Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Zhao Da'e had never heard of this before. He hadn't heard of it in his previous life either.

Although many novels depict people getting rich by hunting in the mountains during the 1980s and 90s, Zhao Da'e knows that's just for fooling novice readers.

This brings us to the reason why the Three-North Shelterbelt Project was established in northern China. At that time, many areas were barren mountains and ridges. Trees were planted later, and only then did they grow. The hilly areas of northern China are mostly rocky mountains, practically devoid of trees.

Moreover, as everyone knows from basic common sense, wherever there are people, there will be destruction. Only in places rarely visited by people, with mountains, rivers, and wild animals, is destruction possible.

In places where people live, such things are basically nonexistent.

Before it was developed, the Great Northern Wilderness was full of animals: roe deer could be caught with sticks, fish could be scooped up with ladles, and pheasants would fly into the cooking pot. By the 1990s, these creatures had become extremely rare. In later generations, even those from southern China who traveled abroad rarely saw wild animals.

Zhao Da'e is very familiar with his hometown and has never actually heard of wolves.

Here, wolves are generally called "laidai." These two characters are quite special and cannot be typed out, so even though the word "wolf" sounds incredibly stubborn, we can only use "wolf" to describe it.

Wolves and jackals usually act together.

Zhao Da'e had only heard of this thing in legends. The saying "wolves and jackals collude" means that wolves are generally foolish, while jackals are the cunning strategists.

"Any wolves around?" Zhao Da'e asked.

Zhou Chunwen shook his head: "I don't know, what is a 'bei'?"

Zhao Da'e shrugged: "If you're not cultured, read more books."

"Hmph, I can't read," Zhou Chunwen said proudly.

With that, the two returned to Zhao Da'e's aunt's house.

As soon as Zhao Da'e returned, Cheng Jinxi rushed out and said anxiously, "Da'e, don't go out by yourself tomorrow. There are wolves in the mountains behind our village. It seems there are four or five of them... Your second sister was almost attacked by those wolves today. If there hadn't been people working on the mountaintop, she wouldn't have made it back."

Only after Cheng Jinxi said this did Zhao Da'e realize that there really were wolves on the mountain.

But no one knows where the wolf came from.

To the south of Jurenzhangzi Village lie the continuous Songshan Mountain Range and Nuluerhu Mountain Range. The Songshan Mountain Range is where the most famous battle in history, the Battle of Songjin, took place.

The highest peak of the Nurulhu Mountain Range is Daqingshan, which is about seven or eight li away from Jurenzhangzi. Zhao Da'e guessed that the wolf was probably a lone wolf from the Daqingshan area.

Daqingshan is also known as Duanqinshan.

The most precipitous spot inside is called Eagle's Fall Gorge, which literally means that even eagles cannot fly over it. In those days, transportation was inconvenient, and the terrain around Daqingshan was treacherous. Apart from a few households in a few isolated places, there were basically no people living there.

So there are some wild animals there.

Wolves are social animals. If there are only a few wolves left out, they are probably older wolves that have been driven out of the pack.

Zhao Da'e agreed to Cheng Jinxi's request and then went into the house. When he got to the inner room, he saw that Zhou Chunhong had wounds on her hands, arms, and face, with some medicine on them. It looked like she had been scratched by wolf claws.

After all, if it was a bite, the wound should be on the neck.

"Second Sister, what happened to you?" Zhao Da'e asked with concern, "How did you run into Laidai?"

"I...I...I..." Zhou Chunhong became more and more anxious and had more difficulty speaking.

Zhou Chunwen quickly said, "I did tell you, Er Ya was being cheeky today, saying there's a ditch on the south mountain top with a big hornet's nest in it. She said, 'Oh, that thing is valuable! I want to bring it back to Mom and exchange it for money!'"

Zhao Da'e gasped: Hiss...

"Big sister, big sister. Can you be a little more normal? Second sister stutters when she speaks, how could she possibly have the tone of someone vying for favor in an ancient imperial harem?"

Zhou Chunwen pursed her lips: "You don't understand, Er Ya really said that to my mom. After that, I asked her, 'Er Ya, it's not easy to walk in the mountain valleys, there's ice and snow, why did you pretend to pick a hornet's nest?'"

“That makes sense, that makes sense, eldest sister is right,” Zhao Da’e agreed.

Zhou Chunwen continued, "Afterwards, your second sister wouldn't listen. She insisted on showing off in front of my mother. Is she the type to show off? Definitely not. It's all because your aunt said first thing this morning: 'Er Ya, you're stuttering all day, you need more practice.' Then she went up the mountain to exercise..."

Zhao Da'e shook his head: "The reason isn't complicated. The problem is that she almost killed herself during this training, which is a bit outrageous."

Zhou Chunwen nodded: "I don't know the rest. She couldn't explain it clearly either, but it was that big tiger from the village who went up the mountain to catch rabbits, saw your second sister surrounded by laidais, and they were about to eat her, but big tiger saved her. Otherwise, we could have a feast today..."

