Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

On the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, Zhou Rui got up early in the morning to pack his things.

The large mule that had been temporarily kept in the village was brought back a day earlier than planned.

Today, the family is going to take a sled to the city, and the journey may take all day.

At the front of the sled were two burlap sacks, containing nothing valuable but some venison, bear paws, and other meats that Zhou Rui had specially hunted on the mountain, along with a small bag of pine nuts.

Zhou Rui was laying straw and cotton quilts on the sled when An'an ran out wearing a new cotton-padded coat.

"Second brother, where are we going today?"

Zhou Rui turned around and straightened the hat that An An was wearing crookedly: "Didn't I tell you to go to Xiao Taozi's house in the city?"

"Xiao Taozi? Which Xiao Taozi?" An'an's dark eyes rolled around halfway, and her little brows furrowed, clearly not recognizing the name.

"You're the little boy who came all the way from the city to attend the banquet for Xiao Nian Gao's first birthday last year. You even snatched half a piece of candy from his hand."

An'an shook her head, tugging at his cotton-padded jacket sleeve with her little hand, insisting that he explain himself clearly.

Zhou Rui only managed to stammer out half a sentence: "It's that baby who was kidnapped at the market years ago, and later I..."

An'an suddenly clapped her hands and jumped high into the air, the buttons on her cotton-padded jacket swaying as she shouted, "I remember now!"

"That's the little brother who, with a couple of quick shouts, took down and rescued all those bad guys."

"You little rascal, you remembered now?" Zhou Rui smiled and gently scratched her frozen cheek with his fingertip.

"Hmm, but what are we going to do in the city? Also, is there a market in the city? Do they have sticky candied melons? Yes..."

The little girl kept asking questions, showing no signs of sleepiness from just waking up. Zhou Rui was both amused and exasperated by her questions, so he could only reach out and lift her onto the quilt that had been laid out.

Mule Mao Dazhuang pulled Zhou Rui's family toward Xiangyang Forest Farm, leaving Yang Ping and the others to feed the family's dogs and hens.

Today is a holiday at the forest farm, and He Wu is going to accompany Zhou Rui back to the city, otherwise he's worried that Zhou Rui won't be able to find the alley in the city.

However, He Wu wasn't the only one at the entrance of the Xiangyang Forestry Farm staff compound; Gao Daya was also waiting there.

"Cousin, Cousin's wife, Pingwa, An'an, Xiaoniangao." A clear voice echoed in the family compound.

An'an's eyes lit up immediately, and she slid down the snow sled, rushing towards Gao Daya from afar.

"Big Sister Ya, are you going to the city too? Are you going to buy me candy?"

Gao Daya smiled and reached out to catch the little girl who rushed towards her. She then took out a piece of fruit candy wrapped in oil paper from her pocket, unwrapped it, and put it into An'an's mouth.

"You're such a glutton. But I'm not going to the city with you. I'm going home for the New Year." Gao Daya straightened up, her face beaming with a bright smile.

After working as a saleswoman at the forest farm's supply and marketing cooperative for three months, Gao Daya's horizons, knowledge, and personality improved considerably.

"Aren't you going?" An'an's little face immediately fell, all her unhappiness written on her face.

"It's okay if I don't go to the city. I'll come visit you during the New Year, okay?"

"All right."

Zhou Rui drove his mule over at that moment and stopped right at the entrance of the courtyard.

He greeted He Wu first, then looked at Daya.

"You've been waiting here so early, have you already arranged transportation home?"

"Cousin, everything has been arranged."

"I've made arrangements with the driver at the forest farm. Their truck will take me on its way to work, and I'll keep an eye out for any oxcarts going back to the village along the way."

"Even if I don't run into them, it's fine. The logging site is only about ten miles from my home. I can walk back through the snow and get home before noon."

Zhou Rui glanced at the new canvas bag at her feet, and also at a large net bag, and couldn't help but frown.

"There's a lot of this, are you sure you can handle it?"

"I already told her to let Daya ride my bicycle back, but she just wouldn't." He Wu shrugged at Zhou Rui, somewhat helplessly.

For the past six months, He Wu has truly taken good care of Da Ya, treating Zhou Rui's cousin like his own sister.

But this girl was a bit stubborn, and she refused to touch his shiny old bicycle no matter what.

They say that tires are prone to slipping and falling in the snow, and that it's a shame to accidentally scratch the newly cleaned rims.

However, Zhou Rui agreed with Da Ya's approach.

One must be mindful of boundaries and not take everything for granted just because one has connections.

"Sister-in-law, these are the four-happiness meatballs that our cafeteria made last night, and some sticky rice cakes that I made myself. Take them with you on the road."

Before the others could say anything more, Gao Daya quickly grabbed a bundle from the ground and shoved it over.

There was nothing else in the bundle except two aluminum lunch boxes.

After saying that, Daya picked up the rest of the things and ran away, as if a big dog was chasing her.

"Da Ya, slow down, don't fall." Lin Qiuyue was carrying things and couldn't chase after them, so she could only shout to remind them from behind.

Once Da Ya had disappeared from sight, Zhou Rui tugged on the reins: "Brother Wu, get on, if we delay any longer, we won't make it to the city before dark."

However, He Wu didn't get on the sled; instead, he pushed out a motorcycle from the leeward side.

"I'll take this one, otherwise I won't have a car when I get back to the city."

Zhou Rui rubbed his forehead with his palm, feeling that He Wute was like his chuunibyou senior brother.

In this sub-zero temperature, you don't have to worry about freezing to death while riding a motorcycle.

"You really dare to cause trouble." Zhou Rui reached out and touched the cold car seat, his fingertips instantly turning cold and shrinking back.

"It's a journey of over a hundred miles, and the wind seeps into your bones. By the time you arrive, your legs will be so frozen you won't be able to get off the bike."

However, Zhou Rui ultimately failed to persuade He Wu and could only let him lead the way on his motorcycle.

Just as Zhou Rui's family was walking towards the city, three people were standing on the passenger platform of the coal city railway station waiting for their train.

"Dad, I've already told you not to come back to Beijing. It's the New Year, and you'll be all alone in Beijing with no one to take care of you."

"You're someone who gets things done now. There's an emergency at the factory, and they urgently need me to go back. How can I not go back?"

Lu Mingfeng straightened his son's collar; the man in his early sixties handled things as steadily as a young man.

"But Dad, you've already retired." Lu Duanshan was still a little reluctant.

Father and son had only been reunited for a few years, and he couldn't bear to let his father go back alone.

"Let him go." Jiang Chuntao grabbed Lu Duanshan's hand and patted the back of it.

"Back then, our family was fleeing when we got separated at the border. If it weren't for the factory hiring workers and giving your father and me food, we wouldn't have survived to find you."

"The factory needs you now, and your dad will go back no matter how difficult it is."

"Mom..." Lu Duanshan turned his head and tried to persuade her again, "I'm just worried that Dad is getting old and no one will take care of him, and he won't even have a hot meal to eat."

"Alright, what are you doing, being such a fussy man?" Lu Mingfeng waved his hand dismissively, showing no sorrow at parting, but rather some impatience.

"I have hot water when I'm thirsty and a canteen when I'm hungry at the factory, what could possibly happen?"

"Besides, the country needs me now."

"There's a problem with the machine parts in the factory. I'll go back and fix it. It'll only take a few days. It's not like I'm not coming back."