Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

Zhou Rui cooked dinner that evening. Lin Qiuyue lingered outside until after work in the village before slowly walking back with the educated youth.

Lin Qiuyue still felt her face burning when she thought about how she had been a little too forward that morning.

Especially since Xiao Nian Gao saw them being affectionate, even though she was only a year and a half old, she was still very flustered.

During the meal, Lin Qiuyue kept her head down, not daring to look Zhou Rui in the eyes, as if those eyes possessed some kind of magic.

"Auntie, I want to eat eggs."

"Oh, oh." Lin Qiuyue hurriedly scooped egg custard into the small rice cake bowl, her hands trembling so much that she almost dropped the eggs on the table.

Zhou Rui suppressed a laugh and pushed a plate of eggplant with hot oil forward: "Don't just eat white rice, eat more vegetables."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Qiuyue's face burned even more intensely. She buried her head so low it was almost touching the rim of the bowl, and even her ears turned bright red.

An'an, sitting opposite, darted around, glancing at Zhou Rui and then at her, before suddenly leaning closer.

"Why are you always looking down today, sister-in-law? Did you get sunburned in the fields during the day? I just saw you and Sister Yang Ping walk around the old locust tree three times, saying you wanted to get some fresh air."

"Pfft..." Zhou Rui almost spat out the mouthful of loofah soup he had just drunk, his shoulders shaking as he tried to suppress his laughter.

Lin Qiuyue suddenly looked up and glared at An'an, her eyes soft and lacking any intimidation, instead resembling a ruffled little rabbit.

"Don't talk nonsense, I just... just took a walk along the way."

Little Rice Cake, with an egg in her mouth, clapped her hands and mumbled, "Auntie runs, like a little rabbit."

Even Lin Qiuyue herself couldn't hold back anymore. She gently patted Xiao Niangao's hand, but couldn't help but smile. The embarrassment that had been weighing on her heart earlier dissipated.

Zhou Ping is never home during his holidays. He'll finish eating and still be nowhere to be seen. After An'an finished eating, she took Xiao Niangao to the yard to feed the chickens, leaving the house empty.

Lin Qiuyue sat there clutching the hem of her clothes for a long time before finally speaking softly, her voice barely audible, "Um... I've made up my mind about the spot at the forest farm."

Zhou Rui looked up at her, not urging her, but waiting for her to continue.

"I'm not going to be a sales clerk in town." She bit her lower lip, finally daring to look Zhou Rui in the eye. "Tell Director Zhang to cancel this position."

He reached out and gently ruffled her burning hair, his fingertips brushing against her soft earlobe. "Alright, if you said you wouldn't go, then stay home. But..."

Lin Qiuyue moved a little closer to him, resting her shoulder lightly on his arm, her voice as soft as melted candy: "But what?"

Zhou Rui pulled her into his arms without giving her a chance to dodge, and gently pecked her flushed cheek.

"But I can't turn down this spot. It's a favor that Zhang Zhenbei specifically asked me to do. If I forcefully refuse, he'll keep thinking about it and won't feel at ease."

Lin Qiuyue blinked, then her eyes lit up: "How about giving it to your aunt's eldest daughter? She's only half a year younger than you. She dropped out of school early and went to work as a saleswoman at the town's forest farm. Maybe she can find a good family to marry into in the future."

Suddenly, An'an's loud voice rang out from outside the door: "Second sister-in-law, Xiao Nian Gao has disturbed the chicken coop again."

Lin Qiuyue was so frightened that she immediately shrank into his arms, but she didn't run away with a blush like she did during the day.

The next few days were very relaxing for Zhou Rui. Although he did not consummate his marriage with Lin Qiuyue, he found it very interesting to spend time with her. However, his infatuation made Lin Qiuyue want to avoid him whenever she saw him.

However, Zhou Rui also had his worries. He had been searching for several days but had not been able to find Chen Datou, and he had not been able to get any answers to his questions.

