Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

"Captain Zhang, the wild boar that Gu Dayong hunted was huge! Will the village have an extra meal tonight?" Zhao Xiaogang rushed in, walked to Zhang Aimin's side, and was full of joy.

Zhou Rui glanced at Zhao Xiaogang, knowing that he was there to help Zhao Changshan out of his predicament.

However, he didn't care much about this, since it was enough to clear Chen Datou and Xiao Huaihua's names.

As for the final outcome of this matter, he didn't care; that was a question for Zhang Aimin and Zhao Youzhi to consider.

"You...you..." Zhao Youzhi was so angry that his fingers trembled. He couldn't speak for a long time before turning away and leaving.

Zhang Aimin glared at Zhao Changshan and then followed him out of the courtyard. Now that the villagers' attention was drawn to another matter, he also wanted to extricate himself temporarily.

This matter involves grassroots cadres, and it's not easy to resolve in public. It's best to discuss it privately behind closed doors.

"Dayong, you two are really something! This boar looks like it weighs six or seven hundred pounds."

"The smaller one is not bad either. It looks to be around 200 pounds, and it looks bigger than the pigs raised in the village."

"Brother Jiacheng, which one did you hit? Was it the smaller one?"

Gu Dayong and his son Gu Jiacheng were surrounded outside the educated youth compound, so crowded that even the educated youth inside the compound came out to watch the spectacle.

Gu Dayong and Gu Jiacheng, along with several dogs, dragged a makeshift sled for dozens of miles. They were so exhausted that their throats were parched, and they simply didn't have the energy to reply.

However, the villagers weren't going to let the two of them speak; they were after the meat in their eyes.

Although we just ate the roe deer and rabbit that Zhou Rui hunted yesterday, there wasn't enough meat. Each family didn't even get a pound of meat, so it wasn't enough to satisfy our cravings.

Now the Gu family has brought back at least 700 or 800 pounds of wild boar meat, and everyone's mouths are watering.

"Yeah, my dad and I chased them for a whole day and night. Luckily, my family has a keen sense of smell; they can detect the scent even after half a day, otherwise those two wild boars would have vanished without a trace."

Gu Jiacheng's excited voice rang out from the crowd, praising his new dog to the skies.

A commotion erupted from the crowd as several teenagers tiptoed to squeeze to the side of the sled, their eyes fixed on the large, black-maned boar.

Gu Dayong leaned against the sled, grabbed the coarse cloth water bottle hanging on his waist, and took two big gulps to recover from the exhaustion.

"Don't push, don't push! This beast broke half a pine tree as thick as a bowl before it died. If my Blackie hadn't held onto its hind leg, my shot might not have taken it down."

Gu Dayong wiped his mouth, reached out and patted the big black dog squatting at his feet. The dog's fur was still covered in thorns, and there was a bloody cut on its ear, but it still held its head high and its tail was swishing in the wind.

Unlike his son, Gu Jiacheng liked the newly bought "Tai Xiang" dog, but he preferred the several trust dogs that had been with him for many years.

Those were his comrades-in-arms, his support.

The crowd's appetites were completely whetted, and someone rubbed their hands together and shouted a question.

"Dayong, how are you planning to divide these two wild boars? Will you divide them equally among the people, or will the village canteen cook them together?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent, and everyone's eyes were on Gu Dayong.

This is several hundred pounds of wild boar meat. If it were distributed among households, each family would get at least two or three pounds, enough to stew a whole pot and make your mouth water.

Of course, not everyone is so generous. Most families will cook a small portion and hang the rest with salt to eat slowly.

Before Gu Dayong could speak, two people squeezed in from outside the crowd. They were Zhao Youzhi and Zhang Aimin, who had just stormed off.

The two were still worried about Zhao Changshan's matter when they heard a commotion coming from afar, so they followed the smell and walked over.

He spotted the two fat, juicy wild boars on the sled at a glance, and most of his pent-up anger instantly dissipated.

"You're really something, Gu Dayong. You've got some skills. No wonder you're our brigade's top gunner."

Zhang Aimin took two steps forward, reached out and patted the boar's hard back, the vibration making the calluses on his hands go numb.

"I've worked in Hongqi Commune for so many years, and this is the first time I've seen such a big wild boar. You've done a great service to our village this time."

Zhao Youzhi loosened his grip on the pipe, and a rare smile appeared on his face: "Following the old rules, we'll reserve twenty jin of the tenderest pork tenderloin for Gu Dayong and his son, and give them an extra ten jin of lard. This is what they deserve for working hard for a whole day and night."

"The rest will be divided up by headcount, weighed together including bones and fat, and decided by drawing lots on the spot. Fat or lean is entirely up to luck, so no one is at a disadvantage."

As soon as he said this, a deafening cheer erupted from the crowd. The things that had been pointing and whispering about Zhao Changshan just moments before were now completely forgotten.

Several young men immediately prepared ropes and poles to carry the wild boar back to the village office. They were already at the edge of the village, and they couldn't let the Gu family father and son get tired.

Everyone else ran home, especially the children, who all went home to tell their parents to get a basin to put the meat in.

Zhou Rui leaned against the gate of his own courtyard, looking at the noisy crowd, and a smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

He Wu, who was next to him, handed him half a cigarette and nudged his arm with a smile.

"Look, as soon as these two wild boars came back, Zhao Changshan's little troubles were completely washed away. It seems you didn't finish your move."

"What do you mean by 'never ending'? As long as the goal is achieved, that's enough."

Zhou Rui exhaled a smoke ring, his gaze sweeping over Zhao Changshan, whose face was ashen, in the corner of the crowd. Zhao Changshan stared at the wild boar meat on the sled, his eyes so dark they could drip water.

"He lost face today, and now he's watching others make great contributions and reap the rewards. He's probably seething with anger. Zhou Rui, you'd better watch out."

As the two were talking, Zhao Jie squeezed next to Zhao Changshan, whispered a few words in his ear, and then turned and left together.

Zhou Rui smiled and told Zhou Ping to go home and get a basin. Gu Jiacheng had hunted this wild boar, so he should at least get a piece of meat. It would be good to have some extra food for dinner.

The next day, the village punished Zhao Changshan and his companions for their behavior.

Zhao Changshan and his four militiamen were all deducted half a month's work points and made to give a collective apology in front of the villagers before going to work.

Because Zhao Jie had laid a hand on someone, he was given an additional penalty: he would be punished by sweeping the village roads for half a month, and he would no longer be needed for hunting in the mountains.

Zhou Rui didn't go to see the commotion in the morning, but later Yang Ping mentioned that Zhao Changshan was so angry when he was making his self-criticism that he was trembling and almost tore the manuscript to pieces.

After hearing this, Zhou Rui knew that he and Zhao Changshan had a grudge against each other, but he wasn't afraid at all.

The two didn't get along very well to begin with, and if Zhao Changshan really dared to cause trouble, Zhou Rui didn't think he would lose.

The matter gradually subsided after a few days, and He Wu went back to work.

Besides hunting in the mountains, Zhou Rui spent his time at home cooking different dishes for Lin Qiuyue. By the time Lin Qiuyue's wounds had scabbed over, she had gained two pounds of weight.

Just when Zhou Rui thought the autumn harvest would go smoothly, another incident occurred. The village committee sent people over and took Zhou Rui away.