Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

The next morning, after breakfast, Zhou Rui took his axe and headed up the mountain to chop firewood. However, An'an refused to go and insisted on coming along, no matter how much he tried to persuade her.

Zhou Rui thought to himself, since we're not going deep into the mountains to hunt, but just chopping wood on the outskirts of the forest, there's no danger, so let's go.

When Zhou Rui arrived at the educated youth compound with Xiao Niangao on his back, along with Zhou Ping and An'an, Lin Qiuyue and Yang Ping were already prepared.

Seeing only two female educated youths in the courtyard, Zhou Rui quickly asked, "Where are the others? Aren't they ready yet?"

"They all refuse to go chop firewood, saying they have enough and want to save time to visit their classmates in other communes. I've tried to persuade them, but no one listens. They take my good intentions for granted," Yang Ping said angrily.

Zhou Rui nodded. It seemed that the previous incident of the educated youth splitting up had created a rift among them, and they even refused to go up the mountain to chop firewood when Lin Qiuyue and the others asked for help.

"If they're unwilling, then forget it. Let's hurry up and finish chopping wood so we can come back sooner." Zhou Rui didn't care that some people weren't willing to listen to sound advice; he wasn't some neighborhood auntie who had to take care of these people's lives.

Lin Qiuyue initially had these male educated youths call her names to avoid suspicion and gossip. Since they were unwilling, there was no need to force them. However, when the weather turned cold and snowy, someone would naturally suffer.

"Oh my, is An'an coming along too? And Xiao Niangao, so little, brought along too?" Yang Ping's anger came and went quickly; she was instantly delighted to see An'an and Xiao Niangao.

"Hmm. An'an insisted on coming along and didn't want to stay at home. I figured since we weren't going deep into the mountains, there wouldn't be any danger, so I took her on a picnic. Pingwa and Xiaoniangao came along too, everyone's going."

At this moment, Lin Qiuyue, who had been standing silently to the side, quietly came up behind Zhou Rui and teased Xiao Nian Gao with her fingers, making Xiao Nian Gao babble incessantly.

"Alright, stop playing. We still need to go up the mountain to chop firewood, so let's go and come back soon. Come on, An'an. Want to come with your sister?" With that, Yang Ping took An'an's hand and walked ahead.

At this moment, Zhou Rui untied a cloth bag from his waist and handed it to Zhou Ping. "Pingwa, this slingshot is yours today. Whether we have meat to eat depends on you."

Zhou Ping let out an excited howl, took the bag containing the slingshot and mud pellets, and ran forward, quickly overtaking An An and Yang Ping to take the lead.

Soon, only Zhou Rui, Lin Qiuyue, and a clueless toddler remained. Lin Qiuyue glanced quickly at Zhou Rui, her face flushing red again.

Zhou Rui adjusted the Mauser 98K hanging on his shoulder, which was almost pulled off by Xiao Niangao's hand.

"Let's go, we should follow them. Otherwise they'll all disappear in no time."

"kindness."

Zhou Rui was familiar with the mountains and quickly led the group to a nearby hillside. Although the journey wasn't long, little An'an was still tired and plopped down on the ground, unable to get up.

"I told you not to come along, it's too far and you'll get tired."

As Zhou Rui spoke, he took a roll of cloth from his waist and spread it out on the grass like a carpet. Then he picked up An'an and placed her on the clean cloth. Next, he took out a White Rabbit milk candy from his pocket, unwrapped it, and stuffed it into An'an's mouth.

"Here, have a candy to replenish your energy."

Lin Qiuyue and Yang Ping didn't feel tired after they arrived, and immediately started chopping firewood.

Last night, after hearing Zhou Rui's reminder, Lin Qiuyue went back to the dormitory and told Yang Ping, who immediately came to her senses. She knew the weather here; it's just that back in the city, the factory would distribute coal briquettes every winter, so she had forgotten about the need to prepare a lot of firewood for heating the kang (a traditional heated bed) in winter.

