Reborn in 1977, starting with severing ties with family.

After dinner, it's time to rest.

Sui Zhongliang said, "Dashanzi, is there still room in your tent?"

Liao Zhongyi was the first to speak up, "There are five of us over there, and we can't fit anyone else."

An elderly former educated youth wearing glasses said, "There's still room for us there."

The old educated youth was called Dashanzi, but his name and appearance were completely unrelated.

Sui Zhongliang said, "Then let Jiang Sen sleep at your place!"

Jiang Sen had no objection and went to the cabin to get his luggage, while Da Shanzi went over to help.

“That box of yours is quite heavy!” he said.

Jiang Sen laughed and said, "Before I came, I heard people say that there was nothing here, so I brought everything I could."

Inside the tent, there was a wooden frame that served as a makeshift kang (heated brick bed). In the center was a stove pit filled with ashes, supported by some charred wood. Two long stones blocked the way, which could be used to place lunchboxes or pots.

Liao Zhongyi looked unwell.

He had just said that there wasn't enough room here when Dashanzi said that there was still room, which directly contradicted him. He sat in the innermost part of the room and glanced at the two people who came in.

Dashanzi is one of the older ones in this group; he was a sent-down youth in 1963 and is already over thirty.

When he arrived, there was nothing here. The first winter, they had to dig snow caves to get through it.

Before he went to the countryside, he was a primary school teacher.

He was among the first batch of people sent here after the movement began.

There was still a little space next to Liao Zhongyi, and Dashanzi wanted Jiang Sen to sleep inside, where there would be no wind and no smoke from the fire.

Liao Zhongyi understood his meaning and said directly, "It's too crowded inside, let him sleep in the corner! So as not to wake him up when I get up to cook in the morning."

Dashanzi was somewhat embarrassed and unhappy.

Jiang Sen looks very young and is new to the job, so he should be taken care of.

But since no one else spoke up, he couldn't make the decision on his own.

Jiang Sen spoke up: "Brother Shan, I'll sleep on the edge of the path."

In prison, the spot by the door was usually occupied by the cell boss; he was used to it.

After saying that, without waiting for him to speak, Jiang Sen threw his luggage roll on top and put the suitcase under his feet.

There were also some good things in the luggage roll.

Without a second thought, Jiang Sen opened it in front of all these people.

"Maotai?"

"Daqianmen?"

"Malted milk powder?"

"biscuit?"

A gasp rang out, and several people gathered around.

Jiang Sen turned around and smiled, "My family brought these! Now that I'm here, I need to get along well with my comrades."

As he spoke, he opened a pack of cigarettes and tossed it to Dashanzi, saying, "Brother Shan, help me distribute these."

Dashanzi didn't approve of Jiang Sen's thoughtless actions, but since it had already been done, he couldn't say anything.

In the ensuing scramble, the pack of cigarettes was gone.

Jiang Sen opened the camphor wood chest and put the rest of the items inside.

He came back, sat down on the side, lit a cigarette, and said, "I'm sharing all this stuff with everyone, but we can't eat it all at once. Let's all eat it sparingly. I plan to keep the Moutai with the squad leader so we can all drink it together during the New Year."

After saying that, he got up, picked up two bottles of Moutai, and went out.

The remaining people happily enjoyed the pleasure brought by Daqianmen.

Liao Zhongyi was smoking a cigarette that Dashanzi threw to him, but his expression changed inexplicably as he looked at Jiang Sen's camphor wood box.

Jiang Sen found Sui Zhongliang and explained his purpose, and Sui Zhongliang was overjoyed.

Moutai is a scarce commodity; only high-ranking officials can afford to drink it.

Many of them had only heard of it but had never tasted it.

Big Liu laughed heartily, patting Jiang Sen hard. "Good lad, you're really something! As expected of someone from Beijing, look at this, Moutai! Haha... Squad leader, quickly lock it in your locker. If those wolves target you, you won't even make it to the New Year! Haha..."

