Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

Zhou Rui strolled towards his private plot of land, and as soon as he looked up, he saw a strange figure standing inside the bamboo fence.

He was a young man with fair skin and delicate features. He looked somewhat familiar, but I couldn't quite place his name.

"Hey, who are you? What do you mean by picking vegetables in my field?" Zhou Rui's face immediately darkened.

The village allocated only a few plots of land for private use, and every vegetable was precious.

On weekdays, they have to take care of the family's daily needs and also dry the vegetables to keep for winter. No one will touch other people's vegetables without asking first.

"Hello Comrade Zhou Rui, I am Huang Jianming, who just arrived at the educated youth settlement. One of the female comrades there suddenly had an upset stomach and was craving carrots, but we don't grow them on the land at our settlement, so I was thinking of borrowing some from your house to tide me over."

Zhou Rui glanced at him up and down. The man was pale and thin as a stick, with a decent appearance, but his skin was so thick it could be used as a brick on a city wall.

"Borrow? Did you ask my wife?"

Zhou Rui's gaze fell to the ground, where half-eaten carrots and cucumber stems scattered all over the ground were laid out in a blaze of light, with a pile of freshly picked eggplants and radishes next to them.

"I originally wanted to tell Comrade Qiuyue, but I looked around and couldn't find her. I was thinking of picking some first and then saying hello later. And didn't I just happen to run into you? It's the same as telling you."

Zhou Rui felt a chill run down his spine; this educated youth surnamed Huang probably didn't tell the truth.

But he couldn't just rush to the educated youth settlement and yell, asking which greedy female educated youth was eyeing his family's carrots.

"Leave quickly after you've finished picking. Don't go into other people's fields without their permission. If it gets to the brigade headquarters, it won't look good for anyone."

Zhou Rui spoke calmly, neither resorting to violence nor resorting to insults, but his words subtly mocked Huang Jianming.

Unfortunately, Huang Jianming was a master at playing dumb. He pretended not to understand the hidden meaning and bent down to hug the pile of vegetables on the ground.

"Thank you, thank you! Comrade Zhou Rui, you are such a kind person. On behalf of the female comrades at the educated youth settlement, thank you!"

Zhou Rui stared at his retreating figure as he squeezed through the fence. Once the man was far away, he spat on the ground, muttering to himself, "Whoever wants to be this sucker, may your whole family be good people."

But when his eyes swept over the glistening purple eggplants in the field, he was already craving them. His mind was filled with the oily aroma of braised eggplant, and he could hardly contain his drool.

When he stepped into the house carrying a bag of groceries, he found that Chen Datou was already sitting inside, with someone who had never been to his house before.

"Uncle Big Head, Aunt Zeng."

Zhou Rui lifted the curtain and entered the main room, where Lin Qiuyue was sitting at the table talking to Chen Datou and Zeng Ping.

He shoved the groceries into his wife's hands and casually mentioned that he wanted to eat cucumber salad and braised eggplant for dinner.

Lin Qiuyue turned around and went into the kitchen, leaving the entire living room to the three of them.

Zhou Rui grabbed the enamel mug on the table and gulped down two large mouthfuls of cold boiled water. He had been chatting with someone for half the afternoon, and his throat was still parched.

"Uncle Big Head, Aunt Zeng, what brings you two here to see me today?"

Zhou Rui glanced at the two of them and made some guesses about their relationship, but he couldn't figure out their purpose in coming to him. Surely they didn't want him to be their matchmaker?

Zeng Ping shifted uncomfortably on the bench, pursing her lips several times without managing to utter a word, feeling extremely uncomfortable under Zhou Rui's gaze.

On the contrary, Chen Datou sat very comfortably. He and Zhou Rui were so familiar with each other that they could talk about anything.

"Ruiwa, here's what happened. Didn't you tell Zeng Ping before that her son, Gensheng, was a good carpenter?"

