Reborn in 78, I made my fortune by working in the mountains, supporting three families on my own.

Zhao Lei didn't take his father-in-law Qin Mancang's mockery to heart.

His father-in-law was just like his ex-wife Qin Yuchan—sharp-tongued but kind-hearted.

However, Zhao Lei had already made up his mind that he was determined to get his hands on this windfall!

Before my father-in-law arrived, all I needed to do was persuade my brother-in-law to lend me the homemade hunting rifle.

But now the problem is that he has to convince his father-in-law, which is giving him a headache.

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Lei said, "Dad, we're short-handed right now when we need to hunt bears in the mountains. Besides, I have hunting experience, and bears aren't stupid; they won't just sit around waiting for a bunch of us to come and shoot them. Just finding a bear is a skill in itself."

Qin Mancang took a sip of tea and pondered for a while.

I think Zhao Lei's words make sense.

Hunting black bears is indeed dangerous, but as long as there are enough people and enough guns, the risks can be minimized.

The most crucial issue is still finding the bear.

Otherwise, if a group of people rush into the mountains and find nothing, wouldn't that be a waste of labor?

Seeing his father-in-law hesitate, Zhao Lei immediately winked at his brother-in-law, Qin Dashan, who was standing next to him.

Qin Dashan understood and began to persuade him, "Dad, Lei Zi is right. Yesterday, the militia teams from other production teams mobilized a large number of people to search in the mountains, but they still haven't found any trace of the bear. Hunters are better at tracking prey... Every extra person helps."

Qin Mancang waved his hand upon hearing this: "How could I not know that more people mean more help? With Zhao Lei's mediocre hunting skills, what use can he be? He'd be better off going back to cultivate a few more acres of land and earning some work points!"

Zhao Lei was unwilling to give up and patiently persuaded his brother-in-law.

But the father-in-law, who was the captain, wouldn't budge, which put them in a difficult position.

Just then, another group of people walked in from outside.

The group of people were all around forty or fifty years old, and the leader was Qin Changlin, a well-known old hunter in the production brigade.

Zhao Lei recognized the person at a glance.

Aren't these the hunters he met yesterday when he came down the mountain?

Qin Changlin also saw Zhao Lei, and then turned to Qin Mancang and said, "Brother Mancang, I've brought all the people in the brigade who have hunting experience."

I overheard Lei Zi wanting to go fight the bear at the door just now, and you disagreed? Why is that?

Qin Mancang and Qin Changlin are cousins ​​of the same generation from the same family, and they speak more frankly.

Seeing that the six-man hunter team had also assembled, Qin Mancang said, "Why send him? That kid will only cause trouble."

"I think the militia and your hunting team alone are enough. Even a bear weighing over a thousand pounds wouldn't escape death facing so many rifles!"

Qin Changlin waved his hand: "Hey, Mancang, didn't you ask me to gather all the hunters in the brigade? I think Leizi is pretty good."

Yesterday I caught him hunting six pheasants! I even saw him use a bow and arrow; his accuracy and precision were excellent. He's a skilled hunter! Take this boy with you!

Upon hearing that there was hope, Zhao Lei quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, Uncle Changlin saw my hunting skills yesterday."

Qin Mancang retorted unhappily, "Is hunting pheasants the same as hunting bears?"

"Brother Mancang, when it comes to management and farming, I'm not as good as you. But when it comes to hunting, you're not as good as me. I'm going to take Lei Zi. He's one of the best hunters in our production brigade. Let him join my team."

Zhao Lei quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, Dad, let me go with Uncle Changlin. After all, I'm part of our production brigade. This black bear is endangering everyone's lives, and I want to do my part."

Qin Dashan chimed in, "That's right, Dad. Lei Zi just got back, and a lot of people still have some complaints about him. Let him do some work so he can start over in the brigade."

Everyone is speaking up for Zhao Lei.

Qin Mancang thought about it and realized it made sense, so he reluctantly nodded in agreement.

The last group of more than thirty people, fully equipped and ready to go, headed towards Qingfeng Mountain in a grand procession.

As soon as Zhao Lei stepped out of the house, he noticed a shifty-looking figure among the hunters he was part of.

He slowly moved closer and patted the other person on the shoulder.

"Hey!"

This startled the other party.

After removing the straw hat, they discovered that the young man was none other than Qin Bowen, Zhao Lei's brother-in-law and Qin Yuchan's younger brother!

Qin Bowen, with his thick eyebrows, big eyes, and tall, burly build, was caught red-handed by Zhao Lei. He scratched his head and grinned sheepishly, "Hehe, brother-in-law..."

Zhao Lei remembered that his brother-in-law was seventeen years old this year and seemed to be studying in town. How did he suddenly appear in the group?

"Hey kid, how did you get in here? Aren't you supposed to be studying?"

"Brother-in-law, I came back a few days ago and have been staying at home ever since. The college entrance exams haven't resumed yet, so I thought I'd come home and help out."

Zhao Lei nodded to himself.

Indeed, the college entrance examination has not yet been reinstated since 1978, but if I remember correctly, it should be soon.

"What are you doing here? Go back inside right now."

Brother-in-law Qin Bowen grabbed Zhao Lei's arm and said, "Brother-in-law, the pheasant you hunted yesterday was so delicious. I want to go pheasant hunting with you today."

"You brat, we're going to hunt bears today, what are you doing following along? Get back here right now. If you don't go back, I'll call your older brother to deal with you!"

Qin Bowen shuddered involuntarily at the thought of his older brother, Qin Dashan.

The suppression of his bloodline as the eldest son of the family caused him to feel uneasy.

As Qin Bowen followed behind Zhao Lei, he pleaded desperately, "Brother-in-law, please, just let me come with you to broaden my horizons..."

Seeing his brother-in-law's pleading eyes, Zhao Lei put the straw hat back on his head and warned, "Stay with me the whole time today and don't wander off, or I'll break your legs!"

"Okay, brother-in-law, I'll definitely listen to you."

And so, the group walked into Qingfeng Mountain, facing the rising sun.

Once inside Qingfeng Mountain, the group split into two.

The militia was responsible for searching the perimeter, while the hunters ventured deep into the mountains.

Qin Mancang led the militia along a mountain path, while Qin Changlin led seven or eight hunters into the dense forest.

Zhao Lei and his brother-in-law Qin Bowen followed at the very back of the hunters' caravan.

They hadn't gone far when a hunter ahead suddenly turned around and struck up a conversation with Zhao Lei:

"Lei Zi, you were lucky to catch a pheasant yesterday, but today is a matter of life and death, so don't let us down."

Another hunter chimed in, "That's right. Hunting a bear is not like hunting a pheasant. Bears are incredibly strong. If one goes berserk, even if all of us gang up on it, we wouldn't be enough to defeat the beast..."