Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

Watching Zhou Rui run away, Zhao Dazhu picked up the hat that Zhou Rui had thrown on the ground. It was still wet and couldn't be worn.

"Pingwa, don't worry. Look how fast your brother can run, he's bound to be alright."

Zhao Dazhu came over and patted Zhou Ping's thin shoulder.

"Yeah, I know. How could something happen to my second brother, who's so amazing?" Zhou Ping nodded vigorously. His second brother was the most amazing person he had ever met in the village.

"But I still need to hurry back to boil water for my brother. He must be freezing and needs a hot bath." With that, Zhou Ping ran off.

"Remember to make a bowl of ginger soup for your brother to warm him up," Zhao Dazhu shouted from behind.

"knew……"

The men who had been scattered in the various ice caves to guard the children, as well as the children who were being watched, all gathered together at this time.

"Damn, Zhou Ping's second brother is awesome. He just jumped down with a splash and pulled the locust tree out in one go."

"I didn't expect that Brother Rui is not only good at using a slingshot, but also quite good at rescuing people."

"That's outrageous. Everyone else was still standing, and Rui Ge and Kuku took off their clothes and jumped into the water in this freezing weather. Let me make this clear, Rui Ge will be my idol from now on."

"Brother Rui has been my idol for a long time, and the sparrows he roasts are especially delicious." Liu Shunli's mouth watered just thinking about it.

Liu Pingan nodded vigorously, "That's right, Brother Rui is amazing. He managed to drive away all the relatives who bullied my mom, and he even made my second uncle cry. It's just that... he's not good at fishing."

A group of mischievous kids were excitedly talking about Zhou Rui, idolizing him to no end. They practically wanted to kill a chicken and burn paper money to form a righteous alliance at Jiaolong Gorge, and acknowledge Zhou Rui as their eldest brother, just like Chao Gai in the Water Margin.

Unlike the children's excitement, the adults revealed some lingering fear when they talked about it.

"This kid is too daring. He went into the water without any preparation. What if he gets a leg cramp from the cold water?"

"Yes, he's incredibly reckless, and without any guidance from his elders, he's too impulsive. Village chief, you should talk to him later and tell him not to be so impulsive next time."

Zhao Youzhi lit a pipe, took a puff, and calmed his heart, which had been in his throat.

"I'll talk to him properly. Being impulsive isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's important to be prepared. Look how murky the water is down there, you can't see anything at all. If Dazhu's pole hadn't hit him, Ruiwa might not have made it back."

"Hey, Dazhu, it seems Zhou Rui got the first credit, and you got the second? Not bad, not bad." Immediately, an elder patted Zhao Dazhu on the back twice.

"What's the big deal? I could do it too! I think Zhou Rui just loves to show off. He was just lucky this time, otherwise he and Chen Huaishu would both be dead in the pond. Would we still be able to eat fish next year?"

Chen Xueqin was somewhat indignant, wondering why Zhou Rui was always the one who stole the spotlight.

"What the hell did you say? Ruiwa went to save someone, and you dare to curse him like that? I'll fucking kill you."

Zhao Dazhu and Zhou Rui were on good terms. When he heard Chen Xueqin making sarcastic remarks about Zhou Rui, he was so angry that he rushed up to slap him.

"Stop! I'm still here! Do you think I'm dead?"

As soon as Zhao Youzhi spoke, the people next to him quickly pulled Zhao Dazhu back, otherwise Zhao Dazhu would really slap him, which would make the village chief lose face.

"Look at you, you hit people just because they say a few words to you. This is how our Zhao family elders taught you. Go back and copy the Zhao family precepts ten times. You're not allowed to leave the house until you've finished copying them."

Zhao Dazhu was a member of the Zhao family, so Zhao Youzhi naturally criticized him first. Chen Xueqin was secretly amused, never expecting that just by saying a few words, he could get Zhao Dazhu, who was on the same side as Zhou Rui, punished.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Youzhi turned his head and said, "And you too. Zhou Rui jumped down to save someone. Regardless of his ability, he did it to save someone, which is an act of bravery that the country advocates."

Moreover, the person he saved was your cousin, a member of your Chen family. Not only did you not help, but you also spoke ill of him behind his back.

I think your ideological education is seriously flawed. How can someone like you join the pure militia? I don't think you need to stay in the militia anymore.

"No, I just..." Chen Xueqin panicked upon hearing this and immediately tried to argue.

Zhao Changshan quickly pulled Chen Xueqin behind him before pleading with Zhao Youzhi for mercy.

"Sir, please don't be angry. Don't you think this punishment is too harsh? Xueqin was just a little talkative, he didn't mean any harm, it's not that serious..."

"What do you mean it's not that serious?" Zhao Youzhi waved his hand dismissively, his attitude unusually stern. "Is he just being talkative? He has moral problems. Can someone like that join the militia?"

Of course, I don't have a one-man show; this isn't something I can decide alone. Once we get back to the village, I'll convene a meeting of the brigade committee and require all members of the brigade headquarters to vote on the matter.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xueqin knew he was doomed; he had offended the village chief. The village chief proposed not making him a militia member, and apart from Uncle Changshan, no one in the team headquarters dared to help him.

"That's settled then. Zhou Shumin, you and Changshan keep an eye on things here and get the fish back to the village as soon as possible. I need to go to the clinic first to see how Xiaoshu is doing. I can't stop worrying about him."

"Alright, I'll keep an eye on things here myself. You go ahead, village chief."

Zhou Shumin had been observing coldly, waiting to see what Chen Xueqin, who was always causing trouble, would do. It wasn't until he saw Zhao Youzhi deal with Chen Xueqin that he finally felt relieved.

"Serves you right, you always target the most powerful junior in my Zhou family right now." Zhou Shumin cursed inwardly.

"Sir, you go ahead. I'll keep an eye on things here, I guarantee nothing will go wrong." Zhao Changshan had no chance against Zhao Youzhi.

Zhao Youzhi was not only the production brigade leader, but also his uncle. Since he could no longer protect Bai Yueguang's son, he couldn't let him bring trouble upon himself.

Zhao Youzhi left after giving his instructions. Things were always going wrong these days. If the government hadn't banned feudal superstitious activities, he would have even burned some paper money to worship his ancestors.

Zhao Youzhi finally made it back to the village with small, hurried steps. He was sweating profusely from the journey. The ground was slippery, and he's getting on in years; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so out of breath over such a short distance.

After finally getting into the clinic, I saw Zhao Changhai busily preparing medicine, with two jars on the fire.

Chen Huaishu lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), while Chen Huaihua and Gu Dayong rubbed his palms and soles to help him quickly regain his body temperature.

"How is it?" Zhao Youzhi came up behind Zhao Changhai.

"He's alright for now. I gave him an antibiotic injection. I'll make him some ginger soup later to expel the cold from his body. He should take his medicine an hour later. But..."

"But what?"

Zhao Changhai leaned close to Zhao Youzhi's ear and spoke very softly.

"But we still have to see what happens tonight. The main problem is that the little tree has been underwater for too long and the cold air is too strong. It will definitely get a fever tonight. We'll have to see if it can survive."

As Zhao Changhai spoke, he kept glancing at Chen Huaihua, afraid that she might hear him and not be able to handle it.

Zhao Youzhi nodded without saying a word.

Then he straightened up from his bent back: "Okay, keep an eye on things here. If anything is missing, have someone get it from the town hospital. I'm going to check on Ruiwa; I wonder how that kid is doing."