Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

"Phew..." Jiang Chuntao suddenly let out a long sigh.

Hearing the name An'an come out of Qin Zhan's mouth at least proves one thing: they haven't gone in the wrong direction this time.

The family of five staying at the guesthouse did indeed have a little girl named An'an.

Lu Duanshan lowered his head and pondered for a moment, organizing his thoughts before looking up into Qin Zhan's eyes.

"That An'an, she looks like my sister, and she wears an iron ring on her wrist that is exactly the same as the one my sister wore when she was little."

"I'm guessing she's family."

Sister, family? Qin Zhan was dumbfounded when he heard these two words.

He had never heard of Lu Duanshan having a younger sister. He only knew that a few years ago, he found his long-lost parents, who were workers in the capital and moved to the coal city to live with him after they retired.

That person is his mother.

Qin Zhan looked at the old man who had entered the house with Lu Duanshan. His hair was mostly white, and his eyes were fixed on him.

"There is someone named An'an, she's my little brother Zhou Rui's sister." Qin Zhan paused for a moment, then said, word by word, "My own sister."

"Then, then, Director Qin, do you know their mother? Is their mother named Lu Qingyu?" Jiang Chuntao asked eagerly, wanting to get the answer from Qin Zhan immediately.

"Auntie, Director Lu, have some tea." He Jing came out of the kitchen at this moment and placed several cups of hot tea on the coffee table.

The two thanked him but did not reach for their teacups, instead quietly awaiting Qin Zhan's answer.

Qin Zhan picked up his teacup and took a sip. The tea was a little bitter. "Zhou Rui... Zhou Rui's parents and brothers have passed away. I've never met his mother, and I don't even know her name."

In order to find the benefactor who saved Xiao Taozi, he only investigated Zhou Rui's family situation on the surface. Zhou Rui himself rarely mentioned those old stories that were buried deep in the past.

"Your parents have passed away?" Jiang Chuntao and Lu Duanshan's voices rang out almost simultaneously.

Jiang Chuntao felt a sudden tightness in her chest, her breathing became erratic, and she felt a tightness in her chest, as if she could hardly breathe.

"Auntie, don't worry, this matter hasn't been clarified yet." Qin Zhan quickly reached out to support Jiang Chuntao's swaying arm, his tone both gentle and steady.

"Maybe it's just that the iron ring looks similar, and the person might not be the daughter you're looking for."

"Let's not make any promises before we meet them, and let's not get too anxious."

Qin Zhan paused mid-sentence, a sudden surge of emotion welling up in his eyes.

That day at the market, he discovered that Xiao Taozi had vanished in the blink of an eye. He and He Jing had experienced the same thing. It felt like his heart was being tightly gripped by a hand, and he understood all too well the feeling of being suspended in mid-air, neither up nor down.

"No, no, no, I won't admit I'm wrong." Jiang Chuntao shook her head repeatedly, her tone as stubborn as a child's.

"I will never forget that little girl's features in my life, how could I possibly mistake her?"

"Duanshan, let's go. We're going to Jiaolong Gorge right now. I want to ask you face to face whether Zhou Rui's mother is my daughter and whether An'an is my granddaughter."

She suddenly stood up from the stool, her eyes darting back and forth anxiously, her fingers rubbing against the cuffs of her cotton-padded jacket until they were burning hot.

If Lu Duanshan hadn't reached out to support her in time, she would have tripped over her own foot and fallen to the ground.

"Qin Zhan." He Jing's voice suddenly came from behind. He Wu was standing next to her. The two siblings had entered the living room at some point.

"Why don't you accompany Auntie and Director Lu on this trip? You know that mountain road well, so it won't be a problem for you to make this trip."

"But we agreed to take Xiao Tao to see your parents tonight." Qin Zhan hesitated for a moment.

"My brother and I will take Tao Tao over first. You can come back tomorrow, it's fine." He Jing said, reaching out to stuff Qin Zhan's cotton coat into his hands.

After becoming a mother, she couldn't bear to see the elderly looking so distressed.

"Okay, I'll go tell the driver to prepare the car right away. Let's head straight to Jiaolong Gorge."

"You can take He Wu's motorcycle to your parents-in-law's place," Qin Zhan immediately agreed and turned to walk downstairs.

"No, you should keep this car to take your younger brother, sister-in-law, and children." Lu Duanshan reached out and stopped him, even changing his form of address naturally.

"It was our family that disrupted your plans in the first place, how could we let you suffer in the cold wind?"

"My company has a Jeep. I'll go back and let them know, and they'll arrange for a driver to bring it over. We'll take that car."

"Besides, I need to go back home first to let them know, otherwise my wife and kids will get worried."

In the Zhou family's home in Jiaolong Gorge, the earthen kang (heated brick bed) was scalding hot.

Zhou Rui kicked off his cotton shoes and lay half-reclined on the kang (a heated brick bed) covered with thick quilts, feeling the cold seeping out from every bone in his body.

After driving a mule sled all day, braving the mountain winds and traveling more than a hundred miles through the snow, even though he was as strong as a black bear from the mountains, his hands and feet were already numb with cold.

Once you're pressed against the warm kang mat, you don't even have the strength to lift an arm.

The fire in the kang (heated brick bed) at home never went out. During the few days he was away, Yang Ping and a few other girls from the educated youth compound next door came over every day to help add firewood and start the fire.

The kang (heated brick bed) remained warm the whole time, never going out for a second.

He was the laziest person in the room right now, while the others were all incredibly energetic.

Lin Qiuyue spread all the floral fabrics and new clothes she brought back from the city on the kang table and pulled Yang Ping, Yu Sitian, and He Wei together to look at them over and over.

Fingertips touched the smooth corduroy fabric, and the chattering laughter shook the frost off the window paper.

An'an lay on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), her chubby little hands clutching the green tin frog. She wound it up for a long time, and when she let go, the little frog hopped around on the kang mat.

It bumped into the instep of the little rice cake next to it, bounced back and rolled a long way, making the little rice cake giggle and laugh while holding onto the blanket, drool running down its chin.

The third brother, Zhou Ping, had barely been inside for two minutes when he disappeared without even unbuttoning his cotton-padded coat, clutching his newly bought pool paddle.

In this remote mountain village, it's hard to find even a decent flat wooden plank, let alone a pool table. Nobody knows what tricks he can pull off in the snow with just a racket in his hand.

Zhou Rui lay on his side, the sounds of his wife and daughters laughing and talking mixed with the noises from his two children.

Looking at the lively scene in the room, he couldn't help but smile. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and he soon fell asleep.

When it was time for dinner late at night, someone reached out and shook him awake, and he sat up groggily.

Looking at the steaming sauerkraut stew with vermicelli on the table, it was hard to tell whether Lin Qiuyue was in charge of cooking or whether Yang Ping and the others had worked together in the kitchen to prepare the meal.

In the middle of the night, a green jeep drove straight through the snow-covered fields and arrived directly in front of Zhou Rui's yard.

As soon as the car came to a stop, Big Yellow jumped out of its kennel and barked loudly in the direction of the yard gate.

Immediately afterwards, the Mao family also started barking wildly. The five dogs barked at the same time, creating a strangely powerful sound.

Zhou Rui got up from the kang (a heated brick bed), wondering who would come looking for him at this time, now that he had just returned to the village.

He draped his cotton-padded coat over his shoulders, pushed open the door and went out, and the first thing he saw was Qin Zhan standing at the gate of the courtyard.

"Brother Qin, what brings you here?"