Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

"So, our village has another educated youth?" Zhou Rui wasn't really interested in these gossips; it was just a topic to keep the conversation going at the dinner table.

"Not much, it's considered settling down in the village. Liu Cuihua's father is such a shrewd man, he blocked the door that very night and made that kid sign the papers, and before dawn he dragged him to the commune to get the marriage certificate, afraid that if he was even a step late, the boy would run away."

Chen Datou crunched the peanuts loudly, having already discussed this gossip with Aunt Liu at the village entrance.

Zhou Rui laughed when he heard this: "Liu Cuihua has been looking for so many years, and she didn't even like the sales clerks at the commune's supply and marketing cooperative. How could he have won her over? It can't be because she's prettier than others, right?"

After all, everyone in the village knew that Liu Cuihua had high standards, and even her parents couldn't do anything about it.

"I don't know if he's handsome or not, but he can recite poems," Lin Qiuyue suddenly interjected, blinking her eyes.

"You know her?" Zhou Rui turned his head, somewhat puzzled, since Lin Qiuyue rarely left the village and knew very few people.

"He was the leader of the educated youth team in Luotian Production Brigade. He brought educated youth to the village's educated youth settlement. He could shout slogans and also label people."

Zhou Rui watched Lin Qiuyue count on her fingers and asked worriedly, "Did you suffer a loss?"

"No." Lin Qiuyue shook her head: "Yang Ping and the others helped me at the time. It's just that this person... seemed a bit fake."

Zhou Rui nodded, as long as he didn't suffer any losses.

However, the person who can elicit such criticism from Lin Qiuyue is probably not a good person at all.

But if this person could get Liu Cuihua to roll around in haystacks in just a few days of watching movies, he must be incredibly talkative.

"Artsy girl syndrome," Zhou Rui muttered under his breath, which was his summary of Liu Cuihua's situation.

"What, what illness?" Chen Datou didn't hear clearly, so he asked again.

"It's nothing." Zhou Rui waved his hand, not intending to explain.

Time flies, and the New Year is getting closer, bringing with it many more happy events in the village.

However, just as Zhou Rui and Lin Qiuyue were preparing for the New Year, Yang Ping suddenly returned from the city.

The cloth bag was stuffed full, but there wasn't a smile on his face.

She invited Yu Sitian and He Wei to come to Zhou Rui's house, where they occupied the large kang (heated brick bed).

Zhou Rui was frying meatballs alone in the kitchen, leaving the entire room to Lin Qiuyue and her sisters.

"Yang Ping, what's going on? The New Year is just around the corner, why are you going back to the village?" Yu Sitian had a mouthful of radish balls stuffed in her mouth.

She had never eaten this before; it's practically unheard of in the South for New Year's treats.

"Sigh." Yang Ping sighed before she could even speak, taking Xiao Niangao from Lin Qiuyue's arms, not caring that Xiao Niangao was still holding an oily meatball in his hand.

"A married daughter is like water spilled from a cup. I'm not even married yet, and after staying at home for a month, everyone is already treating me like dirt."

Yang Ping ran her fingertips over Xiao Niangao's soft cheeks, her eyes reddening slightly, before continuing.

"I lie at home until seven o'clock and my mom stands under the window yelling at me for being lazy."

"As a former educated youth sent to the countryside, I finally get a break, why should I have to get up before the rooster crows every day to sweep the yard?"

"My sister-in-law always makes veiled accusations that I eat too much and don't pay my grain ration coupons."

"My sister is even more outrageous. She said I took up her bed and didn't give her any private space."

"I lived in that bed for five years. I was almost in elementary school when she was born. Now it's her territory."

She got angrier and angrier as she talked, pouring out all her grievances.

Lin Qiuyue felt a pang of bitterness as she listened from the side. Her parents and brother had disappeared, and she didn't even have a family home to return to, a place that would be disliked by others.

Yu Sitian blinked repeatedly as she listened. As an only child, she always received the best things in the family and had never seen the whole family arguing together before.

