Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

After thanking the young man, Zhou Rui rode his bicycle inside. With the young man from the security department pointing the way, the logistics department was easy to find, and Zhou Rui arrived in just a few minutes.

Outside the logistics department of a row of bungalows, a middle-aged man with a large belly was standing.

"Zhou Rui, right? Come over here, I've been waiting for you." Zhang Zhenbei greeted Zhou Rui with a big smile.

When Zhou Rui heard Zhang Zhenbei say this, he pushed his bicycle over and set it up: "Uncle, my family sent me to visit you and brought you a pheasant." As he spoke, he picked up a smoked pheasant from the back of the bicycle.

Although Zhang Zhenbei was asking Zhou Rui for a favor this time, Zhou Rui, having lived for so long in his previous life, still understood the ways of the world. While Zhang Zhenbei was merely a director at the forest farm, his influence was considerable, and befriending such a person would only benefit Zhou Rui.

Zhang Zhenbei was naturally pleased to see how adept Zhou Rui was at handling things. It wasn't because pheasants were particularly rare; Zhang Zhenbei had eaten all sorts of things while tending this sunny forest farm. Rather, he appreciated Zhou Rui's keen eye for detail. Dealing with someone like him was easy and would prevent any trouble later.

"You're here, why bring anything? What do you have here? Come on, let's sit in my office for a bit and have some water." Zhang Zhenbei said, carrying the pheasant in one hand and pulling Zhou Rui into the house with the other.

The room was simple, with just a desk, two chairs, a bookcase, and a telephone on the desk. Zhang Zhenbei asked Zhou Rui to sit down and personally poured him a glass of water. Zhou Rui quickly stood up and took the enamel cup with both hands. Zhang Zhenbei nodded to himself, thinking, "He's well-mannered."

"Zhou Rui, I already told your village chief that this spot costs eight hundred yuan. The price is a bit low, but I didn't pay for it, so I have no right to say anything. Consider it an advantage I'm giving you. Your village chief is my elder, so I promised him that you could name any other conditions you have, and I would do everything I could to help you."

It seems this job opening is really important to Director Zhang, Zhou Rui thought. Actually, this job was originally intended for the son of a former city leader. The former leader's son was of working in the countryside, but the former leader was too proud to use connections, so he approached Zhang Zhenbei and got this job instead. Besides, finding a relatively easy job at Xiangyang Forestry Farm wouldn't be difficult.

"Uncle, there's no question of taking advantage or not. I know that a job in the city is only worth this much, and eight hundred yuan isn't a small amount. It's just that I do have a personal need, and I was thinking that I don't just want the money. I'd like to exchange it for something else from you, Uncle. I'm just sorry to trouble you, Uncle Zhang." Zhou Rui didn't try to string Zhang Zhenbei along just because he was in a hurry. He spoke directly, but his words were much more pleasant to hear.

Zhang Zhenbei listened and pondered for a moment, thinking that exchanging things was fine, as long as it was something he could get his hands on, and if there really wasn't anything else, there was nothing he could do.

"Okay, just tell me what you want to exchange. If I have something, I'll get it for you. If I don't have anything, I'll try my best to find it for you."

"Uncle, you know my family's situation. I'm the biggest breadwinner now, and life is really tough with the work points from the village. That's why I was thinking of begging for food in the mountains. This pheasant is one I shot with a slingshot." Zhou Rui glanced at the pheasant on the table as he spoke. "But with this slingshot, I can only shoot small things. I can't hit anything bigger, even if I see it. Not to mention, if I encounter a wild animal in the mountains, that would be dangerous. I was wondering if the forest farm has any retired hunting rifles. I'd like to buy one."

Zhang Zhenbei thought for a moment. Because the forest farm was close to the Russians to the north, for security reasons, the comrades in the security department had all been equipped with the new Type 56 semi-automatic rifles. The firearms that were taken out were not scrapped and were all in the logistics warehouse.

"Alright, our forest farm has indeed phased out a batch of firearms. We have Hanyang rifles, Type 38 rifles, Mauser rifles, and double-barreled shotguns. What do you need?"

"Can I take a look first?"

"Come on, I'll take you to the warehouse." Zhang Zhenbei didn't hesitate, took a key from the drawer and walked out. Zhou Rui quickly followed behind.

The logistics warehouse was located behind the office. A large door, over two meters wide, opened to reveal a warehouse overflowing with supplies: cotton coats, quilts, gloves, chainsaws, shovels, and other tools. Zhang Zhenbei didn't linger; he went straight to a small door on the side of the warehouse, unlocked it, and a strong smell of gun oil wafted out. Zhou Rui had smelled this odor countless times in his past life, and it remained vivid in his memory.

Turning on the light, a row of firearms was neatly arranged on a shelf against the wall, some new, some old, but all well-maintained. It seemed the forest farm hadn't simply discarded these weapons because they were no longer in use. Zhou Rui stepped forward, examined them one by one, and finally selected a Mauser 98K that was almost brand new.

The Mauser 98K was the king of rifles during World War II, renowned for its precise bolt action, exceptional accuracy, and deadly precision. Zhou Rui had owned one in his previous life. He stroked the gun, his eyes filled with fascination. It was just a pity that the scope was missing.

"What, you like this gun?"

"Uncle Zhang, is it okay?" Zhou Rui asked in a low voice.

"Sure, why not? Here's what we'll do: this gun, along with the remaining 300-odd rounds of ammunition, I'll give it to you for 500 yuan. How about that?"

"Yes, that's great. Uncle Zhang, thank you so much."

"However, there are some issues with the paperwork for this gun, so it still needs to be registered with the forestry station. I'll issue you a certificate later, making you a temporary purchasing agent for the forestry station. That way, you can legally possess the gun. But there will be no salary; it will only prove that you legally possess this gun."

Zhou Rui was stunned by this unexpected surprise—a temporary purchasing agent for the forest farm! With this position, Zhou Rui was less likely to be investigated by the speculation and profiteering authorities when he was out with his prey, because purchasing agents at the forest farm had legitimate purchasing quotas. "Uncle, I'll do whatever you say. I have no objections."

"Okay, is there anything else you need? I'll take care of it all for you." Director Zhang liked obedient children, so he pretended to be generous.

"I see there are still cotton-padded coats and quilts in the warehouse. Can I exchange them for a couple?"

"Okay, no problem."

And so, Zhou Rui spent another 140 yuan to buy a military-style cotton overcoat and three cotton quilts. The overcoat cost 50 yuan, and the quilts 31 yuan—a great deal! The overcoat would cost 80 yuan on the market, and they weren't even available. The quilts would cost 40 or 50 yuan, and you'd need cloth and cotton coupons. Zhou Rui had been worried about not being able to buy them, but now everything was perfect. He would wear the overcoat himself for hunting in the mountains during the winter. He and An'an would share one of the quilts, Zhou Ping would share another, and the remaining quilt would be dismantled to make cotton-padded coats for An'an and Zhou Ping.

And so, after signing the certificate for the transfer of his job, Zhou Rui, carrying his temporary purchasing agent certificate and gun license, plus 160 yuan, wrapped his Mauser rifle in his military overcoat and tied it to the back of his bicycle with a quilt, and then rode his bicycle out of the gate of Xiangyang Forest Farm.