Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

Zhou Rui, knife in hand, trudged forward with difficulty, occasionally hacking at the protruding bushes. It was barely dawn, but Zhou Rui had already been on the mountain for a long time. Having promised the village chief to hunt some small animals, Zhou Rui was determined to fulfill his promise. He had already spotted pheasants and rabbits, but hadn't hunted them immediately. It was too early; Zhou Rui planned to hunt again on his way down the mountain to avoid arousing envy by revealing how easily he hunted.

With plenty of time available, Zhou Rui planned to explore the surrounding terrain in preparation for the winter hunt. He made sure to travel along the ridgeline as much as possible; although steeper, it had less bushes and offered a wider field of vision.

Climbing a small hill, Zhou Rui looked around. To the east was a large pine forest interspersed with other large trees, a favorite habitat for squirrels, a place they could visit in winter. They could harvest fur and collect nuts like pine nuts.

To the west, there are large areas of shrubs, wild grapevines, and chestnut trees, a favorite spot for antelopes and sika deer. The chances of encountering these animals there are much higher.

Hmm, there seems to be a faint trace of green over there, a place that people often walk on. Let's go take a look. Zhou Rui followed the path he had observed. It looked like it wasn't far, but it took him more than twenty minutes to reach it. Traveling in the mountains is much more difficult than most people realize, not just in terms of distance, but also in terms of the choices one makes.

Zhou Rui walked along this secluded path, observing for a while, and found that it was indeed a man-made trail. The ground, frequently trodden, was somewhat hard, with few weeds, and there were signs of broken branches on both sides of the path, indicating that it was a path frequently used by mountain hikers.

Since the purpose was simply to scout the terrain, it didn't matter where they went; there were already established paths, so Zhou Rui felt much more relaxed. It was almost noon, and Zhou Rui planned to find a suitable place to rest and hunt some wild game. Although Zhou Rui had brought some dry rations, nothing tasted as good as roasted meat.

After walking a short distance, Zhou Rui discovered a dugout. He approached; the wooden door was intact and unlocked, with only a thick, rusty iron wire hanging from it as a latch. It seemed to be a resting place used by hunters after a hunt. However, real hunters weren't as carefree as Zhou Rui, who went out early and returned late every day, always catching wild game. Hunters relied on tracks and methods to track their prey, and not every hunt was successful. Therefore, a single trip up the mountain often required several days to gather enough game before returning. This is why hunters built dugouts in the mountains as temporary shelters, ensuring their safety and a comfortable resting environment.

No need to look for another place, there's one right here, perfect for a good rest. Zhou Rui didn't think much of it, just unbolted the door and went inside.

The dugout wasn't big, only five or six square meters. Besides a small earthen platform inside, about a meter wide, used as a bed, there was just enough space for two or three people to sit around. There was a small stove on the floor with a small aluminum pot on it, and half a bag of mixed grain flour hung on the wall. Zhou Rui looked around the whole room and that was about all he had.

Zhou Rui didn't plan to touch the flour in the house; it was for hunters' emergencies, and Zhou Rui had brought dry rations. However, the pot could be used to boil water, which would replenish the water in his canteen, which was almost empty. Zhou Rui put down the basket and canteen, picked up the pot, and prepared to go out to fetch water.

The location of this dugout was carefully chosen; there must have been a water source nearby for convenient cooking. Zhou Rui carefully sensed the area and then retraced his steps, walking about thirty meters before turning down the slope. He soon saw a small puddle, which turned out to be a mountain spring. The water was relatively clean, with only some fallen leaves floating on the surface.

Zhou Rui skimmed the surface of the water, filled the pot halfway, and was about to leave when he suddenly noticed a hole in front of him. Zhou Rui put down the aluminum pot, pulled out his dagger, and went to investigate. The hole was smooth and clean, and Zhou Rui saw a few hairs near the entrance. He picked them up and saw that they were probably from a badger.

Zhou Rui was delighted to see this; he hadn't even made lunch yet, and now the meat was here. Zhou Rui searched carefully around the cave entrance and found two more. There were three in total, indicating that they hadn't been here long. If they had lived here longer, there would have been five or six entrances.

Zhou Rui found two large rocks and used them to block the other two entrances to the cave. He then gathered some thatch to prepare for smoking the badger. After lighting the thatch at the entrance, Zhou Rui added some water-soaked thatch, and a thick plume of smoke immediately rose. Zhou Rui found a large leaf and fanned it vigorously inside, but even then, he was coughing from the scattered smoke.

Damn it, I should have bought some firecrackers at the supply and marketing cooperative in town; they would have hit the target every time.

A few minutes later, a shadow darted out of the hole. Zhou Rui, who was already prepared, grabbed his knife and slashed at it with the back of the blade. The badger didn't even utter a sound and remained motionless. A few more minutes passed, but no second badger emerged. It seemed there were none left; they were probably badgers that had recently separated from their mates and didn't even have a wife yet.

Zhou Rui stepped forward and picked up the badger. It weighed a little over ten pounds, not very big, but quite fat. Badger pelts could be sold for money; he'd seen someone selling them at the supply and marketing cooperative's purchasing point for fifteen yuan a piece. But the main thing was badger oil, which could treat burns and was more expensive than the pelt because it was often in short supply. Last time Zhou Rui was burned by a gun barrel, Uncle Changhai didn't have any badger oil to apply. Luckily, Zhou Rui's body had been modified, giving him strong self-healing abilities.

Zhou Rui quickly cleaned the badger by the puddle. As Zhou Rui spent more and more time hunting, he became increasingly adept at processing his prey, almost like a master butcher carving up an ox.

Zhou Rui started a fire in the dugout, stewed badger meat in a pot, and added some spices and dried chili peppers that he carried with him.

"Bang, bang." Two faint gunshots rang out from outside.

The two gunshots rang out very close together, sounding like double-barreled shotguns. Zhou Rui didn't go out to search unnecessarily; instead, he released the safety on his 98K and placed it in a convenient spot nearby. Wild beasts in the mountains are terrifying, but the human heart is even more ruthless. Alone in the mountains, one must be wary of everything.

A short while later, the sound of dogs barking came from afar, growing closer and closer. Soon, three hunting dogs arrived outside the dugout, barking at Zhou Rui from around the open door.

"Quiet down. Who's inside? I'm Wang Shouye from Wangjiazhuang." Someone outside called out loudly.

Wang Shouye from Wangjiazhuang was quite well-known in the entire Hongqi Town. He was considered a rare hunting expert and was known as "Wang Pao" (Wang the Cannon). Zhou Rui had naturally heard of him as well.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Rui stood up, walked out the door, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Zhou Rui of Jiaolong Gorge greets Wang Pao."

Wang Shouye wasn't very tall, about 1.75 meters, but he had a muscular build and looked somewhat fierce. He had several pheasants and rabbits hanging from his waist, and a small yellow cat slung over his shoulder.

"Hey, from Jiaolong Gorge, are you with Gu Dayong or Chen Ye?" Wang Shouye was a little surprised to see an unfamiliar teenager emerge from the dugout. There were only two hunter families in Jiaolong Gorge, Gu Dayong and Chen Ye, and Wang Shouye assumed Zhou Rui was an apprentice of one of them.

"I came up the mountain by myself, without anyone with me," Zhou Rui explained, putting his hands down.

"You went up the mountain by yourself?" Wang Shouye unloaded the wild boar and took the game from his waist. "Where's your master? Did he also let you go up the mountain alone?"

"I have no master."