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

"This is impossible..." Su Yan muttered to herself.

In her memory, Li Xiangyang was the silly boy who would even give away his family's food rations just to please her.

But the man striding confidently in front of her didn't even glance at her.

"What? Tempted?" Wang Ming appeared beside Su Yan without her noticing, his tone laced with sarcasm.

"What are you talking about?" Su Yan snapped out of her daze and quickly denied it. "I just find it strange that he has a gun..."

"Ha, what's so strange about that?" Wang Ming sneered. "Doesn't he have two rabbits and a few pheasants at home? He probably traded them for them."

Su Yan's heart stirred upon hearing this.

Yes, with a gun, wouldn't hunting be much easier?

Thinking of this, she unconsciously licked her lips.

These days, because Li Xiangyang stopped bringing meat, her and Wang Ming's meals have become much worse.

Even other educated youth would look at them with strange eyes from time to time.

"I have to think of a way..." Su Yan bit her lower lip.

"What do you want to do?" Wang Ming asked warily.

“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing,” Su Yan patted Wang Ming’s hand. “Everyone’s talking about us right now, they’ve even written a whistleblower letter. I have to find a way to shut them up.”

Before Wang Ming could say anything more, Su Yan had already turned and left.

Li Xiangyang was unaware of what was happening behind him, and he walked straight home.

As soon as I reached the courtyard gate, I heard bursts of laughter and cheerful voices coming from inside.

"Brother's back!" Li Xiaohua was the first to rush out. "Hey, what kind of gun is this? It looks so new!"

"Type 56," Li Xiangyang said with a smile, ruffling his sister's hair, "so that your brother can hunt down even more good things for you to eat."

"Great!" Li Xiaohua cheered.

Li's mother also came out of the house. Seeing the hunting rifle her son was carrying, a hint of worry flashed across her face: "This gun..."

“Mom, don’t worry,” Li Xiangyang knew what his mother was worried about, “There are all the proper procedures. And…”

He pulled the hazel grouse from his backpack. "Look at today's catch."

"Isn't that a flying dragon?" Li Xiaohua exclaimed. "I heard from the uncles in the village that its meat is delicious!"

“Yes,” Li Xiangyang laughed, “we’ll have stewed mushrooms today.”

As they were talking, a familiar voice suddenly came from outside the courtyard: "Xiangyang, are you home?"

It's Su Yan.

Li Xiaohua immediately frowned. Her brother had only been better for a few days, and this woman was back again.

Ever since she learned that this woman had caused her family to run out of food, she had disliked Su Yan.

Li Xiangyang frowned slightly and said without turning his head, "I'm not home. We'll talk about it tomorrow."

"But..." Su Yan's voice carried a hint of grievance, "I came to apologize..."

Li Xiangyang sneered: "Apologize? Just like you used to, you'd apologize after I'd caught my prey? And then..."

"No!" Su Yan interrupted him urgently, "I really know I was wrong. Could you..."

"roll!"

Li Xiangyang suddenly turned around, his gaze icy as he looked at Su Yan outside the courtyard. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. Now that I have a gun, you think you can win me over again? Let me tell you, I, Li Xiangyang, am not the fool I used to be!"

Su Yan's face turned pale; she hadn't expected Li Xiangyang to be so disrespectful.

She gritted her teeth, turned around, and ran away.

"Brother, you're so handsome! That's how you should treat bad women!" Li Xiaohua looked at Li Xiangyang with admiration.

Li Xiangyang smiled, but a sense of vigilance rose in his heart.

He knew Su Yan too well; this woman wouldn't give up so easily.

"Son, aren't you going too far in treating Su Yan like this?"

Seeing her son's attitude, Li's mother spoke with some concern.

Li Xiangyang was stunned; he hadn't expected his mother to say that.

"Mom, don't you know what kind of person she is?"

“Mom knows,” Li’s mother sighed, her voice filled with deep worry, “but you’re not getting any younger. If you keep pushing this girl away, who in the village will dare to marry their daughter to you in the future?”

Li Xiangyang felt a warmth in his heart.

So that's what my mother was worried about.

