Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

The arduous farming season of September and October was finally over. Ever since that noon when the group dragged the jackal, weighing over a thousand pounds, back to the village, the whole village was in an uproar. Gu Dayong and his companions received hero treatment, except for Chen Ye and his son, of course.

Under Liu Qingguo's enthusiastic propaganda, the story of Chen Ye and his son being chased by jackals and Gu Dayong leading a few others to their rescue was described as incredibly brave and lively. Zhao Zhong even went so far as to depict Chen Feiyue being so frightened that he wet his pants twice.

The meat brought back by Gu Dayong and his group, along with the hunting stories told by Liu Qingguo, not only filled the stomachs of the villagers of Jiaolongxia but also enriched their spiritual and cultural lives. Remarkably, despite the heavy farm work, not a single person fell ill, bringing a perfect end to 1972.

Taking advantage of the bright sunshine before the snow, Zhou Rui was drying several jackal skins. He hadn't claimed all the meat he'd hunted that day, complaining that it wasn't tasty; he'd only brought back a few jackal skins.

The harvest was over, the grain tax had been paid, and everyone was just waiting for the brigade to sell the remaining grain and distribute the money and grain at the end of the year. The villagers, who had just finished their work, had some free time to rest at home, but most of them still preferred to gather together and chat.

The village children were full of energy, running around like they'd been let loose. Zhou Ping and An'an were the same; they disappeared after breakfast.

After finishing the chores around the house, Zhou Rui picked up Xiao Niangao and headed outside. Xiao Niangao couldn't be carried in a baby carrier anymore; at eleven months old, she was quite strong. If she were strapped to him, she would constantly twist and jump, wanting to get down and play, even though she couldn't walk yet.

"Let's go find your aunt and third uncle. I wonder where they're playing now?"

Little Rice Cake was very happy. She didn't know what Zhou Rui was saying, she just knew that going out would be fun.

After Zhou Rui went out, he glanced at the educated youth settlement. The courtyard was very quiet, the gate was tightly closed, and there was no one there.

That's true. Having just finished the autumn harvest, these people will definitely go to town to relax and meet up with friends. Some will also go to see if there are any packages sent from home, or to buy some daily necessities.

Although these educated youths worked in the fields alongside the villagers, they weren't as diligent, and their work points were about the same as those of the children. After all, their food rations were guaranteed for the first year, but next year, when they had to exchange work points for food, they would suffer the consequences of their laziness this year.

"Where are your aunt and the others?" Zhou Rui turned his head to look at Xiao Niangao. Although he knew that Xiao Niangao couldn't speak yet, he enjoyed talking to her.

"Dudu, um... Da."

"Yes, Auntie. You mean we're going over there? But there's nothing there at all!"

The place Xiao Niangao was pointing to was barren; it was a field where rice had just been harvested, and there was nothing there.

"Beep beep... Da."

Zhou Rui wandered aimlessly, because he really didn't know where An'an had gone. He just wanted to keep his clothes dry; it was cold enough that it was going to snow soon.

Zhou Rui walked slowly along the stream when he heard a quarrel and An'an's cries from ahead. Zhou Rui's eyes narrowed instantly, and he quickened his pace.

"Let go, these are the fish we caught. Go catch your own if you want." An'an was fighting with a boy of about ten years old for a bucket. Zhou Ping, Liu Shunli, and Liu Ping'an wanted to help, but were stopped by the six- or seven-year-old boy.

"Get out of my way! If you dare touch my sister, I'll kill you all!" Zhou Ping showed no fear in front of the six or seven boys who were about his age.

"Did you move it? We didn't move it. We just took our water bucket back." One of the boys, who was half a head taller than Zhou Ping, shoved Zhou Ping with his arm.

"Liu Qing, you're talking nonsense! That bucket is clearly mine, so why do you say it's yours?" Liu Ping'an shouted from the side.

"Just because this bucket belongs to the Liu family. You bastard, who knows which bastard your mother had with who?" Liu Qing said with a mocking expression, constantly provoking Liu Ping'an and his brother.

"You fucking dare to curse my mother, I'll kill you." Liu Shunli hadn't said anything until Liu Qing uttered those foul words.

This is exactly what Liu Qing was waiting for. With so many of them, it wouldn't be appropriate for them to make the first move, but if the other side did, it would be perfectly reasonable for them to retaliate.

