Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

"No, over the years I've asked all the long-distance drivers in the north and south, and all the acquaintances in the factories, but I haven't gotten any definite answer."

The man has been searching for his missing sister since he was in his early twenties, and now his temples are graying.

His footprints covered the county towns, forest farms, and villages outside the Great Wall. Each time he went there with warm hopes, he returned with pockets full of cold disappointment.

I heard twice that there was a woman named Lu Qingyu who wore an iron bracelet on her wrist.

He took a slow train overnight for more than ten hours to get there, but the moment he lifted the curtain at the door, his heart sank. It wasn't the little sister he had remembered for more than twenty years at all.

Disappointment had piled up too much. I didn't dare to let go of that last bit of hope, but my heart was already numb, like a stone frozen in the snow, unable to even utter a clear sound of pain.

"Duanshan, if you can't find it, just put it aside for now. Your work is more important; don't let your little sister's matter interfere with your important matters."

The old man sighed heavily, his rough palm gently patting the back of his hand, the calluses on his palm making his wrist feel stiff.

"But..." Lu Duanshan's fingertips trembled suddenly, and he almost dropped the cigarette between his fingers. A spark fell onto the front of his cotton-padded jacket, burning a small black mark.

"It's alright, child." The old lady's voice was soft, yet it carried a deep and reassuring strength.

"Your father and I are both retired, and we'll have plenty of free time from now on. We'll continue to look for the rest of the way for our little sister."

"You're busy with work right now, and you also have a wife and kids to take care of at home. Don't exhaust yourself on both fronts."

She poured the old man a cup of hot tea, her fingertips brushing against the teapot on the table: "Back then, we searched from the capital to the northeast for over a decade, and we finally found you, didn't we?"

"I believe that in the days to come, we will be able to find the Qingyu."

Lu Duanshan stubbed out his cigarette on the rim of the enamel mug with his fingertips, his Adam's apple bobbing, unmoved by the words.

"I was lucky to be able to find me back then. I had done something meritorious and was in the newspaper. My photo was all over the place, which is how you were able to find me by following the news."

"The world is so vast, a person lost is like a drop of water falling into the Heilongjiang River, it's not something you can just fish out."

"Besides, my little sister was only twelve years old when she went missing. In those chaotic times of war, could a young girl, barely an adult, possibly survive safely...?"

He didn't say the second half of his sentence, but the silence in the room was filled with unspoken fear.

"Go to sleep." The old lady slowly stood up, holding onto the edge of the table, and walked into the house. Her steps were very steady, without the slightest tremor.

"I believe Qingyu is still alive, and one day she will open the door to her home."

Just as dawn broke, Zhou Rui was fast asleep on a heated kang bed in a mountain village hundreds of miles away when two soft little hands suddenly hugged the back of his neck, and a small body pressed against his back, swaying back and forth.

"Second brother, second brother, wake up."

As soon as Zhou Rui opened his eyes, he saw An An's little face close to his.

He was still wondering to himself, "Shouldn't this little girl be waiting for Mao Mao to pull the sled to take her to school today? Why is she climbing up and pulling off my blankets so early in the morning?"

"What's wrong, An'an? Did you have a nightmare?" He reached out and rubbed the top of her head.

"Will you take me to school today?" An'an tilted her head, her little feet swinging back and forth under the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), her freshly washed cotton shoes still embroidered with a small plum blossom.

Zhou Rui was a little puzzled: "After it snowed, didn't you have Mao Mao pull your little sled to school every day? You said that thing was more impressive than anyone else's. Why did you suddenly decide to have me take it today?"

As soon as this was mentioned, An'an puffed out her cheeks and angrily recounted what had happened yesterday.

"The dad of the little monkey in our class bought a new 28-inch sled. Yesterday he showed it off to the whole class, saying that his dog sled was made of broken wood and that Mao Mao was an unwanted mongrel, and that it was shabby to ride on."

