Reborn in the Great Northern Wilderness in 1982, I farmed and hunted to support my whole family.

Chapter 127 Jealousy

Seeing their displeasure, Li Mu thought to himself that if he refused too directly, he might offend them and it would be difficult to see them in the village in the future.

So he changed the subject and said, "Uncles, as you know, my business is just starting out, and I'm still figuring things out. If I rashly bring you along and we end up losing money, I'll feel guilty."

Upon hearing this, the lead hunter quickly said, "Brother Li, you're being too polite. Since we've decided to work with you, it's because we trust you. Besides, we've been hunting for decades; we're not going to lose money easily."

Li Mu sighed, feigning helplessness, and said, "Uncles, I'm only doing this out of good intentions; I don't want you to take such a risk. How about this: once my business is more stable and I have more connections and confidence, I'll definitely consider taking you along as soon as possible, what do you say?"

The three of them were still somewhat unwilling after hearing this, but they knew that Li Mu was politely refusing them, so they couldn't insist any further.

The lead hunter patted Li Mu on the shoulder and said, "Alright, Brother Li, we'll wait for your good news. You'd better keep your word."

After the two men left, one of the hunters spat.

"Brother, why are you saying that? We've been hunting for so many years, we don't need him to teach us. We're doing just fine on our own. I don't believe that we brothers can't make a name for ourselves."

"What do you know? Can't you see that Li Mu is in power right now? We can't take a direct approach; we have to outsmart him. Didn't you hear what he said? Once the business is stable and we have more connections and confidence, he'll consider bringing us along. That's just a pretext; we have to wait and see when the time is right before we make our move."

Another hunter chimed in, "Brother is right, we can't rush things. That kid Li Mu is riding high right now, we need to keep our cool and wait until his momentum dies down before settling scores with him."

The lead hunter glared at the two men and said, "What are you talking about? We're here to make money with Li Mu, not to settle scores with him. You need to adjust your mindset and stop thinking about all that nonsense."

Upon hearing this, the two immediately fell silent, not daring to say anything more.

The lead hunter sighed again and said, "I know you're not convinced. But that kid Li Mu is really capable, we have to admit it. If we want to make money with him, we have to humble ourselves and learn from him."

“You all know how rich Li Family Village is now. Li Mu has led the villagers in raising livestock and opened a small workshop to make blueberry juice. His business is growing bigger and bigger, and he's about to become a multi-millionaire and the richest man in town. If we can also benefit from his success, our lives will be much better.”

"Brother, you're really joking. Becoming a 'ten-thousand-yuan household' isn't that easy."

"Whether you believe it or not, what do you think of the tiger skin you just saw in his hand?"

"That tiger skin looks pretty good, with glossy fur and excellent texture. We've seen plenty of tiger skins like that. If we can sell it for a good price, it could be worth several months' worth of our hunting earnings."

"Let's go! Let's go to Lijia Village and see how they got started. Maybe we can find some tricks up our sleeves and make a small fortune too."

On the other side, Li Jianjun asked in confusion, "Why did you refuse? I watched those people leave, and I was really wondering. You clearly had the ability to help them, so why did you refuse?"

Li Mu patted Li Jianjun on the shoulder and laughed, "You don't understand. In the business world, ability alone isn't enough. You have to learn to assess the situation and make a move only after you've clearly understood the circumstances."

Li Jianjun scratched his head, still not quite understanding: "So what do you mean?"

Li Mu sighed and explained, "Think about it, we're just starting out, and our foundation isn't solid yet. If we rashly bring them along, and something goes wrong, we'll be the ones to take the blame. Besides, this hunting and selling wild game business isn't a long-term solution. Once the regulations for protecting animals are implemented, our business will be shut down."

"So, we should take advantage of the time we still have to save up some capital and find a legitimate business to make a living."

Upon hearing this, Li Jianjun suddenly realized, "I see, you've thought of everything. How did you know we couldn't hunt anymore?"

How else could he know, given his experience?

"Let's go, let's pay back the money."

Zhou Li wasn't at the Lakeside Hotel today. Li Mu looked around and didn't see many people even at lunchtime, which made him wonder: "Could it be that business is bad today and no one is coming to eat?"

Jin Dachuan, idly chewing on a toothpick, said, "Hey, Mu Zi."

"Brother Jin!"

"How's it going? Have you raised enough money?" Jin Dachuan asked with a gossipy look on his face as he picked his teeth.

Li Mu patted his pocket and laughed, "That's enough, that's enough. We got a good price this time thanks to those furs."

Upon hearing this, Jin Dachuan's eyes lit up: "Wow, not bad! You're quite capable, kid. So, can we settle this debt sooner?"

Li Mu nodded: "Okay, I'll go and return the money later. I can finally put my mind at ease."

As they walked into the restaurant, Li Mu looked around and noticed that there were indeed few customers. He couldn't help but wonder, "Brother Jin, why is the restaurant so deserted today? Usually, it would be almost full by this time."

Jin Dachuan curled his lip and said, "Hey, it's all because of that newly opened 'Delicious Pavilion'. Since it opened, it has stolen a lot of our customers. That place has low prices and the food is not bad, so a lot of people have gone there to eat."

Li Mu frowned: "What's the background of this 'Delicious Pavilion'? How come they managed to steal our business?"

Jin Dachuan spat and cursed, "What else could it be? It's just that family that moved to town. They don't even know their place, yet they dare to steal our business."

"What about Sister Li? I'll give her the money then."

As soon as Li Mu finished speaking, Jin Dachuan called out into the restaurant, "Sister Li, Mu Zi is here to return the money!"

A moment later, a woman wearing a cheongsam with a slit up to her thigh and a graceful figure walked out.

With her beautiful face and exquisite features, Li Jianjun was staring at Zhou Li for the first time, completely mesmerized.

Zhou Li walked up to Li Mu and looked at him with a half-smile: "Oh, Mu Zi, you've come to pay back the money, huh?"

Li Mu nodded quickly, took out a wad of money from his pocket, and handed it to Zhou Li: "Sister Li, this is the money I borrowed before, and I'm returning it to you now."

Zhou Li took the money and counted it: "One thousand yuan, not a penny less. Mu Zi, you're very trustworthy."