Reborn in 1985, starting from the mountains of Northwest China

There will be a way out.

He gazed at the flickering flames and said firmly, "When my eldest and second eldest brothers come back, the three of us brothers will have a good talk. We've all been out in the world, we'll surely come up with a solution."

These words were like a reassuring pill, and the worries on the women's faces lessened somewhat.

"Too."

Liu Xia placed the washed cabbage on the cutting board, saying, "It's good that he's back, it's good that he's back."

When the dumplings went into the pot, the whole house was filled with steam. The plump, white dumplings tumbled in the boiling water, and their aroma filled the entire house.

Liu Xia deliberately added an extra curtain—she knew that her son and daughter-in-law didn't have much money in their bellies.

"Dinner's ready!"

Steaming hot dumplings were served, along with a dish of vinegar and minced garlic. Chen Feng helped his father up, and the whole family sat around the kang table. The children stared at the dumplings, their mouths watering.

"Eat up, eat them while they're hot!" Liu Xia first put two bowls in each child's bowl.

Chen Feng picked up a dumpling, dipped it in vinegar, and took a bite.

The cabbage and pork filling, though not much meat, is fragrant with oil and has a chewy dough.

This was the taste he missed most when he was in his sickbed in his previous life.

"Your skills are impressive," Wang Chunmei praised after taking a bite. "The dough is kneaded to be elastic, and the wrapper is rolled out evenly."

Lin Xiu smiled slightly, said nothing, but secretly glanced at Chen Feng.

Chen Feng also put one in Lin Xiu's bowl: "Eat more."

The meal was a lively and enjoyable affair.

By the time we finished eating, it was already getting dark.

After Wang Chunmei and Li Qiaoyun finished cleaning up the dishes, they took the children home.

After seeing off my brother and sister-in-law's family, the courtyard became quiet.

After washing up, the family went to bed early.

Chen Feng lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), listening to the even breathing of his wife and children beside him, and the occasional barking of dogs outside the window, feeling exceptionally at ease.

Moonlight shone through the holes in the window paper, casting a small patch of silvery white light on the ground.

He closed his eyes, but his mind was exceptionally clear.

In his previous life, he didn't understand mountains, nor did he understand the value of his father's mountain-traveling notes.

It wasn't until I was lying in my hospital bed, bored, and flipping through those yellowed pages that I realized what kind of wealth was hidden within them.

If you count the days, it's the time when morel mushrooms are sprouting.

More importantly, he remembered that in his previous life, during that winter, the old bachelor in the village leaned against the old pine forest on the southeast slope and found a small basket of early-blooming morel mushrooms.

Liu the Cripple didn't know the value of the mushrooms and took them to town to sell as ordinary mushrooms. A medicinal herb dealer from the south recognized them at a glance and immediately paid fifty yuan to buy them all.

Fifty yuan!

These days, he only makes twenty yuan a month working in the south, while fifty yuan can be his wages for more than two months!

It caused quite a stir in the village at the time.

Everyone says Liu the Cripple got lucky, but they don't know the true value of that mushroom—

In major southern cities, a basket of high-quality morel mushrooms can sell for one or two hundred yuan!

Later, the villagers realized what was happening and rushed into the mountains to search, but the best time to search had already passed, and what they found were scattered and incomplete.

"My first fortune in this life will start here." Chen Feng looked southeast and made up his mind.

But hiking in the mountains is no child's play, especially in winter. The mountains may look peaceful, but they are actually fraught with danger.

Wild animals, having been hungry all autumn, are at their most ferocious; snow covers the roads, making it easy to slip and fall; the mountain climate changes rapidly, and a blizzard can be deadly.

He needs to prepare.

After breakfast, Chen Feng went to the village blacksmith shop.

The old blacksmith's surname was Zhang. He was of the same generation as Chen Laogeng and they often went into the mountains together in their early years.

"Uncle Zhang, I'd like to get something done," Chen Feng said.

Zhang the blacksmith was working the bellows, the firelight reflecting off his wrinkled face.

He looked up at Chen Feng: "What are you fighting?"

"A machete should be heavy, with a thick blade," Chen Feng gestured. "Also, make two clamps; the clamps should be sharp, and the springs should be strong."

Zhang the blacksmith stopped what he was doing and looked him over: "You're going into the mountains?"

"Um."

Chen Feng nodded, "I want to try my luck."

"It's difficult to walk in the mountains this time of year..." Zhang the blacksmith shook his head. "Your father injured his leg when he went into the mountains in winter."

"I know."

