Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

The morning sun wasn't strong, and it felt especially comfortable on my skin. Zhou Rui rode his bicycle with An'an on the beam in front of him, walking easily along the path.

He's going to the forest farm today to greet Zhang Zhenbei about Zhao Gensheng's apprenticeship.

Yes, the guarantor he was going to ask was Zhang Zhenbei.

Although he didn't know Sun Dehou, Zhang Zhenbei was still a carpenter, so he had to be given some respect. He wouldn't be kicked out before he even entered the door.

Zhou Rui originally wanted to come by himself, but An An, who got up early, caught him and, after much coaxing and pleading, forced him to climb onto Zhou Rui's bicycle.

Zhou Rui was somewhat helpless. An'an, who was in elementary school, was not as easy to coax as Xiao Nian Gao, who could be distracted by a piece of candy.

An'an was determined to make Zhou Rui a clingy leech, sticking to him wherever he went.

"Second brother, are you taking me to the supply and marketing cooperative to shop till I drop?"

An'an was especially happy. It was different once she left the village. Even the foxtail grass by the roadside looked better than in the village.

And her sister-in-law even wrapped a small soft bag around the crossbar of her bicycle, so it would be fast and wouldn't hurt her bottom. It was so much fun.

Zhou Rui lowered his head with a wry smile: "I already told you that your second brother went to take care of serious business today, not to buy things at the supply and marketing cooperative, why won't you believe me?"

"Oh, it's okay, if you don't want to buy it, you don't have to. You have such a cute little sister accompanying you on your errands, why aren't you happy?"

Zhou Rui was amused by her absurd reasoning and laughed out loud, even loosening his pedaling effort slightly.

"It's not that I'm unhappy, it's that I'm afraid that when I see Uncle Zhang later, if you stand next to me and say something, you'll ruin all the important things I need to do."

He glanced at the little girl on the crossbeam. An'an had her hair tied into two perky pigtails today, with red velvet thread sewn on the ends by Lin Qiuyue. They swayed in the wind like two bouncy little lanterns.

An'an immediately straightened her back, covered her mouth with her little hand, and widened her eyes, striking a pose as if she were keeping a secret.

"I promise, when I see Uncle Zhang later, I'll stand behind you without saying a word, not even breathing."

"If anyone asks me what I'm doing here, I'll just say I was picked up from the roadside, and it has nothing to do with you."

No sooner had she finished speaking than the car wheel suddenly rolled over a shallow pothole in the road, and the car lurched violently.

Zhou Rui was so amused by An An's witty reply that he almost burst out laughing, and the car wheels veered half a foot off the side of the road.

What do you mean by "picked up on the roadside"? Where did this little girl learn such twisted logic? Is someone poisoning the flowers of our motherland?

"Stop, stop, stop... Who told you you were picked up off the street?"

He struggled to steady the wobbly bicycle handlebars, thinking to himself that he would have to be more careful when talking to An'an in the future, otherwise the two of them might fall into the ditch next to them while chatting.

"I learned it from comic books. Wasn't Sun Wukong just a stone that turned into a human? He's incredibly powerful; he can punch a hole in the sky with one blow!"

An'an tilted her little face up, her pigtails swaying rapidly, her face full of pride that she was so smart.

Zhou Rui sighed inwardly, thankfully it wasn't some gossipy woman in the village spreading rumors in front of the children.

But then he thought again, "This little girl's brain works so fast. Who knows what kind of wild and bizarre things she'll say next?"

And so, the two of them squeezed onto a bicycle, and the little girl on the crossbar never stopped talking, able to tell half a story about the clouds in the sky and the grass by the roadside.

While Zhou Rui had to follow her train of thought and continue the conversation, he also had to concentrate on keeping a firm grip on the handlebars. He hurried along, and finally managed to ride safely into the forest farm gate.

Zhou Rui carried An'an up to the third floor. The little girl nestled in his arms, her mind filled with curiosity. Could there really be a building taller than their mud-brick house?

She stopped muttering to herself and started looking around with her little eyes, glancing from one end of the corridor to the other, her mind racing with unspoken thoughts.

This building is huge! It's all doors to rooms, and people are constantly going in and out. How can such a small building hold so many people?

"Knock knock knock." Zhou Rui raised his hand and knocked on the wooden door of the innermost office. Only after a clear "Come in" came from inside did he support An An's back and push the door open to go in.

There were two people sitting inside. Zhang Zhenbei was facing the door, while the other person, with his back to the door, was writing and drawing on a piece of paper, as if he were reporting to the factory manager.

"Director Zhang, I've come today to..."

Zhou Rui had just started speaking when the person with their back to the door suddenly turned around, silencing him completely.

"Zhou Rui, An'an." The person turned around, revealing a set of white teeth and a big smile.

"He Wu!?"

Zhou Rui froze on the spot, his mouth slightly agape.

He couldn't understand why He Wu, a city dweller, would suddenly appear in the office of Xiangyang Forest Farm.

While Zhou Rui was in a daze, He Wu reached out and took An'an. An'an was a lovely little girl, even more lovable than his mischievous nephew.

"Hello, Brother He Wu! Hello, Uncle Zhang!" An An's words were as sweet as honey, and she wasn't shy at all.

Zhang Zhenbei also stood up from his chair with a smile, but there was a hint of doubt in his eyes.

He glanced at He Wu furtively, his mind racing with suspicion.

This place isn't too big or too small, what a coincidence!

Besides, He Wu came from the city, and the two had never met before. How could he be so familiar with Zhou Rui?

"Hi, I'm here to report to Director Zhang. In a few days, I'll officially start working at Xiangyang Forest Farm."

He Wu smiled and gently punched Zhou Rui on the shoulder, his face showing no trace of the gloom others felt when being sent to the countryside, but rather a look of relief.

"It will be much more convenient for me to go hunting with you in the mountains from now on. It's only about 20 miles from here to your home, and it only takes a little over an hour to get there by bicycle."

He Wu's eyes lit up instantly, and he hugged An An and shook her.

"That's fine too. As long as we can get up the mountain, we don't have to fight any big beasts. Just going for a walk in the mountains with you makes me feel comfortable all over."

The two were chatting animatedly when He Wu belatedly realized that he was so engrossed in catching up with his old friend that he left Zhang Zhenbei, the farm manager standing next to him, standing there for quite a while.

He quickly patted Zhou Rui's arm: "You must have something important to discuss with Director Zhang today, right? I won't be a third wheel here. I'll take An'an downstairs to the courtyard and wait for you."

After saying that, he picked up An'an, turned around, and walked towards the door, showing no intention of returning the little girl to Zhou Rui.

The door clicked shut, leaving only Zhou Rui and Zhang Zhenbei in the office.

Zhou Rui sat down in the chair that He Wu had just been sitting in. His fingertips had barely touched the cold tabletop when he heard Zhang Zhenbei speak first.

"Ruiwa, you and Comrade He Wu have known each other for a long time?"

"We know each other, we're quite familiar."

Zhou Rui didn't hide it, but he was a little surprised that Zhang Zhenbei didn't know who He Wu was.

"He is Qin Zhan's brother-in-law. He went hunting with me in the mountains before, so we have some acquaintance."

"What? He's Director Qin's brother-in-law?!"