“Don’t worry,” he said softly, “our son won’t be a bachelor his whole life.”

"My child," Li's mother choked up, "that's not what I meant. I'm just afraid... afraid you'll be heartbroken because of Su Yan. Your father passed away early, and I wasn't able to find you a good partner. Now, seeing you like this..."

"My brother will never stay single! He can hunt now, and he's become incredibly responsible. Who wouldn't like a man like that?" Li Xiaohua said proudly.

"What do you know, child?" Li's mother scolded playfully, but her eyes were filled with laughter.

“My brother is such a good person, he’ll definitely find an even better wife,” Li Xiaohua said earnestly. “Anyone will do, just not Su Yan. She’s always lying to my brother.”

Li Xiangyang couldn't help but smile as he listened to his younger sister's childish voice.

In his previous life, his mother and sister left before he could get married.

In this life, he is determined to make them witness him marry a good wife.

“Mom, don’t worry,” Li Xiangyang said softly, “After a while, when our family’s life gets better, I will definitely find you a kind and caring daughter-in-law.”

Looking into her son's determined eyes, Li's mother swallowed back the words she wanted to say.

She had seen all the changes in her son.

It's not just that they've become more capable, but more importantly, they've become more assertive.

Perhaps, she, as the mother, really doesn't need to worry about it anymore.

Seeing the thin clothes worn by his sister and mother, Li Xiangyang felt a pang of anxiety.

Although we can now eat meat at home, clothing is still a problem.

He was thinking that he should venture deeper into the mountains tomorrow, where it would be dangerous, but also meant there would be more prey.

These small prey alone are not enough to keep the family warm through the winter.

At night, the family sat around the kang (a heated brick bed), the aroma of steaming pheasant stew with mushrooms filling the air.

Li Xiaohua ate while squinting her eyes and revealing a happy smile.

"Eat slowly," Li Xiangyang said, placing a piece of meat on his sister's plate. "There will be plenty of good food in the future."

Looking into her son's determined eyes, Li's mother felt a warmth in her heart.

She had never seen her son so opinionated since her husband passed away.

"Mom, I have to go into the mountains again tomorrow to try and find some large game. It's getting colder and colder, and it'll be too hard to get through the winter without decent clothes."

Watching his younger sister eat meat with doting eyes, but seeing her thin clothes, Li Xiangyang felt sorry for her.

"We need to be careful," Li's mother said worriedly, "it's been windy these past few days."

“I know,” Li Xiangyang nodded, thinking about the limited bullets that would require spending money once they were used up. “I need to find a way to earn more money. Not just to pay off the debts, but bullets are expensive too.”

As he spoke, he put down his chopsticks and found some sticks to sharpen.

This was a skill he learned while hunting in Africa in his previous life; sometimes, when he ran out of bullets, this simple weapon could save his life.

"Brother, what are you doing?" Li Xiaohua asked curiously as she approached.

"Oh, that," Li Xiangyang explained with a smile, "hunting can't rely solely on a gun; you need to prepare some spare tools."

Seeing Li Xiangyang's serious expression, Li's mother hesitated to speak.

She knew her son was doing it for the family, but she always felt he was changing too fast, so fast that it made her uneasy.

However, looking at the pheasant meat on the table and smelling its rich aroma, Li's mother still smiled.

At least, things are moving in a better direction.

The family chatted and laughed as they finished their dinner.

After cleaning up the dishes, Li Xiangyang sat down under the lamp and continued polishing the wooden sticks.

Although the Type 56 shotgun was good, ammunition was indeed a major problem.

One dollar a shot, you have to hit the prey with every shot to make it worthwhile.

Moreover, he couldn't keep going to the forest farm; that would attract too much attention.

Therefore, you should save money whenever you can.

Li Xiangyang ran his hands over the smooth surface of the wooden stick, his eyes resolute.

In this life, he is determined to give his family a good life.

No matter what difficulties lie ahead, he will not back down.

Outside the window, the cold wind howled, but inside the house it was warm and cozy.

The lingering warmth of the kang (heated brick bed), along with the aroma of pheasant and mushrooms, made this otherwise cold winter night exceptionally cozy.