Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

Zhou Rui emerged from the Gu family home with a flushed face. The Gu family had been far too polite and incredibly hospitable to him. Old Master Gu, his eldest brother, his fourth brother, and Gu Yubao took turns offering him drinks, clearly expressing their gratitude for Zhou Rui saving Gu Shaofeng.

Moreover, seeing that Zhou Rui is so young yet has such great abilities, and is more mature than Gu Shaofeng, it is obviously better to get along with him than to let Gu Shaofeng wander in the mountains on his own. So it was a deliberate effort to befriend him.

They drank all morning, and only Zhou Rui had a decent alcohol tolerance; otherwise, he would have been lying down by now.

The journey home was anything but peaceful. Aunt Gu and her three daughters-in-law kept stuffing things onto the oxcart. Fresh vegetables, canned fruit, homemade pickled vegetables, and dried bamboo shoots were all loaded onto the cart. Fifth Sister-in-law was even more extravagant; upon learning that Zhou Rui had younger siblings, she filled sacks with roasted melon seeds and peanuts.

Leaving Gujiatun, Zhou Rui wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead. He wouldn't dare come again; they were too enthusiastic. Besides, there were so many women, and several of them were stuffing food into the car, impossible to stop. Moreover, he and Gu Shaofeng were only cooperating while hunting; there was no question of one rescuing the other. Receiving so much from the Gu family made Zhou Rui feel a little guilty. Oh well, next time he gets something good in the mountains, he'll bring more over himself.

Zhou Rui's return to the village in the afternoon naturally caused another sensation. Which relative was so generous, sending gifts by the truckload? Zhou Rui, of course, kept quiet, only saying it was a godparent he had recognized, without specifying who it was.

When they got home, Zhou Rui had a headache after unloading everything from the oxcart; there was just too much. Zhou Ping and An'an were overjoyed. They didn't care whether they liked it or not; they were happy as long as Zhou Rui brought back a lot of goodies, it meant the family was doing better and better.

Zhou Rui sorted through the items and loaded some fresh vegetables, peanuts, and melon seeds back into the car. He decided to give them away; too much would be a waste.

So they brought the things back to the village, giving some to Fifth Grandfather's family, some to Aunt Changchun's family, and some to Zhao Dazhu's family, and also invited them over for dinner, which included stewed bear paws.

After delivering the goods, Zhou Rui pulled Liu Kangri towards home. He had no choice; he really didn't know how to cook bear paws, and he didn't want to waste such a good ingredient.

On the way, Zhou Rui encountered Zhou Jiutian and Zhao Xiumei, and the smile on his face immediately disappeared: "Grandpa, Grandma."

Zhou Rui stood to the side and called out, without saying anything more or showing any particular expression; it was just a simple call. It was as if they were just unrelated passersby exchanging greetings.

Zhou Jiutian nodded with his hands behind his back: "You've been doing a good job lately, and haven't disgraced the Zhou family."

Zhou Rui curled his lip, thinking that this old man was quite shameless. What did his performance have to do with the Zhou family? Zhao Xiumei's expression was complicated; she wanted to approach him, yet was also somewhat apprehensive. Seeing Zhou Rui's cold gaze, she finally had no choice but to quickly leave. Her hurried steps, following closely behind Zhou Jiutian, were like a shadow he could never leave.

Liu Kangri, who had been watching from the side, looked somewhat worried: "Ruiwa, isn't this... a bit inappropriate? Shouldn't you invite your grandparents over for a meal to ease the tension?"

Zhou Rui could tell what Liu Kangri was thinking, but he didn't explain. He simply said calmly, "There's nothing wrong with it. I won't have any relationship with them anymore. Let's just be strangers. This is best for Pingwa and An'an, and best for Xiao Niangao. I hope they won't bother us anymore."

Zhou Rui's tone was flat, devoid of hatred or love, only utter indifference.

