Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

Zhou Rui hadn't even finished dressing when Zhou Ping dragged him out the door. Seeing that something had happened in the village, Zhao Dazhu and his wife also followed behind Zhou Rui and the others, carrying their two children, heading towards Liu Ping'an's house.

On the way there, Zhou Rui learned about the whole incident through Zhou Ping's intermittent description.

Liu Ping'an's uncle, who works as a technician at the county machinery factory, returned to the village a couple of days ago and went to his cousin's house for a chat today. Then someone stirred things up, saying that Xu Liying was immoral in the village, having affairs and disgracing the Liu family of Jiaolong Gorge.

So, Liu Yuanchao, having drunk some horse urine, stormed home, determined to kick Xu Liying out of the house and forbid her from staying in Jiaolongxia Village.

So Liu Ping'an and Liu Shunli, along with Liu Yuanchao and a group of Liu clan members, are now facing off at their doorstep. However, due to their young age and numerical disadvantage, they are already on the verge of defeat.

Seeing that things were going badly, Zhou Ping frantically searched for Zhou Rui, hoping to get him to come to the rescue.

"Where are the village officials? Why don't they stand up for justice and just let them cause trouble like this?"

"The village chief and accountant went to the forest farm to register people. Wasn't it you who relayed the message?"

"The women's director, Director Yang, went back to her parents' home to visit her nephew after her younger brother had a baby. Militia Captain Zhao said he only cares about the militia and doesn't concern himself with the village's domestic affairs."

Zhou Rui nodded, understanding. The Liu family was stirring up trouble, and with the village officials absent, they became increasingly arrogant. Other villagers either remained indifferent, or simply watched the spectacle in the dead of winter, and no one dared to intervene.

Before Zhou Rui even got close, he heard words like "bitch," "slut," and "whore" coming from ahead, along with things like "throw him out" and "drown him in the pond." The language was filthy and the intentions were extremely malicious.

Zhou Rui slowly squeezed through the crowd from the back and saw about ten people standing in the courtyard, cursing loudly at Liu Ping'an's door and yelling for Xu Liying to get out.

Liu Ping'an and Liu Shunli, one holding a pitchfork and the other a wooden stick, were trembling with anger, their teeth clenched, but they couldn't utter a word.

Liu Ping'an's uncle, Liu Yuanchao, had a dark face and stared fiercely at Liu Ping'an and his brother, letting his cousins, nephews, and nieces-in-law hurl insults at him.

After Zhou Rui parted the crowd, before anyone could react, he kicked one of the loudest young men, sending him sprawling face-first to the ground.

Honestly, this grown man spoke even more rudely than a woman throwing a tantrum. Zhou Rui couldn't bear to watch; his feet were itching with rage.

Before everyone could react, Zhou Rui led Zhou Ping directly through the Liu family and arrived in front of the Liu brothers, patting them on the shoulders with admiration.

"Zhou Rui, you little beast, how dare you hit my son! What are you trying to do?"

A mean-spirited middle-aged woman helped the young man up and began to hurl insults at him. The young man sobbed, covering his mouth, which was scraped raw and bleeding from the ground.

"His breath stinks, let me wash it for him."

Zhou Rui grabbed a stool from the side, wiped the blood off it with his hand, and sat down with an air of nonchalance.

Liu Yuanchao found Zhou Rui's behavior very strange. He hadn't been back for more than half a year, and in his memory, Zhou Rui was just a little kid hiding behind his father and older brother.

He had heard about the passing of Zhou Rui's father and elder brother, but he didn't know that Zhou Rui had grown up to be able to take charge of the family and act so domineeringly in front of so many people.

"Ruiwa, this is my family matter. What are you doing here?"

Zhou Rui crossed his legs: "Oh, is this a matter for your family or your Liu family? If it's a family matter, go back inside and talk behind closed doors. If it's a Liu family matter, shouldn't we invite an elder of the Liu family over?"

"If this involves issues like houses and land, then it's a matter for the entire production brigade. Shouldn't the brigade leaders come over, and all of us villagers be involved?"