As the two sisters were talking, a roar suddenly came from the outer room: "Zhou Chunwen, can't you be serious for once? Your sister is in this state, and you're still telling jokes? Go out and borrow some buckwheat to apply to Er Ya."

I could tell it was Cheng Jinxi just by hearing her voice.

Zhou Chunwen pouted: "Where am I supposed to get buckwheat? I can't find any..."

Zhao Da'e was stunned for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Big sister, did you just bump into me when you went to borrow buckwheat?"

Zhou Chunwen sighed: "That's right. I borrowed from the whole camp, but I didn't get a single pound of buckwheat. Then I was thinking of checking if you had been taken away by the Laidai, and that's when I ran into you."

In this era, there was no rabies vaccine. If you were bitten by a dog, the usual way to prevent rabies was to apply buckwheat ointment. Zhao Da'e didn't know the specific mechanism behind it.

In his previous life, Zhao Da'e had been bitten by dogs several times. At first, he would just apply buckwheat syrup, but later he seemed to stop taking it seriously. Life and death are predestined, wealth and honor are determined by fate... Fortunately, Zhao Da'e was lucky and never contracted rabies.

Moreover, there were no rabies or tetanus vaccines available in this era. Zhao Da'e didn't know if buckwheat would work, but he had used it in his previous life and didn't die from rabies, so it might be effective.

"Let me think, it seems my second aunt's family has some buckwheat. She's quite active and always on the go, so I guess she must have harvested some buckwheat in the fall."

“Then go borrow some. No, no, no, let’s go together, or I’ll worry about you getting snatched by a Laidai.” Zhou Chunwen said, pulling Zhao Da’e out.

When he ran into Cheng Jinxi, he said, "Mom, Da'e and I are going out to get some buckwheat."

Before Cheng Jinxi could answer, Zhou Chunwen had already run far away.

Zhao Da'e was being dragged along by Zhou Chunwen, panting heavily. After running for a while, she finally couldn't run anymore: "Big sister, why are you running so fast?"

"To save Er Ya... she's my own sister..."

"Speak like a human being, sister..." Zhao Da'e said breathlessly.

“Um… your aunt is going through menopause. If I don’t bring back the buckwheat today, she’ll nag me for ages. It’s so annoying…” Zhou Chunwen said with a pout, “That idiot Er Ya, I think… hey, it doesn’t look like she was bitten by a wolf. I guess they didn’t even touch her. Those wounds on her body must have been from that idiot Da Hu Zi, who pounced on her and scraped her.”

"How old is Er Ya? Right? If she really had a wolf to eat her, would she have come back alive? It's impossible. I secretly asked Da Hu Zi, and he said that your second sister was surrounded by wolves. At that time, your second sister went to collect that hornet's nest... Da E, think about it, isn't the hornet's nest on a cliff?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Da'e thought it made perfect sense: "No problem."

"So it should be your second sister hanging in mid-air, with several laidais surrounding her below or above. At this moment, the brave and fearless big tiger came to the rescue..." Zhou Chunwen spoke eloquently.

"Hiss... Big sister, wait a minute. If you said the beginning was alright, I could believe you. You don't know Big Tiger, so I don't know if he's brave or not. The idea of ​​him saving a damsel in distress is nonsense. Is my second sister pretty?" Zhao Da'e questioned.

Zhou Chunwen slapped his forehead: "That makes sense."

To be honest, Zhou Chunwen is quite beautiful; she's at the prime of her life and looks stunning.

Zhou Chunhong was only thirteen years old at the time. She was thin and frail, with poor skin, and she also had a stutter, so she couldn't be described as beautiful. Of course, she wasn't particularly ugly either.

Zhao Da'e didn't know why, but both her aunts, including her eldest and second aunts, were of average appearance and had gained a lot of weight. Conversely, Zhao Da'e's mother, and even Cheng Jinxiao, who was still far away in the forest, were thin.

Although Zhao Da'e has gained a tiny bit of weight recently, she's essentially slim. While this era doesn't equate thinness with beauty, being thin is certainly attractive. Therefore, Zhao Da'e has inherited her mother's good looks.

Actually, Zhou Chunhong's mother, who is also Zhao Da'e's aunt, has gained a lot of weight. It's possible that there's a genetic issue. Zhou Chunwen is already quite special, so it's normal for Zhou Chunhong not to be very beautiful.

Of course, Zhao Da'e's older cousin, Zhou Tianfu, wasn't exactly handsome either. Otherwise, Zhao Da'e wouldn't have been the one to arrange a marriage between Zhou Tianfu and Ma Huaihua... Ma Huaihua was a chubby little girl...

"Oh, right," Zhao Da'e suddenly remembered, "Who's that Da Huzi? Didn't you see him? Then how did my second sister get back?"

