Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 33 Part 1

Chapter 33: A New Era

Spring 1980. The news of the household responsibility system spread through Guanjia Village like rising dough. After days of anxious waiting, the village chief finally confirmed it over the loudspeaker. For the people of Guanjia Village, this was a dream they had held for years. But once the excitement settled, the biggest question on everyone's mind was how the land would be divided. After all, with no other way to make a living, land was the very foundation of every farmer's life.

[The Household Responsibility System was a 1980s rural reform that gave farmers land-use rights and allowed them to keep surplus output after meeting state quotas, replacing the collective commune system where farmers worked in production teams and earned work points for their share of grain and income.]

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 32 Part 2

"There's nothing to worry about. We have a fixed amount of braised meat each day and a fixed price, so I know exactly how much we should make each day. The pay would be 25 yuan a month. It usually sells out quickly—three or four hours at most—and then you can go home. Uncle Guan Guo, would you be interested?"

Guan Guo unconsciously rubbed his hands on his pants.

Zhao Shenggu asked again, "Is it that you feel the pay isn't enough?"

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 32 Part 1

Chapter 32: Opening a Shop 

Old Master Zhao couldn't stand it anymore. "I say, you old devil, why are you so impatient?"

Old Master Li ignored him and kept staring at the pot with greedy eyes. Guan Yuan brought out the finished beef jerky: "Grandpa Li, Grandpa Zhao, try some. This is our beef jerky."

Old Master Li was always extremely interested in anything the two kids made, and since the food in the pot wasn't ready yet, this would be a good appetizer.

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 31 Part 2

When Guan Manxing got home, her brother-in-law was lounging there with his legs crossed, drinking and munching on meat—the very meat that came from Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu's stall. Guan Manxing was furious. "Brother-in-law, where did you get that meat?"

Sun Jianguo looked nonchalant. "Bought it."

"Where did you get the money?"

"Oh, the money? I saw a jar under your bed, pulled it out, and wow—there was 50 whole bucks in there!"

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 31 Part 1

Chapter 31: Birthday and Catching a Thief

Days slipped by quietly, and before they knew it, another year had passed. Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu's new home had been completely renovated in the autumn and was now the most impressive courtyard in Guanjia Village. Guan Yuan had planted flowers and greenery all around the yard, and thanks to the nourishment of the spiritual spring, even in winter the place was full of life.

Today was a special day—not only the start of winter, but also Guan Yuan's birthday. Zhao Shenggu had been busy in the kitchen since early morning. His cooking skills had improved dramatically under Guan Yuan's influence.

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 30 Part 2

Having broken away from the Guan family, Guan Yuan felt the sky had never looked so blue, and even Guanjia Village seemed lovely.

When they arrived at the Zhao family's old yard, Zhao Shenggu ran his hand along the doorframe. This yard held memories of his childhood, of all the places he used to play. But now, spiderwebs draped every corner, and the yard lay in ruin. Guan Yuan cheered him up: "Brother, let's fix this place up right and make it the finest house in Guanjia Village!"

Zhao Shenggu smiled at that, setting aside his worries. "Alright—this is our new home!"

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 30 Part 1

Chapter 30: Breaking Away 

When the two of them followed Xiao Zhang to Old Master Li's house, Old Master Li and Old Master Zhao were playing chess—their only shared hobby. Two men with briefcases sat nearby.

Seeing Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu arrive, Old Master Li waved them over. "Shenggu, Xiao Yuan, come here." The two walked over and greeted both Old Master Li and Old Master Zhao.

"Good, good," Old Master Li said with a nod and a smile, gesturing to the two men. "These two comrades are from the county public security bureau. Your matter has been settled."

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 29 Part 2

"See? I told you these two lads were good," Old Master Li said, pointing at Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu. Old Master Zhao looked them over and nodded. "Indeed, not bad at all."

Though Old Master Zhao spoke less than Old Master Li, he looked even more kindhearted. With a gentle, benevolent expression, he said a few words to Zhao Shenggu, and the two quickly grew familiar with each other.

"Your name is Zhao Shenggu, and your younger brother is called Guan Yuan—you're not biological brothers?" Old Master Zhao asked Zhao Shenggu in surprise.

