Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

"Let's talk outside."

Zhou Rui was very cautious and immediately interrupted Tong Lei.

Although the mechanic and the young woman might not understand, it's best to avoid certain things.

Zhou Rui carried An'an to the street, while Tong Lei followed beside them, leading the mule.

The streets were deserted, with hardly anyone around, perfect for conversation.

"What did you just say about Zhang Hongbo?"

Tong Lei glanced around and said, "Your plan worked."

Zhou Rui couldn't stand his shifty, sneaky look.

"Speak normally. There's no one on the street. Don't act like you're doing something wrong."

"Hehe...this isn't...hehe."

"Get to the point."

"Didn't you spend money to have several women constantly hanging around in front of that Shen Yanhong?"

"That Shen Yanhong really got carried away. She kept asking Zhang Hongbo to buy this and that, and even brought things to compete with the women I had invited."

"Because of her vanity, Zhang Hongbo is now stealing more and more cooking oil, and sometimes even stealing grain to sell."

"Oh, how big of a hole has he created? By the way, is the woman who had an affair with Zhang Hongbo surnamed Shen?"

Zhou Rui memorized this information while asking questions.

"Yes, his surname is Shen. Didn't you ask last time? I found out."

"Zhang Hongbo has stolen quite a lot these days; I've kept a record of it all. In the past two months, he's stolen about 200 jin of cooking oil, and several hundred jin of rice, flour, and other grains."

"So many?"

Zhou Rui was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected Zhang Hongbo to be so bold.

"Shen Yanhong is not only competitive, she also wants to outdo those other women. She buys expensive things and even pays for tickets."

"Zhang Hongbo steals things from the cafeteria, but he can't sell them for a high price, so he naturally loses a lot of money with each transaction."

Tong Lei explained it again, so that Zhou Rui wouldn't misunderstand the reasoning.

"How come no one at the woodworking factory noticed that so much oil and food were missing from the canteen?"

"The canteen's rice, noodles, and oil are purchased every few months. He colluded with another chef, and since no one checked on weekdays, it didn't come to light."

Zhou Rui nodded; it wasn't time to fill the hole yet. If no one reported it, they might find other ways to cover it up eventually.

Zhou Rui's mind raced, trying to think of a way to publicize the matter.

He instinctively reached out to touch her chin, but with both hands holding An'an, he couldn't free his hands, so he could only rub his chin against An'an's head.

"What's the name of that man who's with Shen Yanhong? Could you please find out his driving schedule from before the Lunar New Year?"

"His husband's name is Zhao Zhigang. As for the vehicle fare, I need to ask around."

Tong Lei didn't understand what Zhou Rui was going to do, so he could only say whatever came to mind.

"Okay, find out Zhao Zhigang's driving schedule as soon as possible, I'll come up and ask you for it in a few days."

Zhou Rui thought about it for a moment and felt that this matter should not be delayed, lest Zhang Hongbo take care of it.

Zhou Rui took out another two hundred yuan: "Tell those women not to go there recently, so as not to be noticed."

Tong Lei didn't reach out to take it; he had received several hundred yuan from Zhou Rui in total. Although most of it went to the women who tried to sow discord between Shen Yanhong and others, he still made a profit from it.

"Then what is this?"

"This is for you to use to manage things at the factory; I won't give you any more next time."

"But there are too many."

Tong Lei still had some concerns.

Seeing someone approaching, Zhou Rui realized it wasn't appropriate to be carrying a wad of cash, so he quickly stuffed it into Tong Lei's pocket.

"Don't worry, I won't let you do anything criminal. I haven't figured out how to handle this yet, I'll think about it carefully when I get back."

Tong Lei reached into his pocket; the thick wad of cash tempted him, but he was also a little apprehensive. In the end, however, he accepted it, reluctant to part with it, after all, Zhou Rui had never cheated him.

After finishing their conversation, Zhou Rui and Tong Lei parted ways.

I took An'an to the supply and marketing cooperative to do some shopping, which made An'an very happy. She also learned where to buy canned food and milk candy.

However, Zhou Rui didn't linger at the supply and marketing cooperative. After buying spices and liquor, he left. The matchmaker from last time was on duty today, so he had to go.

On the way back to Jiaolongxia Village, An'an was held in Zhou Rui's arms, pouting and looking unhappy.

"What's wrong, An'an?"

Zhou Rui glanced down at An An and saw that her chubby face looked grumpy, and she hadn't said a word the whole way.

"snort."

An'an hugged her arms to her chest and turned her little face away.

"I finally made it to the supply and marketing cooperative, and you didn't even show me around inside much."

Zhou Rui raised an eyebrow; so that's why his sister was angry.

"An'an, actually, it's because the lady selling fabric was really fierce, and my second brother was a little scared. Next time, we'll come again, okay?"

An'an tilted her head back, trying to see Zhou Rui's expression. She couldn't understand why the older woman had been so enthusiastic and even offered her peanuts.

"Very fierce. Even fiercer than a black bear?"

In An'an's eyes, the fiercest person she had ever seen was Hei Xiazi, who was killed by her second brother with an axe.

Anyone who can frighten my second brother must be much more powerful than Black Bear.

"Yes. He's really fierce. Didn't you see Second Brother run away in terror?"

Zhou Rui didn't care about saving face at this point; he just wanted to appease An An first.

"Don't be afraid, second brother. I'll help you next time we go shopping."

An An gently patted the back of Zhou Rui's hand that was wrapped around her, but she didn't forget that she still wanted to go shopping next time.

"Okay, sure." Zhou Rui responded softly, feeling good to have his younger sister protecting him.

Having resolved An'an's concerns, he decided not to waste any more time. With a quick squeeze of his legs, the mule galloped off towards home.

"Ruiwa." "Second Brother."

As soon as Zhou Rui returned, he saw Gu Jiacheng chopping firewood, while Zhou Ping stood by holding Xiao Niangao and watching.

"Jiacheng, you're here. Have you rested well? How's your recovery going?"

"Don't worry, it's going to be great. Look at the firewood I chopped."

Gu Jiacheng patted the muscles on his arms, but of course, he was dressed too thickly to see anything.

"Okay, let's tidy up and get ready to eat."

As soon as Zhou Rui entered the door, he smelled the aroma of meat and knew that lunch was ready.

Everyone sat on Zhou Rui's kang (heated brick bed), while An'an and Zhou Ping were eating heartily the stewed mutton in the pot.

It wasn't that the food was particularly good, but rather that with Zhou Rui back, the family felt more secure.

"Brother Mo, your cooking is pretty good. It looks like you'll be able to cook on your own soon."

Zhou Rui picked up a bone; the meat on it was stewed until tender and flavorful, and it fell off the bone with a gentle suck.

Gu Jiacheng's mouth was full, so he couldn't speak and just kept nodding.

It wasn't that Liu Mo's cooking was particularly delicious—after all, it was far inferior to Liu Kangri's. Rather, it was because he had been feeling somewhat lonely at home alone since his two older brothers had joined the army.

The Gu family was not a prominent clan in the village, and Gu himself was introverted, so he had very few friends. After meeting Zhou Rui, he made more and more acquaintances.