Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

Zhou Rui followed Zhou Ping's gaze and glanced at the counter. The row of tin frogs gleamed with an oily sheen, and the green paint was applied evenly.

He patted Zhou Ping on the shoulder: "You've been eyeing it for a while, want it?"

Zhou Ping snapped back to reality and scratched the back of his head a little embarrassedly.

"A few days ago, a boy from school brought a frog to play on the playground. An'an squatted next to it and watched for a long time. When she got home, she kept talking to me about it, saying that the little frog looked like a toad in the field when it jumped."

Zhou Rui was amused by him and reached out to pluck a handful from his forehead, his fingertips brushing against the stubble that had just hardened.

The boy has grown taller than my shoulder without me even realizing it, but he always thinks about his little sister first.

"Buy it." He didn't say much, counted out three one-cent bills and handed them over.

It only costs three cents, no tickets are needed, there's no need to make the child stand here for half a day.

When the tin frog was handed to Zhou Ping, it still carried a bit of warmth from the glass counter.

"Don't let me give it to you," Zhou Rui gently pushed him from behind, "You, as the older brother, should deliver it to An'an yourself."

Before Zhou Ping could even take a step, he called out to him from behind, "Wait a minute. All you think about is An'an, don't you have anything you want yourself?"

Zhou Ping turned around abruptly, his eyes shining like they were filled with starlight: "Second Brother, can I really just pick whatever I want?"

"nonsense."

Zhou Rui glanced at him sideways: "You're almost as tall as me now, can't you even pick out something decent for yourself?"

Zhou Ping immediately tucked the tin frog in his hand under his arm, his voice rising a half-octave: "Then I want the Double Happiness billiard paddle at the very back of the stationery cabinet."

……

Zhou Rui's family came to the city for two days, bringing two sacks of mountain produce, but they brought back even more New Year's goods, stuffed to the brim.

Zhou Ping's Double Happiness billiard racket was so precious that even when He Wu tried to touch it, Zhou Ping dodged to the side.

The tin frog had been wound up so many times in An'an's hands that it was almost worn smooth. She couldn't bear to let go of it and carried it in her cotton-padded coat pocket wherever she went.

Whenever I have a spare moment, I take it out and put it on the ground, watching it bounce around in the snow, leaving snow tracks everywhere.

Lin Qiuyue's navy blue corduroy jacket was ultimately snatched up by He Jing, who slapped the ticket and money on the counter first, refusing to let Zhou Rui pay.

Qin Zhan's small artificial leather bag on his waist was mostly deflated by the end of the day, but the things he got in return filled half a sled.

An enamel basin printed with red peonies, an aluminum thermos with a warm cover, floral fabric for sewing cotton-padded jackets for Xiao Nian Gao, and two whole pounds of chocolate milk candies wrapped in cellophane. Even a few pairs of the newly released Warrior sneakers were stuffed at the bottom of the cloth bag.

"Since you're leaving, I won't keep you any longer. But you should come to the city more often in the future; my little Taozi always misses Xiaoniangao."

After Qin Zhan finished speaking, he glanced at Qin Tao, whose son was now tearfully tugging at Lin Qiuyue's trouser leg, refusing to let Lin Qiuyue take Xiao Niangao away.

"Come, I'll definitely come when I have time. But you and your wife are both busy with work, so we don't want to bother you all the time."

"If Xiao Tao misses his sister, he can ask Brother He Wu to bring her to the village."

"Although the countryside isn't as fun as the city, you can still go fishing in the river and catching sparrows in the mountains."

As Zhou Rui spoke, he bent down, rubbed his fingertips against Qin Tao's reddened cheeks, took out two milk candies wrapped in cellophane from his cotton-padded coat pocket, and handed them to Qin Tao's hand.

The little guy, still teary-eyed and clutching the candy, loosened his grip on his trouser leg, sobbed, and unwrapped the candy, offering it to Xiao Nian Gao's mouth first.

He Jing laughed out loud and reached out to pick Qin Tao up.

"Look at this heartless little thing, he's usually so possessive of his food, but today he's willing to give his candy to his sister first."

"However, I think Zhou Rui is right. This kid is too spoiled at the company's kindergarten. He cries at the drop of a hat. It would be good to send him to the countryside to toughen him up."

Zhou Rui took a closer look at He Jing and was surprised to find that this mother was so open-minded.

He originally thought that dual-income families in the city would cherish their only child and be afraid of dropping him or melting him, so how could they be willing to send their delicate child to the countryside?

"Sister-in-law, you're not kidding." Zhou Rui packed the last sack tightly onto the sled, the rope wrapped tightly around the wooden frame.

"In the countryside, the spring wind can blow your hat off, and in the summer the grass is full of mosquitoes that bite your legs. Don't be heartbroken and cry from afar when that happens."

"I don't care at all." He Jing shoved Qin Tao into Qin Zhan's arms and patted the thick canvas covering the sled.

"This kid can't even lift a lump of coal now."

Last time, she was fighting with other kids over building blocks at kindergarten. She got pushed and sat on the ground crying. If she keeps getting this up, she'll turn into a soft dough ball.

Once the snow has mostly melted in the spring, I'll put him in He Wu's hands and have him run errands in the countryside for two months.

Qin Zhan, who was listening nearby, clicked his tongue and secretly tugged at He Jing's sleeve, lowering his voice: "You really dare to say that. When the kid gets so tanned he looks like a piece of charcoal, my mom will definitely be furious with you."

"So what if you're in a hurry?" He Jing rolled her eyes at him, then turned to Zhou Rui: "It's settled then. You and Qiu Yue just need to keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't go into the woods alone. As for the rest, just do whatever you want."

Before Zhou Rui could answer, An An jumped up and waved the tin frog in front of Qin Tao.

"Little Tao Tao, come here. I'll take you to the river to break holes in the ice and catch fish. Mao Mao can carry you around. My brother can make wooden tops that can spin on the ice for ages without falling over."

Qin Tao, with half a half-melted milk candy in his mouth, suddenly brightened up. He tugged at An'an's clothes and nodded vigorously, his words mumbled indistinctly, "I want to go, I want to play with Auntie."

Everyone was amused by his appearance.

Lin Qiuyue reached out and stuffed the cotton wadding that was sticking out of the sled back in, afraid that the wind would get in and freeze the children sitting behind.

"Alright, when spring comes, we'll have Brother He Wu bring him over. Our An'an will take care of him every day, and we'll make sure he doesn't fall or get hurt. In two months, we'll give you a little man who can chase rabbits up the mountain."

Seeing the lively scene of this large family, Qin Zhan's initial hesitation dissipated, and he raised his hand to pat Zhou Rui heavily on the shoulder.

"Alright, it's settled then. After the Lunar New Year, my husband and I will arrange our work and then personally take the baby there."

The wind blew by, carrying fine snowflakes, causing the large red lanterns hanging at the entrance of the Forestry Bureau to sway.

Zhou Rui gripped the sled reins tightly, lightly tapped the snow with his toes twice, and Mao Dazhuang, who had been waiting impatiently, scratched his front hooves and snorted.

"Then we're off." Zhou Rui turned around and waved to them.

An'an had already climbed onto the sled and sat down, holding the tin frog in her arms.

Zhou Ping helped Lin Qiuyue sit up, and then tucked the small rice cake, which was wrapped like a little rice dumpling, into the quilt to make sure that no wind could get in.

The sled slowly glided forward along the compacted snow track, past alleys, past intersections, past Jiang Chuntao who was still searching for someone, and finally became a small black dot and disappeared.