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

It was already late at night when I got home.

Hearing the commotion in the yard, Li's mother quickly opened the door and was both surprised and delighted to see her son carrying so much prey.

"Come in and warm up," said Li's mother, reaching for the prey.

“You rest, I’ll handle this.” Li Xiangyang didn’t let his mother help. “I’m more experienced at this kind of work than you are.”

He first put the roe deer into the woodshed, and then took the sable to the main room.

This precious fur must be handled with extreme care, as even the slightest damage can affect its price.

Inside the main room, Li's mother had already lit the kerosene lamp.

Under the bright lights, the mink's fur shimmered with a soft sheen.

"This must be very valuable, right?" Li's mother asked in surprise.

In her mind, mink fur was something only wealthy people in the city could afford.

"Yeah, I was lucky to run into this." Li Xiangyang took out a small knife and began to carefully peel the skin.

The knife tip slowly sliced ​​along the male mink's belly, each movement extremely gentle, for fear of damaging the fur.

This process is extremely time-consuming.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Li Xiangyang's forehead, but his hand movements maintained a steady rhythm.

"Son," Li's mother said softly, looking at her son's focused expression, "do you think this hide is worth the medical expenses?"

“That should be enough. City people value this,” Li Xiangyang said as he worked. “As long as it’s handled well, fifteen yuan is always possible.”

Li's mother gasped.

Fifteen yuan, that's half a year's worth of work points.

After processing the mink fur, Li Xiangyang went to the woodshed to process the roe deer.

This time it's much simpler; the main thing is to cut the meat into pieces.

While fur is valuable, it's nowhere near as valuable as mink fur.

By the time I finished all that, it was almost dawn.

Li Xiangyang quickly packed his things and prepared to enter the city.

These things can't be sold in the village; you have to find someone knowledgeable to get a good price for them.

"Wait," Li's mother suddenly called out to him, turning and entering the side room. She took out a cloth bundle. "Your second uncle said the other day that Manager Zhou, who buys furs in the city, is a cunning old fox. You have to be careful. This is some money I've saved. Take it and don't let him know we're short of money."

Li Xiangyang felt a warmth in his heart, but still pushed the money back: "Mom, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

As soon as it was light, Li Xiangyang took the processed hides into the city.

Throughout the journey, he held the leather tightly to his chest, fearing that something might go wrong.

The leather collection shops in the city open early.

When I opened the door, the shop was already filled with a strong smell of leather.

Upon seeing Li Xiangyang enter, Old Zhou immediately put down his work.

"Young man, did you bring the hide?"

"Hmm." Li Xiangyang carefully placed the mink and roe deer pelts on the counter.

Old Zhou put on his reading glasses and examined it carefully.

His fingers gently stroked the mink fur, nodding occasionally.

"This mink fur is handled very well; you can tell the person knows their stuff. Eight dollars, how about it?"

Li Xiangyang sneered inwardly.

This mink pelt is worth at least fifteen yuan, and the other party immediately bet nearly half of it.

"Manager Zhou," he said calmly, "we're all savvy people. This leather would fetch at least twenty yuan in the provincial capital."

"Hey, you said it yourself, it's the provincial capital, a round trip, isn't the fare money? We're practically acquaintances, ten yuan."

Old Zhou laughed it off and tried to lower the price.

The two bargained and eventually settled on thirteen yuan.

Including the roe deer skin, there are a total of eighteen pieces.

This number has exceeded Li Xiangyang's expectations.

After putting the money away, Li Xiangyang went to the state-run restaurant.

It was only seven in the morning, but the kitchen staff were already preparing ingredients for the morning market.

Director Zhang was taking inventory when he saw Li Xiangyang enter. He was taken aback at first, then smiled and said, "Young man Li, what brings you here on such a cold day?"

"I brought some things with me." Li Xiangyang took out roe deer meat wrapped in oil paper from his bag.

