Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

"There were 34 in total, so it shouldn't weigh more than 10,000 jin. After all, the internal organs and offal were discarded, so it's at least 2,000 to 3,000 jin lighter."

Wang Shouye estimated that there should be eight or nine thousand catties, which would almost complete a month's task.

"That's good too. After this, you can rest for a few days. But how are we going to get all this back?"

"Tomorrow, the three of you stay here, and Ruiwa and I will go down the mountain together. He will find a place to call the forestry station and ask them to send a vehicle. I will go to Xiamou Village to find the village head, offer him three pigs as payment, and ask the villagers to come and haul them down the mountain for us."

Zhou Rui nodded inwardly; this was the smart thing to do. Although he had the forestry station's mission as an excuse, he had hunted a large amount of meat on someone else's territory. If he tried to take it back without paying a price, he would offend them.

"Sixth Uncle, three pigs weigh a thousand catties, and we had a lot of trouble killing them," Wang Zhen said somewhat reluctantly.

"You brat. If someone brings back so many wild boars near our village, our village won't get a single benefit. What will you do if you find out?"

Instead of directly lecturing, Wang Shouye changed the subject.

"I'll get a bunch of brothers to deliberately cause trouble. If they make a move, we can just block them from leaving?" Wang Zhen suddenly realized.

As evening fell, three plump piglets were chopped in half and placed on the fire, sizzling and dripping with oil. Before anyone even started eating, bottles of liquor were already being passed around among the people.

Camping in the wild in winter is better than in summer. The entrance to the snow house is sealed off, making it very safe. No one needs to keep watch at night, and everyone can drink as much strong liquor as they want.

The roast suckling pig wasn't cooked yet, and Zhang Shitou quietly disassembled his hunting rifle and cleaned it. Shooting today felt uncomfortable; the trigger felt clunky, making his aim much worse. Although his marksmanship was only average.

Each part was wiped clean with leather before being assembled. The process wasn't very fast, but Zhang Shitou was very serious about it.

Click, ding... Click, ding...

Zhou Rui had very keen ears; he heard Zhang Shitou pull the trigger twice, and something seemed off.

"Third Senior Brother, can I take a look at your gun?"

Zhang Shitou turned to look at Zhou Rui, and although he was puzzled, he still handed the double-barreled shotgun to Zhou Rui. He thought this junior brother was quite good; he was hardworking, strong, and especially good at marksmanship, much better than his senior brother.

Zhou Rui took the gun with both hands. It was an IZH-49 double-barreled shotgun. The surface was very old, but the wear and tear was still clearly visible. Zhang Shitou had taken great care of it; there wasn't a speck of dirt on it.

Zhou Rui held the gun to his ear and pulled the trigger; now the sound was much clearer. He then placed the gun on his knees, and with a series of clicks, the parts were quickly removed—much faster than Zhang Shitou.

After disassembling everything, Zhou Rui examined each part in front of the firelight, turning them around to observe them. He found that most parts were severely worn, the springs had problems with elasticity, and the firing pins had slight deformation.

After reassembling the shotgun, Zhou Rui handed it back to Zhang Shitou: "Third Senior Brother, get a new gun after you sell all the pork this time. This gun is too old and no longer suitable."

Zhang Shitou didn't blame Zhou Rui for meddling, but he was a little reluctant.

"You don't want it anymore? It cost over a hundred yuan, and you've only used it for a few years."

Zhou Rui patiently explained to Zhang Shitou, "This gun was already used when you bought it. Judging from the wear on the barrel, it must have been used for quite a while by the previous user."

Most of the parts are severely worn, making them prone to jamming and inaccurate. My suggestion is to switch to a rifle with a higher capacity and longer firing range.

Ideally, it would be a Type 56 semi-automatic rifle. If you and your second brother each had one, that's three rifles and thirty rounds of ammunition; the cannonballs wouldn't even get close.

