Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

The news of Yang Ping's return to the village didn't make much of a splash in Jiaolong Gorge, but it did cause some discussion among the educated youth.

Some people were sarcastic, saying that she would rather leave the warm house in the city than go back to the village to eat cornbread, clearly making trouble for her family and throwing a tantrum.

Some people gossiped that she must have broken up with her boyfriend in the city and was too ashamed to stay, so she fled back to the educated youth settlement.

Yang Ping happened to overhear this and immediately rolled up her sleeves, ready to rush over and argue. If Yu Sitian and He Wei hadn't been holding her arm tightly, they would have started a scene right there in the educated youth compound.

Despite her anger, she didn't want to stay there every day listening to gossip, so she simply started going to Zhou Rui's house every day.

The kang (heated brick bed) here is warm, and you can always find some roasted melon seeds, milk candy, or something similar in your pocket. There are also soft little rice cakes to play with. It's ten times happier than suffering humiliation in the educated youth compound.

They begged him to lead them up the mountain to collect pine nuts and walnuts that the squirrels had hidden in the tree holes.

"No, don't you know how cold it is outside? Why do you still want to go into the mountains?" Zhou Rui lay half-reclined on the kang, with Xiao Nian Gao playing with a rag doll beside him.

"We're wearing thick clothes, we're not cold at all." An'an stood in front of the four girls, already wrapped in her cotton-padded coat, and was sweating profusely in the room.

It's normal for children to be unafraid of the cold and love to run outside, but Zhou Rui looked at the group of young women in front of him and couldn't help but feel uneasy.

In this freezing weather, everyone in the village wished they could be welded to their kang (heated brick bed) and didn't even want to step out of the door, but these women were eager to crawl into the snowdrift.

"Okay, Zhou Rui, take us there."

Lin Qiuyue blushed and shook his sleeve, her ear tips turning pink, whether from the heat of the kang (heated brick bed) or from being coquettish.

Zhou Rui maintained a composed expression on his face, but his heart was melting.

Lin Qiuyue doesn't usually act coquettishly towards him, so the impact of this move is considerable.

Lin Qiuyue is usually very shy and would never act coquettishly like this. Once she uses this trick, how could he possibly say a word against it?

"Alright, alright, let's go. I'll take you for a stroll in the mountains." Zhou Rui nodded helplessly.

Only he possessed perception and skills far exceeding those of ordinary people; none of the most experienced old hunters in the village would dare to accept this job.

Leading a group of elderly, women, and children into the deep mountains in the dead of winter is hardly a trip; it's clearly a way to provide food for wild animals that can't find any in the snow.

"Let's go raid the squirrel nests in the mountains!"

"Great! We can eat fresh pine nuts now!"

The girls, including An'an, instantly became like children who had received candy, jumping around so much that the fluffy bits on their cotton-padded jackets fell off.

Yang Ping clapped her hands and shouted that going into the mountains in winter is a million times better than in summer. In summer, the mountains are full of mosquitoes and gnats, which bite people all over their legs and make it difficult to walk.

Zhou Rui was squatting against the wall organizing his equipment when suddenly the sound of a bicycle bell came from outside the courtyard gate. He Wu pedaled his bicycle, kicked open the gate, and rushed in.

Lin Qiuyue looked at him, her brows furrowing slightly, her heart pounding.

We finally managed to persuade Zhou Rui to take everyone up the mountain; let's hope it doesn't get ruined by some urgent matter.

"It's almost Chinese New Year, why aren't you busy at the forest farm supply and marketing cooperative? What are you doing running to our village?" Zhou Rui didn't even look up, he was carefully wrapping the cold-proof bandages around his legs, only glancing at him once in a while.

"Here are some nice things for you, the forest farm's year-end bonus."

As He Wu spoke, he took a bulging cardboard box off the back rack of his bicycle.