Chen Feng said, "That's why I need to be well-prepared. Uncle Zhang, could you give me your opinion on what I should prepare?"

Zhang the blacksmith looked at him for a while, and seeing that his eyes were serious and not just a passing fancy, he slowly said, "I'll make you the knife and the clamps. Also, you need to prepare a pair of 'foot claws' (anti-slip iron claws) for walking in the snow. The rope needs to be strong, at least twenty meters long. A flint and steel, salt, dry rations... Oh, and it would be best to bring a dog."

Chen Feng wrote down the list: "Dogs...we don't have any."

"Old Yang's family at the east end of the village has a black dog. He injured his leg while hunting a while ago and is short of money. He's in a hurry to buy the dog now."

Zhang the blacksmith said, "I've seen it; that dog is very intelligent."

"Thank you, Uncle Zhang."

Chen Feng took out the handkerchief pouch his mother had given him. "How much for fixing things?"

Zhang the blacksmith waved his hand: "Just put it on the tab for now. We'll talk about it when you come back from the mountains and have a harvest. If... if you don't come back, then forget about it."

These words were spoken bluntly, but Chen Feng felt a warmth in his heart upon hearing them.

These are the honest words of people from the mountains.

"I will definitely come back," Chen Feng said earnestly.

After leaving the blacksmith's shop, Chen Feng went to Old Yang's house.

Just as Zhang the blacksmith had said, when Old Yang heard that it was Chen Laogeng's son who wanted a dog, he asked for fifteen yuan.

"If it weren't for an emergency at home, I wouldn't have been able to bear to part with it. Ta Xue is very obedient."

Old Yang shoved the black dog into Chen Feng's arms, saying, "Take good care of it; it's intelligent."

The black dog had bright, black eyes. It barked twice at Chen Feng and licked his hand with its tongue.

When Chen Feng brought the dog home, Lin Xiu was hanging clothes to dry in the yard. Seeing the dog in his arms, she paused, surprised: "Where did this dog come from?"

"Old Yang's family bought it, it's called Ta Xue." Chen Feng put the dog down. "Take it with you when you're out in the mountains, it can be helpful."

Lin Xiu watched as Ta Xue staggered along the ground, exploring her new surroundings. After a moment of silence, she whispered, "Are you really going into the mountains?"

"Hmm." Chen Feng looked at her. "Xiuer, I know you're worried. But I know what I'm doing."

"You know what you're doing?" Lin Xiu looked up, her eyes a little red. "Dad said he knew what he was doing back then, but what happened? He was crippled and suffered for the rest of his life. What kind of place is the mountain? It's a place that can eat people!"

Chen Feng walked over and took her hand. Lin Xiu tried to pull away, but he held it tightly.

"Xiuer, listen to me."

Chen Feng's voice was low and deep. "I'm not showing off. I've been looking through Father's mountain-hunting notes every now and then these past two years while I've been away. I've memorized them all. I remember everything: which season to go to which mountain, what grows on which slope, how to deal with wild animals..."

"Besides, I went there many times with my dad when I was little, and I still remember it all!"

"That's still..."

Chen Feng interrupted her, "Xiuer, you know our family's situation better than I do. Dad's leg needs treatment, the children need to eat, and we need money for seeds and fertilizer in the spring... We can barely make ends meet with just the crops in the fields."

Lin Xiu stopped talking, tears silently streaming down her face.

Chen Feng raised his hand and gently wiped away her tears: "I promise you, I will be careful. I will go into the mountains every day when the sun rises and come back before the sun sets. I will go to that old pine forest on the southeast slope and not go far."

Lin Xiu looked at him and finally nodded: "Then... you need to bring enough dry food. I'll go make you some pancakes."

"Mm." Chen Feng smiled. "Make more, I have a big appetite."

Chen Feng spent the next two days making preparations.

The knife and clamps made by Zhang the blacksmith have arrived.

The machete is heavy, with a thick blade and a sharpened edge, giving it a solid feel when held in the hand.

The two pedals are also skillfully designed, with ample spring force.

Chen Feng then dug out the basket his father had used in his early years and repaired the damaged parts.

The rope was borrowed from a neighbor; it was a sturdy and durable hemp rope over twenty meters long.

Lin Xiu made him more than a dozen cornbread pancakes and boiled three eggs, which she then wrapped in a cloth.

The salt was wrapped in a small packet of oiled paper, and the flint and tinder were also prepared.

Most importantly, he had a pair of "foot braces," which Zhang the blacksmith specially made for him. They had sharp iron teeth that were tied to the soles of his shoes to prevent slipping on snow and ice.