Zhou Rui couldn't help but laugh when he saw her face turn red with anger.

So this little girl was outshone by someone else and came to him for support.

Fortunately, these kids didn't make any comparisons like "older brother eats poop" or anything like that, otherwise he wouldn't dare go to their school.

He reached out and pinched her soft cheek: "So, after all this time, you want me to ride our brand-new old bicycle to take you to school so you can show off to the little monkey?"

An'an nodded vigorously, then suddenly seemed to realize something and shook her head frantically, her little braids swinging back and forth.

"I'm not showing off! I just want to show him that my family's bicycle is newer than his dad's."

"Also, tell him that Mao Mao helped the family catch a thief last time, and he's really good at it. He's not just some mongrel at all."

Zhou Rui laughed at her joke, grabbed the cotton-padded coat and put it on: "Okay, your second brother will give it to you today."

"We're not going to see whose car is more impressive; we're going to give Mao Mao some face."

He had just buttoned up his cotton-padded jacket to the second button when the curtain to the outer room was lifted, and Lin Qiuyue walked in carrying a steaming bowl of corn porridge.

Zhou Ping followed behind, carrying half a cornbread in his mouth and a canvas backpack.

Zhou Ping chewed on a biscuit and mumbled indistinctly, "Second Brother, you can just take An'an. I'll ride in Mao Mao's sled."

"That thing is fast and slippery, much more comfortable than the back seat of a bicycle that hurts your butt."

An'an had very sharp ears. As soon as he finished speaking, she stood in front of Zhou Ping with her hands on her hips, her little chest puffed out high.

"No, Third Brother, how old are you? You're so heavy, Mao Mao will get tired sitting on you."

"This sled is mine, and nobody is allowed to take it!"

Zhou Ping nearly spat out the crumbs in his mouth, his eyes widening in disbelief: "What? Mao Mao is a puppy? That guy is taller than my waist when he stands up, and you call him a puppy?"

"I don't care! The sled is mine, and I get to decide what to do with it." An'an stood firm, her small body blocking Zhou Ping's path, refusing to budge an inch.

"Alright, alright, stop arguing." Lin Qiuyue put the corn porridge on the table and reached out to pull the two stubborn little ones apart.

"If you keep causing trouble, you two will both be late today and will have to stand at the classroom door as punishment."

An'an immediately wilted, stuck out her tongue, and ran to the table, grabbing the small bowl and shoveling porridge into her mouth.

Zhou Ping didn't dare to joke anymore. He stuffed the remaining cornbread into his mouth in a few bites, picked up his canvas schoolbag, and rushed out the door.

As soon as he stepped out the door, Big Yellow tripped him, causing everyone in the room to burst into laughter.

Zhou Rui tied An'an's cotton hat tightly, even buckling her earmuffs, and stuffed a boiled egg into her pocket before pushing the old bicycle leaning against the courtyard wall outside.

Zhou Rui rode his bicycle quite fast, and returned home after about half an hour.

Several dogs were sunbathing in the yard, and Lin Qiuyue took advantage of the good sunshine to take out some bed sheets and clothes to air them out.

Zhou Rui set up the old-fashioned pole and looked around several times but couldn't see the little rice cake.

"Qiuyue, where's Xiaoniangao? Is she still asleep?"

"She's already up. She was just sitting on the doorstep eating steamed buns." Lin Qiuyue reached out and dusted off the blanket, straightening out the wrinkles.

Zhou Rui nodded, thinking that since Xiao Niangao was at home, there was nothing to do, otherwise the five dogs at home wouldn't be sunbathing peacefully in the yard.

But just as he thought of this, a clucking sound came from the backyard.

"Oh no, is Little Rice Cake up to harm the hens again?" Zhou Rui exclaimed and ran to the backyard.

He knew all too well how much of a charmer Little Rice Cake could be; ever since she learned to walk, the family's hens seemed to have never grown up.