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

It was Zhang Dashan who spoke. When he saw Li Xiangyang, he smiled awkwardly, which was considered a greeting.

"Uncle, I...I've come to apologize."

The old Party Secretary's face darkened: "Admit your mistake? You think admitting your mistake is enough? If it weren't for your father's sake, the villagers would beat you to death just for letting the warehouse get infested with rats!"

Zhang Dashan's face turned deathly pale, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead: "I know I was wrong, I really know I was wrong. How about this, let's have a meeting, I'll make a self-criticism, apologize where I should, and as for my job as production team leader..."

"Don't even think about it!" the old Party Secretary interrupted sharply. "Someone like you doesn't deserve it!"

The old Party Secretary started coughing as he spoke, and Chu Qingxuan quickly patted his back.

Once the coughing subsided, the old Party Secretary suddenly looked at Li Xiangyang: "Speaking of the production team leader, he really can't be absent. Xiangyang, why don't you give it a try?"

"Me?" Li Xiangyang quickly waved his hand. "I'm so young, how could I be the team leader? Please don't make things difficult for me. If you let me do it, I might not be as good as Zhang Dashan."

Zhang Dashan chimed in, "Yes, he's still young..."

"Shut up!" The old Party Secretary glared at Zhang Dashan, then turned to Li Xiangyang. "You're right, you're a bit too young. I was also blinded by his anger; this was indeed ill-considered. But if you're not suitable, Linzhi would be a good candidate."

"Linzhi?" Zhang Dashan was taken aback, then muttered, "She's a widow, can she even read?"

"You think you can read?!" Li Xiangyang pointed at Zhang Dashan's nose and taunted, "My mother is much better at reading than you, even if she can't! Let me tell you, if we weren't here today, and you dared to talk like that, believe me, I'd slap you across the face."

Thinking about how he had just spoken up for Zhang Dashan, Li Xiangyang now wished he could slap himself twice.

Zhang Dashan was startled by Li Xiangyang's sudden anger and subconsciously took a step back.

"You insolent wretch!" the old Party Secretary roared. "Get out of here! Let me tell you, Linzhi is definitely going to be the team leader!"

Seeing that the old Party Secretary was truly angry, Li Xiangyang wanted to slap himself, while Zhang Dashan shrank his neck and walked out.

The old Party Secretary pointed at the door, his face flushed with anger, "What is that?!"

"Grandpa," Chu Qingxuan quickly tried to soothe the old Party Secretary, "Don't be angry. It's not worth ruining your health. We should ask Aunt Lin if she's willing."

The old Party Secretary took a deep breath: "Alright, I'll talk to her myself when I'm feeling better. Okay, you young people go have some fun."

"Grandpa, maybe I shouldn't go?" Chu Qingxuan looked at the old Party Secretary with some worry.

"How can that be?" the old Party Secretary laughed. "You rarely come all the way from the city; you should enjoy yourself. I'm feeling much better, so don't worry."

"But......"

"Go on, go on," the old Party Secretary waved his hand, "Let Xiangyang show you the scenery in our mountains."

Seeing that Chu Qingxuan was still hesitating, Li Xiangyang said, "Don't worry, I'll take you for a walk and then we'll be right back."

Chu Qingxuan finally nodded: "Alright then. Grandpa, you should get some rest."

The two left the courtyard, and Li Xiangyang looked at Chu Qingxuan's clothes: "These clothes aren't suitable for going into the mountains; you'll need a thicker layer. I'll take you to my house to get a cotton-padded coat."

"Well... thank you for your trouble." Chu Qingxuan said somewhat embarrassedly.

"No trouble at all, it's just ahead. It's very cold in the mountains here, I don't want you to get cold."

As Li Xiangyang spoke, he led Chu Qingxuan home.

In the cold wind, the two young people were a little reserved, after all, it was their first time meeting alone, and they didn't know what to say for a moment.

They soon arrived at the Li family's house.

The aroma of food wafted through the courtyard. Hearing footsteps, Li's mother peeked out from the kitchen.

He was taken aback when he saw his son bring back a strange girl.

“Mom, this is the old Party Secretary’s granddaughter,” Li Xiangyang introduced. “I promised to take her for a trip to the mountains.”

"Hello, Auntie." Chu Qingxuan greeted politely, her hands unconsciously twisting together.

"So you're the old Party Secretary's daughter." Li's mother smiled, wiped her hands, and came out. "Come inside and warm up. It's so cold outside, don't catch a cold."

As she ushered Chu Qingxuan inside, she turned to Li Xiangyang and instructed, "Just show the girl around. It's freezing cold, come back early."

While giving instructions, Li's mother found a thick cotton-padded coat for Chu Qingxuan.

Stepping out of the courtyard, the sunlight was so bright it was hard to open one's eyes.

After several days of overcast and snowy weather, the sun finally shone brightly today, reflecting a dazzling light off the thick snow.

Li Xiangyang walked ahead, the snow behind him crunching softly.

"I'm really lucky today," Li Xiangyang said. "Such good weather is rare."

Chu Qingxuan took a deep breath, the cool, fresh air invigorating her: "Yes, the sun is so nice."

The two walked up the mountain along the path.

The snow-covered ground shimmered silver in the sunlight, and the distant mountains were covered with a thick layer of snow.

“Look, over there’s a birch forest,” Li Xiangyang said, pointing to a bare grove of trees on the hillside. “It’s especially beautiful in spring. The leaves are all a tender green, and when the wind blows, they sway like waves.”

Chu Qingxuan's eyes sparkled, as if she was already imagining that scene.

She followed carefully behind Li Xiangyang, occasionally reaching out to grab a tree branch by the roadside for balance.

"Over there in the valley, wildflowers bloom all over the mountains in summer. Purple, yellow, and red—it's dazzling to the eye. Autumn is even more beautiful; the leaves on the leaves turn golden, as if the mountains are draped in gold."

"It's a pity it's winter now," Chu Qingxuan said softly, pulling her cotton-padded coat tighter around herself, her eyes full of regret.

“Actually, winter has its own beauty.” Li Xiangyang turned to the side and pointed to the distant mountains. “Look, you can’t see this kind of scenery in the city.”

The sky was exceptionally clear, and the distant, undulating snow-capped mountains shimmered with silver light under the sunlight, the thick snow making the mountain lines rounded and soft.

Chu Qingxuan took a deep breath, the cool air carrying the fragrance of pine needles filling her lungs and invigorating her.

This feeling is completely different from that in the city; it's as if one's entire soul has been cleansed.

"Would you like to see how I hunt?" Li Xiangyang asked with a smile, seeing her enthusiastic expression.

"Okay!" Chu Qingxuan nodded, then added with some worry, "Won't it be very dangerous?"

"Food is scarce in winter, and hunting is indeed more dangerous. However, as long as we don't go deep into the mountains, wandering around the outskirts shouldn't be a problem."

After speaking, Li Xiangyang pointed to the undulating mountains in the distance: "See that rocky hill? Beyond that is Tiger's Mouth Ridge. We'll operate on this gentle slope. The terrain here is open, we can see far, and it'll be easy to hide if we encounter anything big."

"Of course, don't be too disappointed. Not venturing deep into the mountains doesn't mean you can't catch prey."

Li Xiangyang pulled out a few pieces of wire from his pocket. "Let's try our luck today and see if we can catch a pheasant or something."