Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

Gu Jiacheng walked to the spot where the dogs had stopped and also paused for a moment. He had also heard Zhou Rui's gunshot and knew there were people ahead, but he hadn't expected there to be so many.

There must be at least ten people here. What are they doing in this canyon in this freezing weather?

"Brother Jiacheng." A familiar voice rang out.

"Ruiwa." Gu Jiacheng smiled happily.

He collaborated with Zhou Rui twice, spending several days together. He really enjoyed being with Zhou Rui, whether it was fighting jackals or beating people.

Gu Jiacheng ran over, punched Zhou Rui, and then circled around the cannonball. He had only heard one gunshot, which meant that Zhou Rui had only fired one shot to take down the cannonball.

"You've got it! You blew the cannonball's eyeballs out right away." Gu Jiacheng gave Zhou Rui a thumbs up, praising his marksmanship.

"You've damaged the cannonballs and used up so much of your energy. By the time we got here, we weren't even moving fast."

"That's still better than me. I can't do a shot to the brain."

"Brother Jiacheng, where's Uncle Dayong? Why are you all alone?" Zhou Rui asked, puzzled. Had Gu Dayong sent Gu Jiacheng up the mountain alone?

Gu Jiacheng is not like me; he has no parents and no one to guide him.

"My dad? He's still up in the mountains." Gu Jiacheng pointed above his head.

"My dad and I set a trap on the mountain. This cannonball brought its whole family with it. It was tough and thick-skinned, and it ran far away with the bullets in its body. We chased it for a long time, and it exhausted me."

Gu Jiacheng was only familiar with Zhou Rui, which is why he talked so much with him; he wouldn't have said this much with other people.

"I chased him to the edge of the cliff and fired a shot. The cannonball rolled down the cliff but didn't die. It ran towards the village. So, I had no choice but to find a side path and follow it down."

"A few were left behind. Can your father handle them all by himself?"

"There's also an old sow and three little yellow piglets; after gutting them, they'll probably weigh over 600 jin (300 kg). The snow is so thick; my dad will have a hard time by himself. I still need to go back and help."

After Gu Jiacheng finished speaking, he turned and left. He knew that Zhou Rui was a man of principle, and that there was no harm in leaving the cannonball there.

Zhou Rui grabbed Gu Jiacheng's shoulder: "I'll go. You've run so far, you must be tired. Besides, we made some food there, go and eat a bit and rest."

Gu Jiacheng followed Zhou Rui's finger and saw a large bonfire not far away, with a big pot on top.

"You're something else. Instead of staying home in the dead of winter, you bring your whole family out to enjoy the wind." Gu Jiacheng looked surprised.

"There are other reasons for this; you'll find out by asking Pingwa later."

"I'll go. You don't know where my dad is."

"I'll just bring Vanguard; it'll lead the way. Vanguard, come here."

Watching Zhou Rui walk away, Gu Jiacheng had no choice but to accept his kindness. He was indeed a bit exhausted after chasing after the cannonball for so long.

"Come on, let's get this cannonball over there together," Gu Jiacheng said to Zhou Ping and the Ping An brothers, glancing at the distance to the fire.

Unexpectedly, this sentence aroused everyone's interest, and even several delicate girls were eager to try it out.

Zhou Ping handed the small rice cake to Lin Qiuyue, then ran to the front of the cannonball and grabbed one of its fangs.

"One, two, three, go!"

Gu Jiacheng roared, and everyone except Lin Qiuyue, who had to take care of the baby, pulled and pushed the wild boar towards the fire. Even An'an pretended to pull from behind, but actually grabbed the boar's tail and was led along by the group.

But after finally managing to get the cannonball to the side, Gu Jiacheng was dumbfounded. He pointed at Mao Dazhuang, who was hiding in the ravine, his voice trembling slightly.

"But we have big mules. Why do we have to do it ourselves?"

Zhou Ping glanced at the cannonball, then at Mao Dazhuang who was resting to the side, and then looked back at the snow tracks left by the group as they brought the wild boar.

"Hehe... I think I forgot."

"Haha..." "Ha, hehe." "Hehehe..."

Everyone burst into laughter. So many people, yet not a single person remembered Mao Dazhuang, the strongman, who had painstakingly rummaged through the mess and did it himself. If the others knew, they'd probably laugh at this bunch of fools.

"When my dad and Ruiwa come back later, no one is allowed to mention that we brought back the cannon's eggs."

Gu Jiacheng's expression was serious; he didn't want Zhou Rui and his father to think he was brainless. Why not use a powerful tool when there's none to it? Wasn't that just plain stupid?

Everyone nodded in agreement, especially Yang Ping, He Wei, and Yu Sitian. They were all educated youth who had completed high school, and they couldn't tarnish the smart image they projected to everyone.

Yang Ping, He Wei, and Yu Sitian exchanged glances, understanding each other perfectly, and then all looked at Lin Qiuyue. Lin Qiuyue, holding Xiao Niangao, was the only one who hadn't made a move; the title of "fool" didn't apply to her.

Holding Xiao Niangao, Lin Qiuyue felt a chill run down her spine as she was stared at by three pairs of eerie eyes, her head shaking rapidly.

"I swear! I won't tell anyone."

Yang Ping and the other two finally breathed a sigh of relief.

However, everyone seemed to have forgotten about someone who wasn't at their eye level. Short-legged An'an was looking around, her eyes darting about, seemingly lost in thought.

Zhou Rui found Gu Dayong very quickly. With a vanguard leading the way, and with traces left by Gu Jiacheng chasing after Da Pao Luanzi along the way, Zhou Rui's journey was incredibly easy.

When Zhou Rui arrived, Gu Dayong had already gutted and cleaned the four wild boars and was carrying them onto the makeshift sled he had just made.

"Uncle Dayong." Zhou Rui greeted him before he even arrived.

In the mountains, you can't approach others quietly, or they'll think you're planning a sneak attack.

"Ruiwa, what are you doing here?" Gu Dayong looked at his dog leading Zhou Rui over, somewhat puzzled.

"Dapao's egg was chased by Jiacheng and fell down into the canyon. I was catching toads in the canyon when we ran into each other."

Zhou Rui explained the matter concisely, making it clear in just one sentence.

"You're really in high spirits. You just came back from hunting with Wang Pao, and instead of resting at home, you went to the valley to dig for frogs."

Gu Dayong chuckled, clearly admiring Zhou Rui, this young man. If he hadn't known Zhou Rui had become Wang Shouye's apprentice, he would have wanted to snatch Zhou Rui away and make him his own.

"Hehe... my younger siblings at home want to eat it."

Gu Dayong was speechless at Zhou Rui's answer. Did he really spoil the kids like that? If his three sons had dared to make that request when they were young, he would have slapped them long ago.

However, Gu Dayong doesn't have a daughter. If he did, he'd probably be a doting father.

Gu Dayong tied the sled together and tossed a rope over: "Let's go. You're young, so give your uncle some extra effort."