Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

"Air Force guys are the kind of people who can never catch a fish."

"That second brother is also a noob; he didn't catch a single fish last time."

Zhou Rui glanced at An'an, who was chattering beside him. "Wait, you short-legged little thing, you're so tactless! Who speaks such blunt truths?" Zhou Rui stroked his chin. Could it really be that he possesses an innate divine body for fishing?

Zhou Rui carried Xiao Niangao and An'an ahead, while Zhou Ping and the other two took turns carrying the bucket of fish. After delivering them to Liu Shunli's house, Zhou Rui handed them a handful of perilla leaves he had just picked by the stream: "You know how to cook fish, right? Put these in, and the fish will taste even better."

"Yes, I know how. I've seen how you do it, and Brother Ping taught me too." Liu Shunli was very grateful to the Zhou brothers; they were truly kind to them.

"Alright, we'll be going now. Next time you and Ping An come to my house, I'll teach you a couple of moves." With that, he turned to leave.

"Shunli, Ping'an, you're back?" Liu Shunli's mother came out of the house upon hearing the noise. Although she was in her thirties, she looked like she was in her forties. There were streaks of gray in her black hair, and her face was somewhat pale. "Ruiwa, Pingwa, and An'an, what brings you here?"

"Aunt Liying, why are you out here? Shunli said you were sick. It's windy outside, go back inside quickly."

Although it was just ordinary concern, Zhou Rui's words were full of respect. He had more admiration for this woman in her thirties than he did for the village chief, Zhao Youzhi.

Jiaolongxia Village has four peculiar people: Chen Datou, the eternally lazy one; Lao Zhima, the weather forecast expert; Zhao the seductive widow; and the chaste and virtuous but unlucky woman. This unlucky woman refers to Xu Liying, Liu Shunli's mother.

Xu Liying's parents died when she was young, and she was raised by her grandfather. During this time, all her siblings died unexpectedly, wiping out her entire family. As a result, people in Xu Liying's village called her a jinx who had killed off her entire family, and considered her an unlucky person. This caused Xu Liying to have a bad reputation in several surrounding villages, making it difficult for her to get married.

Later, through the introduction of a distant relative, she married into a family in Jiaolong Gorge, hundreds of miles away. However, her husband died a few years later, leaving behind her elderly parents-in-law, her underage brother-in-law, and two young brothers, Liu Shunli and Liu Ping'an. This brought up Xu Liying's reputation for being unlucky in marriage once again.

Xu Liying didn't feel remorse or wallow in self-pity; instead, she shouldered the heavy burden of the family. She cared for her parents-in-law until their old age, supported her brother-in-law through vocational school graduation and factory work, and raised her two sons, Liu Shunli and Liu Ping'an, to their current age. When villagers chatted about Xu Liying, they all secretly gave her a thumbs up.

Zhou Rui held her in high esteem, especially after his father and elder brother passed away, and his sister-in-law abandoned Xiao Niangao and ran away. Zhou Rui kept thinking how wonderful it would be if Xu Liying were his sister-in-law.

"Auntie is much better, thank you for your concern, younger generation." Xu Liying turned to look at the others and noticed that Zhou Ping and his two sons all had bruises on their faces. "Oh dear, what happened to you all?"

"Shunli and Pingan saw that you were sick, so they asked Pingwa and An'an to go fishing, saying they wanted to cook fish for you." Zhou Rui was afraid that Xu Liying would scold the Liu Shunli brothers, so he took over the conversation directly.

"We caught some fish, and then Liu Qing brought a bunch of people to steal them, which led to the fight. It wasn't Shunli and Ping'an's fault, so please don't punish them."

"Sigh... I know that. It's all because of the grudges among the adults in my family that they've been dragged into this. I know what's going on. You all always help my family stay safe and sound, taking them fishing and playing mahjong. I ate the mahjong last time, it was delicious. It's just that you've gone to so much trouble for me."

Seeing Xu Liying's guilty expression, Zhou Rui thought to himself, "It seems there's something going on with the Liu family." However, Zhou Rui didn't mind showing more kindness to people with sound values ​​and self-reliance. Like Chen Huaihua, and like Xu Liying in front of him.

