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

Seeing that the other party wasn't being unreasonable, Old Zhou's expression became even more troubled: "Brother Wang, you know, at this time..."

"I understand." The middle-aged man gave a wry smile, a hint of helplessness flashing across his face, but he quickly regained his composure. "It was my oversight; I apologize for disturbing you."

As he turned to leave, his gaze inadvertently swept over the leather on the ground, a knowing glint in his eyes.

He knew that his old friend might have money, but these hides hadn't been sold yet, and he still needed to collect them, so it was indeed difficult to lend him money.

But the thought of her daughter lying at home made Wang Jingyun's heart feel like it was being cut by a dull knife.

Last night, my child developed a high fever again, his face turned red, and he kept crying out, "Daddy, it hurts."

He took his daughter to the town hospital, but the doctor said they had to go to the provincial capital because the conditions there couldn't treat her.

The provincial capital...

He touched the few cents he had left in his pocket, and his vision went black.

That's a journey that would cost at least ten dollars.

As a father, he felt as if there was a wad of cotton stuck in his throat, making it difficult to even breathe.

My daughter is only eight years old, the most innocent and carefree age. She should be skipping and jumping to school, not lying in bed suffering all day.

Every time he saw his daughter sweating profusely from the pain, he wished he could take her pain upon himself.

But he couldn't fall down; he was his daughter's only support.

His wife has passed away, and he has to take good care of the children for her.

But now...

He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, yet he felt no pain whatsoever.

Li Xiangyang silently watched the middle-aged man's back.

That desolate figure reminded him of a painting he had seen abroad in his previous life—a thinly dressed father struggling through wind and snow.

But what moved him even more was the anxiety and pain that the man had just revealed, which he could not hide deep in his eyes.

He was all too familiar with that feeling in his previous life—when his mother and sister were sick, wasn't he just as helpless?

"Wait a minute," Li Xiangyang suddenly spoke up, "Brother, how much do you need to borrow?"

The middle-aged man was stunned, clearly not expecting a young stranger to speak up.

"I don't know. The child has a fever, and we can't treat it here. We have to go to the provincial capital."

"I haven't exchanged the money yet. I know you're in a hurry, but please wait a moment. Once I've exchanged it, I can lend you some."

Li Xiangyang didn't waste any words and pointed to the leather on the ground.

“This…” The middle-aged man hesitated.

Li Xiangyang could tell that the other person was a proud individual who was unwilling to easily accept help from strangers.

But he could also tell that the other party was truly desperate.

"My surname is Li, Li Xiangyang, and I'm from Xiaoliang Village," Li Xiangyang introduced himself. "Everyone has emergencies sometimes. I can tell you're educated; you would never default on a debt. Come find me in the village when you have money."

The middle-aged man stared at Li Xiangyang for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, "Good young man, I'll remember your kindness."

During the ensuing bargaining, Lao Zhou offered a good price.

After the money and goods were exchanged, Li Xiangyang immediately handed ten yuan to the middle-aged man.

"This is too much," the middle-aged man quickly declined.

"Please take it," Li Xiangyang insisted. "I'm sure you'll find it useful."

The middle-aged man was silent for a moment, then solemnly accepted the money: "This is a debt of gratitude, which I, Wang Jingyun, will remember. I will certainly repay it in the future."

Before leaving, he gave Li Xiangyang a deep look: "Young man, you are quite remarkable."

Watching the middle-aged man's departing figure, Li Xiangyang seemed lost in thought.

In this special era, many people like Wang Jingyun are temporarily living a very difficult life.

But later, they all became the backbone of national development.

"Young man, what's going on here...?" Old Zhou asked, somewhat puzzled.

"It was an intuition," Li Xiangyang smiled, "I just felt I should help him."

Some people may experience temporary setbacks, but they will eventually rise again.

And the seeds of kindness will always blossom into beautiful flowers in the future.

"Brother, that's a whole ten yuan! You just lent it to a stranger like that? What if he really doesn't pay it back..."

As they left the leather workshop, Li Xiaohua asked with concern.

Li Xiangyang gently patted his younger sister's head.

My younger sister is too young to understand these things.

But this is precisely the right time to educate her.

“Little Flower, your brother has a question for you,” he crouched down and looked his sister in the eye.

"If one day you get sick and need to go to a faraway place for treatment, but your brother and mother don't have a single penny, and you've been turned away by everyone you've asked for help, tell me, at that time, wouldn't you wish someone could help us?"

Li Xiaohua was stunned.

She recalled the anxiety and helplessness in the uncle's eyes and seemed to understand something.

“That uncle’s daughter is about your age,” Li Xiangyang continued. “You see, although we’re not rich, at least we can still afford to eat. But that child is suffering, and her life might be in danger. Don’t you think it would be best to help her if you can?”

"Yes." Li Xiaohua nodded heavily, tears welling in her eyes. "Brother, you did the right thing."

Li's mother listened from the side, and her eyes also reddened.

She knew that her son had not only improved his skills, but had also become more gentle.

"Silly girl," Li Xiangyang smiled as he wiped away his sister's tears, "Remember, help others only within your means. Even if you end up losing money, it's still an act of kindness and good deeds. Do the same from now on, understand?"

"I understand!" Li Xiaohua smiled through her tears.

"Son, I'm not saying you did something wrong, but the hides are easy to sell, but so much meat is a problem for us to handle."

"As you know, these days, everyone's struggling financially; very few can afford meat."

"It's freezing cold outside, we can't possibly take it back, can we?"

My mother is right. In those days, food and cloth coupons were rationed, and ordinary people didn't have much money left over. It was indeed difficult to deal with so much meat.

Even if a buyer comes along, the price will probably be driven down very low.

However, state-run restaurants are a different story.

"Mom, don't worry. We won't sell it individually; we'll go to the state-run restaurant. They need meat, and the price is fair."

After saying that, Li Xiangyang drove the donkey cart, taking his mother and sister to the busiest South Street in the county town.

There is a state-run restaurant here, one of the few places in the county that can supply meat to outsiders.

Several young men were standing at the door, wiping the tables and chairs.

Upon seeing Li Xiangyang and his group, one of them immediately approached and asked, "Are you here for dinner?"

"Find your Director Zhang," Li Xiangyang said in a low voice. "Just tell him there's meat that needs to be processed."

When the waiter saw that Li Xiangyang knew Director Zhang and noticed the car was full of meat, he immediately nodded and went inside to report.

Not long after, a middle-aged man wearing a blue Zhongshan suit came out.

He was about fifty years old, with graying temples, but he was still very energetic.

"Young man, I heard you have some meat to process?" Director Zhang asked with a smile.

“Yes,” Li Xiangyang nodded, “wild boar meat, fresh.”

Director Zhang's eyes lit up.

Meat on the market is now supplied in rations, and wild game like this is even rarer.

If a restaurant could offer a few wild game dishes, that would be a huge selling point.

As for the young man in front of me being unfamiliar, that's no big deal.

Those who were able to find them were all introduced through old connections.

Having made his judgment, Director Zhang became even more enthusiastic.

"Come on, let's go to the backyard to talk."