Chapter 7

Song Haowen’s family consisted of three main rooms. In front of the main entrance was a small sun-drying area of about 30 to 50 square meters. Two kitchens were built to the left front of the main rooms, and three pigsties were located to the left rear. Pigs were raised on both sides of the pigsties, with a cesspool in the middle covered by a blue cloth curtain.

All the buildings in Song Haowen’s family were made of adobe walls with thatched roofs. The main rooms, being relatively old (his parents’ wedding room), had undergone the effects of wind and rain, causing the walls to noticeably deform. The lower part widened dramatically, and the house had become about twenty centimeters shorter than when first built, appearing low, aged, and worn.

Returning to his hometown after rebirth, Song Haowen felt a deep sense of melancholy. In his past life, he had been self-centered, rarely considering his family, and his family members barely benefited from his success. He vowed to bring about a change in his life and ensure that every member of his family lived comfortably and happily.

At present, with a large family and limited rooms, everyone had to share beds. His parents slept in the east room of the main rooms, his second sister and youngest sister shared the west room, while Song Haowen and his younger brother slept in the kitchen. If the eldest brother returned, he would join the two younger brothers.

After chatting with his younger brother for a while, Song Haowen, despite having consumed alcohol, couldn’t sleep. He stared at the flickering flame of the kerosene lamp, lost in thought.

In 1979, the seeds of the domestic market economy began to sprout, creating more opportunities to make money. However, many people still held conservative views. Some economic policies were ambiguous, and engaging in trade, setting up stalls, or other economic activities easily led to accusations of speculation and profiteering, resulting in punishment by administrative authorities. The lottery, which could potentially lead to overnight wealth, started with the introduction of the Welfare Double Color Ball in 1987. The volatile Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets didn’t gain momentum until 1990, and the real estate boom, a wealth-creating phenomenon, occurred well into the new millennium.

Moreover, in 1979, the term “millionaire” didn’t exist. Even if someone had money, they had to keep it discreet; flaunting wealth was not common. In contrast to his previous life, where having ten thousand was considered a fortune, people in this era were cautious about revealing their wealth, and calling someone a millionaire was daring.

Thinking ahead, Song Haowen planned to utilize his past experiences to earn his first bucket of gold, addressing immediate concerns. This was his top priority. However, preventing his second sister from getting involved with Zheng Yishui was equally important; it related to her future happiness. Lost in these thoughts, he unknowingly fell asleep.

As soon as the day broke, Song Haowen got up. His whole family was accustomed to early rising.

Before attending high school, every morning before breakfast, Song Haowen would go to the fields by the riverbank to pick a basket of pig vegetables. His father took care of the private land, his mother managed household chores and fed the pigs, chickens, and ducks. His second sister cooked barley porridge, and his younger brother cleaned the area in front of and behind the house. Only his youngest sister had nothing to do, wandering around aimlessly, occasionally criticizing like a high-ranking inspector.

Song Haowen lifted the basket and took a small shovel, walking towards the back of the house when his second sister chased after him, grabbing his sleeve. “Little Third, do you know Zheng Yishui well?”

Song Haowen smiled. “How can I not know him? We’re from the same commune. He’s in a grade higher than me, and he’s your classmate.”

“What do you think of him?” His second sister asked, staring at him.

In his past life, Song Haowen didn’t know Zheng Yishui well due to limited interaction. Now, armed with his past experiences, he knew how to respond.

“Not much. His character isn’t good; he’s a scoundrel and not suitable for you.”

“Oh? You think so too? How do you know he’s not good?” His second sister looked surprised.

Song Haowen couldn’t say that he knew from his past life, so he made up a story. “A classmate told me. They said he’s fickle, likes drinking, gambling, and bullies others.”

After hearing this, his second sister pondered for a moment, seeming to have strengthened her resolve. “It’s just wishful thinking on Mom and Dad’s part. I’m not interested in him at all.”

Song Haowen felt relieved and comforted her, “You shouldn’t get involved with someone like him. There are plenty of good men out there. Take your time to find the right one.”

His second sister blushed at his words. “What are you talking about? Do I look like I’m in a hurry to find a man? I won’t talk to you anymore.” She finished speaking, swinging her long braid, and walked away.

Song Haowen smiled wryly, deciding not to meddle in his second sister’s affairs. While carefully picking vegetables, he continued to observe and contemplate.

Suddenly, with a flapping sound, a wild chicken flew from about three to five meters in front of Song Haowen, heading towards the distance. This type of wild chicken had several names, the earliest being the “pheasant.” Judging by its colorful feathers and robust physique, Song Haowen could determine it was a male pheasant.

