Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, the wind in the city was very light, and only a few snowflakes fell.

Qin Zhan and He Jing, holding Qin Tao who was wrapped up like a little rice dumpling, stood at the entrance of the Forestry Bureau waiting for Zhou Rui's family.

Today, the two of them specially asked their bosses for leave, planning to accompany them to visit all the places in the city, to join in the fun, and to make up for the friendship that the two families had developed over this period of time.

"You know, Zhou Rui is too honest. He came to our house as a guest and brought so much stuff that it filled half the kitchen."

"I privately estimate that they've probably emptied most of their savings that they had set aside for the Lunar New Year."

Qin Zhan lifted Qin Tao up in his arms and patted his son's bottom with his fingertips.

"Then you underestimate Zhou Rui."

"Didn't you hear what your brother said? Zhou Rui is an amazing hunter; he can take down a bear with a single shot."

"He can easily bring back pheasants and rabbits with his gyrfalcons and big yellow dog. Do you think he lacks those?"

He Jing laughed and tugged at Qin Zhan's arm: "We can't just accept the things without feeling guilty."

"Did you bring all the money and tickets from home? When we get to the department store, we'll have to buy whatever clothes Qiuyue likes, no matter what."

"And those snacks and toys, I'll buy them all if An'an and Xiaoniangao want them."

Qin Zhan patted the small faux leather bag slung over his waist, making a loud thud: "Don't worry, I stuffed all the money and industrial vouchers I'd saved up for three months into it before I left."

"When we get to the department store, if Lin Qiuyue takes a fancy to anything, we'll just buy it for her. We won't let her family go home empty-handed."

He Jing gazed at the direction of the snow falling at the intersection, paused, and suddenly changed the subject, talking about her younger brother who had been sent down to the forest farm.

"By the way, do you think He Wu has made any progress in the past few months at Xiangyang Forest Farm?"

"Don't act like you're still in the city, slacking off at work and hanging out with the kids in the compound all day."

Qin Zhan raised an eyebrow, a hint of suppressed amusement in his voice: "I haven't quite figured out how much my work has improved yet, but my hunting skills have definitely improved. You didn't know that, did you..."

The two were chatting animatedly when a few clear laughs came from the other side of the road.

Zhou Rui's family was walking this way carrying cloth bags. An'an skipped and hopped ahead, waving her little hand and calling out when she saw He Jing.

"Aunt He Jing, have you fed my Mao Dazhuang? We can't let him go hungry, he still needs to pull us back tomorrow."

Lin Qiuyue held a small rice cake wrapped up tightly in her arms, while Zhou Ping followed beside her, carrying a bag of hot roasted chestnuts that he had just bought from the alley entrance.

"Have you been waiting long? I came across a roasted chestnut vendor at the alley entrance on the way, and waited there for a while."

Zhou Rui walked over, saw Qin Tao in Qin Zhan's arms, reached into his pocket and took out a few split chestnuts and stuffed them into Qin Tao's hand.

He Jing reached out and pulled An'an to her side, brushing the snowflakes off her shoulder: "It's been fed. I asked the old gatekeeper to feed it, so it won't go hungry."

Qin Zhan smiled and said, "What's there to wait for? We were just chatting about He Wu. We were saying that the kid is doing well in the forest now, and he even dares to follow you up the mountain to hunt bears."

Zhou Rui laughed out loud and pointed at He Wu with his fingertip: "Brother He Wu, Brother Qin is pointing at you. He said you don't take your work seriously and all you do is go hunting with me."

He Wu waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "Brother-in-law, don't listen to Zhou Rui's nonsense."

"It's true that I went hunting in the mountains, but I had already arranged my work. I only went to see Zhou Rui during my vacation."

A group of people walked briskly toward the department store, with snowflakes drifting onto their shoulders.

An'an initially held He Jing's hand, but after walking for a while, she couldn't hold back any longer, shook off He Jing, and ran forward.

Zhou Rui reacted quickly and pulled her back.

There was still some snow on the roadside, and Zhou Rui was worried that she might slip and fall if she ran too fast.

In the 1970s, the department store was the most eye-catching two-story building on the entire street, with its blue brick walls polished to a shine and the five white characters for "Serve the People" written neatly.

Several rows of old-fashioned bicycles were parked in front of the gate, and occasionally a motorcycle could be seen.

The old man watching the cars wore a red armband and held half a handful of bamboo parking tags in his hand. He would smile and wave to regular customers.

Stepping through the thick cotton curtain, a warm and cozy atmosphere instantly enveloped me, accompanied by the tantalizing scent of soap, face cream, and new fabrics.

The cement floor was polished to a shine, and a row of three-foot-wide counters stood side by side, separating customers and sales clerks.

Behind the counter, the shelves stretched from floor to ceiling, with enamel basins stacked neatly, printed with bright red "double happiness" characters and peony flowers, and aluminum thermos flasks gleaming silver in the gaps.

An'an stared wide-eyed, unconsciously tightening her grip on Lin Qiuyue's hand, her little head twisting left and right, reluctant to even blink.

He Jing smiled and took her free hand, pointing to the items displayed in the counter and counting them for her.

"Look, this is the stationery counter. We just restocked pencils with erasers. And over there is the knitting and cotton section. We have some new floral towels made in Shanghai. They feel so soft to the touch."

The group strolled slowly along the counter, and Zhou Ping was overwhelmed by the sights.

This place is many times larger than the supply and marketing cooperative, and there are many things here that I've never seen before.

Zhou Ping's gaze swept across the shelves, finally landing on a row of tin toys on the top shelf, and he immediately stopped in his tracks.

Those were several tanks painted grass green, with tracks made of thin sheet metal. When wound up, they would chug forward on the counter and even turn around when they encountered obstacles.

Next to them were tin frogs and tin roosters, which would jump high when wound up, and even Zhou Ping, a teenager, couldn't take his eyes off them.

Lin Qiuyue stood in front of the fabric counter for a long time, her fingertips gently brushing against the dark blue corduroy. The corduroy was very thick and smooth to the touch.

He Jing chimed in with a laugh, "This fabric is really hard to get these days. I almost missed out yesterday because I arrived late."

"If you like it, let's buy it now. If you hesitate any longer, it'll be gone."

Lin Qiuyue stood there without saying a word. She had seen all kinds of clothes before going to the countryside; she just hadn't dared to wear them at school back then.

Later, when I took the train to the countryside, I didn't bring any of those brightly colored clothes with me, and now I don't know where they are.

Just then, a salesperson in the aisle suddenly shouted, "Make way, everyone! We have a new Shanghai Butterfly sewing machine!"

"Just restocked, hurry up and line up if you want some, or they'll be gone."

Zhou Rui quickly moved aside with Xiao Niangao in his arms, secretly marveling at how much more extravagant this department store was than the rural supply and marketing cooperative, even able to restock scarce items like sewing machines.

Although it couldn't compare to the grand shopping malls of later generations, it was already a very bustling place in this era.

Zhou Rui's family was shopping for New Year's goods at a department store, while Jiang Chuntao had just gotten up.

I spent most of last night thinking about it and confirmed that I wasn't mistaken; the girl was wearing the same iron ring that my daughter wore when she was little.

She was unwilling to give up and thought that after eating, she should go out and walk around the streets, determined to find her daughter.