Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

In Zhou Rui's house, the kang (a heated brick bed) was filled with things Zhou Rui had bought, which made Zhou Ping and An An scream in excitement.

"One White Rabbit milk candy for my second brother, one for my third brother, one small rice cake for me, and one for myself. I'll put the rest away and eat them slowly later." An'an embodies the traditional Chinese virtues of sharing and thrift.

"What is this?" An'an asked Zhou Rui curiously, tilting her head as she held a green paper-wrapped object in her hands.

"This is soap. An'an will smell wonderful after bathing in this." Zhou Rui took it, unwrapped it, and held the soap to An'an's nose: "Smell it, doesn't it smell good?"

"Mmm, mmm. It smells so good!" An'an waved her hands excitedly.

"And this too." Zhou Rui placed two cans of food in front of An'an.

"Wow, it's so pretty! What's this? Are there flowers inside?" An'an's big eyes were pressed against the glass bottle, staring at the fruit inside.

"This yellow stuff, with its slices, is canned oranges. These white pieces are lychees, also canned. Which one does An'an want? Second brother will open it for you, okay?"

Upon hearing this, An'an quickly leaned over the table to protect the two cans of food: "No, these cans are so pretty, I don't want to eat them."

"Wow, bro. Is that a gun? This is from our family too. And so many bullets, no wonder the blanket was so heavy when I was carrying it. This knife is so sharp, can it kill a wild boar?" For the boys, the knives and guns were more attractive, and they weren't so concerned about the food. Zhou Ping kept fiddling with the rifle and the knife.

"Be careful, that knife is very sharp, don't cut your hand. Be careful with this gun too, when you're older, your second brother will teach you how to shoot. Not now, this gun has a lot of recoil, your body is a bit too thin right now, your shoulders can't withstand the force."

Zhou Ping's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "Really? You'll really teach me how to shoot? When?"

"Eat more, gain some weight, and grow taller. You're not even as tall as a gun yet."

"Hehe...haha." Zhou Ping hugged the gun to his chest, looking at it with great delight.

At that moment, Zhou Chen rushed back to his uncle's house. The atmosphere inside was tense, shrouded in smoke. Zhou Jiutian and Zhou Dashan both had furrowed brows, their two pipes constantly puffing out smoke. Zhou Rui's grandmother, Zhao Xiumei, sat expressionless to the side, while his aunt, Tian Xiuying, looked indignant.

"Dad, Dad. Have you heard? That little bastard Zhou Rui sold his job opportunity."

Zhou Dashan frowned and remained silent, while Tian Xiuying exclaimed, "How come I haven't heard about it? It's all over the village. They say Zhou Rui got a hunting rifle, a military overcoat, and three quilts, and he showed them off in the village chief's yard. It was disgusting. I heard he also had a big backpack on his back, filled with lots of good stuff."

It was Tian Xiuying who instigated Zhou Dashan to step in and use every means to force repayment, all in order to get Zhou Rui's new house and a job at Xiangyang Forestry Farm. Now, all of that has fallen through. The house was sold to Chen Dali, a newlywed in the village, and now they've even lost the job. They've gotten nothing, leaving Tian Xiuying feeling incredibly frustrated.

"How could this happen? How dare Zhou Rui do that? That's my job!" Zhou Chen howled in resentment. In his heart, this job was already his. Zhou Rui actually sold his job and got so many good things in return—how could this be allowed?

"How could this be? How dare Zhou Rui do this? That's my job!" Zhou Chen howled in disbelief, his voice filled with resentment and anger. In Zhou Chen's mind, this job was already his for the taking. To get it, he and his father had robbed Zhou Rui's family of their food rations, and his father had even conspired with relatives to force Zhou Rui's family to pay off their debts. His mother had even sold Xiao Nian Gao behind his grandparents' backs, all to drive Zhou Rui's family to their deaths. Yet now, all of that had been ruthlessly destroyed by Zhou Rui. Zhou Rui had actually sold his job and gotten so many good things in return! This was unacceptable to Zhou Chen. He felt that his efforts had been easily trampled on, while Zhou Rui had gained benefits without lifting a finger. The more Zhou Chen thought about it, the angrier he became. His chest heaved violently, his hands clenched into fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, yet he felt no pain.

"No, I have to go find him. Those things were exchanged for my job, and I have to get them back."

"Stop right there. How are you going to take it? Just because you say it's yours doesn't mean it is. Are you going to rob it like a bandit?" Zhou Dashan tapped the table with his pipe.

"Dad, didn't you say that job was for me? You even said you'd find me a wife once I got a job. But now I have nothing." Zhou Chen stamped his feet anxiously.

"Yes, that's what we agreed on initially: to use debt and family ties to force him to give up the house and the job. But who would have thought the village chief would suddenly intervene? He actually sold the house to pay off his debts, which really surprised us. Later, I thought that with Ruiwazi's few work points and several dependents, he wouldn't be able to make ends meet sooner or later. When he came to us again, I could take the opportunity to get the job. How could I have imagined that Ruiwazi would be so ruthless and just sell the job?" Zhou Dashan's mouth tasted bitter; the dry tobacco that he usually smoked so smoothly tasted so bitter today. The more Zhou Dashan thought about it, the more annoyed he became, secretly cursing Ruiwazi for being so tactless.

At this moment, Zhou Jiutian interjected, "Since things have already come to this, let's just let it go this time. I don't think this kid Rui is going to be a troublemaker. After he gets the gun, he'll probably be thinking about running back to the mountains all the time. Our family has never had a hunter in generations. Do you think he can even hunt? He might just die in the mountains one day, and then all those things will still be yours."

Zhou Jiutian is Zhou Rui's biological grandfather, but his words sent chills down one's spine and chilled one to the bone.

"I'm not reconciled. Zhou Rui is too infuriating. I have to find someone to teach him a lesson." Zhou Chen clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

"You shouldn't go. No matter what, he's your blood cousin. Even if we break blood, we're still connected by tendons," Zhao Xiumei advised from the side.

"Grandma, why are you taking his side? He's the one who can't stand to see us doing well. You still rely on our family to support you! If he really cared about you, he would have given his job to our family so I could take better care of you. That ingrate would rather give his job to an outsider than to me, and you're even siding with outsiders!" Zhou Chen yelled at Zhao Xiumei, his face displeased. If it weren't for that old scoundrel Zhou Jiutian keeping her in check, her mother would have kicked that old hag Zhao Xiumei out of the house long ago. She's not only useless, but she's also a hindrance.

Zhao Xiumei was speechless. She opened her mouth, wanting to explain, but in the end, she only managed to utter a few words: "I, I am..."

"Alright, stop talking." Zhou Jiutian interrupted Zhao Xiumei. "That's not what your grandma meant. I know you're angry, but now is not the time to go to Zhou Rui's house to take things. Everyone in the village is watching. If you do this, what will the villagers say? What will the village chief do? If you're envious of what Zhou Rui has, you have to think of a way. You can't just rely on brute force; you have to use your brain."

Zhou Jiutian still defended Zhao Xiumei. Perhaps in Zhou Jiutian's heart, he only had some feelings for Zhao Xiumei, who had been with him all his life, and everyone else was just a tool for him to live out his old age.

"I...I...I won't let him get away with this," Zhou Chen could only shout helplessly, but it was all in vain.