Returning to the small mountain village of '86, intelligence updated daily.

Grandpa is dead!

They starved to death.

My dad is disabled for life!

He fell while looking for food in the mountains.

Summer of 1986, a small village in the southwest mountains, old-fashioned mud-brick houses with blue tiles.

Zhou Rui was frowning with worry, watching as even the mice would leave in tears when they came to his house.

The debtor who had owed them ten thousand yuan came to our house a few days ago to collect a debt, and they ransacked our house.

We've eaten everything in the house, both edible and inedible; we're practically eating tree bark raw now.

He was starving.

The whole family, except for the second uncle who was idle and liked to go for walks and play cards, had already gone out to find something to eat, and the father was also getting ready to go out.

In his previous life, he was somewhat famous, but at the peak of his career in his forties, he was diagnosed with cancer and ultimately died on the spot despite all efforts to cure him.

During the year he was ill, Zhou Rui thought about many things: regrets, reluctance, and resentment. Finally, before he closed his eyes, he understood the true meaning of life—peace and safety.

However, his greatest regret was not dying young.

But at this point in time, just three days later, Grandpa Zhou Jianhua, due to long-term malnutrition and lack of oil in his stomach, eventually starved to death in front of his bed.

This was his biggest regret in his previous life.

Grandpa loved his children and grandchildren very much. I remember when I was little, whenever we ate pork or boiled eggs during a festival, he would say, "I've eaten, the grandchildren can eat."

"Son, go outside and look for some wild vegetables. I'll go borrow some money from your uncle's family. We can get through this summer and wait for the autumn harvest."

"If you can't find any wild vegetables, gather some firewood. We'll figure something out when your grandpa and the others come back."

The father, Zhou Shiwei, looked utterly remorseful and helpless. He found a pack of "Hongmei" brand cigarettes with only two cigarettes left in a hidden compartment in the cupboard.

Zhou Shiwei looked at the two cigarettes that remained and searched for a while, but still couldn't find anything else.

He shook his head, sighed, and walked outside.

There are many people in the family. There are three people in the father's generation. Among them, the younger uncle's family is the best off. He is an intellectual and separated from the family early on.

Then there's my second uncle's family, my grandparents, and my own family, all living in one big family, totaling 11 people.

The family was so poor, which was not entirely the father Zhou Shiwei's fault. Although they were not very wealthy in the early years, they were not so poor as to be in dire straits.

The most important reason is that Li Dehua, a wealthy man in the village, has been oppressing and looking down on his fellow villagers for a long time, which ruined the opportunity for Zhou Rui's father to become rich.

Other people in the village who were not close to Li Dehua suffered persecution to varying degrees.

His second uncle also became the target of his childhood mockery and bullying.

As a result, he has given up and become an idle person in the village who does nothing productive.

The Zhou family has a large population, which means that almost all of their meals are prepared by the father, mother, and second aunt.

Take today for example, my second uncle went off to some card-playing den to have some fun again.

But in fact, he was not a bad person. In his previous life, after experiencing the double blow of his grandfather's death and his father's disability, he actually reformed and began to take good care of the family.

Zhou Rui knew perfectly well what was going on, and he recalled every detail of his previous life.

Of course he knew that his father would not only fail to borrow money this time, but would also be turned away, as his aunt had no intention of dealing with their family.

Then, the day after tomorrow, when the whole family was starving, the father, Zhou Shiwei, took a risk and, despite his hunger, went into the deep mountains to hunt animals.

As expected, Zhou Shiwei, who had been hungry for a long time and whose stomach was empty, fell off the cliff. In the end, the village chief led a group of people into the mountain to rescue him.

As a result, Zhou Shiwei was left with a disability and could never do heavy work again.

Ultimately, it was hunger...

"Coo coo coo—"

Just as if in response to Zhou Rui's thoughts, his stomach growled as if it desperately needed more food.

We can't just wait like this!

Zhou Rui knew very well that if he continued to wait, the tragedy of his previous life would never change.

He's going into the mountains to hunt!

Zhou Ruigang is now 19 years old. Due to a lack of oil and fat in his diet, he is rather thin and weak.

