Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

"That's not a problem at all. Auntie, haven't you seen my newly built house yet?"

"Look at this little mud house, it's exactly the same as my new brick house, not a single difference."

"You just heard Gensheng say that he only went to my house once, on the day of the roof-raising ceremony. After so long, he still remembers exactly what the house looks like."

"What does this mean? It means that everything he saw was completely and perfectly engraved in his mind, without forgetting a single detail."

"Besides, he's so skillful with his hands. You yourself said that he can make other people's toys exactly the same with just a broken razor blade."

"You've definitely seen those toys in other kids' hands before, haven't you?"

As Zeng Ping listened to Zhou Rui's words, her mouth gaped wider and wider. She had lived most of her life and never knew that her son, whom others considered foolish, actually possessed such great abilities.

She used to think that Gensheng was just hiding at home every day whittling wood to pass the time because he had no one to play with.

To everyone's surprise, he memorized everything he saw outside and then copied it perfectly when he got home.

"Then... what do you think we should have him learn?"

Zeng Ping's voice trembled, revealing a heartache that had been weighing on her for many years.

Her biggest fear was that she would pass away early one day, and after she closed her eyes, her foolish son would have no one to rely on in the world.

Although Gensheng's surname is Zhao, she doesn't believe for a second that his relatives in the village can genuinely take care of him.

When my daughter Zhao Xiaoni grows up, she can marry into another village and perhaps escape from this torturous place, Jiaolong Gorge.

But once she left, Gengsheng was completely left unattended. This worry weighed heavily on her heart for almost ten years, and she never dared to reveal it to anyone.

"Learn carpentry; it's a stable profession. Once you've mastered it, you'll be able to get help whenever someone in the village needs a cabinet or a bench made."

After a moment's hesitation, Zhou Rui finally spoke the words he had been pondering for a long time.

He had carefully considered it. Gensheng was slow to react, and it would be too dangerous for him to build a house on the construction site. What if he was staring blankly at something when the beam was being raised, and didn't even know to dodge anything that was falling?

But carpenters are different. They work in the house with their planes and chisels, and with their photographic memory, they can replicate any exquisite design they've seen even once, even with their eyes closed. They're simply born to do this job.

"Really...really can it work?" Zeng Ping looked up at Zhou Rui, her eyes instantly reddening. Those weren't tears of grievance, but tears of hope that had been suppressed for so many years.

She has lived half her life solely for her two children, enduring hardship so that they could survive in the village, even losing all her reputation and face in the process.

The daughter, Zhao Xiaoni, is very clever. At home, she taught her needlework and cooking skills, giving her all the skills she would need to make a living in her husband's family.

But Zhao Gensheng was different. That high fever had frozen his brain at the age of six. She had taught him countless times, but he just couldn't learn it.

But today Zhou Rui told her that his son, whom others considered foolish, was a genius with a photographic memory and a natural talent for carpentry.

These words were like a fire, reigniting her long-cold heart, and she suddenly felt that there was hope for the future.

"But... but Old Chen from the west end of the village has always looked down on our family, and I'm afraid he would never accept Gensheng as his apprentice."

Old Man Chen's real name is Chen Qiao. Zhou Rui knows him very well; many of his new furniture pieces were made by him.

Zhou Rui was unaware of the feud between the two families, but Chen Qiao's skills were only mediocre, lacking any real talent. If he really followed him to learn, Geng Sheng's talent would probably be wasted.

"Uncle Chen's skills are too poor; he probably can't teach Gengsheng any skills. We need to ask around the surrounding villages and find the most skilled old craftsman."

"But... but would such a powerful master even be interested in my Gengsheng? Everyone knows he's slow-witted; people call him an idiot."

In order to ensure that Gengsheng could have a way to survive in the future, Zeng Ping no longer avoided using the word "stupid" and spoke directly without any beating around the bush.

As long as she could resolve the issue of becoming an apprentice, she was willing to say any harsh words herself.

"Don't worry about this. When a master apprentice takes on a student, he never looks at whether the student is smart or not. The first thing he looks at is whether the student has any skills and whether the student has any talent."

"Besides, Gensheng is just honest and simple-minded. He doesn't cheat or do anything wrong, and he won't do anything to harm others. Many master craftsmen like to take on apprentices like him because they are reliable."

Zhou Rui was too embarrassed to say the word "stupid" in front of the woman's mother, so he just used the word "simple-minded" to gloss over it.

"Go home and bring all the little wooden trinkets that Gensheng has carved over the years, and put them in front of the master craftsman."

After explaining it to the person, he went outside to take a look at someone else's spinning top, went home, grabbed a broken razor blade, and carved it exactly the same, without any difference.

I guarantee that any master craftsman who sees him will be eager to take him on as an apprentice.

Zhou Rui knew perfectly well that any craftsman would hope to take on an honest, kind-hearted, and exceptionally talented apprentice.

Just like Guo Jing in the book, he looks clumsy, but many people are eager to take him as their disciple.

Zeng Ping's tears finally rolled down her cheeks. She hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand, her gaze falling on the newly sculpted little mud house, as if she had seen a dazzling light in that dark lump of mud.

She now completely believed Zhou Rui's words. Even if she couldn't become his apprentice in the future, she was willing to deceive herself this time. At least this was the first time in her life that she had seen Zhao Gensheng have a decent future.

The little rice cake next to me had played too wildly in the morning, and now it seemed to have run out of energy. Its eyelids were drooping, and it looked like it was about to fall asleep on the ground at any moment.

Zhou Rui quickly stepped forward, picked her up, then turned back to call to An'an, and led the two little girls home.

"Auntie, go home and think it over carefully, and ask around to find a good carpenter in the area."

"I'm heading back now. Little Rice Cake is nodding off in sleepiness; I need to hurry and take her home for her afternoon nap."

"Oh, okay, okay. Zhou Rui, thank you so much."

Zhou Rui didn't say anything more. He took off his cloth shoes and let An'an carry them. Holding the soft little rice cake in his arms, he led An'an step by step across the small river in the middle of the village.

When he reached the middle of the river, he looked back and saw that Zeng Ping had squatted back down by the river to wash clothes, but the garment she was holding looked strangely familiar.

As he walked towards the other side, he kept thinking about it until he stepped into his own courtyard and suddenly remembered that it was Chen Datou's clothes.

He had a deep impression of the red cloth patch on the collar; it was embroidered by Chen Huaihua herself, with crooked stitches and a pattern that looked like a slippery little loach.

What is Chen Datou up to? Does he really want to live with Widow Zhao, or has he been single for too long and is only lusting after her body?

Many men in the village drooled over Zeng Ping, all attracted to her looks and figure. Many had even tried to seduce her behind her back, but when it came to actually marrying her, they all ran away faster than anyone else, showing no sense of responsibility whatsoever.

Ever since her husband left, Zeng Ping's reputation has been thoroughly ruined in the village as she struggles to raise her two children.

She gritted her teeth and endured it all, raising her two children alone for over ten years.

It seems I'll have to find an opportunity to ask Uncle Big Head later and figure out what he's really thinking.

Is he just trying to secretly help out, or is he really thinking about getting married properly and settling down in a stable life?