Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

The young men who had been forced to retreat by the robbers were now crowding around.

One of them squatted down and curiously touched the crowbar and dagger that had been taken from the robber.

Another young man, who looked like a student and wore glasses, his face still flushed, gestured a couple of times with He Wu's elm stick.

"My legs were weak just now, but when I saw you knock the crowbar away with one blow, I immediately rushed forward."

An elderly woman carrying a baby rushed out of the crowd, wielding a rolling pin, and smacked the robber on the head twice while cursing.

"In the middle of the Lunar New Year, instead of staying home with your wives and children in a warm bed, you're out here in this freezing weather robbing people. I think you've lost your minds and are tired of living."

Zhou Rui was stunned. Instead of a single pastry, the aunt had stuffed a rolling pin into her baggage for visiting relatives. This aunt was truly a remarkable person.

Fearing that further banging might cause someone to die, he quickly stepped forward and reached out to stop him.

"Auntie, stop banging. These people need to be taken to the police station so the police can thoroughly investigate their old cases. If they cause any harm, we won't be in the right."

The woman's hand suddenly stopped, the rolling pin hanging in mid-air, and she huffed angrily.

"If it weren't for you stopping me, young man, I would have broken both of their hands that were doing bad things today, and then we'd see how they'd be able to cause trouble for people in the future."

The driver quickly came over to smooth things over, tapping the wrench on the wheel rim: "Alright everyone, don't delay, let's get the car out of the snow ditch first."

"One of the snow chains on one of the wheels broke, so we'll have to drive slowly later. Let's get it fixed quickly so we can head home sooner."

The commotion subsided almost instantly, and the passengers holding the weapons immediately turned and walked to the back of the train.

Having witnessed that earlier scene, everyone was filled with energy. Not only the young men, but also all the women on the bus who could muster strength got off.

The group huddled shoulder to shoulder at the back of the vehicle, shouting off-key chants as they desperately braced themselves against the bumper. The big mule in front let out a loud cry and tightened its reins, while the driver slammed on the gas pedal.

The frozen-hard wheels spun twice in the snowdrift, kicking up snow foam half a person's height.

The next second, the force gathered in one place propelled it forward, and it steadily climbed up the hard snow track along the compacted dry grass.

As soon as the car arrived, everyone carried the five robbers into the carriage.

It was impossible for them to sit in chairs like ordinary people; they were simply thrown into the cold aisle as punishment.

Other passengers boarded the bus and sat down, still complaining about the robbers' misdeeds.

Instead of starting the engine, the driver came around and asked Zhou Rui and the others where they were.

Upon learning that they were going to the coal city, he immediately and warmly invited Lin Qiuyue and her child to board the bus, offering them free tickets.

Zhou Rui waved his hand in polite refusal.

Many windows on this old bus are missing glass and are just covered with tattered plastic sheeting, letting in drafts. It's nothing like the warmth of being wrapped in a thick blanket on your own sled.

Moreover, a vehicle with a broken snow chain wobbles violently on the snow track, far less steadily than a sled.

And so, Zhou Rui's family, along with He Wu, finally entered the city before nightfall.

They first went with He Wu to the Forestry Bureau's residential compound, where they were warmly received by Qin Wu and He Jing.

Especially Xiao Taozi, who wouldn't let go of Xiao Niangao.

When he last visited, Xiao Niangao couldn't talk or walk yet, but now she can, so he can play with her.

However, after sitting for a while, He Wu brought Zhou Rui out again.

Qin Wu had arranged a guesthouse within the Forestry Bureau, but Zhou Rui still needed to bring a letter of introduction to register.

This is an internal procedure, and this step cannot be waived just because Qin Wu is the deputy director.

Those who reach this position become increasingly cautious as they progress.

Even though it was just a short trip for work points, An'an still insisted on going along.

She had never been to such a big city before, and everything felt new and exciting.

"Second brother, second brother, come and chase me! Hahaha..." After leaving the compound, An'an ran along the sidewalk.

After sitting on a sled all day, her legs were already numb, so as soon as she got out the door, she started jumping around energetically.

"Don't run away! Do you even know where the guesthouse is? Just walk ahead." Zhou Rui didn't chase after him.

He knew all too well that the more he chased An'an, the faster she would run, and in the end she would still fall flat on her face.

Zhou Rui knew An An's temper, but He Wu didn't quite. Seeing An An run far away, he took off running after her.

It wasn't that he was afraid of anything else, but there were many bicycles in the city, and he was afraid of hitting the little girl.

Sure enough, as soon as An'an saw someone chasing after her, she swung her short legs even faster, running while turning back to taunt them.

"Brother He Wu, you're too slow. You can't catch me."

As An'an ran, she turned into the other direction at the fork in the road and disappeared in an instant.

Zhou Rui frowned for a moment before quickening his pace to catch up.

He was confident that An'an wouldn't get lost, but it wasn't a very nice sight to be strolling around the city with a little kid like that.

Moreover, after they finished registering, they had to go back to Qin Zhan's house for a meal, and it would be impolite to keep the host waiting for too long.

"Ouch."

An An ran while looking back, but ultimately didn't pay attention to what was in front of her. Suddenly, everything went black and her forehead bumped into someone, bouncing back.

With a crash, the person who was hit lost their balance, and as they stumbled, the snacks and apples in the basket spilled out.

"Little girl, are you hurt?" a warm voice rang out.

An'an sat on the ground, shook her head, and said it didn't hurt.

She looked up and saw an old lady bending over and asking her a question.

She scrambled to her feet, not even bothering to brush the snow off herself, and rushed over to help pick up the things.

While picking up the items, she apologized, "Grandma, I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going and bumped into you. Are you hurt?"

The old lady waved her hand, bent down and put the snacks that An'an had just handed her into the basket, her wrinkles full of smiles.

"It doesn't hurt at all. My old bones are very strong. I was sweeping the yard in the snow just a few days ago."

"You little girl, you run around like a whirlwind, just like my daughter when she was little."

"Yeah, my second brother said I'm like Sun Wukong, I run really fast." An'an answered with a grin, but her hands were quick as lightning, and she quickly gathered all the apples on the ground.

As she reached out to wipe the last apple clean and put it in the basket, a section of her wrist was exposed, revealing a black bracelet.

The old lady suddenly froze, staring intently at the iron ring for a few seconds before looking up and carefully examining the little girl's face.

"An'an, come here quickly, the reception area is this way, you've gone the wrong way."

At the fork in the alley, two tall figures were waving in this direction.

"Okay, Second Brother, Brother He Wu, I'm coming right now." An An said and turned to run, as fast as the wind.

"Oh..." The old lady stood up and wanted to shout.

"Grandma, is this the apple you dropped?" A clear voice came from behind, and a bright red apple was handed to her.

She was a girl who looked like a student, holding an apple that had just rolled away.

"Thank you, young lady." The old lady didn't even look at it carefully before taking it and looking towards the alley entrance.

But when she turned around, the place was already empty, and she didn't even know which way the people had gone.