Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

Zhou Rui stir-fried several pounds of cured pork for dinner, but barely added any cabbage as a side dish. Then he went to the village to buy tofu and made a tofu stew with fish; the two large fish weighed about ten pounds in total.

Afterwards, they took two bottles of Xinghuacun wine and, together with Zhou Ping, each carried a large basin to the educated youth settlement.

The male and female educated youth at the settlement were all stunned. Although Zhou Rui had told them that afternoon that he would cook a dish to thank them for their help, he hadn't expected it to turn out like this.

Each of them would only prepare a few dishes at most, bringing over a few plates. Unexpectedly, Zhou Rui even used an enamel washbasin, piling it full of fish and meat. Zhou Ping, being younger, slipped and almost spilled some soup, startling the male educated youth who quickly caught it.

"Zhou Rui, you're too kind. We...we don't know what to say."

"If you don't know what to say, then don't say anything. We're just thanking you for your generosity. You've had your fill of food and drink." With that, Zhou Rui took out two bottles of Xinghuacun liquor from his coat and placed them directly on the table.

"Good food is no substitute for wine, so you all need to put in your best today."

"Then we won't stand on ceremony. Come on, sit down with us." Meng Huaiyuan was delighted; he hadn't eaten so well in a long time, and today he could fill his stomach just by eating meat.

"I won't sit down. So much happened at home today, the kids were terrified. Next time, I'll definitely have a couple of drinks with you all."

After saying that, Zhou Rui left without giving the educated youth a chance to stop him.

"Hey, why are you leaving so soon? Have something to eat before you go."

Meng Huaiyuan felt a little regretful that he couldn't keep Zhou Rui, since Zhou Rui was considered one of the more generous people in Jiaolongxia Village. If he could have gotten along well with him, he would have been able to eat meat more often in the future.

"Xu Jun, why are you sneaking a bite all by yourself? Everyone else hasn't even sat down at the table yet."

Several educated youths quickly turned around and saw Xu Jun eating the vegetables with his hands, only to be caught red-handed by Yang Ping.

"Honestly, how can you be like this? So selfish, so unhygienic, don't you even let people eat?" He Wei, a girl from Beijing, was also a little angry, feeling that Xu Jun came from a small town and his character was questionable.

"Alright, stop talking. Everyone grab your bowls and chopsticks and start eating." Meng Huaiyuan chimed in, trying to smooth things over.

Seeing that the educated youth team leader had spoken, they had no choice but to put aside their anger for the time being, since the aroma emanating from the two large basins was particularly enticing.

At Zhou Dashan's house, no one was in the mood to cook; they all just stared at each other, wide-eyed. Zhou Jiutian and Zhou Dashan's two pipes were constantly puffing out smoke, making everyone else in the house cough.

The group sat in the same way as last time; there were still so many people in the house, except that Zhou Chen was replaced by the second son, Zhou Ji.

Zhou Ji is two years younger than Zhou Chen, and he's eighteen this year. They're equally selfish and equally lazy, but Zhou Ji is a bit smarter and better at hiding his true feelings.

From the start of spring's busy farming season until the autumn harvest, he stayed at his brother-in-law's house, using the excuse of learning carpentry from him, and constantly freeloading off his brother-in-law. He only returned home after the autumn harvest was over and the village distributed grain.

His brother-in-law wasn't without objections, but he had to put up with it because he married Zhou Yun, who was ten years younger than him.

"Honey, what should we do now? I was terrified when I was arrested in town last time. Luckily, a deputy factory director stepped in, and I was only detained for a few days. But this time..." Tian Xiuying's tears fell.

"It's all your fault for spoiling him. Otherwise, with food and drink at home, why would he go to that little beast Zhou Rui's house to steal things?" Zhou Dashan scolded Tian Xiuying angrily.

"Zhou Dashan, you heartless bastard, how can you blame me? It's all because you kept telling Chenbao that Zhou Rui's things were his, that's why he went to his house to take them. And now you're blaming me."

It seems Zhou Dashan's family is unaware of Zhou Chen's gambling debts and still believes he's simply jealous of Zhou Rui and trying to steal from his house. Little do they know, an even bigger bombshell awaits Zhou Rui tomorrow.

"Alright, stop arguing. If you ask me, we should take something to Zhao Youzhi's house and have him handle it directly with the village, instead of reporting it to the town." Zhou Jiutian's thinking still revolved around personal connections; as long as the matter didn't leave the village, it could be suppressed.

"Dad, it might not work. Nobody can control that little bastard Zhou Rui now, and that old geezer Zhao Youzhi is on good terms with him, so he won't listen to us."

Although Zhou Dashan was greedy, he still knew some principles. He himself knew that ever since Zhou Rui and he had fallen out in the first half of the year, the village chief had never looked at him kindly.

"Then give us more money. I don't believe Zhao Youzhi doesn't like money." Zhou Jiutian banged on the table loudly.

"If you ask me, let's not bother looking for anyone else. We already spent so much money saving him last time. Money doesn't grow on trees," Zhou Ji grumbled, unhappy. He felt that all the family's money should be his share, so why should it only be spent on Zhou Chen?

"What did you say? That's your own brother. Blood brothers, how can you say that?" Zhou Dashan's eyes widened, about to explode with anger.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Ji stood his ground and wasn't afraid at all.

"So what if he's your own brother? Even your own brother can't squander the family's money. I have a share of all the money you've saved, and I'll get half of it when you die. Why should it all be spent on him? Your second uncle is your own brother, and you still coveted his house after he died, didn't you?"

"You unfilial son, how dare you talk to your father like that? I'll beat you to death!" Zhou Dashan stood up, picked up his pipe, and was about to swing it at Zhou Ji's head. He was furious because his son had hit a sore spot.

"Why are you hitting Ji'er again? He didn't do anything wrong!" Tian Xiuying was like an angry tiger. The eldest son was already locked up, so she couldn't hit the second son too.

Zhao Xiumei listened with a bitter taste in her mouth, her body swaying precariously. These were the sons and grandsons the old man had raised—each one selfish and self-serving. Could such people truly care for them in their old age? Perhaps her husband had really made a mistake.

After being stopped, Zhou Dashan took a few puffs of his cigarette and finally made up his mind.

"No, we still have to find someone. Xiuying, give me some money and some dry food. I'll borrow a bicycle and go to the county town tonight to find Lao San. I'll drag him back tomorrow morning if I have to, so he can keep Zhou Rui and Zhao Youzhi in check. As long as we can keep things quiet and not report them to the commune, Chen'er will be fine."

"Will this work? The third son is so cold-hearted, he's not close to anyone. He rarely comes back to the village, leaving his parents at home without a care." Tian Xiuying was very worried.

So selfish people only see the selfishness of others; in the past, only Zhou Rui's father was truly honest.

"It has to be done, otherwise Chen'er will be completely ruined. If he doesn't agree, I'll make a scene at his workplace, saying he's unfilial and doesn't want to take care of his parents."

"Dashan, are you trying to offend Dashu by threatening him like this? He's become quite capable now, working as a laborer in the county. If you offend him, your third son won't help you anymore." Zhou Jiutian was still trying to persuade him, not wanting his two remaining sons to turn against each other in the future.

"Never mind, he's never cared about his family as long as I don't offend him. This is my last chance, I can't worry about anything else."