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

The area in front of Old Zheng's house was already bustling with activity, with more than a dozen simple wooden tables put together.

From afar, the firelight twinkled like stars fallen from the sky to the ground.

The neighboring households brought out tables, chairs, and benches, and sat around in small groups.

On a cold winter night, the sounds of laughter and the aroma of wine filled the air.

As soon as Li Xiangyang arrived at the door, he heard a burst of cheerful barking from the yard.

Nightshade caught his scent and wagged its tail to greet him.

"You're here?" Old Zheng waved to him, holding a steaming bowl of meat soup. "Come in quickly."

The courtyard was already full of people, all of whom were hunters participating in today's hunt.

Li Xiangyang recognized many familiar faces, and everyone greeted him when he arrived.

"Li Xiangyang is here!"

"Come quick, there's still a seat here."

"That kid really did a great job today!"

……

Li Xiangyang greeted everyone with a smile and squeezed down to sit next to Lao Zheng.

Old Zheng's wife brought over a bowl of steaming hot wild boar meat, its aroma filling the air.

"Try it," Old Zheng poured him a bowl of wine.

The liquor is homemade sorghum liquor from the countryside, with a spicy flavor and a hint of sweetness.

Li Xiangyang picked up the bowl and first offered one to Lao Zheng.

"Uncle Zheng, if it weren't for you taking me along today, I wouldn't have had this opportunity."

Old Zheng waved his hand: "Don't give me that. If it weren't for your shot, we'd be lying somewhere somewhere right now."

These words piqued the interest of everyone around.

"Tell us quickly, what exactly happened?"

"So, I heard you encountered a wild boar king?"

Just as Old Zheng was about to speak, Li Xiangyang quickly refilled his glass of wine: "Old Zheng, please speak."

Old Zheng took a sip of his drink, squinted his eyes, and began to recount his thrilling encounter with the wild boar king that day.

When he got to the exciting part, he even stood up and gestured, drawing gasps of amazement from the crowd.

"Good lad!" an old hunter exclaimed, slapping his thigh. "That was a brilliant shot!"

“Exactly,” another chimed in. “At this close range, even I would be shaking so badly I couldn’t lift the gun.”

Everyone chimed in with their own comments, creating a lively atmosphere.

After a few rounds of drinks, the conversation gradually turned to their respective hunting experiences.

Some people recounted their encounter with a pack of wolves in the deep mountains two years ago, describing it vividly; others shared their experience of tracking a large leopard when they were young, a story that sent chills down one's spine.

Li Xiangyang listened attentively while silently memorizing the information.

These veteran hunters' experience comes from lessons learned at the cost of their lives.

As night deepened and the drinking reached its peak, Old Zheng suddenly stood up and shouted into the house, "Old woman, bring that little brat out!"

Everyone's attention was drawn over there.

Then Old Zheng's wife came out carrying a wooden box and carefully took out a small, dark puppy from it.

"This is Nightshade's only puppy this year." Old Zheng took the puppy and handed it to Li Xiangyang. "This one's good. I thought about it, but I decided not to train it for you. It's been trained from a puppy. You behaved well today, so this is yours."

The puppy was entirely black, just like Nightshade, except for a small tuft of white fur on its chest.

It looked at Li Xiangyang curiously, its tail wagging gently.

"Thank you, Mr. Zheng!" Li Xiangyang's eyes lit up as he took the puppy.

This is Nightshade's offspring; which hunter present wouldn't want it?

The puppy snuggled against Li Xiangyang and settled into a comfortable position.

“Uncle Zheng,” Li Xiangyang stood up and said solemnly, “I’ll take this dog. Don’t worry, I will treat it well.”

Old Zheng nodded and poured him another bowl of wine: "Here, drink this bowl."

"Oh dear, you've already given all this away. Li Xiangyang, you'd better keep Master Zheng company while he drinks, or he'll be heartbroken!"

"Of course, I remember last year someone offered fifty yuan to buy a regular one, but Old Zheng turned them down."

"Yeah, I also wanted to ask Lao Zheng for one, but I didn't even get a definite answer."

……

Amidst the envious whispers of the crowd, Li Xiangyang drank two more bowls of wine with Lao Zheng.

As the night deepened and the drinking continued, the group agreed on a time for their next hunt and gradually dispersed.

Li Xiangyang, holding the puppy, bid farewell to Lao Zheng.

"Wait," Old Zheng called out to him, taking a cloth bag from inside the house. "These are some methods for training dogs. Take them back and take a look. Remember, raising dogs is like hunting; it requires care."

