Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

"Brother Zhou, it's been a long time since you've been here." At the entrance of Xiangyang Forest Farm, Tao Guobing still stood upright.

"Brother Tao, it's been busy with farming lately, and I've been harvesting crops in the fields the whole time. As soon as I finished work, I went straight to sleep. I didn't have time to come to town." Zhou Rui stopped his bicycle and lit a cigarette for Tao Guobing.

"That's true. I remember before I joined the army, whether it was spring planting or autumn harvest, it was so tiring. I wanted to lie down on the kang (a heated brick bed) as soon as I put down my rice bowl, and I didn't even want to take a bath." Tao Guobing exhaled a puff of smoke, as if he wanted to eliminate all the fatigue in one breath.

"Isn't this the end of your hardship? After serving in the army, you got a stable job at the forest farm, so you don't have to go back to the countryside and get your feet covered in mud."

"You're quite the smooth talker. What's up, got some good stuff again?" Tao Guobing asked, looking at the tarpaulin covering the oxcart, which was bulging inside.

"That's right, your younger brother is very capable. I left you something good, you can go back and enjoy it secretly." Zhou Rui took out an oil paper package from under the cart and stuffed it into the guard post.

"Let's go, Brother Tao."

Watching Zhou Rui drive the car into the forest farm gate, Tao Guobing went into the guard post and opened the oil paper package. Inside, there was a large whip and a piece of fatty meat weighing more than two kilograms.

"This kid, do I need this kind of thing? And what kind of meat is this? It's so fatty." Twenty-five-year-old Tao Guobing couldn't help but laugh and cry as he held the wolf whip.

"I get an erection every morning now. Oh well, I'll give it to my old man at home."

Zhou Rui went to the canteen and disposed of both the bear and wolf meat. Of course, the canteen manager Deng and finance director Song didn't lose their portions of meat either, and the several hundred kilograms of meat sold for over six hundred yuan.

Once inside Zhang Zhenbei's office, Zhou Rui became much more relaxed. He took out his own tea leaves and poured himself his own hot water.

"Deputy Director Zhang, you're living such a carefree life! A cup of tea and a newspaper—a bit lazy, isn't it?"

Seeing Zhou Rui making a joke, Zhang Zhenbei crumpled up the newspaper and threw it at him.

"You brat, are you making fun of me? Call me uncle." Zhang Zhenbei had just been promoted to deputy director and was feeling quite pleased with himself, so he couldn't really get angry. "What are you fighting about now?"

"A lone wolf and a black bear with cubs, just delivered to the cafeteria. Want some bear bile? The copper kind."

"Wow, this is rare. You'd be lucky to find one with a copper gallbladder among ten bears. Give it to me, I'll take it. Even if it doesn't turn out well, it'll still be a treasure."

Zhou Rui took the cloth bag out of his bag; it was the same bag that had contained the mud pellets. "Here you go, these were just collected yesterday, and haven't been processed yet."

Zhang Zhenbei took it out, looked at the color, and smelled it. He didn't actually know anything; he was just pretending. But he knew Zhou Rui wouldn't lie to him; he still needed to sell meat at the forest farm's canteen.

"Alright. Fifteen hundred. Don't think it's too little. Your uncle has been bribing officials a lot lately, so I don't have much money in my pocket."

You can take that with a grain of salt; Zhang Zhenbei is in charge of logistics, he wouldn't be short of money. Besides, this copper bladder would only sell for a maximum of 1,200 yuan at the supply and marketing cooperative, but Zhang Zhenbei is offering much more.

"I don't mind at all. Here, your nephew's bear nose, wavy cap, and two bear front paws are a tribute to you, so don't complain."

Zhang Zhenbei was generous, and Zhou Rui was never stingy either. By climbing the social ladder through the forest farm, Zhou Rui had gained a lot of advantages.

"Hehe... My nephew is so filial, I wouldn't mind even a blade of grass." Zhang Zhenbei held two large bear paws, laughing incessantly. He didn't know anything about bear noses or bear brittle caps, only that they were Chinese medicine.

This bear paw is incredibly rare, especially the front paw. I'd better put it away quickly, lest the sharp-nosed guy from the next office comes knocking on my door.