"Come on, Uncle Kangri, there's still a lot of work waiting for you. Whether you get to eat bear paws tonight depends on you." Zhou Rui's attitude changed instantly, and he tugged at Liu Kangri's sleeve, as if he had two faces.

Liu Kangri looked at Zhou Rui's renewed smile and couldn't help but sigh, hoping that Ruiwa wouldn't go to extremes.

"Did you remove the skin? Make sure to pluck all the hairs, otherwise it will affect the taste." Liu Kangri set up a large pot in the yard, simmering chicken and duck broth while directing Zhou Rui to prepare the bear paws. The chickens and ducks were bought from the villagers, otherwise they wouldn't have any at home.

"Is it ready yet? If it is, put both bear paws in and stew them with the chicken and duck."

"Get another pot and make a few pounds of braised bear meat. Make sure to add lots of spices, otherwise the flavor won't be right. Once this is done, take a bear paw and put it over there to simmer slowly."

"The last one is for steaming. Luckily you have wild honey, that's perfect."

"Forget about the honey, we encountered a bear yesterday while trying to collect honey, and we almost died there. You can tell how big the bear was by the size of its paws." Zhou Rui was still shaken. He had been careless and hadn't expected such a thing to appear. He thought it was a pack of wolves or jackals or something.

"Indeed," Liu Kangri nodded. "This is the biggest bear paw I've ever made."

As evening fell and darkness descended, Zhou Rui had been stewing the bear paw and braised bear meat together for over an hour, while Liu Kangri was still slowly steaming them in a steamer. The bear paw, coated with honey, was gradually emitting a sweet aroma.

Once everyone had arrived, Liu Kangri took out the bear paw, sliced ​​it thinly, sandwiched the prepared mushrooms and bamboo shoots in the middle, and poured the broth over it spoonful by spoonful in front of everyone.

"Alright, let's eat."

At Liu Kangri's command, everyone's chopsticks instinctively reached for the steamed bear paw, while Zhou Rui's braised bear paw was left to the side.

Zhou Rui gently picked up a piece, blew on it, and put it into An'an's mouth. An'an squinted her eyes in satisfaction, it seemed to suit An'an's taste.

Grandpa Wu took a bite; it was soft, tender, and sweet. Even with his failing teeth, he felt no discomfort. It was truly delicious.

"This old codger is really lucky to have Ruiwa's help. I never thought I'd get to taste the food that rich people eat today." After finishing his meal, Zhou Wuye clinked glasses with Liu Kangri. "Your cooking skills are truly superb. You've really lived up to your father's reputation."

"That's right, this is a family heirloom of imperial cooking, and I've mastered it thoroughly. From now on, it's up to Ruiwa to learn it; my Liu Mo doesn't have that talent." Liu Kangri wasn't modest at all; everyone in the surrounding area praised his cooking skills. It's just that his son is a bit slow; he's learned many dishes but still falls short of mastering them.

"It's good, but it's too wasteful. You stewed an old hen and a quail just for this little bit of soup. It's only because Ruiwa's house is in a remote area that people would know you're so extravagant. If word got to the village chief, he'd smash your head in." Zhou Wuye criticized as he reached for the soup with his chopsticks.

"It's alright, nobody knows. Besides, bear paws have to be prepared this way, otherwise it's a waste, which would be even more of a pity," Zhou Rui chimed in from the side.

"Besides, it's not like I can't afford it. I'll eat it next time I get lucky."

"Brother Rui, you're awesome! I support you." Ever since the slingshot competition, Liu Mo has developed a kind of blind admiration for Zhou Rui. This guy is a master who left the second place by more than 100 sparrows.

"What are you calling me, 'brother'? You're older than me. If you want to eat this, you should learn your dad's cooking skills so you can cook next time." Zhou Rui rolled his eyes; he was such a goofball.

"Okay, I'll definitely master the skills. Next time you bring back something good from the mountains, I'll cook."

Liu Kangri chuckled to himself, thinking that it was still effective to talk to someone his own age. "I've said the same thing hundreds of times, but this brat just won't listen."