He Wei was the only one who frowned and didn't say anything. She also had several siblings, and when she went home to visit relatives next winter, she would probably see the exact same scene.

"Didn't your dad and brother say a word for you?" Lin Qiuyue handed her a cup of hot brown sugar water.

"My dad? He squats at the door every day smoking, unable to utter a single word for ages, and then he just says, 'Your mom is doing this for your own good.'" Yang Ping wiped her nose with her fingertips, her voice muffled.

"My brother hid behind his wife the whole time, not daring to utter a single word."

"Later, I got so angry that I argued with them a few times, then packed my bags and went back to Jiaolong Gorge."

Looking at the bulging cloth bag on the table, filled with rare treats like melon seeds, peanuts, and frozen persimmons, Yu Sitian couldn't help but ask, "You brought so much stuff back, didn't your sister-in-law stop you?"

"Whether she likes it or not."

Yang Ping tossed her braid aside, a smile finally appearing on her face: "I bought all of these with my own money. I can wear them whenever I want, and nobody can stop me."

The conversation inside was in full swing when the cotton curtain was suddenly gently pushed open, and Zhou Rui walked in carrying a large basin steaming with white vapor.

"Stop with the small talk, hurry up and clear away the sunflower seed shells on the table, let's eat."

Soon the kang table was filled with steaming dishes.

The pheasant soup simmered for an afternoon, the braised cured pork belly glistening with oil, and the mashed potatoes stewed until soft and crumbly.

There weren't many dishes, but each one was served in a large, wide-rimmed bowl, almost overflowing.

Lin Qiuyue picked up her chopsticks and first placed a juicy chicken leg on Xiao Niangao's and An'an's plates. Finally, she gently placed the whole, boneless chicken wing on the edge of Yang Ping's bowl.

As Yang Ping took her first bite, the delicious aroma of the meat filled the air, and all the pent-up frustration she had been holding back for a whole month surged up instantly, her eyes welling up with tears.

She had been in the city for a month, and every day she either ate pickled vegetables and cornbread or was given the cold shoulder by her sister-in-law. Even her own sisters had never given her such a hearty and warm meal.

An'an stared at the reddened corners of her eyes, her little face full of worry, and quickly pushed the chicken leg in her bowl towards her.

"Sister Yang Ping, are there not many chicken wings? You can have my chicken leg, it has a lot of meat and it's very fragrant."

Seeing An'an's actions, Xiao Niangao also extended her soft little hand to Yang Ping, with four clear little teeth marks imprinted on the chicken leg skin.

The little guy coaxed her in his childish voice, "Auntie, eat."

Looking into the two pairs of bright, sincere eyes in front of her, Yang Ping could no longer hold back, and warm tears slowly slid down her cheeks and dripped into the bowl.

Of course, Yang Ping ultimately declined Xiao Niangao's kind offer.

My sister's chicken leg is okay to eat, but I can't take my niece's food.

After a few rounds of drinks, Yang Ping's cheeks were flushed. She held up a full enamel bowl of sorghum liquor and leaned in front of Zhou Rui, then blurted out something earth-shattering.

"Zhou Rui, I've figured it out. Being friends with you is less comfortable than being siblings. From now on, you're my brother... no, no, you're younger than me, so you're my younger brother."

Zhou Rui took a sip of his drink and grinned mischievously, "No, no, no, I wouldn't dare be your brother. I can't afford to support such a big eater as my sister."

"Who are you calling greedy? Am I that greedy?" Yang Ping slammed her bowl on the table and immediately lost her temper.

"Be more confident, remove the 'ma' at the end." Zhou Rui's smile faded, but he gestured with his lips toward the pile of chicken bones in front of Yang Ping.

The three girls next to them watched the two bicker and saw Yang Ping get the short end of the stick, laughing so hard they slapped the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) until their stomachs hurt.

The gloom that had weighed on Yang Ping when she first arrived in the village dissipated completely amidst the lively banter and jokes.