Returning to the small mountain village of '86, intelligence updated daily.

Zhou Shiwei and his son carried a large amount of supplies in their hands. When they walked to the tricycle, Zhou Shijie, the second uncle, unusually did not go over to watch others play cards.

Seeing the two struggling to carry their things, he proactively came over from a distance to lend a helping hand.

Zhou Shiwei straightened his back and said:

Go help your nephew.

So Zhou Shijie helped his nephew Zhou Rui carry ten jin of flour, and then turned around to take the oil from Zhou Shiwei's hand.

He remained a man of few words and did not ask why he was not given money; he simply followed Zhou Shiwei and Zhou Rui in doing their work.

......

The two men finally breathed a sigh of relief after filling the tricycle to the brim. Fortunately, they had eaten a hearty lunch, which gave them the energy to carry so many things around.

Zhou Shijie got on his bike and rode with all his might towards his village.

Zhou Rui helped push from behind.

But at that moment, Zhou Shiwei, who was walking behind, patted Zhou Rui on the shoulder.

"Son, sit on it, Daddy will push you."

It was uphill, and Zhou Rui was pushing with a bit of difficulty, after all, he was too thin and weak now.

Zhou Shiwei, who has a strong, muscular physique, did not let his son push the stroller.

Zhou Rui didn't insist, but he didn't get on the tricycle either, instead walking alongside it.

And so, bathed in the glow of the setting sun, the shadows of the three men were stretched long.

One was an ordinary-looking man riding a bicycle, another was a strong and powerful man pulling a bicycle, and a nineteen-year-old youth walked on the road, looking slightly thinner than the other two.

......

The three of them got home before dark. Originally, the second uncle was going to return the car, but Zhou Rui took over and went to return it himself.

After parking the tricycle on the side of the road in front of his house, Zhou Rui's second uncle and father unloaded all the things, and then Zhou Rui rode the tricycle toward Aunt Li's house.

Soon, one of the few households in the village that was willing to use electric lights in the evening came into view; this was Aunt Li's house.

"Aunt Li—I'm here to return the car!"

Zhou Rui stood outside Aunt Li's house and shouted at the top of his lungs.

Her house was a one-story brick house. Looking at Aunt Li's brick house, Zhou Rui felt a strong urge to build a house again.

Soon, a man named Zhao Jianjun came out. He was Aunt Li's husband.

He wasn't as kind to Zhou Rui as Aunt Li, but he was still good. The neatly dressed middle-aged man said as he walked:

"It's Zhou's kid, your aunt is cooking, come in and sit down."

Just then, a girl of about 16 years old, the same age as her younger brother Zhou Ming, skipped out from the inner room with a smile on her face.

"Dad, who is it?"

"Oh, it's Brother Rui! You want to play with me?"

This girl is Zhao Jianjun and Li Lan's daughter, named Zhao Qingya.

The girl was beautiful and full of youthful energy, but in her previous life, due to later changes, Zhou Rui had less contact with her.

Not to mention, when he went to the coastal areas later on, there was even less contact.

Zhao Qingya has liked playing with Zhou Rui since she was a child, and like Zhou Ming, she admires Zhou Rui.

Zhou Rui also greeted him with a smile.

"Qingya, I've come to return your tricycle."

At this moment, Zhao Jianjun said sternly:

"Go help your mom wash the vegetables."

Zhao Jianjun is usually very strict, but he doesn't object to Zhao Qingya playing with Zhou Rui.

He has a very sharp eye; he is not like Li Dehua, who made his fortune by climbing the social ladder through cunning and treachery.

Instead, they earned their money through their own hard work and honest efforts.

The family's good deeds were rewarded by Zhou Rui in their previous life.

At that time, their family was suppressed by Li Dehua using his connections. After Zhou Rui received the news on the coast, he returned home overnight to help Zhao Jianjun's family withstand the blow.

In his previous life, Zhao Jianjun was very grateful to Zhou Rui for this.

Zhao Qingya made a face at her father and stuck out her tongue, but instead of obeying and going back, she looked at Zhou Rui.