Liu Yuanchao never expected that his words would provoke so many rebuttals from Zhou Rui, and that Zhou Rui's words were so clear and logical that no one could find fault with them.

"Zhou Rui, what do you mean? What business is it of yours what our Liu family's affairs are?" Liu Yuanchao's third cousin jumped out, pointing at Zhou Rui, trying to tell him to mind his own business.

Liu Yuanchao turned his head to look. His third cousin, Liu Chuang, had a bad temper and was not very reasonable. When did he start arguing after his son was beaten?

"I wasn't talking to you, I was asking about Liu Yuanchao." Zhou Rui picked at his ear with his index finger, his face full of disdain.

"This is a matter for my Liu family." Liu Yuanchao thought for a moment, emphasizing the word "Liu" slightly.

"Alright. In that case, Liu Qingguo, go and call your Liu family elders here." Zhou Rui stood up and shouted to Liu Qingguo, who was watching the commotion outside.

Zhou Rui was too young, and others might not necessarily listen to him. However, Liu Qingguo had gone hunting in the mountains with him a few times and was quite convinced of Zhou Rui's abilities, so Zhou Rui could only give him orders.

"Before the clan elders arrive, I don't think there's anything to argue about, so as not to waste my breath."

After Zhou Rui finished speaking, he sat down again, blocking the doorway with a nonchalant attitude.

Liu Yuanchao, considering himself a vocational school graduate and a technician at the county machinery factory, naturally couldn't act like an ordinary person and make unreasonable demands.

Liu Yuanchao's cousins, nephews, and nieces seemed to have some reservations and did not step forward to attack, but just cursed from a distance, but Zhou Rui pretended not to hear them.

Within minutes, three elders of the Liu family arrived, and other members of the Liu clan and a large number of villagers also came after hearing the commotion. The snowy weather and sub-zero temperatures couldn't dampen their enthusiasm for gossip.

Liu Erye, who worked as an accountant in a wealthy family before the founding of the People's Republic of China, was considered a relatively educated man and was the leader of the three. The other two were Liu Wuye, the village's old bricklayer, and Liu Fugui's father, Liu Qiye.

"What's going on?" Master Liu glanced at both sides.

Liu Yuanchao's lips twitched, but he didn't say anything. He didn't want to make a scene that everyone would know about, but for some reason, after drinking two cups of horse urine and being egged on by others, things had gotten to this point.

When Zhou Rui saw the Liu clan elders arrive, he stood up, no longer behaving like a carefree scoundrel. After all, they were his grandfathers, and he couldn't act arrogantly anymore.

"Grandpa Liu, it's like this. Liu Yuanchao, for some reason, tried to drive my aunt and the two brothers, Ping An, out of their house in broad daylight and seized their property and land..."

"I didn't, don't talk nonsense. I only said that my sister-in-law should remarry and leave my house. I didn't say that I wanted to kick Ping An and Shunli out."

Liu Yuanchao quickly interrupted Zhou Rui, not wanting to be slandered for no reason. Zhou Rui's words were extremely venomous.

Zhou Rui ignored Liu Yuanchao: "Ping An, Shunli, and I are very close friends in the village. They're young and haven't had much education, so I'll introduce them to you. Is that alright?"

"Sure. As Ping An's brother, it's only right that you're here." When the bricklayer Liu Wuye was building the educated youth settlement, he was always next to Zhou Rui's house. He saw Zhou Rui and his family quite often and knew how Zhou Rui supported his family. He also admired Zhou Rui.

When Liu Erye heard what Lao Wu said, he didn't object, but nodded in agreement with what Liu Wuye said.

"Then tell me, Yuanchao. Why did you kick your sister-in-law out of the house?" Master Liu asked Liu Yuanchao expressionlessly, after all, he was the source of the matter.

"Because...because..." Liu Yuanchao hesitated for a long time before he could say anything.

"What's the matter? A grown man, dawdling like this, and you call yourself a technician?" Old Master Liu was getting impatient. If this were on a construction site, and his apprentice couldn't say anything for a while, he would probably smash him with a brick.

"Because my sister-in-law is unfaithful and cheated on me." Liu Yuanchao managed to utter the sentence only after his face turned red.