Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

In the stillness of the night, a beam of light appeared from afar, followed by a rustling sound. The sound grew louder, and then a heavy figure could be seen slowly approaching the village.

Zhou Rui was carrying An An on his back, with a ceramic jar wrapped tightly in cotton cloth in his hand.

On a cold winter night, Zhou Rui originally intended to come alone, but An An really didn't want to be separated from him.

Zhou Rui couldn't refuse, so he had to wrap An'an up like a big dumpling and carry her on his back with the special straps for little rice cakes. As for Zhou Ping, he had to stay home alone to take care of the child.

"An'an, you didn't really need to come. Something bad might happen later, maybe you'll argue with your uncle's family."

Zhou Rui didn't actually want An'an to come over. His younger sister was too young, and he didn't want her to witness the dirty scheming of the adults.

"No. Even if we argue, I'll stand with my second brother." An'an's tone was resolute, showing the determination to fight alongside Zhou Rui.

On his way to Zhou Dashan's house, Zhou Rui deliberately took a detour along a side road because he knew that there was an intelligence center for Jiaolongxia Village there.

Aside from the village entrance and the brigade headquarters, this is usually the place where news gathers the most. This is because several older women, older wives, and some lazy men often congregate here.

Unless the weather is extremely bad or it's too late to go to bed, there are always plenty of gossipy people here.

Sure enough, as Zhou Rui shone his flashlight around the alley, he saw five or six people sitting in a circle, discussing something.

Of course, in the outdoor temperature of minus 20 or 30 degrees Celsius, they even built a small fire to keep themselves from freezing; they are all truly remarkable.

"Who is it? Don't shine your flashlight in people's faces, it'll hurt your eyes, you know?" a loud, booming voice rang out.

"Sorry, sorry. I didn't notice, the flashlight was too high." Zhou Rui accepted the criticism amiably. He came here precisely to strike up a conversation, and here he was.

"It's Zhou Rui!"

"Ruiwa, when did you get back?"

"Where have you been loitering off to for days? You can't keep being away from home like this; your younger siblings are still little!"

"Zhou Rui, where are you going so late? Oh my, carrying An'an on your back. What's wrong? Are you sick?"

The group started asking questions all at once, and all the voices were mixed together, making it sound a bit chaotic, but Zhou Rui didn't care. He only wanted to hear what he wanted to hear.

"Oh, An'an is fine. She just wanted to keep me company, so I carried her around for a bit."

However, everything is fine at my house, but my uncle's family might have some issues. My uncle came to my house to look for me while I was away.

I told my son Pingwa that because of what happened with Chen Ge, my grandparents got sick and are on their deathbed.

That's why I specially cooked some meat soup to visit him. If things really don't go well, at least he can have a decent meal before he leaves.

As Zhou Rui finished speaking, he deliberately lifted the earthenware pot he was carrying slightly. The lid became a little loose, and a wisp of aroma wafted out, a mixture of meat, spices, and pork cracklings.

"Zhou Rui, what did you stew? It smells so good! Let me see." A lazy man slurped something down.

Zhou Rui pretended not to hear. If he paid attention to this kind of person, he would have to take advantage of the situation.

"No, right? I saw your grandparents out sunbathing yesterday. Shufen, don't you think so?" An older woman looked doubtful and asked another woman next to her.

The woman nodded affirmatively: "That's right, I saw it too. Your grandfather is destined for wealth and honor; he often takes your grandmother for walks around the village."

Unlike my father-in-law, who is about the same age as your grandfather, he took my husband to work in the forest farm in order to earn some hard-earned money.

"Speaking of which, I should thank you. You got us more spots, which allows our family to earn a little more money."

This woman was quick-witted, but her tone carried a hint of disdain for Zhou Rui's grandfather. However, she was very friendly towards Zhou Rui, since the temporary jobs at the forest farm had genuinely benefited her family.

Zhou Rui keenly grasped the meaning behind her words. This was a natural ally, but it was a pity he couldn't shake her hand and properly thank her.

"Really?" Zhou Rui asked, his tone tinged with doubt.

"That shouldn't be the case! My uncle made it sound very serious, saying that my grandparents can't even get off the bed and are waiting to buy medicine to save their lives."

My son Pingwa said that his uncle and second cousin were extremely anxious and asked Pingwa to give them three to five hundred yuan to help them out.

But I've put all my money away, so I don't have any to give him. That's why I brought money and soup as soon as I got back.

"What, five hundred yuan?"

The others found it unbelievable, especially the lazybones. This guy was incredibly lazy and never received much money at the end of the year. Five hundred dollars—how many years would it take him to earn that back?

If it weren't for Chen Datou in the village setting an example, he would be the laziest man in Jiaolong Gorge.

"My God, what kind of medicine is so expensive? Is it made of gold? I've never even heard of it."

"Ruiwa, you can't be fooled by your uncle and cousin. Your grandparents are perfectly fine, why would they ask you to pay for medicine?"

"Yes, Shufen is right. Even if it's about buying medicine, it's Zhou Dashan's business. At worst, there are powerful figures in the city. It's not your turn, his grandson's business," the old woman echoed Shufen's words.

"Really?" Zhou Rui put on an honest expression. "My second cousin, Zhou Ji, swore it was true. He wouldn't curse my grandparents to death just to swindle money, would he?"

"No, I'm worried. I have to go check on it right away, or the broth will get cold."

As Zhou Rui spoke, he hurried toward Zhou Dashan's house, ignoring the calls from his sister-in-law Shufen behind him.

"Oh dear, why won't Rui listen to us? We've already told him that his uncle and cousin tricked him, but he still wants to go. This kid is too honest." Sister-in-law Shufen slapped her thigh, looking like Zhou Rui was impossible to teach.

"Yes. Everyone says Zhou Rui is cold-blooded, willing to sever ties with Zhou Dashan's family for a house and a job rather than give anything in return. But look at how anxious he was just now, how could he be so indifferent to family ties?"

"You're so easily swayed by rumors. Where did Zhou Rui get that 'ungrateful wretch' reputation? It's all because of what Da Shan's wife said."

Everyone in our village says Ruiwa is kind and righteous. Look, his uncle was attacked by a wild boar, and he gave him a hundred yuan without hesitation. Zhou Jiutian and his sons combined didn't give as much as he did.

After Zhou Rui left, the conversation among the group grew increasingly heated, but most of them were siding with Zhou Rui. The effects of Zhou Rui's past words and actions were slowly becoming apparent, subtly changing the villagers' perception of him.

"No, I have to go to Zhou Dashan's house and check. We can't let that simple-minded Zhou Rui suffer a loss." Sister-in-law Shufen was kind-hearted and couldn't bear to see the 'honest' Zhou Rui being deceived.

At this moment, Zhou Rui's honest image was solidified, and it is very likely to expand outwards along with this intelligence gathering place.

"Come on, let's go together. Even if we can't help, we can still be witnesses." The old woman stood up and patted the dust off her bottom.

The lazy man and a few others got up as well.

"Let's go together, let's go together. I'm afraid you women will get taken advantage of if you go together. The Zhou family is not easy to deal with."

These people are really going all out to watch the excitement. In this freezing weather, they're willing to give up the warmth of the fire for firsthand information.