It’s a well-docunted fact that across the entire country, only Northeasterners eat canned fruit when they get sick.
In this day and age, canned fruit was a mandatory gift for any formal visit. If a child caught a cold, their parents would buy them a jar of Peach Cans, and the cold would basically be cured. You could say it was more effective than any dicine.
"Brother Chengguo," Zhao Jun said, pushing two jars of canned fruit over. "I ca by for a visit, but I didn’t bring much—just these for you."
"My brother!" Zhou Chengguo grabbed Zhao Jun’s hand, his eyes instantly turning red. This iron-willed man was so choked with emotion he couldn’t speak.
Seeing this, Zhao Jun quickly tried to calm him. "Brother Chengguo, you just got out of the hospital. Don’t get too worked up."
Zhou Chengguo nodded repeatedly. Suddenly rembering sothing, he looked up at Eldest Sister-in-law Zhou and said, "Hurry, get a al ready. Go to the little store and get sothing nice for my brother."
"Alright, I’ll go right now."
Zhao Jun quickly stopped Eldest Sister-in-law Zhou, saying with a laugh, "Brother Chengguo, Sister-in-law, it’s still so early. There’s no need for a al. I just ate before I ca over."
"You’re having lunch here," Eldest Sister-in-law Zhou said, and headed out. Zhao Jun couldn’t stop her.
Zhao Jun returned to the room, resigned. He resud his conversation with Zhou Chengguo, patting the rifle on the table. "Brother Chengguo, the day you were hospitalized, I told your wife I’d borrow this rifle for a while. I said I’d bring it back as soon as you were out of the hospital."
"My brother," said Zhou Chengguo. "You did a great service. Why are you still being so formal with ? If you have a use for this rifle, then I’m giving it to you."
"I can’t do that," Zhao Jun said. "That wouldn’t be right. I didn’t save you for a reward."
"That’s not what I ant..."
One insisted on giving the gun, while the other firmly refused. They went back and forth for quite a while before Zhao Jun’s gaze suddenly fell on sothing behind the door.
Another gun was hanging there.
A 16-gauge shotgun.
Zhao Jun felt a wave of familiarity upon seeing this gun. He feigned surprise and asked Zhou Chengguo, "Brother Chengguo, you have another gun?"
"Huh?" Zhou Chengguo was caught off guard by the sudden change of topic. He followed Zhao Jun’s gaze and then chuckled. "That’s the gun I used to use. You’re a hunter, my friend, so you know how it is. Its range is short, and it’s not as convenient as a semi-automatic, so I saved up so money and replaced it. I thought about selling it, but nobody offered a decent price, so it’s just been hanging there ever since."
"Brother Chengguo," Zhao Jun said. "Since you don’t use it anymore, let be bold and ask... would you be willing to give it to ?"
At these words, Zhou Chengguo’s expression changed. It wasn’t because he was unwilling to part with the gun; he was trying to understand Zhao Jun’s true intentions.
Back when he was in the hospital, after waking from his coma, he had asked how he’d been rescued.
Eldest Sister-in-law Zhou had told him, "It was Zhao Youcai’s son, Zhao Jun, who saved you. That young man is truly honorable. Not only did he save your life, he even held onto the Brown Bear Gall for us."
Granted, Zhao Jun had taken the Bear Gall from Zhou Chengguo’s person. But one had to rember, there were no security caras in the hospital back then. If sothing had happened, it would have been one person’s word against another’s.
The year before last, right here in Yongsheng Village, the Xu Family’s matriarch had a sudden health crisis. Her family frantically rushed her to the town hospital by cart.
When the old woman was wheeled out of the ergency room, her family discovered that the pair of gold earrings she’d been wearing was gone.
They asked the doctor; the doctor said he didn’t know. They asked the nurse; the nurse also said she didn’t know.
What could they do?
Making a scene was out of the question.
The old woman still needed further treatnt, and this was the only hospital for miles around. If they caused a fuss, how could they possibly resolve it?
