Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

"Him? He's still a long way off. He's only good at cooking at home. He's a long way from being a head chef at a banquet."

Liu Kangri picked up his glass and took a small sip. The wine from Ruiwa's family was indeed better; it was much more mellow than the bulk wine he bought himself.

"hey-hey……"

Liu Mo wasn't annoyed by his father's words; he rarely had the chance to practice his skills at Zhou Rui's house. If he went with Liu Kangri to prepare banquets for other families, he would only be able to cook simple dishes.

Liu Mo picked up a large piece of meat, chewed it a few times, and felt that he had done a really good job, not as bad as his father had said.

"By the way, Uncle, I'll need to move some tables and chairs from your house tomorrow; I don't have enough."

While eating, Zhou Rui started discussing tomorrow's banquet.

"But there's no room in your house."

"I plan to put it in the yard, and my aunt and my great-aunt can sit inside. I also borrowed a table from Brother Dazhu and Grandpa Zhao's family."

"Won't the food get cold quickly?"

"It's alright. Didn't Jiacheng chop a lot of firewood today? Perfect, I'll light a few more fires in the yard, it'll be nice and warm."

Gu Jiacheng rolled up his sleeves: "That's right, I have plenty of strength. If it's not enough, I'll chop some more this afternoon, I guarantee it will be enough."

The discussion was lively, with Liu Kangri and Zhou Rui in charge, and Liu Mo and Gu Jiacheng occasionally chiming in.

I had a little wine, mainly because I had a lot to do in the afternoon, and I hadn't even cleaned the large intestines I just bought.

The next day, shortly after breakfast, Sister-in-law Xinghua and Aunt Changchun arrived first to dress up Xiaoniangao.

Although Zhou Rui bought a lot of new clothes for Xiao Niangao, Zhou Rui, being a man, really didn't know how to coordinate outfits, so Sister-in-law Xinghua and Aunt Changchun had to worry about it a lot.

Not only were the little rice cakes cleaned up, but An An also looked much brighter than usual.

"I want this too." An'an held up a porcelain bottle.

"What is this?"

The aunt from Changchun had never seen anything like it; it felt icy cold in her hand.

"Frost cream," An'an said crisply, "I put it on my face, it smells nice."

"This is also face cream? Isn't face cream usually packaged in plastic bags?"

"Aunt Changchun couldn't help but ask. She had seen the face cream before; when her daughter Liu Yue got married, she had reluctantly bought two bags for her."

Wang Xinghua took it from Aunt Changchun and gently unscrewed the tin lid. She visited Zhou Rui's house frequently and was familiar with many of the things he bought.

"This is a high-end product that Ruiwa bought. It's from a big brand in Shanghai. I heard it costs several yuan a bottle."

Wang Xinghua lightly scooped out a little bit and carefully spread it on the small rice cake, making sure it was fine and even, not daring to waste a single bit.

Then I applied it to An'an and Xiao Yan'er as well, but it was just a matter of scraping off a layer of skin with the face cream.

Zhou Rui had told her to do whatever she wanted, and that the adults could wipe some too, but she just couldn't bear to part with it; the thought of the price made her heart pound.

"Oh dear, Ruiwa's hands are too loose. How can we villagers spend money like that? That could buy so much grain."

Aunt Changchun looked at the beautiful white porcelain bottle, her heart aching. She didn't dare touch the milky-white face cream on the babies' faces, afraid it would all be gone.

Wang Xinghua carefully closed the lid and told An'an to keep it safe.

"Aunt Changchun, Ruiwa is making a lot of money now, and he's willing to spend it on his family. Please don't say anything to him."

"How could that be? I only muttered a few words at most."

Aunt Changchun wasn't a gossip, but she felt that Zhou Rui, being a teenager, was spending money recklessly after making money, and she was worried that he wouldn't be able to save or hold onto his wealth.

"At the beginning of the year, Brother Da Shi and Feng Wa Zi left together, leaving behind a house full of kids."