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 29 Part 1

Chapter 29: Treating Guests 

Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu were making plans for their future braised meat business, while over in Yun County, the Li family was also abuzz with excitement over the same braised meat. When Xiao Zhang carried the braised meat back to the Li household with a nervous heart, Old Master Li was playing chess with an old friend. Seeing Xiao Zhang return, he asked eagerly, "Xiao Zhang, did you get the fish?"

Xiao Zhang pulled a long face. "Old Master Li, those two kids said they can't catch fish in the river anymore—they've switched to selling braised meat. Would you like to try some? It's really tasty."

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 28 Part 2

Thinking about going to the county town the next day to sell braised meat, the two turned in early.

The next morning, they woke up refreshed. After washing up, Guan Yuan took some braised meat out of the space and had Zhao Shenggu carry it. The two set off for the county town.

After looking around the town, they went back to the same spot where they used to sell fish. There were some wooden boards nearby. Zhao Shenggu washed them clean and put together a simple table for their stall.

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 28 Part 1

Chapter 28: Making Braised Meat

Guan Yuan rolled his eyes. "Why should we give our meat to you?"

Guan Taiming tried to snatch it, but Zhao Shenggu stood in front of him like a great wall, and Guan Taiming shrank back. "You have so much meat—can't you just give me one piece?" He even sucked back his drool.

Guan Yuan was completely defeated by this guy's gluttony. "Fine, I'll give you two pieces. But don't ask again next time."

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 27

As soon as the fieldwork was done, Zhao Shenggu took Guan Yuan to the Yue River to start catching fish. When they arrived at the riverbank, they saw quite a few people were already there. Some were using scoop nets, while others simply waded into the shallows and grabbed at the water with their bare hands. Keep in mind—this was March! Just thinking about it made Guan Yuan shiver.

Guan Mulin was among them. He'd been hooked ever since catching two fish in the river last time, and since the farm work had just finished, he'd been coming to the river early every morning, hoping for more luck. But so far, he hadn't even seen a single fish. The moment he spotted Zhao Shenggu, his eyes lit up: "Shenggu! Hurry, hurry! Last time I only caught fish because I followed your lead—now you give it a shot!"

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 26

After Zhao Shenggu and Guan Yuan left, Guan Manku gave Guan He a thumbs-up. "Dad, you really thought this through. Now we not only get rid of two freeloaders, but we also come out ahead in practical terms."

The others all chimed in with agreement.

When Zhao Shenggu and Guan Yuan got back to their place, Guan Yuan looked at him with sparkling eyes. "Brother, you're so clever! Now we don't have to be tangled up with them anymore!"

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 25

Xiao Zhang was startled by the crowd's angry glares. "Wh—what's wrong?"

"What's wrong? There are only two fish here, and you say you want to buy them all? And you're asking what's wrong?"

"Th—then can I at least buy one?"

"Not even one! If you buy it, what are we supposed to eat?"

"That's right! That's right!"

Seeing the situation turn against him, Xiao Zhang had no choice but to throw his weight around.

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 24

After hearing Guan He's words, Zhao Shenggu gave a mocking smile. "I caught them right there in the Yue River. If you want to catch some too, who's stopping you?"

Guan Manku quickly pressed him: "Everyone knows you caught them in the Yue River! So many people have tried and never caught a thing, but you managed to pull some out. You must have a trick—don't keep it to yourself, Shenggu!"

"That's a strange thing to say, Second Uncle Guan. I've never fished before in my life. Last time was just luck. What trick could I possibly have?"

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 23

On the way back, Guan Yuan asked Zhao Shenggu about Guan Mumu. It turned out that Guan Mumu had both parents, but unfortunately, his mother was incredibly lazy. His father, Guan Shulin, was the village carpenter. He had given up carpentry work a few years back but had recently picked it up again. All in all, business was decent.

Guan Mumu's mother was called Wu Xiuli. She was famously lazy throughout Guanjia Village. Her child always looked unkempt and dirty, but aside from that, Guan Mumu wasn't mistreated in any way. Because Guan Shulin was a carpenter, his family lived a little better than most other families in the village.

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 22

Zhao Shenggu glanced at Yang Xiucui. "I don't have the skill to hold back both aunts!" With that, he took Guan Yuan and went straight into the house. Yang Xiucui was just about to start cursing after him when Guan Manxing and Guan Manyue got into another fight over there. She had no choice but to drop the matter with Zhao Shenggu and turn back to break them up.

