Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

Wang Jianping felt himself shudder twice. After waiting for two seconds without any further movement, he looked up at Zhou Rui.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Wang Jianping saw a dark shadow dart out from under his feet. Instinctively, he swung the wooden stick downwards.

The stick missed its target and landed on the snow.

Zhou Rui shook his head with a wry smile, and with a light flick of his toe, a plump badger flipped over and flew back.

Just as Wang Jianping was feeling disappointed, he noticed something had appeared on the otherwise empty snow. He immediately picked up a wooden stick and hit it a few times.

"Haha...!" Wang Jianping laughed happily.

Zhou Rui walked over and lifted the badger aside: "Pay attention, there are more to come."

This time, Wang Jianping was smarter. He held his breath and stared intently at the cave entrance.

The smoke from the firecrackers at the cave entrance gradually dissipated, but was suddenly accelerated outwards by a gust of wind.

Thump. Another one.

In this way, Wang Jianping killed four more.

Zhou Rui stepped forward and picked up the five dogs of various sizes: "Brother Wang, let's go back and roast badger meat."

Wang Jianping was still in the striking stance when he heard the sound and paused slightly.

"No, that's all?"

"Hmm. That's all for this litter, the whole family is here."

Zhou Rui nodded, gesturing to all the badgers in his hand.

"Alright then, I'm hungry too." Wang Jianping put away the wooden stick, still a little reluctant to leave.

"Hehe, I'll lift them, I'll lift them. Wow, they're really heavy." In the end, Wang Jianping lifted the two largest ones, one on the left and one on the right, swaying them back and forth, just like a fisherman in later generations.

At the edge of the hot spring pool, Zhou Rui cleaned all the badgers, leaving only the fattest one, and took the rest to a snowdrift to freeze them.

The two watched as the badger, placed over the fire, dripped its grease into the flames, creating wisps of smoke.

goo~

Zhou Rui turned around and saw Wang Jianping give an awkward smile.

"Sorry, it smells just too good! Haha..."

Zhou Rui nodded with a slight smile, remaining silent. It wouldn't be good to say anything at this moment, so it was better to say nothing.

He thought for a moment, then took out a transparent grenade and a lunchbox from his bag. The temperature was high, and the grenade's surface had melted slightly, releasing a faint aroma of alcohol.

Zhou Rui put the grenade in his lunchbox and then placed it on the surface of the hot spring pool.

"What's this? It looks like a wine bottle."

When Wang Jianping saw Zhou Rui inexplicably pull out something and then use the lunchbox as a boat, he assumed he was playing some kind of childhood game.

"This strong liquor froze solid in the wild. I even smashed the bottle while skiing last night. So, I'm putting it on this hot water to warm it up."

Wang Jianping clapped his hands: "This wine is just in time. I was just thinking, having meat but no wine seems to be missing something. But how did this wine bottle break?"

"It was too dark at night, I couldn't see clearly. I just rolled around in the snow and the two bottles collided and shattered."

Zhou Rui remained calm, as if falling down at night was perfectly normal. He couldn't very well say it was because he had been too reckless.

Once the wine was warm enough, the badger was cooked. Zhou Rui sprinkled it with fine salt and spices, then chopped it in half with a knife.

"Brother Wang, here you go."

Wang Jianping took half of the badger. Although the internal organs had been removed and some of the fat had been lost during the roasting process, it still weighed about six or seven pounds.

He simply blew on the surface of the steam before taking a bite.

With a crunch, the teeth pierced through the thin, crispy outer layer and penetrated deep inside. A rich, oily aroma mingled with the seasonings on the outside.

The raw and rugged environment of the wild, the simple cooking methods, the exquisite barbecue skills and seasonings, plus the prey you caught yourself, all combine to create a powerful combination.

"Mmm, mmm."

Wang Jianping's mouth was stuffed full of meat, and he couldn't even utter a complete sentence. He could only express his praise for the food with his smiling eyes and a thumbs-up.

"Is it really that good? Brother Wang, you drive big trucks all over the place, what delicious food haven't you tried?"

Wang Jianping raised the lunchbox in his hand and touched it with Zhou Rui's. Inside was a bottle of liquor that Zhou Rui had divided into two portions.

"That's different. When you go on a business trip, you eat in a restaurant to fill your stomach. But eating in the mountains is about the atmosphere."

"Gurgle, ha..."

"Let me tell you, I've loved reading comic books like Water Margin and Three Heroes and Five Gallants since I was a kid. I especially envy those heroes who can roam the world, drinking wine from big bowls and eating big chunks of meat."

"Oh? Then after today, you'll have achieved both of these things." Zhou Rui chewed lightly, savoring the gift of nature.

"How come both of them were achieved?" Wang Jianping was taken aback, not understanding.

"You carry a gun, drive a big truck all over the country, isn't that what it means to be a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) figure? And today you're here in these mountains, drinking and eating heartily with me. Looks like all your dreams have come true."

"Sigh, not yet." Wang Jianping said, pulling out a pistol from his back waist. It was a Type 54 pistol issued to the forest farm.

"This thing hasn't rung since it got into my hands, what a pity."

"Come on, if you actually use it, you'll be robbed. You really want to use it?"

ji...

A cry of an eagle pierced the sky.

Through the thin mist, Zhou Rui saw a falcon suddenly swoop down towards the place where they had just been hunting.

There are so many eagles in Northeast China! I've seen them countless times. They just fly so high, it's impossible to bring them down.

I really hope I can get a gyrfalcon. Going hunting with a yellow dog on one side and a falcon on the other would be so impressive. Although his dog isn't much of a hunter, its size makes it perfect for posing.

When I have time, I'll ask my second senior brother where there's a gyrfalcon nest, and I'll get a newborn chick to tame. I just don't know what season gyrfals lay their eggs.

Zhou Rui's thoughts were racing, and he didn't even notice the falcon had snatched the food and flown away.

"That's impressive, those wingspans are huge!" Wang Jianping sighed from the side.

Although Wang Jianping is not a hunter, that does not diminish his love for these birds of prey.

"Brother Wang, do you know anyone in our town who can train gyrfalcons?" Zhou Rui asked casually.

Wang Jianping held up half a badger, with hardly any meat left, and paused near his mouth: "I've never heard of that before. Maybe the older generation of hunters had this skill, but your master's generation didn't."

"If that were the case, your master wouldn't be the only one standing out in Hongqi Town."

Zhou Rui nodded. Although hunting prowess depends on a combination of factors, having a gyrfalcon or a hawk would undoubtedly give one a significant advantage over other hunters.

Zhou Rui didn't care; he hadn't even seen a single feather of the eagle yet, so thinking about these things now was a bit premature.

Zhou Rui picked up his lunchbox, clinked it against Wang Jianping's, and took a big bite. A toast to Wang Jianping's dream.

At that moment, a white cloud drifted down from high above, and tiny things with their downy fur spread out, swaying in all directions with a sudden gust of wind.