After hiding the things, Zhang Zhenbei put away his smile and said seriously, "You must come often in the next few months and bring more meat."

"What's wrong?"

"The forest farm has a heavy workload this winter, so we need to hire more temporary workers than in previous years. With more work, we naturally need to ensure good logistical support. We need to make sure the workers eat more meat so they can better fulfill the country's mission."

Zhou Rui thought it made sense. Logging in the dead of winter is physically demanding, and if the workers aren't well-fed and watered, the workload won't be able to keep up.

"How many temporary workers do you need? Can you give our village a few more slots?" Zhou Rui asked with a grin.

"You little rascal, I'm talking to you about meat, and you're talking to me about temporary worker positions," Zhang Zhenbei said with a laugh, seemingly scolding, but actually looking at Zhou Rui with even greater respect. He was a man with a conscience; even after becoming wealthy, he was still thinking about the villagers.

"In previous years, your village had ten slots. This year, you tell your village chief you want twenty. Is that alright? But you'd better make sure you get some good meat, otherwise, if the quota isn't met, your uncle, the deputy farm manager and logistics director, will be in big trouble."

"Okay, Uncle, just say how much you need per month. I'll do everything I can to get it for you." Zhou Rui put away his playful attitude.

"A minimum of 2,000 kilograms per week, the more the better. From the time it snows and the temperature drops until the ski slopes are frozen solid, this will continue for at least four months."

That means about 10,000 catties of meat a month. This is not something one person can do alone. You need to ask your master and senior brothers for help, otherwise you won't be able to handle such an enormous fortune.

Zhou Rui roughly estimated that a team of five should be able to complete the task, but they couldn't travel back and forth, otherwise all the time would be wasted on the road.

"Sure, but I need a vehicle. After I hunt and come down the mountain, I'll find a place to call the forestry station, and you'll need to send a vehicle to a designated location to transport it back."

After everything was agreed upon, Zhou Rui even skipped going to the supply and marketing cooperative to make purchases and headed directly to Wangjiazhuang in another direction.

"Ruiwa, what brings you here? It's so cold. If I hadn't come back yesterday, you would have made a wasted trip. Drink some hot water to warm yourself up."

Wang Shouye personally poured Zhou Rui a cup of hot water. Although they hadn't known each other for long, he liked this youngest apprentice very much. He was intelligent, quick-witted, and had a calm personality; he was practically a born hunter.

"Uncle Wang, it's like this, I just got a big job at the forest farm, and I can't do it by myself, so I had to ask you for help."

"What kind of work?"

"Xiangyang Forest Farm has a heavy workload this winter. The forest farm canteen needs a lot of meat, 10,000 catties every month. Director Zhang of the logistics department assigned this task to me."

"Ten thousand catties, such a huge quantity. How much is that?" Even Wang Shouye was a little excited about such a large order.

This is nothing like the huge order for animal hides that Old Xing placed; those were all based on luck. This is about hunting ordinary wild animals—any meat will do. Besides, it's a task for the national forestry farm, so there's absolutely no policy risk.

"From the time the snow freezes the wooden slide to the time the snow melts in the spring, it takes at least four months. Earning 80,000 or 90,000 yuan by then shouldn't be a problem."

"However, I don't know where there are so many wild beasts, so I need your information. Besides, the two of us can't do it alone, we also need to call our senior brothers."

"Alright, at least you still remember your senior brother. I'll inform them." Wang Shouye was very pleased, feeling that he had made the right choice in taking this disciple. He was loyal and righteous, and he would always bring his own people along when there was an opportunity to make money.

"You haven't eaten yet, have you? I'll tell your sister-in-law to cook right away. My son and I are going to have a good drink." Wang Shouye was happy, and when he was happy, he had to drink, otherwise he wouldn't be able to get over his excitement.

"No, Uncle Wang. I didn't tell my family I was coming today. I heard the news at the forest farm and came straight here to find you. I have to hurry back, otherwise I'm afraid my younger siblings will worry."

Wang Shouye knew about Zhou Rui's family situation, and there was really nothing he could do about it.

"Alright, then come over for dinner next time when you're free. Your aunt isn't home this time; she's helping my daughter with her postpartum care. In our family, your aunt is the best cook."