Although the boxes looked like empty containers used by the supply and marketing cooperative, Zhou Rui knew perfectly well that they were filled with rare delicacies that the forestry trucks had brought back from other places.

"By the way, my brother-in-law would like to invite your family to visit his home before the New Year, as a formal introduction to the family."

Zhou Rui didn't rush to answer. He used his fingertips to wrap the bandage tightly and neatly, tying a sturdy knot.

After finishing his work, he had already thought things through and nodded to He Wu, "Okay, I'll make time to go over and wish Brother Qin a Happy New Year in advance."

There was no particular joy on his face, as if he had just agreed to visit an ordinary distant relative.

He had no intention of getting into the commune system, nor did he want to gain any special benefits from Qin Zhan. His mindset was naturally open and honest, and he wouldn't fawn over Qin Zhan excessively.

"That would be great. I'll come pick you up on my motorcycle, it'll be quick."

He Wu was so happy his eyes crinkled into crescents. For the past six months, he had truly treated Zhou Rui like a brother.

What's even more remarkable is that Zhou Rui's hunting skills are among the best in the county, and he is neither arrogant nor servile towards this second-generation rich kid, making him easy to get along with.

If it were anyone else, there would be very few people in the entire Red Flag Commune who would catch his eye.

"Come on, your motorcycle blows wind all over people's faces when it's running, and it can't even fit many people. What's the point of picking up passengers?"

Zhou Rui waved his hand: "I'll drive the mule cart myself, it'll be safe. I'll put a blanket on the sled so I won't get cold."

In this kind of weather, Zhou Rui didn't even want to take a public bus, let alone a motorcycle.

Just as they finished talking, Lin Qiuyue walked over and gently touched his arm with her fingertips: "Zhou Rui, are you all packed up? We should go."

"Sister-in-law, are you heading into the mountains?"

He Wu, with his sharp eyes, immediately noticed Lin Qiuyue handing the Mauser rifle to Zhou Rui, while Zhou Ping, with a big yellow dog on his leash and a falcon on his back, stood nearby. His eyes instantly lit up like light bulbs.

"I'll just go into the mountains and raid a few squirrel nests. Staying at home is too boring." Lin Qiuyue nodded honestly.

"Hey Zhou Rui, can I join you?" He Wu rubbed his frozen red hands and stomped his feet excitedly.

"I haven't been out in the mountains to run wild in a long time. The supply and marketing cooperative has a lot of miscellaneous things to deal with every day, which is driving me crazy."

"No." Zhou Rui glanced back at him and pointed to a group of people wrapped up in thick clothing in the courtyard.

"Do I look like I'm going hunting? I'm just taking them for a walk in the mountains, we'll have some lunch in the woods, and we'll be back before dark."

"I didn't say I was going to hunt big game. I just wanted to come along and relax in the mountains with you guys."

He Wu was incredibly hungry. He knew Zhou Rui's abilities all too well. Even without firing a shot, with that gyrfalcon and the big yellow dog, he would never come back empty-handed from a trip into the mountains.

Watching hawks and hounds hunt is much more exciting than hunting with a gun yourself.

"Alright, keep up."

As Zhou Rui spoke, he stuffed the heavy 98K rifle and the backpack full of dry rations into He Wu's arms.

He was more than happy to have someone offer to help carry things, as it freed up his hands so he could carry An'an and Xiao Niangao halfway through the journey.

These two little ones can bounce around on flat ground, but if they really go deep into the mountains, the snow that can reach an adult's knees with one step can completely engulf them.

As soon as the group stepped out of the courtyard gate, the big yellow dog started running around happily, leaving a trail of plum blossom-shaped paw prints on the snow.

She hadn't run two steps before she came running back, rubbing her face against An'an's cotton pants leg.

Big White only perched on Zhou Rui's shoulder for a moment before flying away.

With Little Rice Cake in Zhou Rui's arms, it couldn't stay on Zhou Rui's shoulder, otherwise those chubby little hands would be even more terrifying than its eagle claws.