Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

Zhou Rui walked back to where he had first fired the shots, took the two men's backpacks, took out a bottle of wine from one of the bags, opened it, and handed it to Gu Shaofeng.

"Have a sip of wine to ease the pain, and I'll help you stabilize your calf with a stick."

Gu Shaofeng took a big gulp. "Don't rush, get the bear gallbladder out first, otherwise all the bile will be gone."

Gu Shaofeng was afraid of wasting time, as the bear's bile slowly drained away after it died.

"You money-grubber, is your leg more important or your money?" Zhou Rui said, both amused and exasperated.

"Of course money is more important. My leg is broken anyway, so sitting here without moving won't affect anything. If the bear bile is harvested slowly, there will be less bile, and that means less money. But I traded my leg for that."

Zhou Rui nodded, agreeing with the bear's assessment, and walked over to it. Looking at its massive body, Zhou Rui clicked his tongue, estimating it to weigh at least eight or nine hundred pounds, perhaps even over a thousand. Luckily, it had landed face-first; otherwise, it would have had a hard time flipping over.

Zhou Rui, wielding his dagger, cut open the bear's belly and rummaged around inside for a while, finally pulling out a long, fist-sized gall bladder, its surface jet black. "Not bad, an iron gall bladder. Not a golden one, but it's big enough."

Zhou Rui weighed it in his hand; it weighed at least a pound and a half. He carefully wrapped the bear bile in leaves and put it in his backpack. The remaining more valuable parts were the bear paws, nose, and kneecaps, which he removed directly.

After finishing all that, Zhou Rui had a headache over the large amount of bear meat; it seemed destined to go to waste. He had to take care of the injured Gu Shaofeng, so he could only take a small portion down the mountain. Therefore, Zhou Rui discarded all the internal organs and only selected the best meat to feed the dogs. Of course, Da Mao, who dared to challenge the bear, deserved a reward; after all, not just any dog ​​would have such courage.

After dealing with the bear, they moved on to Gu Shaofeng and Da Mao, those two unfortunate brothers. Of course, there wasn't much to do; neither had any external injuries. They simply tied two relatively straight wooden sticks around their legs, and that was it. Specific treatment would require a doctor's consultation.

Once everything was settled, Zhou Rui, fully equipped, carried Gu Shaofeng on his back. The other three dogs pulled a small sled loaded with over a hundred pounds of meat, mostly fat. Da Mao, the wounded dog, also enjoyed the meat treat, sitting on the sled alongside the bear meat.

As he left, Gu Shaofeng looked at the hundreds of pounds of bear meat on the ground and sighed, "What a pity, it could have sold for at least a hundred or two hundred yuan. I already told you I can walk by myself, just give me a stick."

"Come on, you think your leg is all set? I just gave it a simple bandage. If you start jumping around and dislocate your bones, you'll be lame for life. Do you want to be a lame hunter?" Zhou Rui retorted without any restraint.

"Or should I leave you here, take the bear meat back first, and come back for you tomorrow morning?"

"No, no, I was just saying, let's go quickly." Gu Shaofeng's face turned pale with fright, afraid that Zhou Rui would really leave him here.

"By the way, I don't know how to process bear bile, so you'll have to take it back and prepare it. You can just give me the money after you sell it." Zhou Rui said as he walked, not showing any signs of being out of breath despite carrying a strong man on his back.

"Okay, your sister-in-law has been with me for so many years, she knows how to do it. She'll also put on the other bear paws, bear noses, and ribbed caps."

Gu Shaofeng remained calm and composed. Having hunted for so many years, he had hunted and processed most of the animals in the mountains, possessing considerable experience. Unlike Zhou Rui, who, despite his excellent marksmanship, was a newcomer and likely knew little beyond skinning.

"Besides bear bile, what about the rest? What are your ideas?" Gu Shaofeng asked, worried that Zhou Rui might have some need for these medicinal ingredients.

"I don't have any particular thoughts. I won't sell those bear paws; I'll keep them for my An'an to eat."

"You're so good to your girls, you're really generous! They cost tens of dollars each!" Gu Shaofeng knew Zhou Rui was good to his girls, but he didn't expect it to be this good.