That was the one downside of being healthy again – Guan Yuan could hear every bit of the shouting and brawling from the main house all too clearly. Irritated, he covered his ears. "Fighting and squabbling all day long. So annoying."

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 21

"Grandfather, what do you think we should do about this?" Zhao Shenggu stopped paying attention to Guan Manku and his wife, fixing his gaze squarely on Guan He.

Yang Xiucui, however, didn't wait for Guan He to speak and cut in first: "What do you mean, 'what do we do'? He's just a kid—how many clothes does he need? What's wrong with giving one to his brother?"

"So that makes it okay to just go in and steal? If Grandma Guan thinks that's how things should be, then I'll go out and tell everyone exactly how the Guan family has treated Xiao Yuan all these years. I'm the one paying for his meals, there are so many people in this house, and I still have to beg others to make clothes for him. Let's see if the Guan family still has any face left."

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 20

When Zhao Shenggu and Guan Yuan returned to the Guan family home, everyone had already finished lunch. No one asked whether the two boys had eaten or not. Yang Xiucui watched them walk in, rolled her eyes, mumbled something under her breath, and went back inside.

Li Yuezhi, however, spotted the wooden bucket in Zhao Shenggu's hand and gave him a sharp once-over. "Erwa, what did you take the bucket out for?"

Zhao Shenggu kept his composure. "I thought I'd check if there were any fish in the river. Figured it'd be handier to have a bucket along."

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 19

The moment Guan Yuan finished speaking, the old man came hurrying back, followed by a young man in a uniform. 

"Here's the money. Give me the fish."

Zhao Shenggu took the money and handed over the fish, which the young man beside the old man promptly took.

Guan Yuan was annoyed that the old man had kept Zhao Shenggu waiting for so long without even a clear explanation. He didn't care who the old man was—his tone was sharp.

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 18

The next day, under Yang Xiucui's support, Guan Manyue ransacked the Guan household one more time and then left.

Because they hadn't slept at all the night before, Yang Feifang and Guan Mancang both failed to get up, which made Yang Xiucui stand at the main house's doorway and hurl abuse at the top of her lungs. Yang Feifang had no choice but to drag her exhausted body out of bed to do her chores. The bruise on her stomach from Zhao Shenggu's kick was still clearly visible. She must have been frightened by him too, because the next day she made sure to keep her distance whenever she spotted him or Guan Yuan.

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 17

Guan Yuan left Guan Yu's cries behind him as he entered the room and collapsed weakly onto the kang. He felt like he was sick. It had only been a short while since he'd seen Zhao Shenggu, but his heart already felt hollow—he desperately wanted to see him again. 

Outside in the yard, Guan Yu's crying grew louder, followed immediately by Yang Feifang's startled shouts. He didn't need to look to know what state Guan Yu was in now.

The sound of messy footsteps in the yard moved toward the clinic. Guan Yuan sighed. Finally, some quiet.

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 16

Because of the healing effects of the spiritual spring water, Third Grandma's condition stabilized the very next day—even the doctors found it unbelievable. 

Guan Mandi knelt by Third Grandma's bed, sobbing uncontrollably. Zhao Shenggu took one look at him and lost any desire to say much. He quietly slipped out of the ward with Guan Yuan.

"Brother, should we still ask Uncle Mandi for the money back?"

"Yes. We're getting it from him, no matter what. We can let others off, but not him."

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 15

In his past life, he had been muddleheaded, and Zhao Shenggu never told him any of these things, so Guan Yuan also didn't know whether Zhao Juan had been caught back then. But he did remember that not long after this, Third Grandma Guan would pass away. And although Zhao Juan often complained that Guan Mandi was useless, the couple had indeed stayed together all along.

This time, Zhao Shenggu absolutely wouldn't let Guan Yuan go. He kept him at home to tidy up the house. Zhao Shenggu was a clean person. Even though he was still a child, his room was always neat and orderly.

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 14

Once the first month of the year passed, spring crept in quietly. Green began to show along the roadsides, and the Yue (moon) River thawed. The Yue River was a small stream that ran past Guanjia Village, named for its crescent-moon shape.

The children who had been cooped up at home by their parents were finally set free, scattering like birds released from their cages, their mischievous figures popping up everywhere.

That day, Guan Yuan was sitting on the edge of a field, staring blankly at Zhao Shenggu, when someone patted him on the shoulder.