Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

Da Mao and Er Mao went to the inner room to get the scale, while Scarface took two wolf skins out of the basket and examined them under the electric light.

"Brother, you're quite skilled. This small one only has one eye on its head. This big one is even more amazing; it doesn't even have a bullet hole. It's so big, is it a wolf king? Was it lassoed?" Scarface was somewhat surprised.

"Yeah, it's the Wolf King. It pounced on me and snapped my neck with both hands." Although Zhou Rui disdained boasting, being in the black market, he didn't mind letting people know his strength.

"Great." Scarface gave a thumbs up. "Here's the deal: summer pelts aren't as expensive as winter ones. I'll offer twenty for this small one. This big one doesn't have any bullet holes, and it's a wolf king pelt, so I'll offer thirty-five. How about that?"

Zhou Rui had inquired about it before coming, and after hearing the news, he had no objections and agreed immediately.

Then they weighed the wild boar and the wolf. The wild boar weighed 182 jin (approximately 94 kg), and the wolf weighed 218 jin (approximately 144 catties). While they were calculating the weight, Da Mao said from the side, "Scarface, there's also a wolf gun in this basket."

"Oh, I almost forgot, this is the Wolf King's weapon. Let me see." Scarface took the wolf whip wrapped in leaves from Big Hair's hand. "It's huge! No wonder it's the Wolf King's. Although it's not as good as the deer spear, it's still the Wolf King's spear. Here, I'll bet fifteen."

Zhou Rui hadn't thought it would be worth much money, so it was fine; it was a pleasant surprise.

"Brother, this is a great stuff! Why didn't you say so sooner? If you had told me earlier, I would have bought it earlier and used it to make medicinal wine," Tong Lei said regretfully from the side.

Zhou Rui kicked him: "Why are you everywhere? Are you even married? All you think about is making medicinal wine. You'll die of boredom if you drink it and don't have a wife to help you relax."

"Haha... Your brother is right. This is not something a novice like you can covet. You should find a wife first." Scarface was also happy and patted Tong Lei on the shoulder.

"Hehe, haha." Da Mao and Er Mao gloated from the sidelines, "Chick, have you ever tasted a woman's flavor?"

"Screw you, how come it's gone? You know?" Tong Lei first pointed at Da Mao, then pointed at Da Mao again. "Or do you know?"

Da Mao and Er Mao didn't care about Tong Lei's anger; they just teased him from the side.

"Alright, stop fooling around, Er Mao, help me settle the accounts." Scarface interrupted their laughter and banter.

Er Mao took out an abacus and said as he worked on it, "Two wolf skins are fifty-five yuan in total. Wild boar meat is one hundred and eighty-two catties, one hundred and nine yuan and twenty cents. Wild wolf meat is two hundred and eighteen catties, eighty-seven yuan and twenty cents. Wolf gun is fifteen yuan. Add one yuan, and the total is two hundred and sixty-six yuan and forty cents."

Da Mao took notes with a pencil, and Er Mao finished writing as soon as he finished speaking. Da Mao and Er Mao looked tall, but they were both educated and efficient, so they should be Scarface's capable henchmen.

Da Mao handed the record in his hand to Zhou Rui. Zhou Rui glanced at it briefly, nodded in approval, and returned the form to Da Mao.

Scarface didn't waste any time and told Er Mao to take out the money and settle Zhou Rui's bill. Zhou Rui took the money, didn't count it, and just pulled out a ten-yuan note and handed it to Tong Lei.

Tong Lei quickly declined, saying, "Brother, are you slapping me in the face? You've always been a good shopper for my business. I was just showing you the way this time. Giving me this money means you don't consider me a brother."

Zhou Rui held down Tong Lei's hand and said, "Brothers are brothers, but the rules can't be changed. From ancient times to the present, sellers have always had to pay commission. You can't have made this trip for nothing in the dark of night."

Seeing Zhou Rui's determined gaze, Tong Lei wanted to decline, but he felt a little uneasy. Fortunately, Scarface smoothed things over for him.

"Take it, Brother Tong Lei. You're right, there are rules to follow in any profession. You see, when I work with my brothers, we always do things the right way. We need to make sure everyone has food to eat. You can't just work without paying people; that's not being a boss, that's being a bandit."

Da Mao and Er Mao nodded repeatedly after hearing what Scarface said, clearly agreeing with Scarface's rules.

Tong Lei hesitated for a moment, but had no choice but to accept the ten yuan.

"Alright, I'll listen to my two older brothers." Then he turned to Scarface and said, "Now that things are done here, I'll take my brother and head over first. We still need to go see Master Lin."

