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

When Li Xiangyang returned home from the county town, it was already dark. He led the donkey to his second uncle's yard.

"Xiangyang's back?" Second Uncle poked his head out. "So late?"

"Yes, we were delayed on the way." Li Xiangyang handed the reins to his second uncle. "Thank you for lending me the donkey cart, Uncle."

"How much did you sell it for?" my second uncle asked casually.

Forty-six.

"So many?" Second Uncle's eyes lit up, then he lowered his voice, "That..."

Li Xiangyang was already prepared. He took out eight yuan from his pocket: "Second Uncle, this is the money I'm borrowing from you. Please count it."

My second uncle took the money, counted it carefully twice by the moonlight, and then nodded in satisfaction: "Good, you've got potential."

"Then I'll head back now."

"Hey, keep in touch!" his second uncle called out. "By the way, what about your eldest uncle...?"

"I'll go right away."

Li Xiangyang turned and walked towards his uncle's house.

On the way, he touched the money he had left in his pocket and secretly calculated it in his mind.

After paying back my uncle's six yuan and fifty cents, I still need to give Uncle Li fifteen yuan for house repairs.

"Who is it?" Uncle's voice came from the courtyard.

"Uncle, it's me, Xiangyang."

"So late?" The uncle opened the courtyard gate. "Is something wrong?"

“Yes,” Li Xiangyang took out some money, “this is six yuan and fifty cents I borrowed from my uncle.”

The uncle took the money, his expression softening: "You're quite thoughtful, lad."

After leaving his uncle's house, Li Xiangyang walked quickly towards Uncle Li's house.

In this freezing weather, the house absolutely needs repairs.

"Uncle!" Li Xiangyang called out from outside the courtyard gate.

"Who is it?" Uncle Li's voice came from the courtyard.

"It's me, Li Xiangyang."

The door opened, and Uncle Li came out wearing a tattered cotton-padded coat: "Xiangyang, it's too late. You'll have to wait until tomorrow to fix the house. I've prepared all the materials, but when I went to your house during the day, no one was home."

"I hunted a wild boar in the mountains and brought it to town to exchange for some money. Here's fifteen yuan. I'll need your help again tomorrow, uncle."

Li Xiangyang said, somewhat moved.

"No trouble at all," Uncle Li laughed. "You're a good kid, able to earn money and take care of your family, much better than those who just drift through life. Alright, go back now, I'll take some people over first thing tomorrow morning."

When he got home, his mother was still waiting for him.

"Why did it take you so long to get back?"

"Yes, all the debts have been paid off." Li Xiangyang took off his cotton-padded coat. "Uncle Li will come to fix the house tomorrow."

The mother nodded, but her eyes were a little red.

Li Xiangyang knew what his mother was thinking.

Over the years, my family has borrowed a lot of money to make ends meet.

Now that I can finally pay it off, it's a relief.

"Mom, you should go to sleep early," Li Xiangyang said. "We have to get up early tomorrow."

Sitting on the warm kang (heated brick bed), Li Xiangyang looked at his sleeping mother and sister, pondering his next plans.

Repairing the house will take several days; in the meantime, we need to figure out how to hunt some more game.

The Lunar New Year is just over twenty days away, so I need to prepare some nice things for my mother and sister.

These are not difficult; as long as the weather is good, you can always find prey in the mountains.

Life will definitely get better and better.

Just as dawn broke, Uncle Li arrived with several young men.

With everyone's help, the house repairs progressed quickly. Starting in the morning, by noon, the roof of the old house had been torn down.

Li's mother specially saved some wild boar meat and stewed it in a large pot.

The aroma quickly wafted far and wide.

"Xiangyang, you've really got some skills now. Wild boars are dangerous in winter, so even if you're good at it, you still have to be careful," Uncle Li said, smacking his lips.

"Okay, Uncle, please eat more." Li Xiangyang put a piece of meat on Uncle Li's plate. "Brothers, don't be shy."

As they were eating, they heard voices coming from outside the courtyard.

Li Xiangyang looked up and saw Su Yan and Wang Ming passing by outside.

The two were originally going back to the educated youth settlement to retrieve something, but they slowed down when they smelled the aroma of meat.

Su Yan's gaze swept across the open courtyard gate, and when she saw the table full of meat and dishes, a hint of jealousy flashed in her eyes.

