Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

What are you talking about?

Zhou Rui pushed open the door and came in, drying his wet hair with a towel. He saw several people laughing and joking around. In the process, some of their clothes were lifted up, revealing their glaring white skin.

"No, it's nothing, it was just, it was just a joke," Yang Ping quickly explained, unaware that she was stuttering as she spoke.

Zhou Rui hung the towel on the rack, picked up the watch on the table and saw that lunchtime had already passed. No wonder he was starving.

"Sister-in-law Xinghua, and Qiuyue, you and the others, come eat at my house. I'll go cook right away." Zhou Rui said, glancing at the female educated youths with a questioning look in his eyes, as if asking what they wanted to eat.

But to his surprise, Lin Qiuyue and the others avoided eye contact, none of them dared to meet his gaze, and no one responded to his words.

"Oh dear, it's so late, and my Dazhu hasn't eaten yet. I need to hurry back and cook." Wang Xinghua wasn't shy like Lin Qiuyue, but she was the one who started the discussion about Zhou Rui, so she felt a little awkward in front of him.

"Sister-in-law Xinghua, don't bother cooking, just call Brother Dazhu over to eat."

Zhou Rui was still calling after her, but Wang Xinghua acted as if she hadn't heard him. She picked up Xiao Yan'er and walked away, her steps so fast that even a rabbit couldn't catch up.

"Cough cough... Zhou Rui, you must have used up a lot of energy saving people, and the water under the ice was freezing cold. You can't see anything now, but you can't overexert yourself."

You usually cook, but you should rest today. I'll cook.

Yang Ping spoke sincerely, as if she truly cared about Zhou Rui's well-being.

"It's nothing, I'm strong and have plenty of stamina. I only swam for a few minutes, and apart from the water being a little cold, it was nothing." Zhou Rui clenched his right fist and punched his chest twice to show that he was in good health.

Upon hearing Zhou Rui's words, Yang Ping, Lin Qiuyue, and Yu Sitian couldn't help but think of what Sister Xinghua had just said, and their eyes involuntarily swept over Zhou Rui from head to toe.

He was strong, physically fit, and had a V-shaped torso. Zhou Rui had just finished showering and was wearing thin clothes, revealing his powerful muscles, exuding a strong masculine aura.

It's so hot, so incredibly hot. Zhou Ping must have used so much firewood to heat this kang (heated brick bed), what a waste! Lin Qiuyue thought to herself as she quickly got off the kang and fanned her face a few times with her delicate white hands.

"It's a bit hot inside. I'll go cook."

"I'll go help too, Qiuyue, I'll help you chop vegetables." Yu Sitian moved quickly and followed Lin Qiuyue out of the inner room.

Zhou Rui felt something was off. Why was he acting like he was running away when he was just cooking? It was a bit abnormal.

But then, realizing something was wrong, he saw that someone was still there, staring intently at his waist. Zhou Rui looked down; there was nothing there!

Yang Ping felt that Zhou Rui's lowered head seemed to indicate that he had noticed her subtle movement, and she immediately felt a chill run down her spine.

"Zhou Rui, you should lie down and rest properly. I'll go help Qiu Yue and the others cook. They're too slow, I'm afraid you'll go hungry."

Without waiting for Zhou Rui's reply, she left, leaving Zhou Rui with a huge question mark on his head and the two clueless children on the kang (heated brick bed). Seriously, the kitchen is so small, can four people even stand still?

Zhou Rui shook his head. Well, it's perfect that he doesn't have to cook. He can finally be lazy and be a pampered old man who doesn't lift a finger.

"Come here, An'an, let your second brother give you a hug." Zhou Rui stretched out his hands to An'an on the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Second brother, are you tired? Have you caught a cold? Do you have a fever?"

Unexpectedly, An'an didn't let him hug her. Instead, she asked a series of questions and touched Zhou Rui's forehead.

"Come on, second brother, sit here."

An'an stood on the kang (a heated brick bed), about the same height as Zhou Rui. She pulled on Zhou Rui's shoulders and pressed him down to sit on the kang.

"Second brother, are you thirsty? Let me pour you some sugar water."

"Second brother, are you tired? Let me massage your shoulders."

"Second brother, are you hungry? I'll give you my pastry."

Zhou Rui felt like he'd been given a windfall; what kind of divine treatment was he receiving today?

There are three younger brothers who boil water for bathing, three fairies cooking for him in the kitchen outside, and a little fairy pouring water and giving him a massage inside the house.

This is the life of a winner! It's the treatment of an ancient landlord!

Zhou Rui was so overwhelmed with happiness that he lay down next to Xiao Niangao, feeling dizzy, and fell asleep while smelling the baby's milky scent.

"Alright, alright, dinner's ready."

The door to the inner room was pushed open, and Lin Qiuyue, Zhou Ping, and three others each brought in a dish. It was a rather sumptuous meal of three dishes and a soup.

"Snoring...snoring..."

The four of them saw this scene as soon as they entered.

Zhou Rui sprawled out, taking up most of the kang (a heated brick bed), with Xiao Niangao (a child) lying on his chest, while An'an sat beside him, her hands still on his shoulders, but her head had slumped down and rested on his arm.

The three people's snoring rose and fell in waves, creating a rather melodious sound.

The group gently placed their bowls on the table.

"What should we do? They're all asleep. Should we wake them up?" Yu Sitian looked at the others.

Lin Qiuyue pondered for a moment: "Let's wake him up. After all, Zhou Rui must have used up a lot of energy saving people, and his stomach must be empty. Let him get up, eat something, and then go back to sleep."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ping immediately stepped forward and nudged Zhou Rui. As soon as Zhou Rui stopped snoring, as if it were a signal, all three of them woke up at the same time.

"Mmm, it smells so good. Did you make fish soup?" Zhou Rui held the little rice cake in his arms with one hand and helped An'an with the other, slowly sitting up.

"Hmm, it's crucian carp soup. I added extra pepper. Drink more of it later." Lin Qiuyue placed a bowl full of fish soup in front of Zhou Rui.

"Thanks."

"Ah, ah... donkey..." Little Rice Cake pointed at Zhou Rui's bowl.

"Wow, Little Rice Cake can talk! But it's not a donkey, it's a fish, a fish." An An was very happy, she didn't expect Little Rice Cake to be able to talk, although it wasn't very clear.

"Do you want fish soup?" Zhou Rui looked down at Xiao Niangao.

"Um... donkey, donkey." Little Rice Cake was very persistent.

"Pfft, I didn't expect your little rice cake's first words wouldn't be 'Mom and Dad,' nor 'brother' or 'sister,' but 'fish.' Looks like he really loves to eat it."

Yang Ping started teasing.

"Yes, I didn't expect it either. People in our family usually start talking late, around a year or a few months after they turn one. I never thought that Xiao Nian Gao would start talking before he was even a year old."

It seems food is the most appealing thing; she'll definitely be a little foodie in the future.

Zhou Rui felt a pang of sadness as he looked down. The little guy's first words weren't "Mom" or "Dad," so it seemed he knew he had no parents from birth.

"Come on, everyone, don't stand up, sit down and eat together."

Zhou Rui looked up, smiled, and greeted Lin Qiuyue and the others, his inner weakness immediately hidden.