Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

Zhou Xiaolan worked quickly, and with Gao Daya helping her, the food was all ready on the stove before 3 p.m.

A plate of pickled pork stir-fried with garlic sprouts, a bowl of stewed radish, and two cold dishes filled the table to the brim.

Only the two elders sat at the table. Among the children, only Daya sat properly with them. The other four mischievous kids, even Xiao Gaojin who had just had gentian violet applied to his knees, couldn't sit still and refused to go home.

Whether it was because they had just eaten half a sweet potato and weren't hungry, or because Zhou Rui's old bicycle was so tempting, the four teenagers were running around outside in the yard, sweating profusely. Even the plate of greasy pickled meat slices on the table couldn't pull them back inside.

Zhou Rui picked up the enamel mug filled with wine and first toasted Zhang Laogeng and his wife: "Uncle and Aunt, are you feeling better now?"

"It's completely healed." Old Zhang couldn't stop smiling.

"We weren't really that bad at first, but then the bacon you brought helped Shi Tou recover. Shi Tou and his wife even forced us old folks to drink a few bowls of it, and we're all better now."

He's been really happy lately. Not only did his son marry a virtuous wife, but his family's life is getting better and better every day. He's almost fulfilled all the wishes he's had for most of his life.

Zhou Rui smiled and raised his glass: "Then I wish you both good health, that you can get out of bed and walk around every day, and that you can hold your big, healthy son soon."

Li Xiang blushed and glared at him playfully, "Junior Brother, you can't keep your mouth shut, what nonsense are you spouting?"

Zhou Rui was stunned on the spot, and almost spilled the wine in his hand. He thought to himself that he had said all auspicious words, so where did he go wrong?

"Hahahaha..." Zhang Shitou slapped his thigh suddenly, laughing so hard his eyes narrowed into slits, and reached out to pull his wife's shoulder closer to him.

"Stop teasing him. The old Chinese medicine doctor at the village entrance just took my pulse the other day, and he said my wife is pregnant, and with twins."

Zhou Rui froze on the spot, holding his wine glass with wide eyes, unable to react for a long time: "Wow, did my mouth have some kind of blessing today? You guessed it."

"Great! This is wonderful news. Come on, let's all have a drink together." Gao Zhiqiang immediately picked up his glass.

He's in high spirits because of this happy occasion; he wants to see his friends doing well too.

"Great news! Everyone, raise your glasses!"

Gao Zhiqiang slammed the rough porcelain wine cup down on the table with a loud bang, not even bothering to wipe the wine foam that splashed between his fingers. His wrinkled face beamed with a smile that resembled a blooming chrysanthemum.

He was truly overjoyed today. After living most of his life, he had finally made it. His daughter had secured a stable job, and he hoped that his old buddies could also prosper.

After a few cups of sorghum liquor, the aroma of alcohol rose up the back of my neck, and the fragrance of cured meat mixed with the aroma of liquor filled the whole yard.

Zhou Rui moved closer to Zhang Shitou, lowered his voice, and nudged his arm: "Third Senior Brother, are you feeling better yet?"

Zhang Shitou immediately put down his wine glass, his eyes lighting up: "It's all set! You little rascal, is something up?"

He was usually honest and simple, but he was actually very perceptive. He could tell something was up as soon as Zhou Rui opened his mouth.

"It's nothing serious. I picked up a hunting job in Hongxing Town on the way here. But I didn't bring my rifle, and I'm not familiar with this mountain area. I was wondering if you could come up the mountain with me?"

"No problem, I'm all better now, otherwise how could my wife have gotten pregnant?" Zhang Shitou raised his eyebrows smugly.

You have to understand that he is an only child, and his parents' wish was for him to have several children after he got married. Now that he is pregnant with twins, he stands taller than others in the village.

Zhou Rui nodded, confirming that was indeed the case. More than half a year ago, Zhang Shitou mainly suffered from excessive blood loss, which damaged his vital energy; his external injuries were not too serious.

