Reborn in 72, I hunt to support my family and spoil my younger sister rotten.

Li Xiangyang stood there for a long time until the wolf pack's presence completely disappeared.

As the cold wind blew by, he realized that the cold sweat on his back had frozen his cotton-padded coat.

This was the first time he had come so close to death since his rebirth.

Even when he traveled the world hunting in his previous life, he had never encountered a pack of wolves like this.

The old wolf's eyes remained vivid in his memory.

That was not the look of a wild beast, but the gaze of a wise man.

Its actions showed Li Xiangyang that humans are not the masters in this mountain forest.

"Whoosh—" A gust of cold wind howled past, and heavy snow began to fall from the sky.

Li Xiangyang then realized that it was already dark.

Continuing to hunt is clearly unlikely.

As Li Xiangyang walked back through the swirling snow, his heart was heavy.

After his rebirth, he always felt that he could easily manage this mountain forest with his experience from his previous life, but today's encounter gave him a rude awakening.

The wind grew stronger, snowflakes swirled in the air, and visibility decreased.

Li Xiangyang had to slow down and carefully determine the direction.

By the time he finally emerged from the forest, it was completely dark.

The wind howled, and the snowflakes stung my face like blades.

Before we even reached the village entrance, we could hear a commotion coming from inside the village.

In the dim light, he saw many villagers working hard in the wind and snow.

"Quick! Tamp down the thatch on the roof!"

"Rope! Does anyone have any extra rope?"

Li Xiangyang was startled and quickened his pace to get home.

Sure enough, a large section of the thatched roof of his house had been torn off by the strong wind, and snowflakes kept pouring into the house.

"My son! You're finally back!" Seeing him, Li's mother breathed a sigh of relief. "Xiaohua and I moved everything we could to the inner room, but the roof..."

"Brother!" Li Xiaohua ran out of the house, her face red from the cold. "Mom and I raised all the furniture, but the snow is still pouring in!"

Seeing his younger sister shivering from the cold, Li Xiangyang felt heartbroken.

Without saying a word, he took off his cotton-padded coat and draped it over his sister, then turned and ran to the backyard.

"Li Xiangyang!" A familiar voice called out.

It was Zhang Li. She and several other educated youths braved the wind and snow to come and help.

"Do you need any help?" Zhang Li called out. "In this weather, the educated youth settlement is uninhabitable. We're all preparing to go down the mountain to escape the cold. Do you want to come along?"

Li Xiangyang shook his head: "Thank you for your kindness, but I won't go to my house. I need to fix the roof first."

In the wind and snow, he climbed onto the roof to reinforce the thatched roof.

Zhang Li and her group didn't leave; instead, they helped out.

The icy snowflakes hit his face, and his fingers were so frozen they were numb, but Li Xiangyang gritted his teeth and persevered.

At that moment, he became even more determined to give his family a better life.

Not only do they need to be able to hunt, they also need a safe place to live that shelters them from the wind and rain.

"Bang!" Li Xiangyang hammered the last wooden stake into the roof beam, finally pressing down and fixing the thatched roof in place.

The cold wind howled as he climbed down the ladder, his body already soaked in sweat and snow.

"Thanks to your help," Li Xiangyang said sincerely to Zhang Li and the others. "If it weren't for your help, this thatch would have been blown away by the wind."

Zhang Li waved her hand: "Of course. But why are you still unwilling to come down the mountain? It's too dangerous on the mountain in this weather."

Li Xiangyang brought out a few stools from the house and had his sister pour hot water for everyone: "Come on, sit down and rest for a while, warm up."

Once everyone was seated, he slowly began to speak: "You may not know this, but those living at the foot of the mountain are all well-off families. They have plenty of grain, so they can get through the winter without worry."

He glanced at the steaming water in the bowl and continued, "But it's different for us mountain folk. Without stored food, we have to rely on hunting and gathering herbs to survive. In this heavy snow, if we lived down the mountain, we'd be busy all day just clearing the snow in front of our doors; where would we find the energy to go up the mountain?"

Zhang Li nodded thoughtfully.

Indeed, she noticed that most of the people living down the mountain were production team leaders and accountants, who usually didn't have to worry about food.

“Besides,” Li Xiangyang smiled, “you educated youth are different. You have arrangements from above, and your meal tickets are guaranteed. Even if you hide at the foot of the mountain to spend the winter, you won’t go hungry. But we ordinary people, not living on the mountainside, can’t even get a hot meal.”

The room fell silent for a moment.

The educated youth all understood the meaning behind his words.

In this special era, their trips to the countryside were organized, but the farmers had to make a living on their own.

“So,” Li Xiangyang stood up, “thank you for your kindness, but we still have to settle down here on this mountainside.”

Looking at his retreating figure, Zhang Li deeply understood for the first time the sense of responsibility this young man carried.

For the sake of his family, he would rather stay on the snowy mountainside than seek comfort down below.

It was getting late, so Zhang Li and the others had to say goodbye.

As she was leaving, she looked back at the thatched hut that stood firm against the wind and snow, and a feeling of indescribable respect welled up in her heart.

After seeing Zhang Li and the others off, Li Xiangyang turned around and saw his younger sister, Li Xiaohua, still standing at the door, staring blankly at the scattered lights at the foot of the mountain in the distance.

"Xiaohua, what are you thinking about?" Li Xiangyang walked over and gently patted his sister's shoulder.

“Brother…” Li Xiaohua pursed her lips, “It’s so nice that the educated youth sisters live down the mountain; it’s warm there, and they can read books.”

Hearing his sister's words, Li Xiangyang's heart stirred. He squatted down, looking directly into her eyes: "Knowledge is indeed important. Look at Zhang Li and the others; they speak and act with tact, always showing understanding and reason, precisely because they've been educated."

“But…” Li Xiaohua lowered her head.

“No buts.” Li Xiangyang interrupted her. “We live in the mountains now, but that doesn’t mean we’ll be trapped there forever. Remember, knowledge is the key to changing your destiny.”

Li Xiaohua's eyes lit up: "Brother, you mean as long as I study hard..."

“Yes, you have to study hard,” Li Xiangyang said solemnly. “Even if you can’t go to school now, you have to study on your own. When the college entrance examination is reinstated in the future, you must pass it and go abroad.”

The younger sister nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Li Xiangyang rubbed her head and said, "Alright, let's go inside. I need to find someone to fix the roof tomorrow; we can't just leave it like this today."

The next morning, Li Xiangyang went to find Uncle Li, the carpenter in the village.

"Roof repairs," Uncle Li calculated on his fingers, "will require several new rafters and some replacement thatch. In this freezing weather, the materials and labor will cost at least fifteen yuan."

This number startled Li Xiangyang.

He knew how much fifteen yuan could buy in those days—enough to feed a family of three for several months.

But the roof can't be left unrepaired.

In this kind of weather, a leaky house is a serious problem.