"It's no trouble at all. Shunli and Ping'an have always gotten along well with my Pingwa, and I don't mind them coming to my house to play more often. I'm even going to teach them how to use slingshots and practice their martial arts. As long as Auntie doesn't mind me messing around, that's fine."

"How could that be? It's good that you're willing to teach them. Look, it's windy outside, let's go inside and talk." Xu Liying looked apologetic, feeling that she was sick and her mind wasn't working well, and that she had been impolite in front of the younger generation.

"No, Auntie, maybe next time. We'll come visit you again when you're better. We'll head back now; I have to go home and cook for them." With that, Zhou Rui left with his younger siblings without waiting for Xu Liying to persuade him to stay any longer.

Xu Liying watched Zhou Rui's family walk away, then looked at the Liu brothers with their bruised and swollen faces, and felt a pang of sympathy. They were all pitiful children; it would be good if they helped each other out, at least they could have a place to stand in the village.

"Ruiwa is a loyal and affectionate person, so you all have to listen to him from now on. If I find out you've done anything to betray Zhou Rui, I'll beat you up," Xu Liying earnestly warned.

"Don't worry, Mom. My brother Rui is amazing. We will definitely listen to what he says." In Liu Ping'an's eyes, Zhou Rui is his idol, and no one in the village can compare to him.

"Yes, Mother, Second Brother is right. Brother Rui is so good to us, we'll definitely listen to him." Liu Shunli is older than Liu Ping'an and understands the fickleness of human relationships better. "Mother, come inside, it's chilly outside. Second Brother and I will cook fish for you today, I learned it from Brother Rui."

"Yes, Mom. Rui-ge's cooking is delicious..."

A gust of north wind blew in, carrying away the dust in the air and dispelling the gloom in my heart.

At noon, an uninvited guest appeared at Zhou Rui's family's dinner table. Gu Shaofeng held a large bowl and kept shoveling food into his mouth, which also made Zhou Ping and An'an's appetites improve considerably.

While feeding Xiao Niangao, Zhou Rui said, "I'm telling you, can't you come at another time? You always come right at mealtimes, do I owe you something?"

Of course, Zhou Rui wasn't really disgusted; it was more of a teasing remark.

"What, you think I'm eating too much? Let me tell you, I'm not eating for free. I'm bringing you money." Gu Shaofeng wasn't embarrassed at all; being shy wouldn't fill his stomach.

"What, the bear bile has been sold?" Zhou Rui didn't care much about these things. It was only a few hundred yuan, not even as much as he got from the last robbery.

Gu Shaofeng pulled out a thick wad of ten-yuan notes from his pocket and slammed them on the table. "It sold for a total of twelve hundred yuan. Here's six hundred. Count it."

"Why are there so many?" Zhou Rui was still a little surprised, after all, what they had obtained was an iron gall, which was still inferior to a copper gall.

Gu Shaofeng knew what Zhou Rui was wondering and explained directly, "Although we're hunting iron gallbladders, they're huge, much bigger than black bear gallbladders, so naturally they fetch a higher price."

"By the way, I saw the dog in your yard. Why did you buy this kind of dog? It's no good for hunting; it can't catch its prey."

"I didn't intend for it to hunt; it's for guarding the house. This dog is loyal, big, and strong, that's enough." Zhou Rui put the money away without counting it; he trusted Gu Shaofeng wouldn't cheat him.

"My Mao Mao is amazing, and so well-behaved. He always plays with me." An An adores her dog, after all, he's her own. Whether Mao Mao plays with her willingly or unwillingly is another matter.

"Your dog is also named Mao Mao? Then isn't he my brother, Da Mao?" Gu Shaofeng really liked An An, the clever and cute little girl. Having already fathered four sons, Gu Shaofeng was thinking about whether he should have his wife have a daughter.

"Besides delivering money, is there anything else you've done today?" Zhou Rui spooned a full spoonful of steamed egg into Xiao Niangao's mouth. He couldn't help it; his little darling wouldn't be happy without it.

"Of course, I wanted to ask you to come up the mountain. I've been lying in bed for two months, and my bones are practically rusting. I can't take it if I don't go up the mountain soon."