In his past life, wild chickens were classified as second-class protected animals, and hunting or killing them without authorization was prohibited. However, as of March 1, 1989, when the Wildlife Protection Law was officially implemented in China, there were still about ten more years to go. Currently, hunting wild chickens and other wildlife was not illegal, and there were even professional hunters in rural areas.

Realizing this, Song Haowen was suddenly struck with a tremendous business opportunity.

Indeed, his first bucket of gold could be found in these wild animals.

In their Song family commune, the water network was dense, and there were numerous ditches and canals. Swampy areas were scattered throughout. While there might be a shortage of other things, wild animals were abundant. Wild chickens, hares, yellow weasels, and even valuable toothed deers numbered in the hundreds.

If placed in his past life, as a high school graduate, capturing nimble animals like wild chickens and hares without firearms or bows and relying solely on slingshots and sticks would be extremely challenging. Catching one in a week would be considered quite fortunate. Despite the high value of these wild meats, several times more expensive than pork at seven cents per pound, and their exceptionally delicious taste, few farmers were willing to spend time hunting due to the difficulty of capturing them.

There was also the issue of selling the catch. Even if farmers had some wild animals, it wasn’t easy to sell it on the commune’s small streets three or four kilometers away. Not only was it challenging to get time off, but even if they went, selling might not be guaranteed. After all, residents on those small streets had limited money , with low wages and minimal access to imperial grains. To sell and get a good price, one had to go to the county, and for larger quantities, they had to reach the city.

However, for Song Haowen, who had the experience from his past life, these challenges were nothing. Even though he was a novice in business in his past life, his knowledge far surpassed that of people in this era. Business in this time was like taking candy from a baby for him.

What’s more, Song Haowen was proud of his past life skill in using slingshots for projectile weapons. Although it was not as extraordinary as the “finger flicking” in “The Legend of the Condor Heroes” or as precise as “No Feather Arrows” by Zhang Qing in “Water Margin,” within a range of twenty to thirty meters, dealing with birds and animals was more than sufficient.

Therefore, during the breaks while picking pigweed, Song Haowen used stones to capture a rabbit and two wild chickens. Upon returning home, he slaughtered the most severely injured chicken for cooking, while he kept the rabbit and another chicken to raise, planning to sell them when there was another harvest.

After breakfast, once his parents and second sister went to work in the production team, Song Haowen had his younger brother stay at home with their youngest sister. He, on the other hand, took a basket and set off alone. However, this time, he wasn’t picking pigweed; he was focused on finding wild animals.

In one morning, Song Haowen captured five wild chickens and three hares. In the afternoon, he continued his efforts and caught six wild chickens and five hares.

Song Haowen’s one-day harvest left his family astonished. Even a professional hunter wouldn’t achieve such results.

Now that he had products, he needed to consider sales.

Song Haowen knew that, aside from the fact that the Zhao Sheng Commune might not be able to buy all his captured wild animals, even the county town might not have a large market.

Linshan County town was like a large crossroads, with the east-west road named Liberation Road, divided into Liberation East Road and Liberation West Road. The agricultural market was located at the end of Liberation West Road, where there was a broad north-south canal and a ship terminal. The largest agricultural market in the town was located on one side of the ship terminal.

Song Haowen was uncertain about the city management’s attitude towards street vendors here. He decided to test the market by taking out one rabbit and one chicken from each of the two sacks and squatting on the market’s edge, about five steps away from the bags.

Coincidentally, as soon as Song Haowen arranged his goods, a middle-aged man approached, inquired about the prices, and, without much haggling, bought them all. Three pounds of wild chicken and twelve pounds of hare amounted to thirty yuan, a significant sum at that time, exceeding the monthly wages of many people.

At this point, more than a dozen customers gathered, all inquiring about the availability of stock.

Song Haowen took out two more wild chickens and hares from each sack, and they quickly sold out again.

An hour later, the ten wild chickens and eight hares he brought were completely sold out. Several customers who couldn’t buy immediately verbally reserved some.

After leaving the market, Song Haowen walked into a deserted alley to tally up his day’s earnings. He found that he had accumulated a total of 352 yuan and 6 jiao and 3 fen. Feeling a bit proud, he took out corn cakes he had brought from home from the military canvas bag his older brother had given him. Sitting by the canal, he enjoyed his dry rations. The water in the canal, untainted by pollution at this time, was clear and visible to the bottom. It had a slightly sweet taste, not inferior to the mountain springs and ice springs he had experienced in his previous life.