Reborn in Northeast China: Fishing, Hunting, and Raising a Family to Prosperity

At 64, Shi Yongxin drank himself to death and was reborn in a small village in Northeast China in 1983. When he opened his eyes, he found himself on a shabby brick bed, where his wife, Liu Shuna, was holding their feverish daughter and wiping away tears. Their three-year-old son was so hungry he was chewing on the straw mat. In his previous life, Shi Yongxin had squandered the family’s fortune on drinking, gambling, and women, leaving his wife and children behind. This time, gazing at the vast forests and open sea beyond his home, he clenched his fists. He would hunt and gather ginseng in the mountains, fish in the sea, and make sure his family lived well!

With a deer call in his left hand to lure roe deer and a seven-star eel in his right to draw river fish, he made birch-bark boats with his childhood friends, repaired a century-old fishing net, dug up five-leaf wild ginseng, and outsmarted greedy relatives. His wife, Liu Shuna, went from trembling with fear to smiling brightly. Their children ate dumplings made with white flour and wore new padded jackets. But when he repaired the diesel engine left behind by the ginseng gang and assembled the first tractor in the village, he realized that a reborn man’s mission went far beyond making his fortune. The secrets beneath the mountain god’s temple, the truth behind the massacre of the ginseng gang, and the wild ginseng plant that could “smile” were all waiting for him to uncover them...

This is a feel-good period novel steeped in the everyday life of Northeast China, with expert knowledge of mountain foraging and fishing woven throughout. It features both fishing and hunting techniques like “ice-bouncing for mandarin fish” and traditional wisdom like “breaking through the ice in a birch-bark boat.” See how Shi Yongxin goes from a wastrel to the family’s rock, leading them toward a happy life!