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

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the old Party Secretary leaned back on the kang (a heated brick bed), squinted at Li Xiangyang, and said, "Come on, tell me the truth, do you think they can still find anyone?"

Li Xiangyang put down his chopsticks and said softly, "If we could find them, we would have found them in their village. It's been several days; if you ask me, they'd have vanished without a trace by now."

The old Party Secretary nodded and didn't ask any further questions. He then turned to Li's mother and asked, "Linzhi, has Xiangyang told you about the production team leader's matter in our village?"

Li's mother wiped her hands and sat up straight: "I've told you, I've thought it through. Since you trust me, Secretary, I'll give it a try."

“Great!” The old Party Secretary’s eyes lit up. “Then it’s settled. Go to the brigade headquarters tomorrow to report this, and I’ll come over too.”

"This..." Mother Li hesitated, "How about we wait a couple more days, you..."

"No need to wait, mine is almost ready." The old Party Secretary waved his hand. "Linzhi, you can learn other things slowly, but the most important thing is to be fair."

The old Party Secretary sighed, "Look at that scoundrel Zhang Dashan. If we hadn't discovered it early and dismissed him in time, something like what happened in Shanghe Village might have happened in our village too."

At this point, the old Party Secretary suddenly fell silent for a moment, "Actually, it's also my fault. As the village head, I failed to raise his awareness."

“It’s not entirely your fault,” Li Xiangyang said. “Some people just never learn.”

The old Party Secretary stroked his graying beard, a hint of weariness flashing in his eyes: "Yes, some people just never learn. How long have they had such good days? They've already gone astray."

He looked at Li's mother, his tone grave: "Linzhi, you must always remember that we come from a poor family; you must never forget your roots."

Li's mother nodded gently, a resolute glint in her eyes: "Secretary, don't worry. No matter what I do in my life, I will always remember whose daughter and whose wife I am."

“Alright,” the old Party Secretary stood up, leaning on his cane. “Just hearing that makes me feel at ease. Qingxuan, help me back.”

Chu Qingxuan responded and stepped forward to help the old Party Secretary.

Before leaving, she glanced back at Li Xiangyang lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), and smiled, saying, "Li Xiangyang, you should just focus on 'recovering'."

After they left, Li's mother was clearing away the dishes when Li Xiangyang jumped up from the kang (a heated brick bed), grinning, and said, "Mom, I'm done."

"Get lost!" Li's mother hit him with a rag. "You're getting better so quickly now."

"I'm not pretending anymore. I was just worried about making you late for the brigade headquarters tomorrow."

Li Xiangyang took the bowl and chopsticks from his mother's hands. "You rest, I'll clean up."

Li Xiangyang rested at home for two days.

The people of Shanghe Village searched for two days but couldn't find him, so they had to leave in disgrace.

Of course, before they left, they made a threatening statement, saying that they would definitely catch the person and that this matter was not over.

Li Xiangyang listened, but ignored him completely.

"Finally gone! I've been itching all over these past two days."

Li Xiangyang stretched his body, feeling a surge of excitement.

Because the hunting day is tomorrow.

"Brother, you're going hunting with Master Zheng, so you'd better do your best."

Ever since she learned that he was going hunting with Lao Zheng, Li Xiaohua had been particularly concerned.

It wasn't because of the hunt itself, but because Old Zheng had promised to give him a puppy if he behaved well.

"Got it, don't worry, I'll definitely get his puppy back," Li Xiangyang replied with a smile.

In the evening, Li Xiangyang sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) wiping his hunting rifle, while his mother sewed shoe soles beside him.

"Go early tomorrow," Li's mother said without looking up.

"Hmm," Li Xiangyang responded, then stuffed another piece of cloth into the gun barrel. "Mom, how does it feel to be the production team leader?"

"It's alright." Li's mother stopped working. "It's the dead of winter, and there's not much else to do. I've been learning from the old Party Secretary. Once I got the hang of it, I really realized it's not that difficult. As long as you have the right heart, this job is simple."

Looking at his mother's profile, Li Xiangyang felt a warmth in his heart.

In this world, there is no one who makes him feel more at ease than his mother.

"Alright," Li's mother said with a smile when she saw him standing there in a daze, "Go to sleep quickly, you have to get up early tomorrow."

Li Xiangyang woke up before dawn the next day.

He quietly dressed, slung his hunting rifle over his shoulder, and was about to leave when he heard a noise coming from the kitchen.

"Mother, you're up so early?"

"I fried you some dough cakes," Li's mother said, wrapping them up and handing them to him. "It's cold up in the mountains, take these to tide you over."

Li Xiangyang took the fried dough, smelled the familiar aroma, and took a delicious bite. "It smells so good. Mom, I'm leaving."

"Go on," Li's mother straightened his collar, "Remember to be careful."

As I stepped out of my house, the sky was already beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn.

Li Xiangyang wrapped his clothes tighter and walked towards the village entrance.

The morning air was chilly, but his heart was warm.

At this time, a number of people were already scattered at the entrance of the village, chatting with each other in small groups.

"Hey, Li Xiangyang, over here, you're here pretty early."

A man in a fur coat greeted him with a smile.

“Uncle Zhang.” Li Xiangyang recognized Zhang Changlin, the old hunter from Xigou Village, and quickly responded.

"I've heard you're quite the hunter; I'll have to ask you for some pointers sometime."

Another rough voice came from Beipo Village.

Just as Li Xiangyang was about to speak, he saw several more people approaching from not far away.

Leading the way was a tall, burly man holding a black wolfhound; he was none other than Old Zhou, Zhou Guangming, from Taiping Village.

"Old Zheng hasn't arrived yet? The old guy's got quite the airs. If he doesn't give proper orders, you'll see how embarrassed I am."

As soon as Zhou Guangming arrived, he made a joke about Lao Zheng, which made everyone laugh.

More than a dozen more people arrived, some I knew and some I didn't.

People gathered in twos and threes, chatting and laughing.

After waiting for about fifteen minutes, Old Zheng finally arrived, followed by his beloved dog, Nightshade.

"Everyone's here pretty early." Old Zheng looked around. "Is everyone almost here?"

"That's about it," Zhang Changlin replied. "Only a few from Yangjia Village haven't arrived yet."

"Wait a minute," Old Zheng said, pulling out his pipe. "It's freezing cold; it's good enough that you even came. Come on, let me explain the arrangements for today."

The crowd involuntarily gathered around.

Including those who arrived later, there were more than a hundred people.

In Li Xiangyang's view, this number was no longer an ordinary hunt, but more like a large-scale battle.

Old Zheng took a deep drag on his cigarette and slowly said, "Today's focus is on driving the wild boars out of the mountains; we need to kill as many as possible. The meat will be divided among the people; we'll discuss that later."

He slowly exhaled a smoke ring. "The key is, we absolutely cannot let too many wild boars gather, otherwise it would be a real problem if someone gets hurt."

"Now let me explain the groupings," Old Zheng said, hefting his pipe in his hand. "About a hundred people, divided into eight groups. The northwest corner will lead the charge, and then the groups will move in circles."

"Zhang Changlin, take a group of hunters to the northwest corner. Make sure they're skilled."

Old Zheng pointed to the simple map drawn on the ground, "Remember, never act rashly if you see a large group of wild boars."

"Zhou Guangming, you take a group of people..."

"Liu De..."

……

"Li Xiangyang, you'll be in my group today. You'll provide support from the center. Wherever support is needed, the two of us will go."