Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

"Zhou Rui? Rui-ge from the Zhou family?" Chen Huaihua immediately stopped crying upon hearing this.

After washing his face, Zhou Rui picked up his basket and said, "You go ashore first and wait there." He then turned around, pulled the sled, and waded across to a shallower spot.

After hearing this, Chen Huaihua went ashore and waited somewhat at a loss. When she saw Zhou Rui struggling to drag a large sled in the stream, she quickly went to help.

After the two of them finally managed to drag the sled ashore, Zhou Rui breathed a sigh of relief. He then turned around and asked, "Tell me, what are you doing here alone so late? Don't you know it's dangerous? It's so dark, you could have slipped and fallen into the deep water and no one would have known."

Chen Huaihua lowered her head, rubbing her clothes with both hands, and said timidly, "Little Locust Tree is sick and wants to eat meat. But Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle, and Uncle's families don't have any meat, so I thought I'd catch a fish in the river so he can get better faster."

"I used to come here to pick wild vegetables and I saw fish there," Chen Huaihua said, pointing to the spot in the water where she had just been standing.

Chen Huaihua's family was similar to Zhou Rui's; both had lost both parents. Chen was better off than Zhou Rui because her relatives were quite kind and had consistently helped Chen Huaihua and her siblings. Huaihua's uncle often brought food to visit his two nephews. However, their circumstances were limited; they could help with food, but meat was simply unavailable.

"Sigh... Let's go, help me drag the sled home, and I'll give you a piece of wild boar meat later."

"Meat?" Chen Huaihua's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and she quickly looked at the sled. There was a huge pile lying there, headless and hoofless—it was wild boar. Ever since meeting Zhou Rui, Chen Huaihua had been afraid of being scolded and had kept her head down, not daring to look around, so she had never known that the sled Zhou Rui was dragging was a wild boar.

Then Chen Huaihua looked up at Zhou Rui and asked, "Brother Rui, are you injured?" Zhou Rui's clothes were covered with tattered strips of cloth and bloodstains.

"Yes, I ran into a pack of wolves and suffered some minor injuries," Zhou Rui said casually, as if afraid of frightening the introverted little girl.

But Xiao Huaihua wasn't afraid at all; being introverted doesn't mean being timid.

"Quick, quick, let's go back. Brother Rui, hurry back to the village and ask Uncle Changhai to apply the medicine for you." With that, he took the lead in pulling the rope on the sled.

Seeing this, Zhou Rui quickly went up and pulled the sled, otherwise, with Xiao Huaihua's malnourished body, she wouldn't be able to pull the wild boar weighing more than 200 pounds.

With Chen Huaihua's help, Zhou Rui finally felt much more relaxed and soon arrived at his home. Zhou Ping had already put his younger sister to sleep and was anxiously waiting for Zhou Rui, since Zhou Rui had never been home this late before.

Hearing the noise in the courtyard, Zhou Ping hurriedly came out with an oil lamp.

"Second Brother, why are you only just getting back?" Zhou Ping asked anxiously. A figure could be seen in the lamplight. "Sister Huaihua, why did you come back with my brother?"

"Don't be so loud, or you'll wake An'an and Xiao Niangao and I'll give you a good whack." Zhou Rui said in a low voice, "We ran into Xiao Huaihua on the way, and she helped me pull the sled back."

"Come on, Little Locust Flower, let me cut the meat for you first so you can go home sooner." With that, Zhou Rui picked up the cleaver and prepared to start.

"Rui-ge, you're injured, let's treat your injuries first, we can talk about the meat tomorrow."

"What? Second Brother, you're injured? Where are you hurt?" Zhou Ping asked belatedly. "I'll go and call Uncle Changhai right away."

"Don't make a fuss, it's just a superficial wound, the bleeding has already stopped. Since that's the case, you take the knife and cut a piece of meat for Xiao Huaihua. Also cut a piece of ribs, make soup, Xiao Huaihua will recover quickly, so it needs to be cooked for a while." Zhou Rui said, handing the knife to Zhou Ping.

Zhou Ping couldn't persuade Zhou Rui otherwise, so he picked up the cleaver, aimed it at the wild boar, and cut off a large chunk of meat. Fortunately, the cleaver was sharp; otherwise, Zhou Ping might not have been able to cut it at all, and it still took him quite a bit of effort.

Zhou Rui tied the meat and ribs together with straw and handed them to Chen Huaihua: "Here, go back and stew it for me as soon as possible, don't leave your brother alone at home."

"Mm." Chen Huaihua carried the meat and ribs weighing no less than ten pounds, her heart filled with gratitude, but she couldn't say anything, only responding softly.

Just as he was leaving the hospital, Zhou Rui's voice came from behind him again. "By the way, come over tomorrow morning. Do me a favor, Rui-ge, and help me haul some things up the mountain."

