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

Wild deer herds are always extremely rare.

Every part of it is valuable; for example, deer blood, deer hide, deer tendons, and deer penis are all good stuff, and the most precious thing is deer antlers! Those are great treasures.

If only I could shoot a deer...

The family's current situation will definitely be changed, and they will no longer go hungry due to lack of food.

The large herd of deer was quite conspicuous. He hadn't noticed them earlier because they were digging for gastrodia elata, but now, a quick glance had captivated Zhou Rui's attention.

They were a little further from the pine forest, where a stream separated the two areas, from where a herd of large deer could be seen drinking water in the stream.

An adult water deer weighs about 300 pounds. If all its treasures were sold, the total value would definitely exceed 500 yuan!

In those days, this was the entire annual income of an average villager.

Zhou Shijie also saw the deer herd. He was extremely excited and was about to speak loudly, but Zhou Rui stopped him.

"Second Uncle, don't startle the deer."

Zhou Shijie suppressed his excitement and said in a low voice:

"Nephew, wanna do it?"

He was eager to try, but Zhou Rui's next words were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head.

"Second Uncle, a mature male deer weighs at least 300 jin (150 catties), and the two of us can't handle it."

"And it wasn't just one, it was a whole herd..."

With her strong inner strength, Zhou Rui slowly suppressed the pounding in her heart.

He desperately wanted a deer, but the reality was that they were incapable of hunting one.

Zhou Shijie clearly didn't want to give up, and his tone was somewhat anxious.

"Nephew, if we can hunt just one deer, our family will be rich..."

"You wait here, I'll go get one!"

After Zhou Shijie finished speaking, he was about to walk forward when Zhou Rui stopped him again, his tone cold and unyielding.

"Uncle, although the deer are docile, they will fight back if you get too close and sense danger."

"A counterattack from the deer herd could be fatal for us! People will die."

Zhou Rui's tone had lost its previous warmth and gentleness, and was now serious and indifferent.

Zhou Shijie is so eager to prove himself that he has forgotten his current situation.

They didn't even have a sharp knife, only a wood-chopping knife.

In this situation, what can they use to fight off the deer herd?

Zhou Shijie finally stopped, his emotions gradually calming down, his chest heaving.

After a while, he said apologetically:

"My bad, nephew, let's go."

Zhou Shijie felt a little lonely and unwilling. After taking one last deep look at the deer herd, he packed his things and reluctantly turned to leave.

Zhou Rui felt the same way. He clenched his fist slightly, glanced at the deer herd in the distance, and turned to walk back.

On the way, Zhou Shijie was clearly feeling guilty, realizing too late that he had almost recklessly lost his life.

If Zhou Rui hadn't repeatedly stopped him, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"I almost ruined things, nephew, I'm so sorry."

"It's alright, Second Uncle. We'll come again next time, and we'll definitely bring a whole bunch home!"

Zhou Rui was unwilling to give up so easily.

The first thing I did after I got back was to buy a gun.

Having a gun in hand not only makes going into the mountains much safer, but also makes it easier to deal with deer herds, at least allowing you to try hunting them.

Zhou Shijie nodded, though reluctant, he quickly came to his senses.

Zhou Rui gently shook the Gastrodia elata in the basket on his back.

"Uncle, we've had quite a haul. Greed knows no bounds. The best outcome is that we didn't encounter any danger on this trip into the mountains."

Zhou Rui felt somewhat helpless. His second uncle's temperament was still a bit off, but fortunately, he could still listen to what he said.

However, he also understands that no one is perfect; everyone has good and bad qualities, which is what makes a person a living, breathing human being.

It was already afternoon, and after passing through the shady mountain, the sun shone on us again.

There were fewer tall trees around, so the sunlight wasn't blocked.

By the time we reached the village, it was nearly evening.

As the villagers gradually returned to their homes after working in the fields, an old man chatting with several women at the village entrance spotted the Zhou family uncle and nephew carrying two baskets full of mountain produce.

He was Old Xia, and they often talked about everything under the sun.

"Hey, Zhou's kid's in the mountains! Let your uncle see what treasure you've dug up."

Old Xia broke away from the small circle and quickly stepped forward to peek into the baskets carried by the Zhou family uncle and nephew.

This glance was crucial; he spotted wild mushrooms in Zhou Rui's basket and wild gastrodia elata underneath!

Just then, I saw that large piece of Gastrodia elata, weighing 400 grams and almost a pound.

Old Xia was shocked and shouted.

"Good lad! Where did you get such a big wild gastrodia elata? You're so lucky!"

Zhou Rui was shrewd; he put the largest one in his second uncle's basket and covered it with wild yam.

There's a saying: "It's not the thief you should fear, but the one who has his eye on you."

Often, others can't stand to see you do well, so it's essential to keep your talents hidden.

A "King of Gastrodia elata" weighing nearly a pound is already rare enough; he really wouldn't dare to take out the one-and-a-half-pound one.

At that time, the security situation was not very good, and theft, fighting and brawling often occurred in the village.

There were even some local weapons, including knives, guns, and cannons.

If they heard that their family had acquired a super-sized "Gastrodia King" weighing one and a half pounds, no, this kind of huge product could even be called "Gastrodia Essence"!

As a result, it's hard to say what those people might do.

The remaining small "Gastrodia King" weighing nearly a pound (400 grams) is still quite rare, but it's not enough to cause a major sensation.

Even so, Old Xia was still shocked when he saw the nearly one-pound piece of gastrodia elata, because such a weight was very rare.

His voice attracted the attention of villagers and neighbors.

A chorus of surprised and envious exclamations rose and fell, and one person even made a bid on the spot.

"Zhou family's eldest son, how about you sell me this big Gastrodia elata for 30 yuan?"

Zhou Rui scoffed inwardly, thinking the other party thought he knew nothing.

Although this price seems like an exorbitant "sky-high" price, it's almost ten yuan more than the market price after drying.

But this is the "King of Gastrodia elata," and if you take it as a gift, keep it for yourself, or resell it in the city or provincial capital, the price will be far more than 30 yuan.

Zhou Rui smiled and replied to the person:

"Uncle Qian, aren't you taking advantage of a child's lack of knowledge? This kind of Gastrodia elata is only worth 30 yuan?"

When the other person heard Zhou Rui mention "King of Gastrodia," they knew he wasn't some clueless child and gave a sheepish smile.

The others around noticed this as well, and stopped bidding casually. No one was surprised that "the second son of the Zhou family actually did some work."

The stimulation from Tianma King makes it even more agonizing.

I believe the news will spread overnight.

At that time, Zhou Rui might not even need to sell it himself; middlemen will naturally come knocking on his door.

And so, Zhou Rui returned home with a basket full of mountain produce.

He dares not be blocked by the crowd now; if those people discover him, things will get even worse.