"Looking to buy some gear? Then head over early. But be careful, that old guy's got a sharp tongue," Scarface casually remarked before seeing the guests out. "Next time you get something good, be sure to patronize my business again."

Zhou Rui nodded, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Brother Scarface. Goodbye."

As soon as they stepped out of the courtyard gate, the lights inside the house went out again. Tong Lei, holding a flashlight, led Zhou Rui through several more turns before finally arriving at another house.

This house had no yard; it was a house nestled against the river. Tong Lei knocked on the door but didn't answer. The door opened, and an old man in his fifties with a goatee appeared, carrying lamp oil. The old man peeked outside, and seeing that there were only two people, he began to speak.

"Come in, and close the door behind you."

Tong Lei quickly called Zhou Rui to come inside with him.

"Master Lin, my brother wants a handgun for self-defense." As usual, it was Tong Lei who started the conversation.

The man called Master Lin glanced at Zhou Rui and said, "You know the rules. Make it clear to your brother that once the transaction is complete, there will be no further repercussions after you leave this room."

"We all know that."

"Alright, you can come with me."

Lin Ye didn't say anything more and led the two into the back room. Once inside, he turned on the lights, illuminating the entire room. The room wasn't large; besides the door Zhou Rui and his companion used, there were no windows. The walls were piled high with goods, like a general store. Grain, clothing, cotton, and other items were all there. The pistol Zhou Rui needed was on one wall; it must have been a relatively valuable item, as it was even displayed on a special shelf. There weren't many guns on the shelf—five or six pistols and a few old-fashioned hunting rifles—but one AK47 rifle stood out.

Zhou Rui didn't look at it for long, but asked directly, "How much is it?"

"You pick first, then we'll talk. Let me tell you, although these are old items, they're all usable; I've tested them all." When it came to business, Mr. Lin's eyes darted around, clearly showing he was a shrewd businessman.

Zhou Rui didn't stand on ceremony and immediately started picking them out. Having spent countless hours handling guns in his past life, Zhou Rui's knowledge of firearms far surpassed most people's; usability and effectiveness are two different things. This was something to save his life in the mountains, so naturally he wanted to choose the best.

Zhou Rui picked up a Mauser C96 pistol, a military pistol. It was mediocre; the rifling was almost completely worn down. Next to it was a cheap, low-end Mauser C96, which Zhou Rui didn't even bother with, mainly because it was prone to jamming. He only picked up the last two pistols to look at before putting them down; it was an insult to his intelligence. The old guns, with their crudely made parts, made Zhou Rui think that firing them would probably kill him.

Zhou Rui slowly paced forward, finally finding one that caught his eye. A Browning high-powered pistol, 9mm caliber, 13-round capacity, and excellent accuracy—this was truly impressive. The gun appeared to be about 80% new. Zhou Rui shone a flashlight on the muzzle; the rifling was also well-preserved.

Zhou Rui pulled the slide, feeling a slight blockage; it seemed the maintenance was inadequate and he needed to get it properly serviced. He pulled the trigger, and the unloaded pistol made a crisp sound.

"How much for this one?" Zhou Rui gestured to the gun in his hand.

"Four hundred and fifty dollars, and I'll throw in twenty bullets." Lin Ye sensed Zhou Rui's interest and quickly offered a high price.

"Master Lin isn't being honest. A new double-barreled shotgun only costs three hundred and fifty. For four hundred and fifty, I could buy a well-preserved Mosin-Ghana rifle. Your seven-tenths-new pistol isn't worth that price," Zhou Rui said slowly, trying to appear less eager.

"Okay, I'll lower the price a bit more, to four hundred and twenty, but I'll still throw in twenty bullets."

"Three hundred dollars, and I'll get a hundred bullets." Despite his personality being quite different from Scarface's, Zhou Rui was still willing to swallow his pride and haggle.

"Your bargaining is too steep. I can't sell it like that. Besides, a hundred bullets are worth tens of dollars. Give me a little more, or I'll lose money." Mr. Lin quickly shook his head and gave a wry smile.

"Don't complain about earning too little. Here, I'll add another twenty yuan. If it's too expensive, I'll look elsewhere."

"Alright, since you put it that way, brother, I can't argue with you. Consider this my decision to be your friend. I hope you'll come back to support my business if you ever need anything in the future." Business is really tough these days, and Master Lin is reluctant to give up the business he's already secured.

Zhou Rui had barely earned the two hundred-odd yuan when he went out, and even lost several tens of yuan in the process. Looking at the little over one hundred yuan he had left, Zhou Rui didn't feel any heartache. With a handy tool, he wasn't afraid he wouldn't be able to make money.