Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

"I didn't think much of it. That old guy offered way too much. Two thousand for a lynx pelt, three thousand for a leopard pelt, and a full eight thousand for a tiger pelt." Wang Shouye was silent for a while, seemingly trying to process the shock of the price. Eight thousand—that was almost six years' salary for the highest-level, seventh-grade worker here.

"I know that old guy tried to tempt me with money, but there's no need for us to specifically look for him. Firstly, it's too dangerous, and secondly, it's too time-consuming and energy-draining—it's not worth it. Like this time, we got over two thousand yuan from hunting a sika deer, which is more than the tiger cub's pelt."

Seeing that Wang Shouye wasn't blinded by money and didn't intend to hide anything, Zhou Rui said, "Uncle, actually I spotted a leopard a while ago."

"What? You actually found out?" Wang Shouye exclaimed in surprise.

"Yeah, just last month. I saw a leopard kill a fawn. I was about to shoot when it carried the fawn up a tree and disappeared. I had no choice but to shoot a stag that had run away."

"It's alright. You didn't shoot it first, so it won't leave that area for now. Wait for me at home for a few days. I'll find someone, someone who's like a senior in your martial arts school, who has a few tough dogs. The three of us going together will be less dangerous. You absolutely mustn't go alone," Wang Shouye advised, afraid that Zhou Rui, being young and impulsive, would go alone.

Zhou Rui certainly wouldn't risk eating alone. Having lived most of his previous life, he knew that money couldn't be earned by one person alone. Besides, he had returned in this life to protect his family; if he were gone, his younger siblings might suffer the same fate as in his previous life.

"Yes, Master, I know. I'm afraid of these mountains too, otherwise I wouldn't have said anything, right?" Zhou Rui said with a relaxed smile. He knew Wang Shouye cared about him, so there was no need for him to worry.

"Alright, that's all that matters. I should go back now; I haven't been home for two nights, and my family will be worried if I don't go back soon. What about you? Want to come with me or what?" Wang Shouye asked, getting up.

"I won't go, we're not on the same page. I'd better go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some kerosene first, the lights at home are almost out of kerosene." Unlike towns, most villages don't have electricity. Remote mountain villages like Jiaolongxia are even further from having electricity, and it's unknown how many more years it will take.

After parting ways with Wang Shouye, Zhou Rui went straight to the supply and marketing cooperative and didn't look for Tong Lei again, even though he had just visited him two days ago. Frequent contact with someone like Tong Lei isn't a good idea; it's better to maintain a bit of mystery.

Zhou Rui replenished his stock of kerosene and flashlight batteries at the supply and marketing cooperative, and bought several bottles of wine, canned goods, candy, and snacks. He was never stingy with these treats; he knew he wouldn't get rich by being stingy, and making his family happy was the most important thing. He also bought a kitchen knife and a thermos for Zhao Dazhu's family, spices for Uncle Kangri's cooking, and finally, two bundles of firecrackers that hadn't been sold last year.

Immediately afterward, Zhou Rui ran to the town clinic and traded a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes for a pulse-pressure bandage. Now, the slingshot was even more powerful. A slingshot was much better for small animals; it wouldn't smash the prey and made very little noise.

After filling his stomach at the state-run restaurant, Zhou Rui pulled his cart home. Luckily, he didn't run into the chef surnamed Zhang, otherwise Zhou Rui planned to let that man experience the power of his new slingshot.

On his way home, Zhou Rui saw a flock of egrets on a riverbank. Zhou Rui had just gotten a new rubber band for his slingshot, so naturally he wanted to give it a try. He fired three mud pellets in quick succession, shooting down two, but the third one didn't catch up; it fell back down after only a short distance.

Zhou Rui picked up the two egrets; they were quite good, each weighing nearly two pounds. Zhou Rui planned to continue his ambush, but the clever egrets circled in the air for a while and then flew away. Well, time to head home. Zhou Rui tossed the egrets onto his cart and continued on his way home.

As they approached the village entrance, Chen Datou suddenly sat up from the bushes beside him, startling Zhou Rui.

"What are you doing? You suddenly appeared out of nowhere and startled me." Zhou Rui said with a frown, then pulled the cart away.

Unexpectedly, Chen Datou blocked Zhou Rui's path in two steps. "Rui, you went to town again? Let me see what you bought. I have something to tell you."