“Big Tiger, what a street urchin,” Zhou Chunwen said. “He’s from the Song family, Song Ping’an’s eldest son. He’s about my age, sixteen too. He dropped out of school a long time ago and spends his time fishing in the river and catching rabbits in the mountains. He doesn’t do anything serious. I heard he was digging for hibernating scorpions on the mountaintop recently when he ran into your second sister.”

I don't know the specifics. I heard it from your aunt. Da Hu Zi said your second sister was surrounded by wolves, and he bravely and fearlessly rescued her. He even claimed to be the tiger-slaying hero of Juren Zhangzi Village.

"Hehe. Big sister, this sounds so fake. Not a single word from Da Huzi during the rescue was useful. Did my second sister get scratched or not?" Zhao Da'e asked doubtfully.

"I don't know. You know what Er Ya is saying, did you understand?" Zhou Chunwen sneered. "Anyway, I don't understand. The more she tries to say, the less she can say."

Zhao Da'e sighed, "We'll try anything, no matter what. Let's get the buckwheat first."

Zhao Da'e led Zhou Chunwen back to Dongtaizi Village. The "second aunt" Zhao Da'e mentioned was actually surnamed Sun and named Sun Xiaoxia. She was the wife of Zhao Tieqing, the second son of Zhao Da'e's sixth grandfather, Zhao Tingwu.

As Zhao Da'e mentioned earlier, Zhao Tieqing and his son, Zhao Yongdong, were notorious petty thieves in Dongtaizi Village.

Of course, birds of a feather flock together. Aunt Zhao Da'e, who was also a petty thief, often stole chickens and dogs.

Buckwheat is quite common in Northeast China, but it's different from wheat and oats. Although it has the word "wheat" in its name, it's actually a wild herb.

It's similar to traditional Chinese medicine, but the seeds are also similar to wheat and are edible.

However, the yield was very low, so it was impossible for anyone to grow it in that era.

When people are hungry, their first thought is to fill their stomachs. Therefore, things with very low production volumes, even those containing certain traditional Chinese medicine ingredients, can only be considered secondary.

Fortunately, the Northeast has no shortage of wilderness. Many lands are not cultivated, and buckwheat can be found on hillsides, in ditches, and in the bends of rivers.

Since this stuff is edible, Zhao Da'e guessed that Sun Xiaoxia must have it.

After all, Sun Xiaoxia is the kind of person who feels uncomfortable if she doesn't get something out of the house. How could she possibly see buckwheat and not take some home?

Others might be busy working or busy making money. But even if Sun Xiaoxia is busy, she will always have something to do.

Soon Zhao Da'e arrived at Sun Xiaoxia's house, which was not far from Zhao Da'e's old house.

At this time, Zhao Tieqing was still alive. Zhao Tieqing was a good person. Although he was a petty thief, he never stole anything from Zhao Da'e's house. Therefore, Zhao Da'e believed: "A thief who doesn't steal from me is a good thief."

Of course, Zhao Tieqing died very young in his previous life, passing away prematurely at a young age due to cancer.

"Second Uncle, Second Uncle, are you home yet?" Zhao Da'e called from the doorway.

"Old Sun...Second Aunt!"

After calling for a long time, no one answered. Zhao Da'e stared wide-eyed inside, where Sun Xiaoxia was waving and beckoning him to come in.

Zhao Da'e then led Zhou Chunwen inside.

Passing by a side room, Zhao Da'e's sixth grandfather, Zhao Tingwu, was cooking. Zhao Da'e greeted him before entering the main room.

Since it was Sun Xiaoxia who called, Zhao Da'e didn't knock and just opened the door and went in. When he got to the inner room, he lifted the curtain and saw Sun Xiaoxia making a quilt on the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Second Aunt, you're quite diligent," Zhao Da'e chuckled. "The problem is, Second Aunt, you don't grow cotton, so where did you get the cotton from?"

"I stole it from the nursery." Sun Xiaoxia made no attempt to hide her act of stealing cotton: "That day I was working at the nursery, picking cotton for them. I picked some myself, about seven or eight jin, enough to make two quilts."

Zhao Da'e pouted, spread his hands, and looked at Zhou Chunwen: "Big sister, look at my second aunt's awareness! It's incredibly high!"

Taking things from the nursery is easier than taking things from their own. There's not a shred of guilt whatsoever… Speaking of which, Zhao Da'e also wants to take some…

"Next time you go, invite me too. My blanket is too thin, I'd like to make one for myself."

Sun Xiaoxia shook her head: "Your mother is fine at home, I can take care of her. You can't..."

Zhao Da'e frowned: "Second Aunt, are you looking down on me..."

"Oh, you big goose! How can I possibly respect you?" Sun Xiaoxia said with a smile. "The nursery workers are tall and strong. Do you think you can outrun them?"

"Ah...you're getting arrested?" Zhao Da'e was stunned: "Holy crap...Second Aunt, I thought you stole it, but I didn't expect you to rob it."