Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

"Young man, have you been waiting long? We had some things to finish up, which took up a lot of time." Bald Bear waved and shouted as he saw the man standing alone in the snow outside the village from afar.

"Big Bear, you're here?" Zhou Rui greeted them.

"Come on, young man, let's find a sheltered spot and see what you need." Big Bear took the canvas backpack from his subordinate.

He had already inquired in the village and knew that Zhou Rui was a hunter who could go up the mountain, had money, and could buy the goods from him.

Zhou Rui followed Da Xiong to a sheltered spot, where a group of burly men were outside shielding them from the wind.

Big Bear turned his canvas backpack upside down and dumped everything inside onto the snow. There was no money inside; it seemed he had moved it elsewhere. And judging from his rude manner, he didn't seem to care about the jewelry.

Zhou Rui casually picked through the items on the ground with one hand. A bronze mirror, looking rather rustic, was acceptable. A silver lock, quite ordinary, looked like something from a commoner's shop; he wouldn't take it.

Silver dollars seem very valuable now, but they don't seem to be worth much in future years, so I don't want them.

There was a jade bracelet that Zhou Rui vaguely remembered from his childhood; he'd seen his grandmother wear it. However, after looking at it, he felt the bracelet wasn't of good quality and wasn't anything special.

After much deliberation, Zhou Rui only asked for a gold necklace, a white jade hairpin, and a bronze mirror.

"Is that all?"

"What, aren't you going to look at anything else? This bracelet is a real gem; it used to be worn by wealthy families. And these silver coins, five dollars each, hold their value well. You can pass them down as family heirlooms."

"No, I don't like them," Zhou Rui casually declined. "These are all from the Zhou family, what about the Chen family?"

As Big Bear stuffed the silver dollars into his schoolbag, he replied, "They didn't give any of their land. The Chen family has many relatives, so they can easily raise enough from each family."

Zhou Rui stroked his bald chin and muttered, "I didn't expect Chen Qiang's family to be so well-liked, much better than Zhou Dashan's, with so many relatives willing to help."

After a while, Zhou Rui stood up: "Alright, the money and goods are settled, that's all for now, take care, Brother Xiong."

Zhou Rui wanted to go home. He was really worried about Zhou Ping taking care of the two babies at home.

"Young man, it's been a pleasure doing business with you. If you need my help next time, just come to town and mention my name; you'll find me easily."

"Sure, I'll contact Brother Xiong if I need anything," Zhou Rui replied casually. He didn't really want to deal with the people at the casino. If he wanted to buy something, he had Tong Lei, the rich old man in Hongxing Town, and Old Man Lang as his connections.

At Zhou Rui's house, Xiao Niangao and Yan'er were playing on the kang (a heated brick bed). Zhou Ping sat on the edge of the kang watching the two children, but his eyes didn't focus on them; he felt a little anxious.

The door opened, and Zhou Ping immediately stood up.

"Second brother, are you alright?"

Zhou Rui smiled slightly. "What could possibly happen? You know how skilled I am. Besides, I'm carrying a gun."

"That's good. What do you want to eat today, Second Brother? I'll make it." Zhou Ping put aside his worries and took the initiative to cook.

Zhou Rui casually placed the things he had bought on the kang (a heated brick bed) and took off his coat.

"Let's have a simple lunch, and I'll take you to catch toads this afternoon." Zhou Rui was in a good mood, having witnessed his uncle's family's misfortune and also gained something extra.

"Really?" Zhou Ping's eyes lit up with surprise. "But toads are so hard to find in winter; they're all under the ice, so we might not be able to find them."

"It's alright, Second Brother is here, we'll definitely find it." Zhou Rui thought to himself, he has a knack for finding the Northeast Forest Frog, isn't it a piece of cake?

Watching Zhou Ping leave, Zhou Rui felt relaxed, and he could finally enjoy the days when he could be waited on hand and foot.

*Sob sob*

Zhou Rui turned his head and saw that, at some point, Xiao Niangao was lying on Yan'er's lap, her socks pulled out, and she was gnawing on her toes.

"Oh dear, you're actually nibbling on your sister's feet? Are you hungry or something?"

Zhou Rui grabbed Xiao Niangao by the collar and pulled her up. Xiao Niangao smacked her lips, seemingly savoring something. Then she grinned, a trickle of drool running down her cheek. Looking closer, Yan'er's feet were soaked.

Yan'er's bare feet made her a little uncomfortable, and she kept shaking her legs. She also kept reaching out to Zhou Rui, wanting a hug.

Zhou Rui took off his shoes and climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed). At that moment, he felt that playing with the two children was much more fun than hunting or anything like that.

The two dolls were great in every way, except they drooled a lot. When they were crawling on Zhou Rui and playing, they soaked his clothes underneath.

"Waaaaah..." An'an ran in crying, followed by three guards.

"What's wrong?"

An'an kicked off her shoes and quickly climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Brother, it hurts here, it hurts here."

Zhou Rui looked at the back of An An's head, which she was pointing to. He touched it and found a large bump. Zhou Rui quickly blew on it.

"What happened to you? Did someone hit you?" Zhou Rui asked while wiping away his tears. What he feared most was that An'an had been bullied outside.

"On my way home, there was a slope over there, and I slipped and fell. Boom, my head hurts so much."

Whew… Zhou Rui breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he wasn’t bullied by the villagers, that was good.

"Come on, let your second brother blow on it for you. Hoo... hoo..." Zhou Rui coaxed gently. Perhaps this breath wouldn't stop the pain, but psychological comfort was important.

"Does it still hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore, Second Brother." An'an nestled in Zhou Rui's arms, quietly enjoying his tenderness.

"Ouch, who's pulling my pants?" An'an turned around and saw Yan'er holding onto An'an's pants with one hand, her little hand gripping them very tightly.

"Little Yan'er, let go! My pants are about to fall down!" An'an held onto her pants tightly with both hands, trying to pry Little Yan'er's hands off, but she was afraid of hurting her little hands, so she didn't dare to do it.

Zhou Rui found it somewhat amusing, so he simply stretched out a finger and carefully poked Yan'er's hand a few times.

Yan'er thought Zhou Rui wanted to play with her, so she let go of An'an's pants and held Zhou Rui's fingers in her hand.

An'an breathed a sigh of relief, rushed forward, and kept poking at Yan'er's armpits and chest with her fingers.

"Yan'er, you little rascal, I told you not to pull on your aunt's pants. Are you going to pull them again? Are you going to pull them again?"

Yan'er giggled and wiggled around as An'an amused her, but the little girl couldn't escape the clutches of the devil.

"Alright, An'an, stop teasing Xiao Yan'er. She's so small, you don't want her to laugh herself sick." Zhou Rui stopped her, stroking the doll's chest and abdomen to calm her down.

He had gone to great lengths to borrow this doll, so he couldn't let An'an break it.