In the past, whenever Li Xiangyang hunted prey, he would send it to her immediately.

But now...

Wang Ming tugged at her sleeve, signaling her to hurry up.

With so many people in the courtyard, going in now would only bring shame upon oneself.

After walking a long distance, Su Yan suddenly turned around and yelled at Wang Ming, "Do you even know what you're capable of? You said you have connections to get back to the city! When exactly? You're not just trying to lie to me, are you?"

"How could I lie to you? My dad may have made mistakes, but even a broken boat has three pounds of nails. Think about how many people have benefited from his kindness? As for me severing ties with him, that's just self-preservation. Would he really disown me..."

"Then when exactly? I don't want to stay in this wretched place for even a day. As soon as we get into the city, I'll fulfill your wishes immediately," Su Yan roared.

Wang Ming's face darkened: "No, what's the point of yelling at me? Do you think I want to stay in this dump? What, you can't stand seeing Li Xiangyang eating meat?"

"Let me tell you, I want to be with you, but the timing of my return to the city isn't up to me. Give me a straight answer today. What if I can't come back in three to five years? Will you stay with me or Li Xiangyang?"

"Of course I'll follow you!" Su Yan exclaimed anxiously, "But you have to be somewhat responsible!"

Wang Ming remained silent for a long time, then suddenly asked, "What future can you have in this wretched place? I don't even know how to hunt. By the way, do you know how Li Xiangyang hunts?"

"How else can they fight? It's just a trap..." Su Yan suddenly realized something, "Right, he's using a real gun now!"

"A gun! Yes, a gun!" A ruthless glint flashed in Wang Ming's eyes: "Since that's the case..."

“What are you going to do?”

"Just wait and see what happens."

Looking at Wang Ming's gloomy expression, Su Yan felt a sense of unease, fearing that he might do something drastic.

But thinking of Li Xiangyang's current success, she gritted her teeth.

It's all because Li Xiangyang is so ungrateful and doesn't even listen to me.

On the Li family's side, the house repair work is still ongoing.

Uncle Li and several young men worked hard, and Li Xiangyang also helped out.

The new beam wasn't finally installed until it got dark.

"We'll install the rafters and cover it with tiles tomorrow, and it'll be ready to live in the day after. By the way, it's so late at night, and you have nowhere to stay. Come to my house," Uncle Li said, wiping his sweat. "My kang (heated brick bed) is big."

"How could I possibly accept that..." Li's mother said somewhat awkwardly.

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” Uncle Li interrupted. “It’s so cold, we can’t just sleep outdoors. It’s alright, I have plenty of rooms. Xiangyang and I will squeeze in tonight, and you two can sleep with my husband.”

Li Xiangyang glanced at his younger sister's face, red from the cold, and nodded: "Then I'll trouble you, Uncle."

After packing some simple clothes, the family of three followed Uncle Li to his house.

On the way, Li's mother kept scolding Li Xiangyang: "Look at you, you had a perfectly good house, and you insisted on tearing it down and rebuilding it."

“Mother,” Li Xiangyang sighed, “we have to fix it. The beam is rotten; if we wait any longer, something bad might happen.”

Uncle Li chimed in, "Yes, sister-in-law. If this house isn't repaired soon, things will really get messy. Xiangyang is a sensible boy, so please don't scold him."

When we arrived at Uncle Li's house, his wife had already heated the kang (a traditional heated brick bed) nice and warm.

"Come, come, sister-in-law, Xiaohua, come on the kang (heated brick bed) quickly," Uncle Li's wife greeted them warmly.

As soon as Li Xiaohua touched the warm kang (heated brick bed), she immediately crawled into the quilt and fell asleep in no time.

Li Xiangyang and Uncle Li went to another room to make do.

"Xiangyang, I heard you use a hunting rifle when you hunt?"

Entering another room, Uncle Li casually asked while tending the fire.

"Yes, I bought it at the forest farm."

Li Xiangyang helped to hold the firewood down.

"Yes, you have to keep a close eye on this. It absolutely cannot be lost. And remember to register it when you have time," Uncle Li said in a low voice. "These days, guns aren't rare, but losing one and injuring someone is a huge problem."

Li Xiangyang nodded: "Thank you for the reminder, Uncle. After the house is repaired, I'll take some time to go to the county to register it."