Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

The night wind swept across the yard, and the fur on Big Yellow and Furry's backs bristled in the wind.

The three half-grown puppies, Maoqiu, Maotuan, and Maodou, instantly stiffened up, their paws gripping the mud tightly, but they dared not move forward even a step.

They both understood that this wasn't just a normal scuffle over a bone; it was Maomao's battle to defend her throne.

What they were fighting over wasn't the territory of the wild field outside the yard, but the right to speak as the head dog in the family, and who would pick the biggest pickled meat bone first at mealtimes.

A dark cloud silently glided across the rooftops, swallowing up all the moonlight on the ground.

Without a growl or a warning, the two dark figures collided in the darkness in an instant.

The muffled thud silenced the crickets chirping at the base of the wall. In just a few seconds, a burly figure was flung away, rolling three or four times in the muddy courtyard, knocking over several baskets.

The moment the dark clouds parted, the moonlight shone down again, landing steadily on the figure who had gotten up from the ground, his pure blond hair shining brightly.

In the first round, Big Yellow, who came from the mountains, suffered a slight disadvantage, after all, Big Yellow was quite different in size from Momo.

Zhou Rui slowly opened his eyes from inside the room, listened to the sounds in the yard for two seconds, and his superhuman perception instantly spread from inside the room to outside.

Big Yellow's heartbeat was as steady as a rock, while Momo's breathing still carried a hint of heavy panting from exertion. The three little ones, Maoqiu, huddled behind the woodpile, peeking out curiously.

Big White, who had just flown back from the back mountain that evening and was quietly perched on the roof, was tilting its head to watch the commotion.

Zhou Rui smiled and pulled the little snoring baby in his arms closer to the blankets before closing his eyes again.

He didn't want to get involved in anything in the yard. The throne of the animal world is always won with fists. If he, as the owner, favored someone, it would break the rules for these dogs.

Standing up straight, Big Yellow shook off the mud off its body without uttering a single cry of pain. Suddenly, its steps lightened, and it slowly began to circle around Mao Mao, its paw pads making no sound at all on the muddy ground.

It survived alone in the deep mountains at minus ten degrees Celsius for more than half a year, snatched honey from the mouth of a black bear, and confronted a pack of wolves for an entire night. It never relied on being stronger than other wild animals, but on the agility and life-threatening skills etched into its bones.

The gray fur on Mao Mao's back stood on end instantly, and a muffled growl rolled out from its throat.

It could sense that there was no mockery in Big Yellow's half-closed eyes; it was the gaze of the mountain dog king when he stared at his prey, so cold that it made the skin on the back of its neck tighten.

Without a roar or a sound, Big Yellow attacked silently, its entire body shooting out like an arrow, heading straight for Mao Mao's side of the neck.

Momo, relying on its strong physique, intended to take the hit head-on, but as soon as it raised its paw, it realized that it couldn't keep up with the speed at all. It could only take a half step back, and its huge head tilted to the side, causing the two big dogs' heads to collide heavily.

It took a small step back, its huge head swaying slightly, and the two passed each other, only their heads bumping against each other.

The two big dogs were sparring like two seasoned martial arts masters, each move aimed straight for the vital points, without a single superfluous movement. The three little puppies watched with wide eyes, even forgetting to wag their tails.

Only the big white bird, who was sitting on the rooftop out of boredom, flapped its wings and took two steps to the side, tilting its head as if to comment that the other two's moves were not neat enough.

Before Dahuang could recover, the two dogs were entangled together again.

The bench was knocked half a meter away, the bamboo rack for drying mushrooms collapsed with a crash, and the doghouse that Zhou Rui had just nailed up for Da Huang during the day was half-collapsed by the two dogs.

Even the large earthenware jar in the corner of the yard, which was used to collect rainwater, was swept by the flying claws, leaving a thin crack. Water seeped out along the crack, leaving a small wet patch on the muddy ground.

As dawn broke, Lin Qiuyue rubbed her eyes and came out of the inner room, still clutching the red hair tie in her hand.

As soon as she pushed open the door to the main room, she screamed and retreated, pulling Zhou Rui out of bed.

"Zhou Rui, Zhou Rui, wake up."

Zhou Rui opened his eyes groggily, a strand of hair brushing against his nose. He immediately said, "Wife, you look so beautiful without your hair tied up."

Lin Qiuyue's ears instantly turned bright red, and she poked his arm with her fingertips: "What nonsense are you talking about? Come out with me and see."

Zhou Rui was half asleep and half awake when Lin Qiuyue dragged him into the yard before he could even put on his shoes.

"What's wrong?"

"What else? Look, the stool is overturned, the mushroom drying rack is overturned, and the house you built for Big Yellow yesterday is ruined..."

Lin Qiuyue pointed around the courtyard with her slender fingers, almost poking Zhou Rui on the forehead and saying he was blind.

"Heh..." Zhou Rui yawned deeply and rubbed his sleepy eyes.

"It's nothing. Da Huang and Mao Mao were having a tiff last night, so they probably fought. I just don't know who won."

"Huh? What did you say?" Lin Qiuyue's eyes widened, looking completely bewildered.

She was a city girl who didn't understand the rules of the countryside, let alone the fighting between animals.

"That's right, that's right..." Zhou Rui looked up and thought for a moment about how to explain it to Lin Qiuyue in a simple and easy-to-understand way.

"Mao Mao was originally the boss of the family, and this whole area of ​​our house was its territory."

"Then Dahuang suddenly showed up. He was an outsider who didn't respect Mao Mao, the local dog. So the two dogs fought last night while we were asleep to establish their boss status."

Lin Qiuyue listened to Zhou Rui speak as if she were hearing a foreign language, her mouth slightly open, looking particularly adorable.

"So, who won their fight?"

Zhou Rui didn't answer immediately. He glanced around the yard and then called out to Da Huang, Mao Mao, Mao Qiu, and the others one by one.

When Zhou Rui called them, the dogs immediately surrounded him. The one leading the way was the newcomer, Big Yellow, while Mao Mao lagged behind by half a body. Mao Qiu and the others followed behind Mao Mao.

"Hey, the boss's here." Zhou Rui said, bending down to scratch Big Yellow, and then petting each of the dogs one by one.

He can establish his position as the head of the household in certain ways, but he must treat all the dogs equally.

With a whoosh, Big White swooped down from the roof and landed directly on Zhou Rui's shoulder, pecking at his hair with its sharp beak, clearly jealous.

"Ouch, be gentle, you've torn the clothes I just mended again." Zhou Rui pushed Da Bai's head away with a hint of disgust.

It seems the patches on my shoulders will have to get thicker and thicker. I won't always be wearing leather on my shoulders. Big White can't withstand such a sudden attack, no matter how thick the fabric is.

After feeding the dogs, Zhou Rui started banging on the doorbell again in the courtyard.

Big Yellow's doghouse collapsed, so he had to build a new one.

Lin Qiuyue was cooking in the kitchen, and as she thought about what Zhou Rui had said about the power struggles among the dogs, she couldn't help but feel a little incredulous.

She was thinking about when to tell Yang Ping and Yu Sitian about this, so that they could also be shocked.