"What's the point of keeping these few dozen yuan? It's better to eat it. You've been hunting in the mountains for so many years, have you ever eaten bear paw?"

Gu Shaofeng remained silent; it was a painful blow.

The village of Jiaolongxia was almost completely dark at night. Zhou Rui carried Gu Shaofeng on his back and made his way home by the faint light of a flashlight. Despite his amazing stamina, Zhou Rui was still exhausted.

Zhou Rui carried Gu Shaofeng into Zhou Ping's small room, which was empty. Whenever Zhou Rui was away, Zhou Ping would take care of An'an and Xiao Niangao in the main room.

Perhaps the noise was a bit too loud, or perhaps Zhou Ping wasn't asleep at all. Zhou Ping, wearing an overcoat and carrying an oil lamp, walked over, the lamp flickering with a faint light.

"Second Brother, why are you back? What happened to Brother Shaofeng?" Zhou Ping asked as he saw Zhou Rui gently supporting Gu Shaofeng's legs and carefully moving him onto the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Your brother Shaofeng is incredibly fierce. He stood there and fought the bear head-on, and got slapped by the bear." After arriving home, Zhou Rui finally relaxed a bit and was in the mood to tease Gu Shaofeng.

Gu Shaofeng rolled his eyes: "Wasn't I doing that to save you? I lured the bear over so you'd have a chance to shoot him."

"Didn't you run after you fired? If I had had time to fire, I could have hit you. I didn't need you to be a target! I think you were so scared of the bear that you didn't dare to move."

Zhou Ping couldn't understand it. Both people were injured, yet they were still arguing. Were they out of their minds?

"Second Brother, shouldn't Brother Shaofeng be taken to the village clinic for his injuries?"

Zhou Rui shook his head: "Uncle Changhai is good at treating colds and fevers, but he's not very good at bone setting. Your brother Shaofeng might have broken his leg. I'm planning to borrow the village's oxcart to take him to the town's health center first thing tomorrow morning. It's too dark to see at night, and I'm afraid the cart will overturn and throw him into the ditch."

"No need to go to the town clinic, just take me home. My fourth uncle in our village is a master bone setter, he's had that skill for decades," Gu Shaofeng interjected.

"I'm just worried your bones might be crooked. Why don't you go to town and get an X-ray? Your grandpa is better than any machine." Zhou Rui hadn't had much contact with traditional Chinese medicine in his previous life abroad, so he felt that technology was the most reliable.

"The machines at the town clinic are pretty useless; they're not as reliable as my fourth uncle's touch. When it comes to bone misalignment and fractures, even the doctors at the clinic have to consult my fourth uncle." Gu Shaofeng was adamant about not going to the clinic; in his eyes, his fourth uncle was the real expert in bone setting.

"Fine, whatever you want." Zhou Rui didn't force him; he couldn't exactly drag him away. "Pingwa, go cook two bowls of noodles, we're starving."

"Okay, I'll go right away."

"Another bottle of wine, my calves are hurting again," Gu Shaofeng said, seizing the opportunity to make a request.

"Is your leg hurting? You're just craving something sweet." Zhou Rui turned to Zhou Ping and said, "Just pour him one bowl. Don't let him drink too much, or he won't even feel it when he bumps his leg. If he really becomes lame, it will be very difficult for him to climb the mountain again."

Gu Shaofeng smacked his lips and gave in: "One bowl it is, as long as it satisfies my craving, it's good enough."

Zhou Ping worked quickly and soon cooked the noodles, and even poured two bowls of wine. He knew that hunting in the mountains was hard work, and a bowl of wine at home would be very refreshing.

Although Zhou Rui doesn't drink, he didn't refuse Zhou Ping's offer. It was family concern, and there was no need to be coy. He also never refused candy or snacks offered to him by An'an, for fear of affecting the child's expectations.

Early the next morning, Zhou Rui borrowed an oxcart from the village and laid thick blankets on it. The price he paid was a few pounds of bear meat. The fatty meat, which was so juicy that it could be pinched and ooze oil, delighted Liu Gu, who fed the livestock, and he wished Zhou Rui would come more often.