Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

For the next few days, Zhou Rui lived a peaceful and regular life. He cooked and slept at home during the day, and patrolled at night.

However, since the day they captured those ruthless bandits, nothing has happened to their Jiaolongxia Village.

Perhaps because the news had spread and everyone knew that Jiaolongxia Village had a formidable patrol team that had wiped out even the most ruthless bandits, not even a fly passed by in the following days.

Zhou Rui was happy to slack off, figuring he might as well collect the work points. However, five days later, a notice came from above, and the patrol team finally ended.

That morning, Zhou Rui was in the yard grooming the mule's mane and cleaning it.

"Second Brother, is the big mule ready?" An'an handed Zhou Rui a towel and a brush.

Zhou Rui nodded: "Yes, it's all better now."

"Can I ride it?" An'an's eyelashes fluttered, full of anticipation.

An'an is getting bolder and bolder. From Mao Mao at the beginning, to Zhou Rui later, and now it's finally the turn of the big mule who has just recovered from his injuries.

"Why don't you ask it if it's willing?" Zhou Rui looked at the mischievous little brat, his lips curling up, almost bursting out laughing.

"What's its name? I want to ask it." An'an was eager to try after hearing what Zhou Rui said.

"Just call it Big Mule."

"No, it's polite to call them by their names. There are so many big mules, how would we know which one to call?" An'an stood with her hands on her hips, her eyes wide, very insistent.

Zhou Rui was stared at by a pair of bright, sparkling eyes and quickly gave in.

"It doesn't have a name yet, why don't you give it one?"

"Really? Second Brother, you really want me to name him?" An'an looked at Zhou Rui in disbelief, surprised by the unexpected surprise.

Seeing Zhou Rui nod, An'an jumped around happily. After her excitement subsided, An'an stopped, walked to the big mule, tilted her head and looked at it intently, and even reached out her little hand to pat the mule's thick, um, calves.

"This mule is so strong, let's call it Mao Dazhuang."

"But isn't Mao Mao and Mao Qiu the surname of their little dogs? Big Mule isn't a little dog."

"Puppies have a lot of hair, mules have a lot of hair, so they can both be surnamed Mao." An'an's logic was sound, and she wasn't influenced by Zhou Rui.

An'an was afraid that Zhou Rui would ask her some more difficult questions, so she bypassed Zhou Rui and stood in front of Mao Dazhuang.

"Mao Dazhuang, can I ride you?" An'an prayed, pressing her index fingers together.

She doesn't do that with Mao Mao; she just climbs onto his back. But she can't do that with the big mule; it's too high for her to reach.

After a short while, An'an turned to Zhou Rui and asked, "Second Brother, doesn't it want me to ride it? It won't lie down, so I can't get on."

Unable to resist An An's intense gaze, Zhou Rui could only reach out and stroke the mule's neck. Mao Dazhuang purred contentedly.

"The big mule agreed."

"Really? Its name is Mao Dazhuang now, not Da Luozi."

"Okay, okay. Mao Dazhuang agrees." Zhou Rui was a little helpless. Does having a name mean it's no longer a mule? He still couldn't understand the child's thinking.

"Come on, let me carry you up."

"Wait." An'an stopped Zhou Rui's hand as he tried to hug her. "I need to go get Xiao Niangao so she can ride a horse with me."

An'an hadn't forgotten her little niece when she got something good, which pleased Zhou Rui. However, he still rationally advised, "It's too high for Xiao Niangao to ride on Mao Dazhuang's back; she'll catch a cold if the wind blows on her."

"If you wrap her in a coat, she won't be able to move," An'an insisted on staying with Xiao Niangao.

Helpless, Zhou Rui had no choice but to go back inside. A short while later, the little rice cake, wrapped up tightly, was brought out, followed by Zhou Ping carrying a blanket.

Zhou Rui gave him a look, and Zhou Ping spread the blanket on the mule's back, adjusting it to make it balanced.

"Come on." Zhou Rui stuffed the little rice cake into An An's arms, then picked them both up and slowly placed them on the mule's back.

As soon as An'an sat on the big mule, she straightened her back, like a majestic knight. At the same time, she hugged Xiao Niangao tightly, her bottom wiggling forward.

"Mao Dazhuang, let's go, hurry up and go!"

Zhou Rui had no choice but to have Zhou Ping hold the reins while he helped An'an and Xiao Niangao walk out of the yard.

Mao Dazhuang shook his head, let out a low groan, and took a step forward, his hooves hitting the ground with a crisp clattering sound.

"Oh, let's go." An'an hugged her little niece with one arm and waved excitedly with the other.

Little Rice Cake echoed An An's laughter, patting the mule's neck with her little hands.

"Sister Qiuyue, Sister Yangping, come out and play! Come out and ride a big horse!" An'an shouted as they passed the educated youth compound.

Mao Dazhuang strode steadily, carrying two giggling little children on his back, his hooves clattering as he passed through the educated youth compound. The doors in the compound opened, and Yang Ping and Lin Qiuyue came out one after the other, followed by Yu Sitian and He Wei.

"Wow, An'an, are you riding your family's big mule?" Yang Ping exclaimed as she ran over, chatting with An'an over the fence.

An'an likes Lin Qiuyue and Yang Ping. Lin Qiuyue would hold her and tell her stories gently. Yang Ping would play with her and not mind that she was a little kid.

"Yes, look how high I am sitting. Its name is Mao Dazhuang, meaning strong."

Yang Ping pinched An'an's cheek: "Can I ride on it for a bit?"

"You're such a big person, can Mao Dazhuang carry you?" An'an hesitated a bit, she just wanted to show off in front of Yang Ping and Lin Qiuyue.

"Isn't its name Dazhuang? It'll definitely work. If it doesn't, then we can't call it Dazhuang."

An'an was a little confused by Yang Ping's words, but this was a name she had worked hard to come up with, and she couldn't let Yang Ping reject it.

"Okay, then come up here."

Seeing An'an's helpless expression, Yang Ping secretly rejoiced. She chuckled, climbed over the meter-high wall, and climbed onto the mule's back, sitting behind An'an.

"Yang Ping, be careful, don't let An'an and Xiao Niangao fall." Lin Qiuyue was startled and quickly called out.

"Pingwa, give me the reins."

Zhou Ping hesitated for a moment and glanced at Zhou Rui.

"Are you sure you can do it? Don't overexert yourself," Zhou Rui asked seriously.

Yang Ping nodded vigorously: "It will definitely work."

Zhou Rui took Xiao Niangao down and gestured for Zhou Ping to hand the reins to Yang Ping.

After grabbing the reins, Yang Ping shouted, "An'an, hold on tight! Giddy up..."

The mule trotted off in an instant. Although it wasn't as fast as a horse, it was about as fast as a bicycle.

An'an hugged the big mule's neck with both hands, her hair blowing in the wind: "Flying, flying..."

Zhou Rui watched An'an cheering on the mule's back, thinking to himself, "Perhaps this is the real An'an, yearning for the vast world outside."