So six or seven people surrounded Liu Ping'an and his brother and beat them up, and even Zhou Ping was implicated.

Chaos broke out here, and An'an wasn't idle either. Because An'an kept holding onto the bucket, the little boy got impatient and pulled hard, causing An'an to fall to the ground, scraping her hands.

"Waaah... Waaah..."

At this moment, Zhou Rui arrived and ran over to kick the person. Fortunately, he still had his senses and knew that such a small thing couldn't withstand his kick.

So Zhou Rui had no choice but to hold the rice cake in his left hand and fan it out with his right.

With a thud, the little boy fell to the ground, even though Zhou Rui had held back his strength.

Zhou Rui pulled An'an up and looked at her palm. It wasn't a big problem, just a few bloodstains. Zhou Rui blew on her palm, and to his surprise, Xiao Niangao tried to blow too, but only produced saliva instead of air.

Seeing the little rice cake's appearance, An'an burst out laughing, tears still clinging to her face.

"Brother, I'm not in pain anymore. Please go help Third Brother. He's about to be beaten to a pulp."

Zhou Rui turned around and realized, oh dear, he'd almost forgotten. Without a word, he slapped them all across the face. He slapped the back of the head of those with their backs to him, and hit the face of those facing him. It was a series of slaps, everyone got a hit, and no one got the short end of the stick.

There were two particularly stubborn ones who stood up and wanted to continue, one of them being Liu Qing. Zhou Rui didn't tolerate it and stood up to make him lie down again.

After several rounds, the boys finally realized the difference in skill level and gave up struggling.

"Ouch...it hurts so much! I'm going home to tell my mom, Zhou Rui, you hit me."

*Smack!* Another slap on the head. Zhou Rui never wastes words; there's no point in reasoning with these kids, even though he's only a year or two older than them.

So the eight children, aged ten to fourteen, left crying and wailing, still muttering that they would go back and complain.

"How are you? Are you hurt?" Zhou Rui asked Zhou Ping and the other two.

Although all three men had marks on their bodies and faces, none of them cried out in pain; they all looked at Zhou Rui with admiration. Second Brother, Brother Rui is too awesome! He single-handedly overpowered a whole group of people; none of them could beat him. Brother Rui shouldn't be called the God of Bullets; he should be called the God of War.

"It's alright, Second Brother. I didn't suffer any losses. I fought back against those guys who hit me." Zhou Ping raised his head, looking like he was seeking praise.

"That's good, as long as we didn't suffer any losses." Zhou Rui nodded and then looked at Liu Shunli and his brother.

"Brother Rui, we're fine, we're used to it, we're not the type to take a loss lying down. But Brother Rui, with your reputation for being tough, could you teach me a couple of tricks? Next time I'll beat them to a pulp." Liu Shunli flattered him, and if it weren't for the bruises on his face, he might have seemed more sincere.

"What, you want to fight all the time?" Zhou Rui was a little surprised, but seeing how united the three of them seemed, he changed the subject: "It's not impossible. You two can come to my house often, and I'll teach you a few moves."

"Hehe... Thanks, Brother Rui."

"Thank you, Brother Rui."

"Second brother, I want to learn too."

"Alright, we'll talk about it in a few days. Why did you come fishing in this cold weather? It's so windy, don't catch a cold." With snow approaching, the wind is howling in the north, and the two Liu brothers are dressed rather lightly. If they stay here too long, they might really get sick.

"Shunli's mother is sick, so Shunli and Ping'an wanted to catch some fish for her. An'an and I didn't have much to do, so we came to help."

Upon hearing Zhou Ping's words, Zhou Rui stepped forward to examine the bucket. There were three or four fish inside, which was not bad.

"Second brother, I caught them! I caught two, and the other three caught the same number as me," An'an said, raising her hand. "It's a pity they broke the fishing rod."

Zhou Rui patted An'an's head: "It's okay, your second brother will make you new ones next time. Not bad, not bad, as expected of my apprentice, much better than the air force veterans of later generations. Let's go, since we caught some fish, let's go back and make fish for Shunli's mother."

As Zhou Rui spoke, he led them back to the village. The wind was getting stronger and stronger, and even adults couldn't withstand it, let alone children.

"Second brother, what's an 'air force guy'?"