So, if Zhao Jun hadn’t held onto that Bear Gall for them, it would have simply vanished without a trace.
But the crucial part was, Zhao Jun had given the Bear Gall back.
After hearing the story back then, Zhou Chengguo had only one thought: Zhao Jun was an honorable man.
Looking at him now, Zhou Chengguo felt that even more strongly.
In his eyes, Zhao Jun had seen his family’s dire straits. He wasn’t asking for money as a reward, he wasn’t even taking the semi-automatic rifle that was his for the asking. Instead, he just wanted that old 16-gauge shotgun.
And even asking for the 16-gauge was just to put his family’s minds at ease.
Such integrity didn’t just move Zhou Chengguo; it filled him with deep admiration.
Seeing Zhou Chengguo remain silent, Zhao Jun smiled. "Brother Chengguo, we’re both hunters who roam the mountains. When one of us sees another in trouble, it’s only natural to lend a hand, right? Besides, we’ve got a long road ahead of us. We can just stay in touch more often."
Zhao Jun’s words moved Zhou Chengguo even more. He gripped Zhao Jun’s hand, speechless for a long mont.
Just then, Eldest Sister-in-law Zhou returned, carrying a bag. She seed to have run back, panting as she entered the house. "I was halfway there when I realized—my brother is visiting, and I didn’t even think to pour him a glass of water."
"Sister-in-law, please don’t trouble yourself." Zhao Jun stood up and addressed the couple, "I’m starting work in a couple of days and still have a lot to take care of at ho, so I should be getting back."
The couple insisted he stay, but Zhao Jun was firm about leaving. In the end, Zhou Chengguo and his wife had no choice but to let him go.
But before Zhao Jun left, he not only took the 16-gauge shotgun, but also tucked away the two hundred or so rounds of ammunition Zhou Chengguo had saved up. He also took the food that Eldest Sister-in-law Zhou had bought to treat him.
A can of luncheon at, a can of fish, six apples, and two pounds of sponge cake were all packed into a triangular pouch for Zhao Jun to take.
After leaving Zhou Chengguo’s house, Zhao Jun planned to head straight ho.
’To anyone else, this trip would look like a loss—trading a semi-automatic rifle for a 16-gauge shotgun.’
’The Type 56 semi-automatic rifle has a long range and can fire repeatedly without having to be lowered from the shoulder.’
’The 16-gauge, on the other hand? Not only is its range short, but the crucial thing is you have to reload after every single shot.’
’But the old-tirs had a rule: when you save soone in the mountains, you shouldn’t let them repay the debt in full.’
’You can’t let them bankrupt themselves trying to repay you; that’s not honorable. Besides, material things don’t last, but human connections do.’
’In my past life, I hadn’t interacted much with Zhou Chengguo, but I knew the man had outstanding character, and so did his wife.’
’That’s why I’m treating them according to the old customs.’
Moreover, the gun now on Zhao Jun’s shoulder had a deep connection to him.
In his previous life, when Zhao Jun had first started hunting and needed to buy a gun, it was his eldest brother-in-law, Zhou Jianjun, who had put him in touch with the seller. He had ended up buying this very 16-gauge, the one Zhou Chengguo had left behind.
By then, Zhou Chengguo had been dead for many years, and Eldest Sister-in-law Zhou, needing money, sold the gun to Zhao Jun.
From that day on, the gun was his companion for eight years, right up until the governnt’s gun confiscation in ’98.
In the later years, in Zhao Jun’s hands, this shotgun could unleash power on par with a semi-automatic rifle.
Although his skills were rusty after being reborn and he wasn’t yet familiar with this particular gun, Zhao Jun was confident that with a little practice, he could return to his peak form.
All in all, today’s trip could be considered a resounding success.
He now had a gun that was truly his own, he had earned the goodwill of the Zhou Family, and he’d even scored a bundle full of tasty food.
Zhao Jun felt a warm glow of satisfaction as he walked toward the edge of the village, only to see two people approaching him.
Coincidentally, he knew both of them.
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