Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

"It can't be wrong, it can't be wrong... I remember that face, her smile was so sweet, it could melt your heart. Really, I'm not mistaken..."

Jiang Chuntao seemed even more agitated after being refuted by her daughter-in-law, repeating the same sentence over and over again.

"Mom, Mom, don't rush, speak slowly, I'm listening, I'm listening." As Lu Duanshan spoke, he turned back and winked at Jiang He, signaling her to go and pour him a glass of water.

"Dad's sister? That's my aunt." Lu Weiguo's mouth dropped open, his face full of surprise.

His mother was an only child, and his father had no other relatives besides his grandparents. Lu Weiguo was particularly envious of others who had relatives to visit during the Chinese New Year.

"Yes, yes, that's your aunt. I met her today, so you'll have an aunt from now on."

Jiang Chuntao shook off Lu Duanshan, grabbed Lu Weiguo's hand, her eyes were frighteningly bright, completely losing her usual gentle demeanor when chatting with people in the yard.

"Your aunt wears a black iron ring on her wrist, which your grandfather made himself at the blacksmith's shop years ago."

"There are two small fish carved on the edge of the ring, because your aunt's name contains the character for fish."

She gestured with her other hand to her wrist, her knuckles turning white from the force.

"During the famine, we took your father and her to the city, but we got separated in the wilderness. I searched for them for twenty years and couldn't even sleep soundly."

Lu Weiguo was a little dazed by her grip, but he didn't break free at all and continued the conversation.

"Grandma, did you see which way Auntie went? This city is so big, it's hard to find someone if you don't know where they are."

Jiang He walked over with an enamel mug and handed the hot water to the old lady, but her brows were tightly furrowed.

"Mother, I'm not trying to discourage you, but so many years have passed. My little sister can't possibly still be that young. Even if she were alive, she would be almost forty by now."

"I think you're just overthinking things at night, which is why you mistook someone else for someone else."

Jiang He still didn't believe what her mother-in-law said, thinking that she was obsessed with it and had become mentally deranged.

"You said Auntie is almost forty, so Grandma wouldn't be seeing Auntie's daughter, would she?" Lu Weiguo slapped his thigh, and another idea popped into his head.

Jiang Chuntao was stunned for a moment, frozen in place for a long time without saying a word. Her mind, which had been burning hot just now, suddenly felt as if it had been doused with a bucket of cold water.

She had been so focused on her lost daughter that she hadn't considered this possibility at all.

When my daughter went missing, she was only seven or eight years old. Now she's almost forty.

The little girl who bumped into her today was only up to her waist; how could she possibly be the daughter she had been searching for for twenty years?

But that face, with its smiling eyes and crescent shape, was practically a carbon copy of her daughter Lu Qingyu when she was little.

"Yes...yes." She slowly loosened her grip on Lu Weiguo's hand, but her fingertips were still trembling.

Lu Duanshan quickly helped her sit down, afraid that the old lady might do something rash in her distress.

He himself has been searching for his sister for so many years, and he knows all too well that there are too many people in the world who look alike. Relying on just one face to identify a relative will most likely lead to failure.

He leaned close to his mother and asked softly, "Mom, did you really see that iron ring clearly?"

"I saw it clearly. I stared at the iron ring for a long time to confirm it. But I was delayed for just a moment, and the little girl ran away. I couldn't catch up with her."

As Jiang Chuntao spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, her face filled with self-reproach.

"One of the two small fish on the iron ring has a small piece missing from the tip of its tail."

"Back then, Xiaoyu was still small. We would take her with us when we went to work in the fields. She would play with iron rings, rubbing them against stones. I still remember the chipped edge clearly."

Jiang Chuntao raised the back of her hand and rubbed her eyes, her fingertips repeatedly stroking her wrist as she recalled those events from back then.

Lu Duanshan felt a sudden jolt in his chest. Over the past few years, he had often heard his mother reminisce about her childhood, and the appearance and size of the iron ring were almost etched into his mind.

If what the mother saw was true, then the little girl could very well be his niece.

"Mom, let's eat first."

"After we finish eating, I'll take Weiguo with me and we'll search that alley slowly."

"Since the little girl bumped into you in that area, she must live nearby. She's not hard to find."

"Yes, yes, eat first. You'll have energy after you eat," Jiang He quickly chimed in to help persuade them.

After being persuaded by her son and daughter-in-law, Jiang Chuntao's tense shoulders finally relaxed a little.

The meal was eaten exceptionally quickly; Jiang Chuntao's food had lost all its flavor, and the others also hurriedly put down their chopsticks.

Jiang He wrapped the three of them in thick coats, while she stayed home to take care of her youngest son, Lu Weiping.

When the group arrived at the alleyway near the supply and marketing cooperative, they discovered that the alleys were nested within alleys, like a maze from which they could not escape.

They had no choice but to knock on doors and ask around until late at night, but they didn't get a single clue.

The drinking party at Qin Zhan's house ended very late. The men's faces were flushed from drinking, while Xiao Niangao was already asleep in Lin Qiuyue's arms, breathing evenly.

Qin Zhan and He Wu saw Zhou Rui's family off, not forgetting to loudly remind them, "I'll have your sister-in-law go to the guesthouse to call you first thing tomorrow morning, and we'll go to the department store for a good shopping trip."

"The goods there are much more complete than those in the supply and marketing cooperatives. There are scarce Dacron fabrics, Shanghai brand watches with calendars, and if you're lucky, you can even find color TVs in stock."

Zhou Rui waved his hand and interrupted him with a smile: "Brother Qin, stop it quickly. Our village doesn't even have electricity yet. You won't be able to use these things you mentioned when you get back."

Qin Zhan burst into laughter at his joke and patted him hard on the shoulder: "I was confused. I was so busy talking about the rare things in the city."

"Let's look at something practical. A batch of chocolates and thick woolen coats just arrived at the grocery counter on the first floor. Let's take one back to our younger brother and sister-in-law; it'll make them look presentable."

The two of them tugged at the door for a long time. An'an leaned against Zhou Rui's chest, her little head nodding, so sleepy that she couldn't keep her eyes open.

Zhou Rui lifted her up a bit: "Alright, the child is too sleepy to stay awake any longer. Let's go back to the guesthouse first, see you tomorrow morning."

Qin Zhan looked at An An's crooked little braids and quickly turned around to call He Wu.

"Go and get the bag of oranges I packed this morning. I think this little girl loves them. If she wakes up thirsty at night, she won't need to drink water."

The group walked towards the guesthouse with flashlights in hand. The streets were quiet in the dead of night, and there wasn't a soul in sight.

Although the beds in the guesthouse weren't as warm as the heated kang beds at home, the Zhou family members, exhausted from a long day, fell into a deep sleep soon after their heads hit the pillows.

In the Lu family courtyard, the Lu brothers, Weiguo and Weiguo, started snoring softly as soon as they sat down on the kang (a heated brick bed).

Jiang Chuntao lay in the inner room, while Lu Duanshan and Jiang He lay in the outer room. The three of them tossed and turned, like pancakes being baked on a heated kang, until the middle of the night, and none of them were really asleep.