Chapter 2: The Girl in the Floral Cotton Jacket and Pigtails

As soon as Lin Yang said this, his mother panicked a little and immediately reached out to feel his forehead.

His father was also anxious, turning around to stare at him in astonishment.

Lin Yang naturally understood his parents' feelings at this moment.

In the past, he had insisted on marrying no one but Sun Xiaorong, throwing countless tantrums at home over it. Now, suddenly saying something like this was truly baffling. He figured his parents were probably wondering if he had gotten his brains beaten out.

"Mother, I'm not crazy! I've just come to my senses about a few things."

Lin Yang took his mother's hand. Feeling the rough, thick calluses on it, a wave of unspeakable sorrow washed over him. He forced a smile and said earnestly, "I'm doing perfectly fine now. So what if Sun Xiaorong pulled some strings to get a teaching job at the village primary school? What's so great about that? Besides, she's always wanted to transfer to the city. We were never on the same path. From this day forward, I, Lin Yang, will earn money with my own two hands to marry a wife and make sure our family lives a good life!"

"You?"

His father's blunt retort, coupled with a look of pure skepticism, instantly deflated Lin Yang's confidence, leaving him in awkward silence.

Over the years, he truly hadn't earned a single penny for the family. Nearly twenty years old, he had spent his days loafing around, to the point where even the village cats and dogs despised him.

"Ahem..."

Lin Yang cleared his throat, quickly gathered his thoughts, and continued, "Dad, I'm going to make money today. I won't rely on the family anymore. I know my reputation hasn't been great these past two years. The villagers always say I'm lazy, a useless parasite, picky but incompetent, bringing shame upon you two. But now I've woken up. I know exactly how I should walk the path ahead."

Hearing this, Lin Laohai tapped his tobacco pipe against the sole of his shoe a few times. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately remained silent, letting out only a soft sigh.

His mother, on the other hand, wore a doting smile. "I knew my boy would come to his senses one day. Mother supports you! You're the first high school graduate in our village; you're bound to make a fortune in the future."

Lin Yang smiled. It was now 1985, and the spring breeze of reform was blowing strong. However, for their remote mountain village in Northeast China, many people's mindsets had not yet shifted. Cut off from information, most villagers remained unaware of the changing times, continuing their age-old fate of facing the soil with their backs to the sky.

In his previous life, it wasn't until a few years later, when he left the village, that he discovered the massive changes in the world and the boundless opportunities hidden within the tide of the era. In this era where even pigs could fly if they caught the wind, seizing just one or two opportunities could rewrite one's destiny and turn life around completely.

As far as Lin Yang knew, there were no fewer than five lucrative opportunities close to home, just waiting for him to harvest. But for now, he was in no hurry. First, the timing wasn't right yet, so going now would be futile. Second, to seize these opportunities, he needed some savings. And these few years would be his best chance to accumulate his initial capital.

As for how to make money, Lin Yang had already decided: hunting!

In this era where there were no restrictions yet, allowing for unrestrained foraging and hunting, the great mountains were a massive treasure trove waiting to be excavated. A few years later, the things one could once harvest at will would become protected plants, and the man-eating beasts would become protected animals; by then, it would be too late to rake in money from these mountains.

His greatest advantage right now was knowing exactly where the lucrative resources were hidden. Using the foresight from his previous life, he could easily secure his first pot of gold.

Having made up his mind, Lin Yang immediately looked at Lin Dahai and said, "Dad, lend me your gun. I'm going into the mountains in a bit, just for self-defense!"

"No way!" his father and mother refused in unison.

Lin Yang was momentarily at a loss. His father's disagreement was reasonable, but his mother's stern refusal caught him off guard. He looked at his mother, confusion and puzzlement in his eyes.

Zhao Guixiang, feeling that her tone might have been too harsh, forced a smile onto her face. "Son, it's not that Mother doesn't want you to take the shotgun. There are too many jackals, wolves, tigers, leopards, and wild beasts in those mountains. It's simply too dangerous! Do you remember two years ago when our village organized a hunting team to clear out the wild beasts? Twenty-seven men went, but only twenty-three returned. The bones of the others still haven't been found. You cannot go into those mountains!"

The elderly couple had only this one son, Lin Yang. They pampered him constantly, terrified of any harm coming to him. Whenever they went into the mountains, Lin Yang was always accompanied by his father, who never let him out of his sight. To prevent Lin Yang from taking risks, his father had only taught him how to identify medicinal herbs in the mountains, refusing to teach him hunting skills or let him touch the family shotgun.