I made a special trip to inquire, and it turns out there's an old carpenter in Wulipu named Sun Dehou whose craftsmanship is famous throughout the town. Most families in town have to queue up to get new furniture from him.

Zhou Rui nodded, not because he agreed with Chen Datou's words, but because he didn't know Sun Dehou at all and had no idea how famous the other party was.

His nod confirmed his suspicions: Chen Datou and Zeng Ping were indeed closely related; otherwise, he wouldn't know so much about Zeng Ping's family affairs, and Zeng Ping wouldn't have dragged him along to ask for help.

"Now that you've found out, why don't you just go and become my apprentice? Why are you asking me?"

"Hehe, we just wanted to ask you to do us a favor and come with us to help out."

Chen Datou rubbed his hands together, grinning with an honest and simple smile. Anyway, he already owed Zhou Rui countless favors, so adding another one wouldn't be a burden.

"Zhou, Zhou Rui, I'd like to ask you to come over. My aunt is bad at talking and I'm afraid Master Sun from Wulipu won't take my son, Gensheng."

Zeng Ping finally raised her head, her eyes shining with the last glimmer of light.

She had never bowed her head to ask for help in her life, but for her son's future, she was willing to put aside all pride, fearing that her poor communication skills would ruin this only opportunity.

"Isn't it perfect to have Uncle Big Head with me for such a big deal as becoming an apprentice?" Zhou Rui turned to look at Chen Datou. In his eyes, this man was smooth-talking and thick-skinned, and not shy at all.

"Hey, all I'm good for is talking nonsense. You're the one who has to do the real work. I'll definitely come with you tomorrow. The three of us can keep each other company, and it'll be more fun on the way."

"Tomorrow?" Zhou Rui was taken aback, not expecting that these two were so impatient that they couldn't even wait a day.

But when he caught a glimpse of the anxious anticipation in Zeng Ping's eyes, he instantly understood.

When a mother finally sees a glimmer of hope for her son, she can't wait to get things done immediately.

Zhou Rui shook his head immediately: "I'm afraid tomorrow won't work."

"What's wrong? Do you have something else important to do tomorrow?" Before Zeng Ping could even get impatient, Chen Datou couldn't sit still anymore.

"Isn't it true that you need a respected and virtuous person to introduce you to someone you're not formally apprenticed to? If I, a mere greenhorn, go to Master Sun's door to act as a guarantor, won't he just kick me out?"

Zhou Rui rolled his eyes at Chen Datou, annoyed. This guy had forgotten even the most basic rules of becoming an apprentice.

In this area, to become an apprentice, one either needs to find a connection through the master's acquaintances or ask a prominent figure to accompany them on their journey.

Zhou Rui is influential in his own village and has some standing in Xiangyang Forest Farm, but in Wulipu, who knows who he is?

"I was just thinking that you're very capable, and you've even received awards from the county, so it carries weight..."

In the end, tomorrow's itinerary was still undecided. Zhou Rui would never do something without any certainty.

In fact, he had already thought of a suitable guarantor in his mind, but it would require him to do a considerable favor.

After Chen Datou and Zeng Ping left, Lin Qiuyue lifted the curtain and came out of the kitchen.

"Are you really planning to help Widow Zhao's son, Gensheng, find a master? She's never had a good reputation in the village; aren't you afraid people will gossip behind her back?"

Zhou Rui saw the worry that his wife couldn't hide in her eyes. Fortunately, she didn't object directly and her words were rather tactful. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to help her with this matter no matter what.

You can't let other people's issues cause trouble for your own wife.

"These days, life isn't easy for anyone; most people are caught up in their own circumstances. Even if Zeng Ping has a bad reputation, she has never harmed anyone, and she is incredibly good to her two children. No one can find fault with that."

"Besides, Zhao Gensheng is a skillful child with real talent for carpentry. It would be a waste to let such a good talent go to waste. I'm doing this to make a good connection."