But this did not hinder his determination. Based on his experience from his previous life, it was not difficult for him to catch a small rabbit or other small animals.

Thinking to himself, Zhou Rui looked around.

Beside the waterlogged earthen wall, a spider made its home in a corner of the roof, while on the other wall hung a moldy and yellowed calendar.

Despite their abject poverty, they still possessed a wood-chopping knife, a bow and arrow, and a slingshot.

Zhou Rui picked up a machete and a slingshot.

He didn't choose the bow and arrow because drawing a bow and shooting an arrow requires too much strength, which is not suitable for his current state.

Using a slingshot to shoot rabbits and a machete for self-defense is the best option.

Just as he picked up his machete and slingshot to go out, he suddenly felt a headache, followed by a series of messages that surfaced in his mind.

[Intelligence system activated!]

[Intelligence 1: There is an injured wild boar under the old locust tree on the back hill.]

[Intelligence 2: In the past few days, Li Dehua, a wealthy man with ten thousand yuan, has been craving pork kidneys, but he has no meat coupons, and they are also sold out in the underground market.]

Intelligence system?

Zhou Rui's expression brightened, and he jumped up on the spot, but soon the feeling of weakness almost made him dizzy.

Don't get excited, don't get excited. Don't let joy turn into sorrow at this critical juncture.

Zhou Rui slowly adjusted his breathing, carefully examining the information in his mind, which made his breathing rapid again.

There's an injured wild boar!

There's also a need from Li Dehua, a wealthy man with ten thousand yuan!

If I take a chance, not only will I have food, but I'll also have the pork kidneys that Li Dehua, the millionaire, has!

Although he didn't know if it was true or not, Zhou Rui had no choice but to try to believe it, as he had no other option.

Besides, he was going hunting anyway.

With that thought in mind, Zhou Rui no longer hesitated, picked up his machete and slingshot, and headed towards the back mountain.

It's midday, and some neighbors are sitting under the eaves enjoying the cool air.

"Zhou family's eldest son, where are you going? Come in and sit down."

"Aunt Li, go out for a walk and gather some firewood and wild vegetables."

"Okay, drive carefully on the road. Here, take this potato pancake to tide you over."

Zhou Rui declined several times, but Aunt Li insisted on putting it in his hand. So he remembered it, thanked her, and continued on his way.

Some neighbors sympathized with the eldest son of the Zhou family and cursed the second son, saying he was a good-for-nothing and lazy.

Some neighbors secretly mocked and took advantage of the situation.

Zhou Rui remembers many people clearly.

After his grandfather passed away and his father became disabled in his previous life, many neighbors chose to stop associating with his family, but Aunt Li continued to take care of them.

That's what allowed him to persevere until the day when things took a turn for the better.

Therefore, Zhou Rui was very grateful to Aunt Li.

The back mountain wasn't far, but it wasn't close either. It was still a bit strenuous for Zhou Rui at his current level, but he persevered.

His perseverance in his previous life gave him great patience, making him more persistent when facing opportunities and challenges.

Walking down the street, Zhou Rui ate the potato pancake he had obtained. Although it was a drop in the ocean, it was better than nothing.

Although he was very tired, he finally arrived at the big locust tree. He knew this place; he had played here before when he came to collect firewood.

This place is secluded and beautiful, with the sound of flowing water echoing in Zhou Rui's ears.

But at this moment, Zhou Rui had no interest in admiring the beautiful scenery.

There was only one thing left in his eyes.

A wild boar howling pitifully!

The wild boar was covered in blood, with one of its legs broken, and it lay struggling under the old locust tree.

But the more it struggled, the more blood it lost. Zhou Rui even felt that he didn't need to exert any effort; if he just waited there for a while, the wild boar would bleed to death.

But time is of the essence; it will probably be dark by the time the wild boar bleeds to death naturally.

In the end, it's unknown which villager will benefit, or whether it will be devoured by other carnivores, and it's also hard to say where it will end up.

But now, this wild boar has become Zhou Rui's prey!

The excitement rising in his heart almost made him lose his mind, but Zhou Rui forced himself to calm down.

He carried his machete and slowly walked towards the wild boar.

They were less than ten meters away from the wild boar.

A sudden change has occurred!