At this moment, Zhou Ping, who had been shooting slingshots all the way, had lost his initial excitement and walked over.

"Second brother, give me the axe, I'm going to chop wood."

"I'll go instead. You should practice your slingshot here," Zhou Rui said, taking the little rice cake off his back and placing it next to An'an.

"An'an, I'm leaving Xiao Nian Gao in your care."

"Okay," An'an replied weakly, but without the slightest hesitation.

"Here, put this on that tree branch over there, and then shoot at it. Let's see how many times you can hit the target with ten bullets." Zhou Rui casually picked up a palm-sized stone and handed it to Zhou Ping.

Then he took the 98K off his shoulder and leaned it against a nearby tree. Finally, he took out a Browning M1935 rifle from his lower back and solemnly handed it to Zhou Ping.

"Take this. I've taught you how to shoot. If there's danger, just shoot without hesitation. An'an and Xiao Niangao's safety is the most important thing."

Zhou Ping gripped the heavy pistol in his hand, extremely excited. It wasn't just because he liked guns, but because Zhou Rui had entrusted him with a responsibility and complete trust.

"Yes, Second Brother. I know. Don't worry, I'll protect you without hesitation." Zhou Ping nodded heavily, mimicking Zhou Rui by tucking his pistol into his lower back.

"Hmm, not bad, like a real man." Zhou Rui patted Zhou Ping on the shoulder twice.

In fact, he had already sensed it with his sixth sense; there was no danger within a kilometer radius. He did this simply to cultivate Zhou Ping, to instill in him his beliefs and a sense of responsibility.

Zhou Rui took his axe and went to Lin Qiuyue and Yang Ping's vicinity. He watched as the two of them worked hard with their machetes, but their efficiency was not high.

"Lin Qingqing, Yang Qingqing, this won't do. You should try to find withered branches, as they are less resilient. Look, they fall off with just a light touch," Zhou Rui said, demonstrating as he spoke.

"Furthermore, you're cutting these living tree branches, which takes a long time to dry. Also, think about it, besides firewood, you're also carrying a lot of water back with you. It's not cost-effective at all."

"Hey, you're absolutely right. We carried the wet firewood back, and then we had to dry it out. Weren't we doing something stupid?" Yang Ping said nonchalantly, not caring at all about calling herself stupid.

"Comrade Zhou Rui, what you said is very good. You know a lot. We didn't know this principle. It seems we still have to learn more from you." Compared to Yang Ping, Lin Qiuyue was very good at speaking. Coupled with her soft and gentle Jiangnan tone, she was very charming.

"No, no. In fact, a lot of knowledge comes from the insights of our farmer ancestors, passed down from generation to generation through their lives. They just lacked formal education and couldn't write down their experiences like scholars, so they could only pass them down orally."

"If you pay close attention, you will find that many details of farmers' lives are based on scientific principles and yield optimal results."

"Oh my, Zhou Rui, I've discovered that you're really, really smart. It's such a waste that you didn't go to high school." Yang Ping always speaks simply and directly.

Following Zhou Rui's method, Lin Qiuyue and Yang Ping's efficiency indeed improved significantly, and in no time, the two of them had piled up a tall stack of firewood.

Everyone was happy because this way they could quickly gather enough firewood and save a lot of time.

Just then, Zhou Rui's sixth sense was passively triggered, and a chill swept over him once again.

What's going on? Didn't I scout this spot beforehand when I chose it to chop wood? There was no danger at all.

The dangers approached quickly, one after the other, both threatening everyone's lives.

"Lin Qiuyue, Yang Ping, come back quickly! A wild beast is coming!" Zhou Rui shouted to the two female educated youths as he ran towards his Mauser rifle. With a rifle in hand, no matter what kind of beast it was, Zhou Rui could ensure everyone's safety.

Unfortunately, it seems it's too late.