"I told you two to switch guns a long time ago, but you just wouldn't. If we had three Type 56 semi-automatic rifles today, the three of us could stand in a row and just start shooting," Gu Shaofeng chimed in, adding his own words of advice.

"The main problem is that the rifles are too expensive," Zhang Shitou muttered under his breath.

At this moment, Wang Zhen walked over and handed the hunting rifle in his hand to Zhou Rui: "Junior brother, can you take a look at this for me too?"

Zhou Rui didn't refuse. He took it and looked at it. It was a Beretta double-barreled shotgun, and it was a little different from Zhang Shitou's. Zhang Shitou's IZH-49 had the double barrels side by side, while Zhang Shitou's Beretta had one barrel above the other.

Click, click, click—it was completely disassembled in just a few minutes. Zhou Rui carefully examined each part by the light of the fire, without deliberately being perfunctory.

"Your gun isn't doing too well either. Although the wear and tear on the parts is different, the major parts are about the same," Zhou Rui said as he assembled it.

"It works fine as long as it's usable, there's no need to switch to a rifle, right? The main problem is that my marksmanship isn't very good. A double-barreled shotgun can fire a large number of bullets with one shot." Wang Zhen admitted his weakness. His main skill is setting traps, and he rarely hunts with a gun, so he prefers this kind of shotgun that can shoot a large number of bullets.

"Let's switch. Money isn't an issue. This time, the income should be over ten thousand, and you'll each get about two thousand, which is more than enough to buy rifles."

Zhou Rui said to Wang Zhen and Zhang Shitou.

"And there's an old saying that goes, 'A skilled craftsman must first have the right tools.' For example, if you two had two good guns this time, you might have been able to hunt a few more wild boars, which would have earned you several hundred dollars more."

"Don't you think so? If we do this a few times, we'll make a lot of money. And when you go up the mountain alone in the future, a good gun will ensure your safety to the greatest extent."

"That's right, that's what I think too. Junior Brother is absolutely right." Gu Shaofeng nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Gu Shaofeng hadn't known Zhou Rui for long, but he felt an instant connection with him. Not only was Zhou Rui a great marksman, but he also had a very pleasant way of speaking.

Wang Shouye raised the bottle and took a swig: "Ah ha... This time I'll listen to Ruiwa and get two good guns. We'll be wandering around the mountains for a few months this time, so the sooner we get the guns, the greater the benefits."

"After we get the wild boar down the mountain tomorrow, I'll go ask Old Xing if he has any Wu Liu Ban or Da Ba Li like mine. Shao Feng and Rui Wa should also try to find some connections to ask around."

When Wang Zhen and Zhang Shitou heard their master speak, they naturally did not object, since Wang Shouye was considering the interests of everyone.

Zhou Rui and Gu Shaofeng both nodded in agreement. Zhou Rui's approach was naturally through the forest farm, and Gu Shaofeng, who was currently using a Type 56 semi-automatic rifle, naturally had a place to buy guns.

"Come on, stop talking, the roast suckling pig is ready. This time we used the spices that Junior Brother brought, so the flavor is unique." Gu Shaofeng distributed the meat to everyone, and of course, the first portion was given to Wang Shouye.

With a good meal, the mood is naturally different. Everyone eats meat and drinks wine heartily, and no one cares if grease drips onto their clothes.

As the moon rose higher, the noise finally subsided, leaving only the dark red campfire outside the snow hut.

In the middle of the night, Zhou Rui was awakened by the urge to urinate. He got dressed and pushed away the ice blocks at the entrance of the cave.

Whew... It's really cold. Zhou Rui couldn't help but shiver.

Shh... That feels so good.

Zhou Rui pulled up his pants, looked up at the stars and moon in the sky. The clear weather made the snow bright and clear.

I wonder what it would feel like to activate my senses at this moment.

As soon as Zhou Rui had a thought, his senses instantly activated, scanning the vast land with even greater clarity.

Huh... what's that in that direction?