Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

On his way home, Zhou Rui was unaware of what was happening behind him, and even if he had, he wouldn't have cared. He was only concerned that An'an was tired and Xiao Niangao was hungry. A baby was hanging in front of Zhou Rui, babbling softly, while a large baby was on his back, leaning wearily on Zhou Rui's shoulder and clinging tightly to his neck. Only Zhou Ping followed behind, carrying empty buckets and a hoe inside.

At noon, the family was having lunch in the yard when the village chief came to visit.

"Grandpa Zhao, you're here. Come and have a bite to eat with us." Zhou Rui said, and then told Zhou Ping to get a bowl.

Zhao Youzhi quickly stopped him, saying it wasn't necessary, he just had something to say and needed to discuss it with Uncle Liu, so he wouldn't eat. Actually, Zhao Youzhi was worried that eating the meager amount of sweet potato porridge on the table would burden Zhou Rui's already limited food supplies. He had no idea that it was because Zhou Rui's family had eaten too much oily food the day before, causing An'an some indigestion, and that they were eating something light and easy to digest today.

"It's like this, right? They're building a youth settlement next door. Originally, it was supposed to be finished in about ten days, but Old Sesame from the village said it would rain heavily in seven days. So the brigade headquarters decided to speed up the construction, working from before dawn to after dark. To ensure everyone has the energy to work, the village is going to provide two meals a day, morning and noon, so we can finish the youth settlement before the heavy rain comes." Liu Youzhi tapped his pipe at this point.

"I found two elderly women in the village who are struggling financially to cook, but we still need a few helpers. I thought your family is also in a difficult situation, so I thought you and Pingwa could both help out. Pingwa will get 5 work points a day, and you will get 8 work points, so you can get more grain at the end of the year."

Listening to the village chief's story, Zhou Rui knew that the village chief felt sorry for him, who was raising several children alone and was struggling financially, and wanted to help him out. However, Zhou Rui didn't want to go. Usually, unless it was the busy farming season, Zhou Rui would ask for leave to go up the mountain, thinking that he could earn more by hunting and gathering herbs than he would earn work points, and he didn't want to get involved in building houses.

Zhou Rui took a big gulp of sweet potato porridge, paused for a moment, and thought about how to refuse Zhao Youzhi's kindness.

"Grandpa Zhao, it's like this. My family isn't short of food this year, but a few months ago, because of my uncle, An'an and Pingwa went hungry and their health suffered. Uncle Changhai told me that they're lacking nutrition and need more meat. So recently I've been taking leave to go up the mountain often, thinking of getting some pheasants or something to help them recover. So I'm thinking, I won't go this time. I'll go back to work more next year when they're both better. Let's give this opportunity to others who need it more, like Huaihua and her brother, who are having a tough time."

But before the village chief could speak, Zhou Ping spoke first.

"Second brother, I want to go to work. I'm perfectly healthy."

"Uh, what are you thinking? Aren't you supposed to be at home taking care of An'an and Xiao Niangao?" Zhou Rui looked at Zhou Ping in surprise.

The village chief was also quite surprised. This was the first time he had ever seen Zhou Ping, who was usually obedient and introverted, oppose Zhou Rui's decision.

"Second brother, I don't want you to work so hard all by yourself. I want to help too. This work isn't tiring, and it's right next to home. An'an is playing with Xiao Nian Gao in the yard, and I can hear her if she calls out." This was the first time Zhou Ping had expressed his opinion so completely.

That night, Zhou Rui returned home covered in injuries, slumped in a chair, exhausted. This sight deeply moved him. His second brother was only two years older than him, yet he supported the entire family. Although he was still young, he was a man too, and he wanted to do more work to help the family produce more food and ease his brother's burden.

"Yes, An'an can take care of Xiao Nian Gao by herself." An'an chimed in from the side, although she didn't understand what her third brother was saying.

Zhao Youzhi looked at Zhou Rui's family with satisfaction, thinking to himself that they were all worthy of being born of Da Shitou, each and every one of them was outstanding.

"Okay, I think it's feasible. Ruiwa goes up the mountain to hunt, Pingwa earns work points, and An'an stays at home to take care of her little niece. With the family supporting each other, there's no obstacle they can't overcome."

Before Zhou Rui could speak, Village Chief Zhao made the final decision.

After village chief Zhao Youzhi left, Zhou Rui stared blankly at Zhou Ping until Zhou Ping felt uneasy, then slapped Zhou Ping on the shoulder.

"Alright, Pingwa's grown up and can make his own decisions. Your second brother supports you. But..."

"But what?" Zhou Ping's heart was pounding, afraid that his second brother would change his mind and not let him go to work.

"However, you will still have to go to school next year, taking An'an with you. This decision is non-negotiable."

Zhou Ping finally calmed down. As long as he wasn't prevented from going to work, everything was fine. "Okay, second brother. But even if I go to school next year, I can still help with chores around the house."

"Well, since you're going to work, wash the dishes first. I'm tired, I'll rest on the bamboo bed for a while." With that, she stood up, walked to the bamboo bed, and lay down next to Xiao Niangao.

An'an followed suit and quickly ran over, lay down next to her brother, and even tried to hug him.

"Don't hug your second brother in the middle of the day, it's hot." Zhou Rui gently pushed An'an's forehead with some disdain.

"No, I want it, I want it." She said, trying to climb onto Zhou Rui.

As soon as Zhou Rui turned around, An'an tumbled down. But laughing and giggling, she climbed back up, fell down again, and... she kept doing this with great enthusiasm.

Watching his second brother and younger sister playfully fighting on the bamboo bed, Zhou Ping's face lit up with joy. He thought to himself that this must be the reason why his second brother had always insisted on keeping the family together.

Zhou Ping finished the porridge on the table and then cleared away the dishes. He moved the things to the kitchen, ladled out hot water to wash the pots and pans. After everything was cleaned up, he returned to the yard and saw that his brother and An'an were asleep. A breeze blew, the leaves on the trees swayed, and the light and shadows filtering through the trees moved constantly around the three of them—it was beautiful.

Zhou Rui opened his eyes, his mind gradually clearing, and all his fatigue vanished. He glanced at his watch; he had only slept for about an hour, but it was more effective than a whole night's sleep. It was so much easier when someone was sharing the burden of the household.

Zhou Rui suddenly realized something was pressing on his shoulder. It turned out that An An was clinging to Zhou Rui's shoulder like a sloth, her arms wrapped around his head.

Zhou Rui gently moved An An's hand away, afraid of waking her. Standing under the tree, Zhou Rui stretched deeply, feeling so comfortable.

Zhou Ping wasn't home; no one knew where he'd gone. Zhou Rui didn't bother with him. Zhou Ping wasn't old, but he was mature for his age and had his own sense of judgment. Zhou Rui took out the Browning high-powered pistol he'd bought the night before, along with a piece of fabric salvaged from an old garment.

Zhou Rui disassembled the pistol parts one by one, slowly wiping them with a cloth until there was no dust on any of them. Then he went to the kitchen, took a small bowl of lard, dipped a cloth in it, and wiped every part and every section of the pistol thoroughly.

Afterward, Zhou Rui carefully assembled the gun, pulled the slide, and started the bolt; the smooth sound was captivating. This would be Zhou Rui's backup plan when going up the mountain, his last resort—something he could use but couldn't be without.