"Okay! Got it." Chen Huaihua replied cheerfully. She was extremely happy that she could help Zhou Rui.

"Brother, how are you?" Seeing Zhou Rui sitting wearily in a chair, covered in blood, Zhou Ping felt extremely distressed. He blamed himself for being too young and incapable of helping his second brother.

"It's nothing, I'm just tired. Go and call Brother Dazhu and Uncle Kangri over, tell them to come over and we need to deal with the wild boar. Also, go and call Uncle Changhai over, tell him I have some minor injuries and to bring some medicine."

When Liu Kangri and Zhao Dazhu arrived one after the other, Zhou Rui was taking a shower in the yard wearing shorts. There were clothes on the ground that Zhou Rui had taken off, stained with blood, which took him quite a while to clean.

The two gasped when they saw the wounds on Zhou Rui's body.

"Hey buddy, what's wrong with you?"

"My goodness, Zhou Rui, you got into a fight with a wild boar? This doesn't look like the injury was caused by a wild boar."

Zhou Rui pulled up the towel on the bamboo bed, wiped himself a few times casually, and put on the new coat he had just taken.

"No, it wasn't difficult to catch the wild boar. It got tied up by a pack of wolves on the way back, and the wolves injured it." Zhou Rui casually tossed aside the towel he had just used. "By the way, you guys have to come up the mountain with me tomorrow morning; I couldn't get those wolves down."

Liu Kangri and Zhao Dazhu exchanged a glance. Good heavens, what a ruthless person this was! Not only did he take down a wild boar weighing several hundred pounds, but he also fought off a pack of wolves. This not-so-tall man was covered in wounds, yet he didn't even blink, his calm expression leaving the two men utterly stunned.

Fortunately, Liu Kangri was older and remembered the purpose of his visit, so he looked at the wild boar on the ground.

"What about pig's head and trotters? This pig's head is so fragrant when braised. Add star anise, cinnamon, and some white wine, and the aroma will travel for miles. Pig's trotters stewed with peanuts are also delicious and help with lactation. They're perfect for Dazhu's wife." Liu Kangri couldn't stop talking once he got into the mood.

"We can't drag it, so we'll just throw it all away. Besides, wild boar meat this big isn't very tasty. I only brought it back for the thick layer of lard. If you want to eat it, eat the one in that basket. There's a little yellow-haired one in there, and its hooves are perfect for Brother Dazhu to take back and make soup." Zhou Rui gestured with his chin toward the basket.

Liu Kangri called Dazhu, and the two of them lifted the little wild boar out of the basket.

"Not bad, not bad at all, Ruiwa, you have a good palate. This little yellow-haired guy must have weighed around 100 jin before we took him out of the water. Wild boar is at its best at this time of year, so fragrant and tender." Liu Kangri checked the size of the little yellow-haired guy and examined the color of the meat. Then he called over Dazhu: "Come on, help me hang up the big wild boar. Let's clean the big one first."

Liu Kangri brought his tools with him: a cleaver for chopping bones, a boning knife, and a meat cutter—everything he needed. Liu Kangri took the lead, with Zhao Dazhu assisting him. Using two torches lit in the yard, the two got to work.

When Zhao Changhai followed Zhou Ping in, he saw Zhou Rui sitting on a stool with his coat on, while Liu Kangri and Zhao Dazhu were busy butchering a wild boar.

"Anti-Japanese Brother, Zhu Zi, busy?"

"Hmm, I don't have time to deal with you. You should take a look at Ruiwa first. His body is covered in wounds, it's horrifying to look at." Liu Kangri only turned his head to glance at Zhao Changhai before continuing to stab him.

"Uncle Changhai, you've arrived?" Zhao Dazhu was also busy helping Liu Kangri support the wild boar, so he only responded with a single word.

Zhou Rui took off his clothes, revealing his upper body. Zhao Changhai carefully examined the two scratches on Zhou Rui's back and the seven or eight scratches on his chest and abdomen. The two scratches on his back were deeper but shorter, while the ones on his front were denser but not deep.

"You were scratched by a wolf."

"Yes, his back was probably scratched by a rock, and his chest and abdomen were scratched by wolves," Zhou Rui replied. He then showed his left hand: "My left hand was burned when I used the gun to block the wolves."

"Your back is fine, I'll just apply some mercurochrome and bandage it later. The front is a bit more troublesome; the wolf claws might be poisonous, so I'll need to rinse it with salt water. It'll hurt a bit, so you'll have to bear with it. As for the burn on your palm, I don't have any badger oil here, you'll have to ask somewhere else."

"Alright, if that's the case, then we'll do it your way." Zhou Rui was prepared. If you're going to make a living by working in the mountains, you have to endure this hardship. It's only natural.