"His grandparents don't care, and his uncle is even scheming to seize his family's property. Ruiwa, along with his younger siblings and Xiaoniangao, can't even get a full meal."

"Now that Ruiwa has become capable, he's living a prosperous life. I'm sure his parents would be very pleased if they knew this in the afterlife."

As Aunt Changchun spoke, tears welled up in her eyes.

Wang Xinghua quickly handed her own Yan'er to Aunt Changchun and picked up Xiao Niangao herself.

"Auntie, stop talking. Today is a happy occasion, we shouldn't cry. Besides, Ruiwa's aunt will be here later, let's not talk about these unpleasant things."

Aunt Changchun quickly wiped her eyes: "Don't mention it, don't mention it. I'm just happy."

"Oh, your Yan'er is so pretty, just like a little rice cake, chubby and plump."

"This is all thanks to Zhou Rui. My Yan'er and Xiao Niangao have become godparents, and Xiao Yan'er always gets a share of whatever food Zhou Rui buys."

"Whenever we cook something delicious, we invite Xiao Yan'er over to eat with us. Now she's being raised like her own niece. My Yan'er isn't even close to my Dazhu anymore, she's only close to Ruiwa."

As Wang Xinghua spoke, she laughed, imagining the scene where Xiao Yan'er rushed into Zhou Rui's arms and ignored Zhao Dazhu.

"That's fate. Back then, Xiao Nian Gao had no milk to drink, and you were the one who helped feed him. Ruiwa has a conscience; he remembers everyone who is good to him."

Aunt Changchun kept sighing, saying that she had only given Zhou Rui a bag of mixed grains when he was going through the most difficult time.

But ever since Zhou Rui started hunting in the mountains, he's been sending a lot of meat to her house. How could she not understand the affection behind that?

"Quickly, put the table down."

"Here, put this one over there, and this one here."

Aunt Changchun and Wang Xinghua were chatting when a commotion broke out in the courtyard.

It turned out to be Zhou Rui's group of brothers, who had brought back the borrowed tables, chairs, and benches.

The two quickly dressed the two babies and An'an in cotton-padded coats and went to check on them in the yard.

In the courtyard, Zhao Dazhu, Gu Jiacheng, and Zhou Rui each carried a large table, while Zhou Ping and Liu Mo, along with the Ping An brothers, carried stools. Even Chen Huaihua and Xiao Huaishu came over to help.

"This large desktop isn't used much usually, it's covered in dust, maybe we should wash it."

Zhao Dazhu put the table down, feeling that his hands were covered in dust.

"Okay, I'll go boil some water and wash myself properly." Zhou Rui said and hurried to the kitchen.

"What are you guys doing doing this for? Let me do it."

Aunt Changchun quickly stopped them. It wasn't that she didn't want Zhou Rui and the others to work, but she was worried that they wouldn't wash properly.

Zhou Rui took Xiao Yan'er, and then Wang Xinghua stuffed Xiao Niangao into his hands as well.

"You just take good care of the baby today. We'll do any chores, and if all else fails, we have Dazhu and the others."

With a wave of her hand, Wang Xinghua assigned Zhou Rui an important task.

Zhou Rui, holding a child in each arm, looked a little bewildered. "I'm such a strongman, I can handle dirty and tiring work without a care in the world, and you've assigned me to take care of the kids."

*Splat*

Two small hands, one on the left and one on the right, touched Zhou Rui's face.

What's going on? Why aren't they leaving while they're holding us? The two babies kept wriggling, unable to contain their desire to explore.

Zhou Rui looked at the two children with a somewhat aggrieved expression, wondering why he had been beaten. He couldn't even fight back, after all, he had two precious daughters in his arms, and they were quite heavy.

Little Rice Cake and Little Goose didn't care about Zhou Rui's mood; they pointed outwards with their two little hands.

Okay, Zhou Rui understands. He's just a tool today.

"An'an, do you want to go out and play with your second brother?"

An'an kept shaking her head.

"No. I'm going to play with the furry kids."

She just saw it; her powerful second brother was slapped by Xiao Niangao and Xiao Yan'er. How fierce!