Li Xiangyang took the cloth bag and nodded solemnly, "Uncle Zheng, don't worry."

On the way home, the puppy in my arms had fallen asleep, emitting soft snores.

When Li Xiangyang returned home with the puppy, Li Xiaohua was still awake.

Hearing the commotion in the yard, the little girl immediately jumped off the kang (a heated brick bed), slipped on her shoes, and ran outside.

"Slow down," Li's mother called from behind, "be careful not to fall."

As soon as Li Xiangyang pushed open the courtyard gate, he saw his younger sister wrapped in a cotton-padded coat, running towards him through the thick snow, her little face flushed with excitement.

"Brother! Is it a puppy?" Li Xiaohua asked as she ran, her eyes sparkling.

"Yes," Li Xiangyang nodded with a smile, bending down to let his sister see the little one in his arms. "Look, isn't it exactly like Nightshade?"

The puppy seemed to be awakened by the commotion, raising its little head and curiously looking at Li Xiaohua.

Those black bean-like eyes were bright and clever, and the tuft of white hair on his chest was particularly conspicuous in the moonlight.

"Wow, so cute!" Li Xiaohua cautiously reached out her hand, wanting to touch it but hesitant. "Will it...will it bite?"

“No,” Li Xiangyang said softly, “Slowly reach out and let it smell, don’t rush.”

Li Xiaohua did as her brother said, spreading her palm out in front of the puppy.

The puppy tilted its head and sniffed, then stuck out its pink little tongue and gently licked her finger.

"It itches!" Li Xiaohua giggled.

Just then, a disdainful "meow" came from the corner of the yard.

The black cat strolled gracefully from the corner of the wall, its tail held high, its eyes filled with dissatisfaction.

This is its territory, and now an uninvited guest has arrived.

Upon seeing the black cat, the puppy, whether out of excitement or curiosity, suddenly barked and nearly jumped out of Li Xiangyang's arms.

“Little princess,” Li Xiangyang quickly reassured her, “this is a new little one, you’ll have to take good care of her.”

Upon hearing this, the black cat became even more disdainful.

take care of?

nonexistent.

Not hitting it is already taking care of it.

The black cat didn't take it seriously and turned to leave.

Unexpectedly, the puppy suddenly broke free from Li Xiangyang's embrace and landed on the snow with a "plop," barking loudly at the black cat.

That imposing manner seemed to say, "Go ahead and hit me!"

"This idiot," Li Xiangyang said, both amused and exasperated, "doesn't he even know who his opponent is?"

Sure enough, the black cat turned around upon hearing the sound and narrowed its eyes.

It flashed and instantly appeared behind the puppy. With a gentle push of its paw, the puppy tilted and fell into the snowdrift with a "thud".

"Woof! The puppy crawled out of the snow, covered in snow and looking extremely disheveled, but still barked defiantly at the black cat.

This scene made Li Xiaohua laugh: "Brother, it seemed so powerful, but it got taught a lesson by the little princess in no time."

“That’s right,” Mother Li said with a smile, “Our little princess is the most amazing.”

The black cat seemed quite pleased with everyone's reaction. It gave the puppy an arrogant glance before casually walking away, as if to say, "Remember this: I'm in charge of this yard."

Although the puppy was scolded, it showed no fear whatsoever.

It shook off the snow and even tried to chase after it to fight again.

"Alright," Li Xiangyang picked up the defiant little dog, "It's getting cold, let's go inside."

Li Xiaohua quickly followed, asking, "Brother, what's its name?"

"I haven't decided yet," Li Xiangyang patted the snow off the puppy, "How about you give it a name?"

“Me?” Li Xiaohua’s eyes lit up, then she hesitated. “But…but I’m afraid it won’t sound good.”

“It’s alright,” Li Xiangyang encouraged. “Look how clever and courageous it is, just name it after its personality.”

Li Xiaohua thought about it carefully and said, "Then let's call him 'Little Tiger'! It sounds impressive."

"Little Tiger?" Li Xiangyang couldn't help but laugh.

The puppy's reckless manner is quite fitting.

"What's wrong, brother?" Li Xiaohua asked, somewhat displeased to see Li Xiangyang smiling. "Is it unpleasant to listen to?"

"No, no," Li Xiangyang quickly said, "It's a good name, both imposing and..."

He wanted to say, "It's quite in line with its character," but he swallowed the words back.

If I told my sister this, she would be really unhappy.