough energy for winter, so there must still be many snow hares or roe deer out and about, and this sunny spot on the mountain early in the morning is the most likely place for them.

Although the bear was enough for me to survive the winter, the mountains were full of food, so it would be good to have more variety so that my little sister wouldn't get tired of the same food.

"Pfft... Thump!"

At that moment, a series of light footsteps followed by dull thuds came from behind...

Qin Qiming's past life as a special forces soldier gave him a high sensitivity to sound. He immediately stopped and shook his head slightly to look around.

But all around was a vast expanse of white, with no sign of prey. Only a slight collapse occurred beneath the tree hollow in the distance, about three-tenths of the way away...

Could it be that some prey fell into the tree hole trap on its own?

Isn't this like a pillow being handed to someone who's sleepy? It's just perfect!

Qin Qiming then walked towards the tree hole, but as soon as he got there, the figure under the tree hole made Qin Qiming's eyes widen!

This is hardly prey!

Wearing a thin, dark blue cotton coat, a face as white as jade was revealed beneath a woolen hat, while her bare hands were already frozen purple...

Isn't this... Min, the only female educated youth from the commune who went to the countryside ahead of schedule?

In her previous life, Min was one of the first female educated youths to voluntarily go to the countryside from Beijing. Since arriving at the commune, she worked diligently and conscientiously. In addition, her beautiful appearance attracted the attention of many single young men in the commune.

Qin Qiming inevitably interacted with Min frequently in the production team, and their relationship became ambiguous, which aroused some jealousy among many people at the time. Unfortunately, after Qin Qiming left the forest area in his previous life, the two lost contact.

Later, I heard that Min couldn't bear the days without food and went up the mountain alone in the early morning, where she froze and collapsed in the forest...

Qin Qiming shuddered at the thought. In this freezing winter, even if one were to stay in this place for just one hour without realizing it, one could easily lose their life here.

Without thinking twice, Qin Qiming immediately took out a leather rope, tied one end to a pine tree, and secured the other end around his body. He then knelt down, grabbed Min, and pulled her up.

The strenuous exercise made Qin Qiming's breathing rapid. Seeing the woman he had dragged up, his heart tightened, and he quickly placed his hand on her neck…

It's still warm; there's still hope!

Hurry down the mountain and get your body moving; there might still be hope!

Qin Qiming didn't have time to think about why the other person was here. He picked up Min and ran quickly down the mountain.

"Huimin, wake up! Don't... don't fall asleep!"

Qin Qiming ran while patting Min's body, trying to wake her up, otherwise she might die if she fell asleep like this...

What should have been a half-hour journey down the mountain to the station took Qin Qiming only about ten minutes. By the time he reached the foot of the mountain, his clothes were soaked with sweat, and the beads of sweat on his forehead had frozen into ice droplets.

The once deserted and deserted station was now surrounded by a crowd of villagers, who stood at the entrance waving their hands, wearing thick coats and animal furs.

"Get Qin Qiming out here right now! You ate the bear that the production team hunted all by yourself! Are you even human?! Aren't you afraid people will gossip about you behind your back?!"

"That's right! If it weren't for the captain and the others rushing to the front lines, how would you, Qin Qiming, have gotten any bear meat? If you don't distribute the meat to everyone today, don't even think about staying here!"

"Get out here! If you hide grain or embezzle collective grain again, we'll send you to the commune and put you in jail. Our forest area doesn't need petty thieves like you!"

……

The crowd's curses and insults were deafening, and the leader was none other than Ma Deguo, the production team leader from last night!

Last night, Ma Deguo was suspicious when he saw the bloodstains on Qin Qiming's palm. The smell of meat coming from the station last night further confirmed his suspicions. Early this morning, he spread the news that Qin Qiming had eaten bear meat.

As for the villagers, let alone hearing that they could get a share of bear meat, they would risk their lives to go out and get it!