Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

Although it's been very cold these past few days, Zhou Rui estimated that it was minus 20 or 30 degrees Celsius outside, but it's not good for everyone to stay indoors all the time.

Taking advantage of the bright sunshine, Zhou Rui wrapped An'an and Xiao Niangao up tightly and took them out into the yard for some fresh air.

Little Niangao was alright; since she couldn't walk anyway, and was dressed so thickly, she couldn't move. She could only stay obediently in Zhou Rui's arms.

An'an was quite something; the moment she came out, the dogs in the yard suffered. Mao Mao was very cautious; as soon as she saw An'an coming, she lay down on the ground, one paw covering her head, and refused to get up.

An'an tried her best to drag Mao Mao, but Mao Mao, weighing over 100 pounds, wouldn't budge.

Having no other option, An'an set her sights on Maoqiu, Maotuan, and Maodou. A chase ensued in the yard, with An'an's short legs making the three puppies run for their lives, sometimes slipping and sliding off the ground.

"Brother Rui." "Second Brother."

Zhou Rui turned his head and saw Chen Huaihua bringing Xiao Huaishu to their door. Her clothes were a bit thinner than An'an's family's, and she was carrying a fish basket. Her little face was red from the cold.

"Why did you all come over? It's so cold, and the temperature has dropped these past few days. Little Locust Tree has just recovered from its illness; it should rest at home..."

Before Zhou Rui could finish speaking, Chen Huaihua pulled the little locust tree down and knelt down with a thud, her head hitting the ground with a crisp sound.

"Thank you, Brother Rui, for saving my brother." "Thank you, Second Brother, for saving me."

"What are you doing? Get up, get up! It's so cold on the ground!"

Zhou Rui lifted the two of them up one after the other with one hand to prevent them from bumping into each other.

Seeing that she couldn't kowtow anymore, Chen Huaihua had no choice but to pull the fish basket over and hold it with both hands.

"I heard that An'an likes to eat frogs, so I caught some. I hope Brother Rui won't mind."

Zhou Rui glanced into the basket; there weren't many frogs, maybe only thirty or forty.

But in the dead of winter, Zhou Rui knew very well how difficult it would be to get such a large number of forest frogs, since Chen Huaihua didn't have Zhou Rui's perception abilities.

Even with just this little bit, Chen Huaihua herself might have to brave the cold wind and spend several days to gather it up.

Zhou Rui stared silently at the frail girl before him, not daring to speak. He was afraid that if he did, his voice would be hoarse.

Zhou Rui silently extended his right hand and steadily took the fish basket.

Chen Huaihua immediately smiled, glad that Zhou Rui hadn't refused. She had been quite worried, afraid that Zhou Rui wouldn't like her things.

"Come on, let's go inside. It's so cold outside, aren't you worried about the little locust tree getting cold?"

Hearing Zhou Rui's somewhat reproachful words, Chen Huaihua was not unhappy at all; on the contrary, her smile became even brighter.

"Okay, Rui-ge."

After saying that, Chen Huaihua took the little locust tree's hand and followed behind Zhou Rui, but her back view was so tall.

After entering the house, Zhou Rui handed the little rice cake to An'an. Although An'an loved to play, she was a very competent aunt and did her best.

Zhou Rui poured two glasses of hot water for the two of them and added some sugar. He watched as Chen Huaihua took off her tattered cotton gloves, revealing hands covered in chilblains.

"Is the little locust tree completely cured?"

"Alright, Uncle Changhai's medicine is really good. I'll be fine in a few days." Chen Huaihua was very happy, feeling that Zhao Changhai's medical skills were excellent.

In fact, Zhou Rui and the others all knew that the day Chen Huaishu was rescued was a brush with death; whether he survived was entirely a matter of luck. The medicine was the same, nothing particularly better, but little Huaishu was just incredibly resilient.

"It's good that you're better now. But Xiaoshu, you can't be too reckless in the future, and you should avoid dangerous places."

Little Locust Tree nodded vigorously as he drank his sugar water. He listened to Zhou Rui's words because Zhou Rui was his idol, excelling at everything he did. He greatly envied Zhou Ping for having such a brother.

Zhou Rui chatted for a while longer, giving some instructions, before picking up the fish basket. In that short time in the room, the forest frogs inside began to thaw, leaving a puddle of water on the floor.

"Little Locust Flower, you and Little Tree sit here for a while and watch over An'an and Little Rice Cake for me. I'm going to clean up the frog and make you something delicious later."

"Let me help you, Brother Rui." Chen Huaihua quickly got up.

"No need, do you not trust my skills?" Zhou Rui pretended to be unhappy, feeling underestimated.

"No, no, I just wanted to help." Chen Huaihua quickly waved her hand, her dark red chilblains looking rather jarring to Zhou Rui.

"Alright, you two stay with An'an and Xiao Niangao. I can finish these chores in a bit."

Chen Huaihua watched Zhou Rui's retreating figure, her eyes welling up with tears. He was the kindest person to her in the village, besides her relatives.

Seeing that Chen Huaihua was staring at the door without moving for a long time, Xiao Huaishu softly asked, "Sister, what's wrong?"

Chen Huaihua snapped out of her daze, looking somewhat flustered: "No, I wasn't looking at anything. I was just wondering how Brother Rui would cook the frog, because An'an likes to eat it."

When An'an heard Chen Huaihua mention her, she turned her head and said, "My second brother cooks everything delicious, I like it all. I can swallow a whole frog in one big bite."

Chen Huaishu clapped his hands and nodded, completely agreeing with An'an's words.

Seeing that there was nothing for her to do, An'an turned back to look after Xiao Niangao. Xiao Niangao had taken off her outer clothes inside the house and was quite lively on the kang (a heated brick bed). She had to keep a close eye on her, or she might fall off the kang.

Chen Huaihua picked up the cup and sipped the hot water, taking small sips. "Mmm, it's definitely sweet because it has sugar in it; the sweetness goes right to my heart."

Zhou Rui worked quickly. He thawed and cleaned the frogs, then stewed them in a pot with potatoes and soybean paste. He also took a string of cured pork from the roof, sliced ​​it into thick slices, and stir-fried it with some cabbage stalks, letting the aroma of the cured pork permeate the cabbage.

Zhou Rui was a bit lazy when it came to the only staple food; he put some dried noodles in the pot—a whole tube of them, which was the most convenient.

When Zhou Rui brought the food into the house, everyone was given a full bowl of noodles. Lin Wa poured the thick broth over the noodles, and the aroma immediately filled the air.

"Eat up." Zhou Rui pushed the bowl towards Chen Huaihua and the little locust tree.

"Shouldn't we wait for Pingwa to come back so we can eat together?" Chen Huaihua didn't pick up her chopsticks immediately, but asked Zhou Rui in a low voice.

"Don't worry about that wild child; he won't come back until very late."

A clear, childlike voice rang in Chen Huaihua's ears. She turned her head and saw that it was An'an speaking. But was she talking about her third brother? Chen Huaihua was somewhat surprised.

Zhou Rui grinned. An'an had heard him say things before and was now imitating him. However, these words weren't just directed at Zhou Ping; An'an and Zhou Ping had both said them in the past.

"Eat up, An'an is right. There's plenty of noodles at home, he won't go hungry."

The meal was very enjoyable. Zhou Rui kept putting meat into Chen Huaihua and Xiao Huaishu's bowls, otherwise the two of them wouldn't have dared to pick up their chopsticks.

Children who have lost their parents always live very cautiously, for fear of being disliked by the villagers.