Reborn in 1985, starting from the mountains of Northwest China

Chen Feng also picked up a piece with his chopsticks; it was indeed tender, fresh, and had the flavor of the mountains and forests.

He remembered the ginseng he had seen in the mountains during the day.

What does that thing taste like?

he does not know.

But he thought that sooner or later he would find out.

After the meal, Chen Feng helped Lin Xiu clear the dishes.

As darkness fell, the two children went to sleep.

The couple sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and talked in hushed tones.

"Fengzi, when you go to Uncle Li's house tomorrow, wear one of those clean clothes."

"Um."

"When you see Uncle Li and brother-in-law, be sweet-talking and call him 'Uncle' a few more times."

"Know."

"Don't keep all the money after you sell it. Buy Uncle Li a pack of cigarettes first."

Chen Feng nodded and looked at Lin Xiu.

This bundle of bamboo shoots will earn you at least three or four yuan more than if you kept it yourself!

Moreover, being able to connect with the company cafeteria means you'll only earn more in the future!

"Xiuer, you are more perceptive than I am."

Lin Xiu blushed and gave him a push.

"Stop talking nonsense and go to sleep. You have to get up early tomorrow."

The next morning, Chen Feng quietly put on his clothes as usual, went out to fetch a basin of cold water, and hastily washed his face.

I went back inside and rummaged around, finding the faded but unpatched jacket and putting it on.

Lin Xiu woke up at some point and leaned against the headboard to look at him.

"Keep your money safe."

Although Chen Feng was a scoundrel, he was undeniably good at handing over his wife to the emperor.

Of course, it's also because Chen Feng doesn't know how much money he spends, so it's better to leave it with Lin Xiu.

Lin Xiu pulled out a few crumpled coins from under her pillow.

"This is……"

"Buy cigarettes." Lin Xiu looked at him. "Don't be stingy; you have to spend money when you need to."

Chen Feng took the money, put it in his inner pocket, and patted it down.

"Okay, whatever you say."

When he left, the sky was just beginning to lighten. The village was quiet, with only the occasional crowing of a rooster.

Chen Feng didn't go directly to Uncle Li's house; instead, he turned a corner and headed towards the village store.

The convenience store was run by Old Zhao. It was just one room with an open window, displaying a few snacks and cigarettes and alcohol.

Old Zhao had just gotten up and was rinsing his mouth at the door when he saw Chen Feng coming over, which surprised him.

"Chen Feng? So early, what are you buying?"

Chen Feng walked to the window and looked inside: "Uncle Zhao, do you have any Blue Golden Deer?"

In the 1980s and 90s, the most expensive cigarette was Daqianmen, but not many people in the countryside could afford it, so stores simply stopped stocking it.

In the village, the most expensive product is Blue Golden Deer, which costs 38 cents a pack.

In this small village where people rely on farming to make a living, only one or two packs of 30 cents can be sold during the Lunar New Year.

Old Zhao was stunned for a moment, looking Chen Feng up and down as if he were seeing him for the first time.

"Blue Golden Deer?" He placed the mouthwash cup on the windowsill, wiped his mouth, and said, "Chen Feng, have you struck it rich?"

Chen Feng smiled and said, "I'm not talking about making money, I just have something to take care of."

Old Zhao took the pack of cigarettes out of the counter, weighed it in his hand, and didn't rush to hand it over.

"It's 38 cents a pack. Have you thought it through? We can't sell more than a few cartons of these cigarettes in our village in a year. Only government officials like Uncle Li's brother-in-law are willing to smoke them."

He handed me the cigarette, muttering, "Your dad smoked dry tobacco his whole life and wouldn't even buy a pack of foreign cigarettes. And you, you just casually offer Blue Deer cigarettes."

Chen Feng took the cigarette and pulled out some money from his pocket.

Old Zhao took the money, gave change, and kept talking.

"Chen Feng, let me say something. You're young and strong, so you should focus on working hard. Don't be like those good-for-nothings in the village who get carried away with a little money, buying cigarettes and alcohol, only to end up with nothing."

He handed over the change, his eyes filled with worry as he looked at Chen Feng.

"Is this cigarette for yourself?"

Chen Feng shook his head: "No, it was a gift."

Old Zhao paused for a moment, then his expression softened.

"Give it away? To whom?"

Old Zhao had once gone to the mountains with his father for a period of time and regarded Chen Feng as half a son.

The Zhao family has always maintained contact with Chen Laogeng, and Chen Feng also regards Zhao as a godfather.

There's no big problem with Chen Feng telling him what happened.

"Uncle Li's brother-in-law is from the county."

Old Zhao suddenly realized and nodded: "Then we should give them a gift, we should give them a gift. They are government officials, we can't let them leave empty-handed after helping them."

He looked at Chen Feng again, his eyes showing more approval.

"Good for you, Chen Feng. You've become more sensible. You never thought this far ahead before."

Chen Feng smiled, didn't reply, put the cigarette in his pocket, and turned to leave.

Old Zhao stood at the door, watching his retreating figure, and muttered, "That kid is like a completely different person."

Chen Feng walked quickly toward Uncle Li's house.

When I arrived, Uncle Li was already waiting in the yard. Next to him stood a middle-aged man wearing a gray Zhongshan suit, with a pen pinned to his chest and a black imitation leather handbag in his hand.

"Chen Feng is here!"

Uncle Li came out to greet him. "This is my brother-in-law, Li Zhi. He works at the county vegetable company and is in charge of purchasing."

Chen Feng quickly stepped forward and bowed slightly: "Hello, Uncle Li."

Li Zhi nodded, looked him up and down, and his gaze fell on the bundle of bamboo shoots on his shoulder.

"Is this the bamboo shoot?"

Chen Feng put the bamboo shoots down and untied the straw curtain.

Li Zhi squatted down, picked up a bamboo shoot, weighed it in his hand, pinched the root with his fingernail, and brought it to his nose to smell it.

"Yes, it's fresh, not frozen, and looks really good."

He turned over a few more plants at the bottom, a satisfied look on his face.

"Are they all this quality?"

Chen Feng nodded: "Yes, they were all picked one by one."

Li Zhi stood up and patted the dirt off his hands.

"The bamboo shoots are good, but..."

He paused and glanced at Chen Feng.

Chen Feng's heart tightened.

Uncle Li, standing nearby, also became anxious: "Brother-in-law, what's wrong? What's the problem?"

Li Zhi waved his hand: "There's no problem. It's just that the quantity is too small."

He pointed to the bundle of bamboo shoots.

"I estimate it's only about 30 kilograms. In our company cafeteria, there are five or six hundred people eating a meal, and this amount of bamboo shoots isn't even enough for one meal."

Chen Feng was stunned.

He hadn't expected it to be for this reason.

Seeing that his expression had changed, Li Zhi added another sentence.

"But don't be discouraged. Your bamboo shoots are of really good quality, I'll take them. If you have any fresh ones like this in the future, get more and send them directly to me in the county town."

He took a slip of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Chen Feng.

"This is my address and my company's phone number. If you have any goods coming in the future, please call ahead and I'll arrange for someone to receive them."

Chen Feng took the note with both hands, glanced at it, and saw the words "Purchasing Department of County Vegetable Company" and a string of numbers written on it.

He carefully folded it and put it into his inner pocket.

Li Zhi took out a wad of cash from his bag, counted it, and handed it to Chen Feng.

"Thirty-one jin, at three mao, that's nine yuan and thirty cents. I'll round it up for you, nine yuan and fifty cents."

Chen Feng took it and quickly calculated in his mind.

It was a little less than I expected, but still more than what I'd find selling in town.

And having made this connection, the days to come...