Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

"No, no. Give me some more time, let me think of a way. I'll talk to my dad and try to raise as much money as possible. Even if it's not enough, I'll borrow some from the village office, okay?"

Zhou Dashan pleaded pitifully with Brother Xiong, tears welling up in his eyes. Even if the house was taken away, his parents could still stay with Lao San; Zhou Dashu couldn't really abandon them. But the four of them would have nowhere to go.

He knew his father; he must have some other assets, not just what he had shown.

Big Bear waved his hand dismissively, knowing exactly what they'd squeezed out of him. They were the kind of people who wouldn't shed a tear until they were faced with the ultimate problem, hiding their true intentions until the very last moment.

Zhou Dashan pulled Zhou Jiutian into the house. Tian Xiuying wanted to follow, but Zhou Dashan stopped her and she gave up the idea after talking for a while.

Zhou Rui could see clearly that although Tian Xiuying was usually loud and assertive and always at the forefront, Zhou Dashan was still the one in charge at home.

Although the main character was gone, everyone waited patiently without the slightest impatience. The villagers were still whispering among themselves about how much money Zhou Dashan's family could come up with and what Zhou Jiutian's assets were.

Some people are discussing how to educate children, but they must not be like Zhou Dashan, spoiling their children, and they must not gamble, or the whole family will be ruined.

Zhou Dashan and his son stayed inside for a long time before finally dawdling out.

The two approached Brother Xiong, took out a black bundle, and peeled it open layer by layer, revealing a stack of banknotes on top and jewelry and silver coins underneath.

"Little abacus, keep the accounts." Big Bear gestured with his bald head.

A burly man stepped out from behind, took out a notebook and pencil from his pocket, and prepared to take notes.

Zhou Rui never expected that these burly men were all talented individuals, not just mindless thugs.

Next, the group formed a small circle and spoke in much lower voices. Even Zhou Rui's hearing could barely make out what they were saying, but he knew they were haggling over the jewelry.

Zhou Rui didn't leave, wanting to see what kind of items he could find in Da Xiong's hands.

Zhou Dashan was no longer afraid. He argued fiercely with Da Xiong over a piece of jewelry, haggling over every penny.

Big Bear wasn't annoyed. Collecting debts is collecting debts, and business is business; they are two different things.

Finally finished calculating, Little Abacus handed the ledger to Big Bear. Big Bear glanced at it casually and then showed it to Zhou Dashan.

Zhou Dashan didn't waste any time. He pulled Zhou Jiutian aside and started counting on his fingers, realizing that even a small amount missing would be a loss for their family. Especially seeing the money and that huge bundle of jewelry being stuffed into someone else's arms, his heart bled.

Finally, after the two had calculated the amount, Zhou Dashan nodded in agreement, and then Brother Xiong spoke up: "We still owe one hundred and thirty-six yuan and fifty cents. How are you going to pay the rest?"

"I'll go find the village chief and ask him to borrow some from the village office for me. Please wait a moment." Zhou Dashan gritted his teeth, squeezing out the words.

Since the bulk of the money has already been paid, a little more won't make a difference. He just wants to get this over with as soon as possible; the longer it drags on, the more humiliating it will be for his family.

I wonder how Chen Qiang's family is doing? Only the eldest son in my family borrowed money, but his two sons together probably borrowed more than my family.

Zhou Dashan was just about to go to the village office when he was met with a devastating blow.

Several other people from other villages came over from Chen Qiang's house, pushing through the crowd to reach Da Xiong.

"Brother Xiong, the Chen family's accounts have all been settled. The total amount, including the loan and interest, is 666 yuan, and it's all here."

The man handed over a canvas backpack, which was bulging. Big Bear only opened it and glanced at it before tossing it to Little Abacus.

"What? His family only owes six hundred and sixty-six yuan? How is that possible? How could the two of them borrow so little?"

"And how did they pay off their debts? How much furniture did they take with them? I don't believe it."

Zhou Dashan was indignant, and his voice grew louder and louder. He simply couldn't believe that Chen Qiang's family owed less money than his family, and that they were paying it off much faster.

