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

Just as the family was playing with the tiger cub, hurried footsteps and frantic shouts suddenly came from the yard.

"Xiangyang! Is Xiangyang home?"

Li Xiangyang was very familiar with the voice; it was his second uncle's voice, but at this moment it carried an unusual anxiety.

Li's mother hurriedly opened the door and saw her second uncle and aunt standing at the door, panting heavily, their panicked expressions particularly evident in the dim light.

"Second Uncle, Second Aunt, what's wrong so late?" Li Xiangyang put Xiaohu down and quickly went to greet them.

"Xiangyang..." Second Uncle grabbed Li Xiangyang's hand, his voice trembling, "You have to save Daqiang!"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangyang's heart skipped a beat.

Li Daqiang was his second uncle's only son. In those days, if a family only had one son, that was Tian.

The way my second uncle and his wife look now clearly means something terrible has happened.

"Come inside quickly," Li's mother also realized the seriousness of the situation and quickly ushered her second uncle and his wife into the house.

The fire inside the kang (heated brick bed) was burning brightly, but there was no warmth on the faces of my second uncle and his wife.

My second aunt's eyes were red, and she started wiping away tears as soon as she entered the house.

"What exactly happened?" Li Xiangyang quickly poured two cups of hot water.

My second uncle took the water, but his hands trembled so badly that he spilled the water.

He took a deep breath before speaking haltingly, "Daqiang... he went to find a girlfriend. Her name is Xiaofang, and she works at the supply and marketing cooperative..."

“I know Xiaofang,” Li Xiangyang nodded.

He already knew about this; Li Daqiang had mentioned it to him before.

“But they think our family is too poor,” Uncle said, his voice choking up. “Daqiang… he’s always been envious of how much money you make hunting, and you never help him. So a couple of days ago, I don’t know how he got a gun from that good-for-nothing Wang Ergou in the village…”

"What?!" Li Xiangyang jumped to his feet. "They went hunting?"

Second Uncle nodded: "Yes... they said they were going to hunt bears..."

"Foolish!" Li Xiangyang slammed his hand on the table, startling his second uncle and his wife.

Even the little tiger crouching in the corner barked once.

Li Xiangyang was both anxious and angry.

The black bears are very fierce this season; even an experienced hunter like Lao Zheng wouldn't dare to provoke them easily.

Moreover, Li Daqiang, an outsider, was following an unreliable person like Wang Ergou.

Isn't this courting death?

"Xiangyang..." Auntie pleaded, her voice trembling with tears, "If you don't take care of him, Daqiang..."

"Second Aunt, don't worry," Li Xiangyang composed himself. "I'll go find Master Zheng and borrow Nightshade to follow the scent. But I'll need you to go home and get one of the clothes Daqiang wore today, so Nightshade can find him."

My second aunt immediately understood and hurriedly went home.

Li Xiangyang began packing his gear for the trip into the mountains; time was of the essence, and not a moment could be wasted.

“I’ll go with you,” Uncle said hurriedly.

“No,” Li Xiangyang firmly refused. “Second Uncle, your legs aren’t very strong; you’d only be a burden if you went. You should wait for news at home.”

Going into the mountains during this season means you never know how many days you'll be stuck, and one wrong move could cost you your life, so you have to be fully prepared.

Li Xiangyang first rolled up his own cotton quilt, then took a thin quilt.

In this freezing weather, a blanket is essential for survival.

He folded the two blankets together, rolled them into a tight bundle, carefully tied it with hemp rope, and carried it on his back.

Seeing this, Li's mother hurriedly ran to the kitchen and soon came out with a basket.

The basket was stuffed full of cooked sweet potatoes and potatoes, along with roasted corn kernels and a few steamed buns.

She took out a large piece of freshly stewed wild boar meat from the pot, wrapped it in oil paper, and put it in the basket.

"Son, take all of these with you."

Li's mother shoved the bamboo basket into Li Xiangyang's hands.

Li Xiangyang quietly put these things away, and then deliberately carried a small iron pot on his back.

Being able to drink a bowl of hot soup in the mountains gives one a greater chance of survival.

To prevent any accidents, he also specially tucked a sharpened wood-chopping knife into his waistband and took out the flint and tinder left by his father from the box.

These things are lifesavers in the mountains.

Li Xiangyang looked at his cotton-padded coat and sighed inwardly.

If I had known this would happen, I should have used those hides I got a few days ago to make myself a set of clothes.

When going into the mountains this season, we still need to rely on fur products.

"I need to borrow a few leather jackets from Lao Zheng," he thought to himself as he packed.

“My son…” Li’s mother stood aside, watching her son pack his things, her pale face filled with worry.

She wanted to say something, but swallowed it back.

Li Xiaohua held Xiaohu in her arms, her eyes red-rimmed.

At this moment, my second aunt came in a hurry with clothes.

"Mom, don't worry," Li Xiangyang took the clothes, smiled at his mother, "I will definitely bring Daqiang back safely."

Li Xiangyang pushed open the courtyard gate, and a cold wind rushed in.

The black cat leaped lightly to his feet and followed silently.

To get to Old Zheng's house, you have to walk ten miles and cross a small river.

It's the middle of the night; even if you walk fast, it will still take an hour.

But Li Xiangyang didn't dare to delay and hurried out of the village with his bag on his back.

The snow crunched under the moonlight as the black cat nimbly moved around him, stopping occasionally to wait for him.

After walking for more than half an hour, we finally arrived at the riverbank.

The river was already covered with a thick layer of ice, but Li Xiangyang still cautiously tested the waters as he walked.

After crossing the river, we walked for another half hour and then saw lights on in the courtyard in the distance.

"Woof! Woof woof!" Nightshade's barking rang out before they even reached the courtyard gate.

“It’s me, Li Xiangyang!” he shouted from outside the courtyard.

The door opened, and Old Zheng came out holding a lantern. Seeing it was Li Xiangyang, he was somewhat surprised: "What happened so late?"

“Uncle Zheng,” Li Xiangyang said, panting, “my second uncle’s son, Daqiang, went to the mountains with Wang Ergou to hunt bears.”

"What?!" Old Zheng's hand trembled, and the lantern almost fell to the ground. "Isn't this courting death?! Come in quickly!"

The room was warm and cozy. When Li Xiangyang came in, Old Zheng's wife hurriedly invited him to sit on the kang (a heated brick bed) to warm up.

"You wait." Old Zheng put down the lantern, turned and went into the inner room, cursing as he went, "These ignorant fools... they're really a handful."

A short while later, he brought out a large pile of things from the inner room: a thick dog-skin coat, a pair of leather trousers, a pair of leather boots, and several pairs of thick socks. These were all the equipment he usually wore when hunting.

"Wait here," Old Zheng went into the inner room again, this time carrying out a heavy, large scroll.

When Li Xiangyang opened it, he was startled to find that it was a sleeping bag made from a whole bear skin.

There was also a neatly folded wolfskin rug, as thick as a cotton quilt.

These are all priceless treasures.

This bearskin sleeping bag alone would cost an average family a year's worth of expenses.

Old Zheng's willingness to lend him these things shows his deepest gratitude.

"Wearing these clothes, you'd freeze to death overnight in the mountains," Old Zheng said without further ado, handing over the clothes and urging, "Change quickly."