Clearing his cluttered thoughts, Lin Yang quickly reassured his parents, "I'll just look around the outer edges of the woods. I won't go deep."

"No!" His father and mother remained united, refusing in unison once again.

Seeing the resolute look in the elderly couple's eyes and knowing their stubborn temperaments, Lin Yang sighed helplessly and dropped the subject.

After breakfast, although Lin Yang felt much warmer, he kept his hands tucked tightly inside his sleeves to keep them from freezing. It was already late autumn, and the temperature this year was exceptionally low; the first snow had already fallen. If this continued, it wouldn't be long before heavy snow sealed off the mountains. By then, the snow in the mountains would be knee-deep, and no treasure, no matter how good, could be found.

Just as Lin Yang was sighing in his heart, his eyes suddenly lit up. "I've got it!"

Lin Yang's gaze fell upon a coniferous forest by the stream opposite his house. There, the croaking of forest frogs could be heard year-round, only stopping when winter arrived.

Forest frogs were known in the Northeast as Hashima, a transliteration of the Manchu word, and were also called field frogs or yellow toads. It was hailed as a rare treasure and the pinnacle of vitality, capable of boosting immunity, nourishing the kidneys, strengthening yang, and treating tuberculosis. At this time, the state had not yet banned catching them, and the price wasn't particularly high.

Once the ban was put in place, the price skyrocketed, eventually being calculated by the gram. Twenty years later, the price of wild forest frogs would soar to fifteen to eighteen yuan per gram.

In their mountain village near the Greater Khingan Mountains, winter lasted for nearly five months of the year. In his previous life, he had caught plenty of forest frogs, but lacking business acumen back then, he had never thought of selling them for money. Instead, he mostly rendered them into forest frog oil for personal use, missing out on many opportunities to strike it rich.

This life would be different. He was going to make a killing!

With this in mind, Lin Yang grabbed a plastic mesh bag and walked quickly along a small path toward the mountain forest.

Besides hiding under large stones deep in the streams, hibernating forest frogs also liked to nestle in nearby tree hollows and mud holes. And they gathered in swarms. Thus, they were both easy and difficult to catch. Those in the know could easily find their hiding spots by following subtle clues, catching them by the dozens. Those who didn't know would toil for half a day and barely find a few, perhaps even returning empty-handed.

Lin Yang, well-acquainted with these habits, was among the best in the village at catching forest frogs.

Lin Yang had only walked a few paces when someone suddenly called out to him from behind. "Brother Lin, where are you going?"

The familiar voice seemed to touch his very soul. Lin Yang didn't turn back, but his steps faltered, and his hands, tucked inside his sleeves, trembled slightly.

A girl wearing a floral cotton-padded jacket and sporting twin ponytails ran quickly to stand before him. Their eyes met. Her pure eyes were like stars in the sky, and her lovely, delicate face possessed skin so tender it seemed it would break at a breath.

Li Xiaowan. She was the little girl who had loved to follow him around since childhood, and the only silly girl in the entire village, besides his parents, who believed he would achieve great things in the future. She had always believed his words without a shred of doubt. Yet, a few years later, she met with an unfortunate accident. From then on, Lin Yang never saw such gentle and pure eyes again, which became the second greatest regret of his life.

"Brother Lin, what's wrong?"

Li Xiaowan had also heard about what happened today and was anxious to visit him. As soon as she stepped out of her house, she saw Lin Yang walking toward the river and rushed to catch up.

Lin Yang smiled and wiped his stinging eyes. He shook his head and forced a smile. "It's nothing, just got some sand in my eyes. Xiaowan, what brings you to the river?"

Li Xiaowan felt that something was off, though she couldn't put her finger on it. Staring at Lin Yang, she said with a trace of worry, "Brother Lin, actually... you and Sun Xiaorong aren't really a good match!"

She didn't know how to phrase the rest. She couldn't very well tell him outright that Sun Xiaorong wasn't the kind of woman to settle down and live a proper life, and that he should give up on her.

Lin Yang naturally understood what Li Xiaowan meant. With a slight roll of his eyes, he teased, "In the past, your Brother Lin was blind and didn't know how to cherish the person right in front of him. If your Brother Lin wants to marry you and bring you home in the future, would you be willing?"