Director Zhang lifted the oil paper and glanced inside. His eyes immediately lit up: "You can still catch a roe deer in this weather?"

Li Xiangyang said modestly, "I was lucky; I caught one big and one small."

Director Zhang carefully inspected the meat and nodded repeatedly: "Fresh, and cleaned very well. How much do you want per pound of this roe deer meat?"

"Eight mao," Li Xiangyang quoted. This price was already quite high; ordinary meat usually only cost three or four mao per pound.

"This..." Director Zhang hesitated for a moment, "...is a bit expensive."

“Director Zhang,” Li Xiangyang said with a smile, “you know your stuff. It’s freezing cold here; who would dare go into the mountains? I imagine you’re facing a meat shortage. As the old saying goes, scarcity makes things valuable.”

Director Zhang pondered for a moment: "You've got a good tongue, buddy. Six cents a pound, I'll take both."

This price was within Li Xiangyang's expectations. The two roe deer weighed over 40 jin (approximately 20 kg) together and could sell for over 20 yuan.

"make a deal."

Director Zhang had the kitchen staff weigh the food and settle the bill, even giving an extra two cents: "Young man, you're quite capable. Come again soon."

Li Xiangyang nodded, mentally calculating what he had gained from this trip.

The roe deer meat sold for 24.6 yuan, and with the cost of the hide, the total came to 42.6 yuan.

This money should be enough to cover that thug's medical expenses.

When we left the hotel, it was already broad daylight.

The streets gradually became lively, but Li Xiangyang's heart was heavy.

Although we've made the money, we still need to be wary of that thug's family causing trouble in the future.

When Li Xiangyang got home, he saw several people standing in the yard from afar.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that Captain Xu was accompanied by two law enforcement officers and a middle-aged couple.

The couple clearly came to demand an explanation. The man was wearing the blue uniform commonly seen on accountants, while the woman wore an ordinary cotton-padded jacket. When they saw Li Xiangyang, their eyes were filled with resentment.

Li's mother was standing helplessly to the side when she saw her son return, and she quickly went to greet him.

"My son..."

"Mother, don't worry," Li Xiangyang reassured his mother, then turned to Captain Xu, "Captain Xu, this is..."

"Xiao Li, this is Accountant Yang and his wife," Captain Xu introduced. "Their son is out of danger and they'd like to talk to you."

"Talk?" Accountant Yang scoffed. "He almost killed my son. How do you expect us to talk?"

“Comrade Yang,” Captain Xu said sternly, “we have investigated the entire incident. Your son attacked first with a knife; Li Xiangyang acted in self-defense.”

"Self-defense?" Yang's wife suddenly shrieked. "Then tell me, how do you account for all the money we've spent in the hospital with my son lying there? Even if he acted in self-defense, couldn't he have just taken the knife away?"

"That's easy for you to say," Li Xiangyang sneered, his sharp eyes fixed on Accountant Yang and his wife. "How about this? I'll take a knife now, and you two can demonstrate how to disarm them together. Let everyone see for themselves."

Upon hearing this, the two men's expressions changed.

"Wait here." Li Xiangyang turned to walk towards the kitchen. "I'll go get a knife..."

"Stop!" Captain Xu shouted sternly. "Li Xiangyang, what are you doing?"

"I just wanted to ask Accountant Yang and his wife how to disarm someone," Li Xiangyang said with a sneer. "Since they make it sound so easy."

"Comrade Li Xiangyang!" Captain Xu's voice turned stern. "This is a serious matter, not a game. You're only making things more complicated."

Li Xiangyang stopped, but his eyes remained coldly fixed on Accountant Yang and his wife: "Fine, I'll do as you say. But tell me, if his son stabbed me first and I didn't retaliate to incapacitate him, how would I know he wouldn't want to kill me?"

Under Li Xiangyang's gaze, Accountant Yang and his wife were so frightened that they unconsciously took a step back.

The chill in their eyes reminded them of wolves in the mountains.