Zhao Jianjun didn't press the matter, but turned around and said to Zhou Rui:

"You can stop here, I'll ride inside in a bit."

He paused, took out a wallet from inside his clothes, and pulled out two one-yuan bills.

"When I came back yesterday, your aunt told me that you brought three catties of pork to exchange for that little bit of grain. How can that be allowed?"

"Listen to your uncle, take these two yuan."

As Zhao Jianjun spoke, he took two banknotes and stuffed them into Zhou Rui's hand.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Rui quickly stepped back a few paces and waved his hands repeatedly.

"Uncle Zhao, you're being too formal."

"I might need to borrow your tricycle again in the future."

Zhou Rui refused the money and then pointed at the tricycle to distract himself.

But Zhao Jianjun knew exactly what Zhou Rui meant, but he just smiled and shook his head, putting the money away.

"Haha, that's fine too. If you ever need any help from your uncle, just let me know."

Zhou Rui nodded happily in agreement. After saying goodbye to Zhao Jianjun, he seemed to remember something and reached into his pocket.

He took out a beautifully wrapped "White Rabbit" milk candy.

"Qingya, come here, have some candy. I'll come find you to play again another day."

Zhou Rui stuffed the milk candy into Zhao Qingya's hand, then ignored Zhao Jianjun's offer to stay for dinner and jogged home.

He didn't actually buy that candy for the girl on purpose.

When I came to borrow the tricycle this morning, Zhao Qingya wasn't home. I don't know where she went, and she wasn't here yesterday either.

Thinking of the regrets of his previous life, Zhou Rui chose to continue his friendship with Zhao Qingya. As for the outcome...

The outcome is no longer that important. Having been reborn, Zhou Rui only wants to live a good life with his family and try his best to make up for the other regrets from his previous life.

Watching Zhou Rui run away, Zhao Qingya blushed slightly. Her father was right next to her, which made her even more shy.

"Ugh, what is Zhou Rui doing? Humph!"

After saying that, Zhao Qingya pretended to be angry and turned to go home.

But he was clutching the candy in his hand very tightly.

Zhao Jianjun simply shook his head slightly. He didn't object to the Zhou family boy befriending his daughter; on the contrary, it made him appreciate it even more.

He was very satisfied with Zhou Rui's character and conduct...

When Zhou Rui returned home, his face showed no other expression, just as it always had.

At home, Grandpa and Grandma were happily looking at the huge pile of groceries they had bought.

Mother Zeng Jiamei and Second Aunt were cooking at the stove, Father and Second Uncle were chopping firewood, and my younger brother hadn't come back yet. He could come after dinner.

When Zeng Jiamei saw her eldest son return, she showered him with praise once again.

"Welcome home, our great hero—the eldest grandson of the Zhou family! Today we'll have stir-fried pork tenderloin."

Zhou Rui was a little embarrassed. "Oh, Mom, what nonsense are you talking about?"

Zeng Jiamei continued working at the stove, and Zhou Rui stepped forward to help, then took out a few "White Rabbit" milk candies from his pocket.

"Mom, your favorite milk candy, and Auntie has some too. Also, boil four eggs so Grandpa and Grandma can get more nutrition."

Zhou Rui spoke lightly, without deliberately emphasizing what she had brought, but Zeng Jiamei was stunned. After a while, her eyes turned slightly red.

"It's already cooking, look—"

As she spoke, she gestured toward the stove on the other side, then turned around and put the milk candy in her hand away.

Zhou Rui's suggestion to boil four eggs was not unfounded; his grandfather had died in his previous life due to long-term malnutrition.

Although I won't fall ill and be bedridden like I did in my previous life, the outlook is still not optimistic.

Physical deprivation is a long-term process and cannot be replenished simply by eating a full meal in a short period of time.

Unless, of course, some traditional Chinese medicine herbs that replenish qi and blood can be used to gradually nourish the body.

Zhou Rui had actually thought about what he needed to do in the near future yesterday: to help his grandfather recover.