"Who the hell do you think you are, calling yourself 'I'?" The newly arrived burly man saw Zhou Chen speaking to his boss like that, with a somewhat ferocious expression, and couldn't help but want to slap him.

Big Bear reached out and stopped the new recruit: "Hey, don't you dare lay a hand on him. This is one of our big customers. He lost a little money today, so it's normal for him to vent his frustration."

Big Bear understood that the man was feeling resentful. They both had sons who gambled, so why were other families better off than his?

"Why aren't you going to find the village chief yet? What are you dawdling about here for? I want to go back as soon as possible." Although Big Bear didn't want his men to beat Zhou Dashan up, he didn't spoil him too much either.

Zhou Dashan's attitude softened instantly after being intimidated by the bear. He tucked his tail between his legs and trotted toward the village's brigade headquarters.

Seeing that Zhou Dashan had left, Da Xiong smiled and walked towards Zhou Rui.

"What's up?" Zhou Rui asked, holding the little rice cake in his hand as it reached out.

Everyone else was a little scared when they saw Big Bear's appearance, but Little Rice Cake was attracted by the man's bald head and wanted to touch the glowing thing.

"Are these your dolls?"

"Hmm." Zhou Rui didn't know what Da Xiong meant, but he still responded.

"I just received some jewelry and a longevity lock for a baby from your uncle. Do you want it?"

Zhou Rui gave Big Bear a look: "We'll talk about it when you leave the village. I'll wait for you at the village entrance."

Zhou Rui had no interest in watching any further; his uncle's family's fate was sealed. They had emptied their savings and were in debt to the village for the famine. In recent years, they had been barely able to make ends meet and had to tighten their belts to survive.

The eldest son, Zhou Chen, is already ruined, and the second son, Zhou Ji, is also implicated by his family and may not be able to find a wife. No good girl would marry into a family that is both poor and has a bad reputation.

Zhou Rui scanned the crowd and quickly found his third brother, Zhou Ping. He walked over and whispered a few words in Zhou Ping's ear, and Zhou Ping took off running.

Zhou Rui led the two children slowly out of the village. There were almost no pedestrians on the village roads. So most of the people who went out had gone to watch the excitement at Zhou Dashan and Chen Qiang's houses.

Zhou Rui arrived at a very remote place outside the village. Soon after, Zhou Ping came over, first taking out a wad of money, and then handing him a pistol.

Zhou Rui opened the gun case and glanced at it; it was full of bullets. He then lifted his coat and tucked the gun behind his waist.

Little Rice Cake and Wild Goose were transferred from Zhou Rui to Zhou Ping.

"Second Brother, will you get into trouble for making a deal with those people?" Zhou Ping turned around and let Zhou Rui tie the straps around his body.

"It's alright, these guys at the casino are pretty law-abiding. They only asked you to bring a gun in case of any accidents." Zhou Rui chuckled. "Take them both home and wait for me there."

"Okay, then Second Brother, hurry back."

"Okay, be careful on the road, don't let my precious nieces fall." Zhou Rui patted the snowflakes off Zhou Ping's shoulder.

In Zhou Dashan's yard, Zhou Dashan had already borrowed money from the village chief, collected all the IOUs, and burned them all in the yard.

Seeing that there was no excitement to be had, the villagers dispersed.

Seeing that everyone had left, Wang Xinghua pulled Zhao Dazhu home, but after taking a couple of steps, she felt something was wrong and turned back.

"Honey, weren't you supposed to go to Ruiwa's house to pick up Yan'er? Where is she?"

"Oops." Zhao Dazhu slapped his forehead. "I forgot because I was watching the fun. Hey, where's Ruiwa? She was just here!"

"He must have gone home. Go to his house and bring the child back," Wang Xinghua urged.

"Never mind, let's pick her up tomorrow. Yan'er wasn't home last night, so she slept very well without any noise. Honey, let's continue tonight."

"You scoundrel, we're out here, don't talk nonsense."