Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

After quickly leaving the intelligence center, Zhou Rui slowed his pace. He couldn't get to Zhou Dashan's house so soon; a show can't start if no one's watching.

Zhou Rui activated his sixth sense, and only when he sensed those people approaching from behind did he slightly quicken his pace.

He already knew these people's nature; they were so bored they'd watch a chicken being bitten by a dog for ages. Having dropped such a bombshell, he didn't believe they could resist.

Zhou Rui arrived at Zhou Dashan's house, feeling somewhat unfamiliar, as he hadn't been there in two lifetimes. Zhou Rui pushed the courtyard gate; it wasn't closed, just ajar.

Zhou Rui pushed the door open and went inside, passing through the courtyard and arriving outside.

Zhou Rui knocked loudly on the door.

"Who is it? It's so late at night, why are you banging so loudly? Don't you have any manners?" Tian Xiuying's hoarse voice rang out from inside.

"Auntie, it's me, Zhou Rui," Zhou Rui shouted.

The onlookers had all followed, and Zhou Rui wanted everyone to see his politeness.

"Please open the door. I heard my grandparents are sick, so I came to see them."

Swoosh, thud. Then came another series of scattered footsteps.

"Ouch."

"Quickly, you two go lie down in the east room."

"Keep it in check, don't let them tell."

A noisy commotion and hushed voices came from inside the room, but Zhou Rui's heightened hearing made it impossible for any of the noise to escape his notice.

"Ruiwa, wait a moment, I'll come and open the door right away." Zhou Dashan pretended to be gentle, but his voice carried a hint of barely suppressed surprise.

He thought that after being kicked out by Zhou Ping that night, there would be no more results, but he didn't expect Zhou Rui to actually come to his door.

It seems that Zhou Rui, that little brat, still cares about his reputation; we can use that to control him in the future.

After waiting for a while, the door inside finally opened. Zhou Dashan appeared, feigning a sorrowful expression with a hint of humility.

"Ruiwa, you're finally back. Your grandparents' health really isn't good, otherwise I wouldn't have come to your house."

You know what your older cousin, that little bastard, did. Not only did he go to jail, but he also left the family with a complete mess. He did something to wrong you, and I apologize on his behalf…”

"Alright, we can talk about other things later. Let me see my grandparents first." I waved my hand to interrupt him.

Zhou Dashan was interrupted from reciting his lines and was momentarily stunned, unsure how to respond. He could only give an awkward smile and lead the way into the inner room.

Zhou Rui casually pushed the outer door shut, but didn't close it properly; sometimes, certain scenes require an audience.

Zhou Dashan pushed open the door to the east room, where Zhou Jiutian and Zhao Xiumei lay quietly on the kang (a heated brick bed) with their eyes closed.

Zhou Dashan put down the oil lamp in his hand, came to the kang (a heated brick bed), bent down and called out softly.

"Dad, Mom, wake up, Ruiwa has come to see you."

Zhou Jiutian and the other person opened their eyes almost simultaneously.

"Ruiwa, it's you. Grandpa isn't feeling well, so I won't get up to greet you."

Zhao Xiumei didn't say anything, but just glanced at Zhou Rui and then looked away, not daring to meet his gaze.

Seeing this, Zhou Rui couldn't help but think to himself, "If you're going to be acting, can't you take it a little more seriously?"

If you're really sick and fall asleep, you'll be drowsy for a while before slowly waking up. But you'll be able to hear clearly immediately and know it's you.

There's no other way but to keep going. We can't let the show fall apart from the start.

"Grandpa, Grandma, I heard you were sick, so I came to see you." Zhou Rui's voice was steady, but his volume was a little loud, so that people outside could hear him clearly.

Zhou Rui was right. There were many figures outside the door of Zhou Dashan's outer room, all peering through the crack in the door to listen to what was happening inside.

"How are you? Did Uncle Changhai say what kind of illness it is?"

"Ah...ah..." Zhou Jiutian suddenly stammered, realizing he hadn't rehearsed these before.

"Oh...Is that so..." Zhou Dashan drawled out his words, his mind racing so fast it was practically steaming.

"The eldest said it was because he was angry...yes, he was angry. And then...and then, his chest felt tight. You know, it was due to insufficient blood and qi. He felt very dizzy and couldn't get out of bed. Yes, that seems to be it."

Zhou Dashan didn't understand medical principles, so he just pieced together what Zhao Changhai, the only doctor in the village, had said before.

Zhou Rui was also getting a headache listening to this; what kind of nonsense was this? But the act had to go on, so he could only pretend to understand and nod, as if he thought it made a lot of sense.

"Chest tightness and bloating indicate a depletion of vital energy and insufficient blood and qi. They should need to rest in bed. Uncle and Aunt should take good care of them and prevent them from getting upset."

Even Zhou Dashan was somewhat surprised. He himself hadn't understood what he'd just said, yet Ruiwa had actually grasped it. Was Ruiwa's summary really what he'd said?

"Yes, yes, that's exactly what Changhai meant. He needs to rest and recuperate properly. He needs expensive medicine, and we don't have the money right now. Ruiwa, what do you think…?"

"Did Uncle Changhai say what kind of medicine he needed? I often go up the mountain and have collected some medicinal herbs, such as Polygonum multiflorum and Ganoderma lucidum. But I don't have any old-fashioned clover."

"That's right, the most expensive ingredient in Changhai's prescription is 'bangchui' (a type of hamburger). We already found a mountain herder who has it, but it's a bit pricey, over three hundred yuan."

Zhou Dashan was just thinking about how to continue the story when Zhou Rui mentioned wild ginseng, so he quickly followed suit and continued the story.

"There's no rush. Although taking medicine is important, there are other ways to replenish vital energy, such as through diet. Here I have a soup made with mutton and some high-quality medicinal herbs, which is specifically for replenishing qi and blood."

As Zhou Rui spoke, he opened the lid of the earthenware jar, and a rich aroma of meat with lots of spices instantly filled the entire east room.

Gulp! Zhou Dashan, who was standing closest, couldn't help but swallow hard, drawn by the aroma.

Zhou Rui turned around and placed the earthenware jar on the table: "Grandpa, Grandma, can you get up and eat something? I'll go to the kitchen to get you some bowls."

The aroma of meat made Zhou Jiutian's face flush instantly, and he tried to get up. Unexpectedly, Zhou Dashan pressed his hand down on Zhou Jiutian's shoulder.

"Ruiwa, why don't we leave this broth here for now? Your grandparents are seriously ill and might not be able to get up, so..."

"I can get up."

Zhou Jiutian panicked and blurted out the words.

Since paying off so many gambling debts because of Zhou Chen, how many days has it been since we've smelled meat? If we don't eat now, Zhou Dashan and his wife will finish this pot of soup after Zhou Rui leaves.

Moreover, the soup Zhou Rui brought contained mutton, pork cracklings, and powdered spices such as star anise, cinnamon, fennel, and pepper. The aroma was so overpowering that even a god couldn't resist it.

Zhao Xiumei lacked her own opinions; since Zhou Jiutian said she could get up to eat, she followed suit and got up.

Zhou Rui pretended not to see the confrontation between Zhou Jiutian and his son Zhou Dashan, and turned to go to the kitchen in the outer room to get a bowl.

In the east room, Zhou Jiutian ignored Zhou Dashan's attempts to stop him, pushed away Zhou Dashan's hand that was on his shoulder, and scrambled to sit up.