Chen Datou is incredibly lazy. He usually finds places to slack off, which also gives him a chance to gather information and buy a cigarette or two. This time, I stopped him, and I wonder what kind of shady business he'll be up to. Luckily, I had all the canned food and snacks in my bag, otherwise, who knows what kind of trouble he might cause if he saw them.

The cart was piled with a box of batteries, a bottle of kerosene, a kitchen knife, spices, and most conspicuously, dozens of kilograms of dried noodles and two egrets. In Northeast China, most people don't actually like dried noodles; they prefer hand-pulled noodles, which are more chewy. But Zhou Rui is often away from home, and dried noodles are easier to cook.

"Hehe... What kind of bird is this? It's so big and white!" he said, reaching out to grab it.

Zhou Rui slapped the hand away: "This is Bailu. If you have something to say, say it. Don't just reach out and grab me."

"Hehe... I was just craving it, wasn't I?" Chen Datou, shameless as ever, didn't care that Zhou Rui, this junior, had humiliated him. "I won't take your things for nothing; I'll exchange them for information."

Zhou Rui didn't say anything, but just raised his eyebrows, a typical example of not acting until he saw the benefit.

Seeing this, Chen Datou leaned forward again: "Got a cigarette? Give me one."

A foul stench wafted over, but Zhou Rui didn't flinch. Instead, he pulled out a pack of Yingchun cigarettes, lit one, and offered it to Chen Datou. Having spent his past life hanging out with a bunch of foreigners, he'd smelled all sorts of body odor. But none quite like Chen Datou's—a truly rancid smell. It seemed the village chief was right. Zhou Rui quickly lit a cigarette for himself, trying to get rid of the smell; there was no need for him to suffer.

"Do you know why Zhou Chen hasn't been bothering you lately?" Chen Datou leaned closer and asked mysteriously.

Zhou Rui remained expressionless, continuing to smoke his cigarette. "Why?"

Zhou Rui knew that there was no need to press Chen Datou for answers; that would only embolden him. His nonchalant attitude was the only way to make him anxious.

"Zhou Chen and a few of his underlings have been frequently coming to town lately. I asked around and found out they went to Gujiatun on the edge of town to play cards."

"Oh, you know that? Looks like you're quite well-informed!" Zhou Rui didn't hold back in praising useful people, after all, words don't cost money, at most they're just a waste of breath.

"That's right, I have many friends, so I'm naturally well-informed." Chen Datou was pleased, as he rarely received compliments from others.

Zhou Rui thought to himself, "Who would want to be friends with someone like you? I can smell the stench even before I get close to you."

"So, do you know whether they won or lost?"

"Of course they won. I saw them buy meat the other day, it was so fatty, and they even brought back two bottles of wine." Chen Datou slurped, his mouth watering. "I asked them to buy me drinks, and they told me to get lost. Those bastards, they deserved to have their scheme set up."

Hmm… Zhou Rui couldn’t help but glance at Chen Datou, surprised that this scoundrel knew the tricks of gambling. To attract new gamblers, casinos often let people win big, making them addicted, and then they go on a gambling spree, even lending money, causing families to be ruined and destroyed.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Chen Datou, a good-for-nothing who's over forty, must have seen these kinds of tricks before, and maybe he's even experienced them himself. It's just that his family was probably too poor to even squeeze any money out of him at the casino, which allowed him to escape unscathed.

Zhou Rui stood up and tossed away the cigarette he'd only half-smoked. He took a pound of noodles and a white egret from the car and threw them on the ground. "Fine, your information is worth the price."

Zhou Rui didn't press Chen Datou for further information, but instead left him a generous reward. He knew that once Chen Datou had benefited from him, he would definitely be more inclined to gather information for him in the future.

Chen Datou never expected Zhou Rui to be so generous, giving him a pound of noodles and a egret—enough to last him several days. He planned to exchange the noodles for some liquor in the village, and then enjoy it with the egret. Seeing Zhou Rui about to leave, Chen Datou quickly said, "Rui-wa, can I have another cigarette? I'll tuck it behind my ear to look cool."

Zhou Rui smiled. This was a classic villain, but he lived authentically. Zhou Rui took out the half-pack of Yingchun tea from his pocket, and without even looking at it, casually tossed it to Chen Datou.

Chen Datou hurriedly caught the cigarette box; there was still more than half a pack left. He said to Zhou Rui, who was turning to leave, "Ruiwa, that's generous of you."

Then he quickly squatted down, stubbed out the half-smoked cigarette that Zhou Rui had just thrown away, put it in his pocket, and then left with the noodles and Bai Lu, all smiles.