A generation of soldiers begins with Feng Yuxiu traveling through time and space with Xu Sanduo

Chapter 430 Are there wolves in these mountains?
"Get out of the way, I'm talking to you, Liu Jianguo. Bring out all the cured meat from your family's New Year's feast, and every household should bring out their treasured meat and vegetables today. The Bai family boy is honored, but he did it for the country. Didn't you see the county leaders and armed police comrades are here? So this is a good thing."

The villagers behind the village chief carefully helped Bai Jun and Zhang Zhaodi, who had fainted from crying, into the village chief's house.

The village chief's house is the only one in the village with a brick and tile structure; everyone else's houses are built with mud and firewood.

There was no time for grief, so Bai Jun and Zhang Zhaodi wanted to stay with their son's ashes for the night, but the villagers drove them into the village chief's house.

Having lived most of their lives, the couple had never even stepped inside the village chief's brick house.

Suddenly, the villagers became kind and were willing to talk to them.

The village chief also politely distributed boxes of cigarettes to Bai Jun.

Bai Jun looked at the village chief's wooden furniture and sofa and hurriedly stood up. "Village chief, I will keep vigil for Tie Jun tonight."

The village chief waved his hand, "It's only early morning, there's still a long time tonight. We'll all keep vigil for your son together later."

"Sanzi, tell all the women in the village that there will be a feast at noon, and they need meat. Take a few pieces of cured meat that are hanging in my cellar."

"This is a great thing for our village! Bai Jun, from now on, you'll have the highest status in our village."

Bai Jun and Zhang Zhaodi were stunned by the sudden change in the entire village.

-

Outside the door, all the villagers were whispering among themselves.

"Fifteen thousand dollars!! It would take us more than ten years to earn that!"

"That's great, our village is getting better. This money is enough to build a brick house for every household."

"We're going to have a good New Year this year."

Everyone was happy and felt that their lives were getting better.

"But what if the White Army couple doesn't contribute?" a woman with a fierce face asked.

“He wouldn’t dare. Our village has been living collectively for so many years, so this money should belong to the village.”

"Don't worry, the couple never dares to say much. Just have the village chief talk to them properly and make sure they don't blab to the people in the county."

-

"Squad leader, squad leader, this is a mistake!" Gan Xiaoning, her face pale, stood in front of Feng Yuxiu.

Ma Xiaoshuai also grabbed Feng Yuxiu's arm, "Xiao Ning is right. Even if they did make a move, it would be a matter for the local police."

Feng Yuxiu narrowed his eyes and stared at the two of them. "You two are supposed to be from the Steel Seventh Company, how come you haven't learned any of the company commander's temper? If the company commander were here and saw what they were about to do, he could bury them all alive."

"Now, I'll say one last thing: get out of there, or you two will be lying there until tomorrow morning."

The two immediately broke free from Feng Yuxiu; this was no joke.

"Get out, don't show your face here, get down the mountain."

Before Gan Xiaoning could say anything, Ma Xiaoshuai immediately stopped her and shook his head.

"Let's go, let's go first."

Even if the two of them were ten times stronger, they still couldn't handle Feng Yuxiu. The real problem is that they're stuck here.

It would be better to set off now and catch up with the county armed police and county leaders.

Let them resolve this matter; that would be the best course of action.

Gan Xiaoning immediately realized what was happening.

Boom!

But Feng Yuxiu saw through their thoughts and kicked them both down with a side kick, then pulled out a belt from his waist and tied them up.

“This isn’t the way to resolve this. The law doesn’t punish everyone. If we leave like this, Bai Tiejun’s parents will still be bullied. It’s better to end it once and for all.”

Upon hearing Feng Yuxiu's last words, the two stared in shock.

"Squad leader, I'm begging you!" Gan Xiaoning burst into tears. "If you do this, it will all be over. You're not that kind of person. You said yourself that you don't care about these so-called friendships. You would never do something like this for Bai Tiejun. The two of you don't have that much of a bond!"

Feng Yuxiu stared calmly at the two of them. "Who said I was going to kill someone? Are you two crazy? I'm just going to talk to Bai Tiejun's parents. At worst, I'll offer incense to Bai Tiejun as a comrade-in-arms."

After saying that, Feng Yuxiu took out the two men's belts and tied them into a buffalo knot.

"Squad leader, please don't act impulsively! I'm begging you!" Gan Xiaoning pleaded.

"If you keep making noise, I'll stuff your mouth with mud and shut you up."