"When are we leaving? What kind of prey are we going to hunt? Tell me. There's no place in this back mountain that I don't know well."

Zhang Shitou rubbed his hands together, his face flushed even more from the alcohol, and his eyes gleamed.

He had been staying at home with his wife for the past six months, and he was itching to get back to work. No matter how comfortable his life was, it couldn't compare to the thrill of venturing into the deep mountains and chasing wild animals.

Li Xiang blushed and gently tugged at Zhang Shitou's sleeve, her fingertips pinching the hem of his old military jacket, her voice soft and tinged with worry.

"It's rained twice in the mountains, and the grass is very slippery. Be careful if you two go deeper into the mountains. Don't go into that old, desolate forest. Someone said they encountered a bear there a while ago."

"Don't worry, wife, I can find all the hills and gullies in the back mountain even with my eyes closed."

Zhang Shitou tilted his head back and gulped down the remaining half mouthful of wine in his glass. The wine flowed down his throat, and his whole body felt relaxed.

"With my junior brother by my side, let alone a black bear, even if we encounter a pack of wolves, we can still bring back half of one to have with our drinks."

Zhou Rui tapped the edge of the table with his fingertips, having already figured out exactly what he was looking for.

"There's no need to chase after large wild animals. Just head towards areas where rabbits and pheasants like to congregate. If you're lucky, you might even encounter roe deer and wild goats. There's no need to go after large predators."

The drinking session didn't last long; the two were eager to get up the mountain before dark.

In the latter half of the meal, he simply pushed the wine cup aside, grabbed the bowl, and shoveled rice into his mouth, cleaning the bowl spotless in no time.

When Er Ya led three sweaty, unruly boys barging in, Zhou Rui and Zhang Shitou had already left the village with their hunting rifles.

Only Zhang Laogeng remained, holding his wine glass, squatting with Gao Zhiqiang on the threshold of the main room, slowly pouring and drinking.

On the narrow path behind the mountain, two figures walked deeper into the valley, stepping on pine needles. Each of them carried a hunting rifle, and behind them were only a coarse cloth backpack stuffed with dry food.

Zhou Rui originally only planned to come to the Gao family to deliver a message, without making any preparations for going into the mountains.

"Junior brother, how about we switch guns?" Zhang Shitou couldn't help but suggest, noticing Zhou Rui's fingertips tracing the sights of the old double-barreled shotgun.

This gun was an old tool he had been handling for many years. Over time, its range had become shorter and its accuracy had deteriorated. He was worried that his junior apprentice would find it difficult to use and that it might cause him trouble.

"No need." Zhou Rui smiled and shook his head, skillfully snapping the bolt shut with a click.

He had handled countless firearms before, and although this old double-barreled shotgun wasn't exactly handy, it was more than enough to deal with all kinds of wild animals in the mountains.

The muddy ground was still a bit wet after the rain, so Zhou Rui and his companion walked a little slower.

However, their main purpose was to find traces of wild animals. After all, since Zhang Shitou's hunting dog was poisoned and killed, they hadn't been able to buy a new dog, so the two of them had to rely on their eyesight to find prey.

A strong wind blew across the hillside, scattering a clump of thatch and revealing several clear footprints.

Zhang Shitou bent down and parted the thatch at his feet, his fingertips touching a few shallow paw prints covered in fresh dew in the mud, his fingertips rubbing against the fine stubble at the edge of the paw prints.

"Look at these tracks, they're mountain goats, about five or six of them, heading towards the oak forest in the valley. Let's go around them along the slope and see if we can catch up."

"With this herd of wild goats, we don't need to look for any other prey."

Zhang Shitou turned around and asked Zhou Rui for his opinion.

Zhou Rui nodded, and the two immediately followed the footprints. The footprints were clear enough after the rain, and with their long legs, they moved much faster.

As they were walking through a pine forest, Zhou Rui suddenly flicked the safety off his shotgun with his right fingertip and reached out with his left hand to block Zhang Shitou behind him.