Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

Qian Fulai cried out in pain, tried to get up and shout, but Zhou Rui kicked him again, and he swallowed his voice back.

Then, whenever Qian Fulai tried to shout, Zhou Rui would either slap him or kick him, silencing him completely.

After being beaten repeatedly, Qian Fulai finally realized that Zhou Rui already knew about Zhou Chen and the other two stealing from his house and was waiting there. As long as he kept quiet, he wouldn't get beaten.

"Zhou Rui, what exactly do you mean?" Qian Fulai squatted on the ground, holding his head, his face upturned in a defiant manner.

Zhou Rui looked up at his front door, which was still empty and the door was closed properly.

"I heard from people in town that the police station has been cracking down on criminals recently. People who steal large amounts of property will be sentenced to prison or labor reform, and those who commit more serious crimes will be shot. I wonder if some of them will ever get out of prison."

Qian Fulai watched Zhou Rui speak to thin air, but what he said filled him with fear.

"I didn't steal anything, why are you telling me this?" Qian Fulai was stubborn as a mule, refusing to back down verbally.

"I didn't say you stole it, but someone else is stealing, right? If the person who stole the money gets caught and reveals that there were accomplices, wouldn't they be considered an accomplice? I wonder if that person can find any witnesses to prove that they have nothing to do with this."

Qian Fulai squatted on the ground, trembling uncontrollably, filled with fear as he thought about Zhou Rui's words about sentencing and target practice. But what did his next words mean? Did he not want to arrest him and wanted him to find someone to vouch for him?

Qian Fulai's eyes darted around, unable to understand. But he didn't shout or yell; this wasn't the time to be about loyalty. Continuing to talk about loyalty would land him in jail.

Qian Fulai, seeing Zhou Rui with his back to him, gritted his teeth and suddenly ran towards the village, only daring to turn back after running quite a distance. He saw that Zhou Rui completely ignored him and slowly walked towards his house, where three figures were already vaguely visible.

Qian Fulai didn't dare to look any longer and ran forward quickly. He wanted to leave this place as soon as possible, and everything that happened here had nothing to do with him.

Unbeknownst to him, this was precisely Zhou Rui's scheme. Not only did he intend to send a few people to jail, but he also wanted to completely dismantle the relationship between the three families, turning them into dogs fighting amongst themselves.

What Qian Fulai saw, Zhou Rui also saw: Zhou Chen and the other two came out of the house, their faces covered with a piece of bluish-gray cloth. Judging from the color and condition of the cloth, it was clearly torn from the same piece of clothing.

He was covered in cured meat, and his family's several half-grown hens were tied with ropes and carried in his hands, along with his rifle, which was slung over Zhou Chen's shoulder.

The three of them were in high spirits, laughing and joking with each other, and didn't even see Zhou Rui return.

As the group walked to the fence and were about to climb over it, they heard a loud shout: "Stop thief!"

Then seven or eight hard snowballs came crashing down on him. Zhou Rui had prepared these beforehand, poured hot water on them, and placed them outside.

The group immediately squatted down, covering their heads, and dropped everything they were holding.

"Help! Catch the thief!" Zhou Rui shouted as he threw Xue Tuanzhang around. His voice was very loud and had a strong penetrating power.

Finally, Zhou Rui's shouts had an effect. People from the neighboring educated youth settlement gradually came out, some of them carrying sticks and spatulas.

Zhou Rui achieved his goal; these educated youth were the best witnesses. Not only were they educated, but they also had no connection with the villagers, and even the brigade cadres had little influence over them.

Seeing this, Zhou Rui shouted even more enthusiastically.

"Down with the bad elements! Down with the thieves and robbers!"

"Where? Where is the thief?"

"There's commotion at Zhou Rui's house over there, let's go help them quickly."

A noisy sound came from nearby and grew closer.

Zhou Chen and his two companions were in excruciating pain when they were hit in the face, but when they heard the noise, they quickly stood up and tried to escape.

But Zhou Rui wouldn't let them have their way. Anyone who tried to escape would be smashed in the shin with a block of ice.

The unluckiest one was Chen Dabiao. He had already climbed up the fence, which was about a meter high, when Zhou Rui threw a lump of ice at him. Chen Dabiao's legs buckled, and he immediately fell down. With a crash, he crushed a section of Zhou Rui's courtyard wall.

At this moment, the nine male and female educated youths from the settlement had rushed over. Seeing the masked men by the fence, they immediately started swinging their weapons at the three men's heads. They used whatever they had: brooms, spatulas, sticks, and firewood.

Bad elements must be dealt with as harshly as enemies. These bad guys stole from Zhou Rui's house this time; next time they could steal from the educated youth compound. For our own safety, we can't be lenient.

This was the consensus among these educated youth; there was nothing to discuss.

The three thieves were beaten so badly they were clutching their heads and screaming in pain. These people were much more ruthless than Zhou Rui had been. Another one had his head broken open, and blood was flowing down his face.

"Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me! I'm not a thief. I'm Zhou Rui's cousin. I came to my cousin's house to pick up some things."

"You're talking nonsense. What cousins? I've never seen Zhou Rui have any dealings with any cousins. Besides, what cousin would sneak into someone else's house like this, masked and waiting for no one to be there? You're asking for a beating."

Upon hearing Zhou Chen's words, Yang Ping's fiery temper flared up instantly. What did they think of them, these educated youth? Were they fools? So easily deceived?

The educated youth squeezed into the courtyard through the gap and became the main force beating up the thief, while Zhou Rui became an outsider.

Zhou Rui followed the educated youth stealthily, without making any further moves, but quietly moved the Mauser rifle to a safe place with his feet.

This gun is Zhou Rui's prized possession; he couldn't let these brave educated youths trample it. Luckily, he had already hidden the bullets, otherwise it would have been quite dangerous.

Meng Huaiyuan, Wei Dazhi, and several other male educated youths hit very hard, seemingly to vent their frustration from being tired and hungry during the past few months in the countryside. Fortunately, they knew their limits and avoided vital areas, hitting their thighs and backs instead.

Led by Yang Ping, the female educated youths became completely haphazard in their attacks. They picked up their weapons and began to wield them wildly, indiscriminately beating anyone they saw, regardless of whether it was a vital spot or not.

Even Lin Qiuyue, who usually seemed gentle, transformed into a tigress, excitedly charging forward with a feather duster in hand. Her hair flew wildly across her flushed face, and a bead of sweat appeared on the tip of her nose.

Zhou Chen and his companions were beaten until they rolled on the ground, begging for mercy, but none of the other educated youth paid them any attention. Finally, the newly arrived female educated youth, He Wei, knocked off Chen Erbiao's face mask with a broom.

"Stop!" Meng Huaiyuan shouted, then used a stick to pry Chen Erbiao up, making him lie on his back.

"Chen Erbiao? You're Chen Erbiao from the third production team." Meng Huaiyuan's tone shifted from doubt to direct certainty.

"Ah, Chen Erbiao, the village thug? Who are the other two?" Yang Ping asked in surprise.

Upon hearing Yang Ping's question, Wei Dazhi stepped forward and ripped off both of their face masks.

"Zhou Chen, Chen Dabiao!" The veteran educated youth were all shocked, while only the newly arrived educated youth were still confused.