However, Zhou Rui knew in his heart that Chen Datou had truly changed his ways this time.

The lazy way he used to spend his days huddled in the haystacks basking in the sun is long gone. Now he works from dawn till dusk, single-mindedly trying to make a living in the mountains, so naturally he rarely sees anyone.

However, just because Zhou Rui couldn't find the person doesn't mean others couldn't find them. Sure enough, in the middle of the night, Zeng Ping was lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) in Chen Datou's old house.

After their exercise, the sweat soaked the mat on the kang (a heated brick bed), and Zeng Ping was now panting heavily, lying on Chen Datou's chest.

"What's wrong with you today? Why are you so excited?" Chen Datou looked up and only saw Zeng Ping's hair.

She was panting heavily, and the hot air sprayed onto Chen Datou's chest, making him feel itchy.

She was still breathing heavily when her warm breath gently landed on his chest, causing his Adam's apple to bob involuntarily and a restless itch to rise in his heart.

"Are you out of money again? Don't worry, I'll go to town tomorrow to sell herbs..."

"No, I'm not here to ask you for money. The money you gave me is enough to last a long time if you use it sparingly," Zeng Ping suddenly sat up, interrupting Chen Datou.

She needed money, but she still had some backbone. Even in the most difficult times, Zeng Ping never took the initiative to seduce anyone.

"I want you to help me find out who the most famous carpenter in Taiping Town is. I went back to my parents' house the day before yesterday to ask around, but my older brother kicked me out."

Zeng Ping's tears fell onto Chen Datou's chest, hot and burning, making people feel heartache.

"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly asking about this? Are you looking for someone to make furniture?" Chen Datou's rough fingers rubbed Zeng Ping's face, his heart aching terribly.

"Just the other day, I was washing clothes by the river with Gensheng when we ran into Zhou Rui, and he said..."

Zeng Ping turned over and lay down next to Chen Datou, recounting every single word Zhou Rui had said to her by the river that day, without missing a single one.

She even recounted the long-held expectations she had kept hidden in her heart for many years, as well as the grievance she felt a few days ago when she went back to her parents' home to ask her older brother about the carpenter in town, only to be pushed and shoved out of the house by him.

"I'll go find him tomorrow. I'll get my brothers in town to ask around, and I'll find out who he is in less than two days."

Chen Datou suddenly sat up, slamming his head against the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) with a loud bang.

He didn't have many respectable, respectable friends, but among the various shady characters he knew, as long as you brought two pounds of loose beef and half a pound of sliced ​​pig's head meat, these people could dig up all the inside stories of Taiping Town.

He had no other source of confidence, but he had a thick wad of cash in his pocket from selling herbs, enough to cover a few drinks, which was why he dared to speak so confidently.

"Don't, don't be in such a hurry, just ask around slowly." Zeng Ping looked at his anxious appearance and calmed down herself, her voice as soft as if it were floating in the wind.

"Gensheng is a bit slow on the uptake. I... I'm really afraid that if I bring him to their house, the master won't like him and will kick us out."

Silvery moonlight seeped in through the cracks in the window paper, falling into Zeng Ping's eyes. Chen Datou stared at it for a long time, his mind churning with mixed thoughts.

There were hopes she dared not voice, hesitations she could not hold onto, and an anxiety she could not even suppress herself.

He suddenly understood. This was a mother who had finally found a glimmer of light, but was afraid that the light was too hot and that she would be burned instead of being able to grasp it.

In the past, when there was no hope, I could get through the days numbly.

But now someone suddenly offers a lifeline, and if it's snatched away the moment you grab it, the feeling can truly tear your heart to shreds.

"No way." Chen Datou reached out and squeezed her hand into his rough palm. "Zhou Rui said that Gengsheng is good material for carpentry, so he must be. He's never wrong."

Zeng Ping looked up at him blankly, not expecting that he would have reached this point with Zhou Ruixin based on just a few words of her retelling.