As expected, Sui Zhongliang locked the Moutai in the cabinet where they kept their guns.

Jiang Sen glanced at the cabinet and realized that the weapons inside were not the ones he knew from his previous life; only the squad leader and deputy squad leader had a gun.

There were also a few rifles and a few grenades in the cabinet.

I don't know if the small box below contains bullets or something else.

He locked the cabinet, patted the door, and said with a smile, "Even if they know I've locked it in, no one will dare to come and take it!"

Da Liu, smoking the Daqianmen cigarette Jiang Sen had given him, said, "Too weak!" and continued smoking with a chuckle, taking small sips.

Sui Zhongliang said to Jiang Sen, "If you have anything valuable left, you can put it here, so that no one will steal it from you later."

Jiang Sen laughed, "Everyone has been very kind to me, and I've shared cigarettes with them, so no one should be eyeing my food anymore."

"Food?" Da Liu's smile faded. "You'd better lock it up carefully. Other things are not easy to lose, but food is really hard to say."

"It's alright! I'll stay here and cook for everyone, so they won't have a chance anyway."

"You've come at the right time!" After his initial excitement, Sui Zhongliang got down to business. "Everyone's rations are in the room to the right of the wooden house. That's where the accounts are kept. You know how to keep accounts, right?"

Jiang Sen took the small notebook, on which each person's name was written in crooked handwriting, along with their daily rations and how much rations were left.

"Yes!" Jiang Sen said, thinking to himself, this is much simpler than Bai Jing's little book of accounts.

"That's good!" Sui Zhongliang was relieved. "Add your name back, and deduct two ounces from the other people's rations and put it on your head. The ration department should issue your rations soon, and the amount given to each person should be enough."

"Then I'll head back!" Jiang Sen was getting ready to go home; it was getting late, and he had to get up early tomorrow to make breakfast for everyone.

After leaving Sui Zhongliang, Jiang Sen's lips curled up slightly. All that food was fish bait!

I'm just waiting for someone to come and steal it!

It's already 3 a.m., so even if I try to sleep, I won't get much rest.

Jiang Sen went back anyway.

Inside the tent, everyone lay down, and some even started snoring.

Dashanzi hadn't slept. Seeing him return, he asked in a low voice, "Have you put it away properly?"

"It's all set!" Jiang Sen said. "I just came back to change my clothes and then I'm going to make breakfast for everyone. You go back to sleep!"

Dashanzi nodded, lay down, and closed his eyes.

The temperature in the woods was much lower than I had imagined; it looked like the snow was coming early.

He rummaged through the box and pulled out an old work uniform that Jiang Dayou had given him before, then put it on.

They didn't change their shoes or socks.

It's not too late to change it when it gets colder.

Anyway, my shoes are almost worn through.

He locked the box, lifted the canvas curtain hanging at the door, and went into the cabin.

Sui Zhongliang and Da Liu were already asleep when they heard the door open. They immediately asked sternly, "Who is it?"

"It's me! Jiang Sen, squad leader, I need to make breakfast!"

Sui Zhongliang then remembered, "Oh, do it!"

Even after years of hardship in the mountains, those who have served in the military still retain a certain level of vigilance.

The wooden house is divided into two rooms, with a corridor leading in, piled with ropes, shovels and other similar items.

On the left are Sui Zhongliang and Da Liu's rooms, and on the right is the warehouse.

Jiang Sen lit the candle on the windowsill, pushed open the warehouse door, and inspected the contents of the warehouse by the light.

On the right were the rations of the educated youth and some important tools, such as chainsaws, axes, and shovels that could be used as weapons.

Against the inner wall was a wooden shelf with several bags on it, each with a strip of cloth sewn onto it and a name written on it.

Jiang Sen found a basin and scooped out a bowl of noodles from each of his pockets.

Then, from the basket on the far side, I saw dried wild vegetables that had been sun-dried, and I reached out and grabbed a handful.

Wild vegetable steamed buns were served piping hot after everyone had gotten up.