-

-

The villagers in the open space at the village entrance were still excitedly discussing their upcoming happy and wonderful life.

Every household can now live in a brick house.

Suddenly everyone fell silent. They all stood up and stared blankly at Feng Yuxiu, who was walking from the village entrance.

Feng Yuxiu smiled and said, "I have some money here, which our company is giving to Bai Tiejun's father."

"There's more? How much is that?" A village woman in her fifties asked, her voice trembling.

"Not much, not much." Feng Yuxiu smiled as he walked towards Bai Tiejun's house.

"And there's more!!" Watching Feng Yuxiu's retreating figure, the already excited villagers became even more agitated.

"It seems that my son, who is studying in the county town, can eat well now."

"Bai Jun, that fool, only did this one good deed for our village in his entire life."

-

"Village chief, let's go back." Although Bai Jun was slow-witted, this sudden change of behavior made him feel that something was wrong.

"What's wrong? Is my house not as good as yours? Sit down, sit down, we'll talk after we finish eating. Sanzi, has the stove been set up yet?" The village chief shouted outside while drinking strong tea.

"Coming soon," came the reply from outside the gate.

The village chief smiled and sat down next to Bai Jun, looking him over carefully. "Bai Jun, I saw you wearing this outfit ten years ago, didn't I? Look at all the dirt on it. I'll have Sanzi go to the county town tomorrow and buy you and your wife some new clothes."

Bai Jun panicked immediately, "Village chief, I have no money."

"What are you saying? Didn't the county leaders just give you such a large sum of money? Are you being too polite with me? Our village is all about collective labor and collective handover. Everyone hands over their things to the collective brigade. Haven't you heard of the policy? This is called common prosperity."

"That...that was a policy from thirty years ago, right...is it still valid now?" Bai Jun muttered cautiously, his head down.

"What do you mean?" The village chief's expression changed, and he stood up expressionlessly, looking down at Bai Jun and his wife.

"Your son's name is Bai Tiejun, and your name is Bai Jun, but your son wasn't tough enough to survive. But that's good, though. Look how much money your son brought to our village. You'll definitely be added to the family genealogy in the future."

The village chief smiled and bent down to pat Bai Jun on the shoulder, "Collective labor is the rule of our village, and no one is exempt."

Bai Jun's expression changed. He knew the village chief's methods. More than ten years ago, someone tried to sabotage the collective labor, but it was stolen by weasels in the middle of the night.

"Bai Dashu, you're here! I went to your house but you weren't there. I looked all over the place." Feng Yuxiu's voice came from outside the gate.

The village chief's expression changed drastically. He quickly straightened up, walked out of the living room, and stood on the steps looking towards the front door.

The three men outside the gate were winking at him.

The village chief forced a smile. "Boss, you haven't left yet?"

Feng Yuxiu nodded and walked to the middle of the courtyard. "I forgot something. Our company also gave Bai Tiejun some money. I almost forgot. Uncle, why don't we go to your house first? I have something to tell you."

Bai Jun hurriedly stood up, grabbed the dazed Zhang Zhaodi, and led her outside.

"Don't rush, don't rush, Bai Jun, grab a cigarette." The village chief grabbed Bai Jun's arm, turned around and stared at him with a sinister look. His lips moved slightly. "You know the rules of our village. If you dare to talk nonsense, you know the consequences. Don't forget that your parents' graves are still buried in our village's private plot. That's where your roots are."

The White Army soldiers, terrified, quickly lowered their heads.

The village chief then let go of her hand. "Leader, we're planning to make lunch. Come to my house for a meal before you go back."

Feng Yuxiu smiled and said, "No need to trouble yourself. After all, we don't take a single needle or thread from the people." The three of them walked out, and the village chief's expression became hesitant.

Other villagers from Sanzigen flocked in.

"Village chief, give me an answer."

The village chief frowned. "It should be fine. Bai Jun and his wife have never had any contact with them privately. Even if they found out, it's the rule of our village. We've been a collective village for thirty years. Everything belongs to the village. Bai Jun's ancestral graves are all buried here. He wouldn't dare to say anything."

"It's okay, everything as usual, let's cook."

The villagers then dispersed to prepare a meal.

The village chief narrowed his eyes. "Sanzi, come here."

The three men slowly nodded and went inside.

"Go keep an eye on things near Bai Jun's house, and take a few men to check around the village to see if he's the only one there."

"What if there are many people?" Sanzi asked.

The village chief's face flashed with a sinister glint. "Our village has been like this for decades. I believe the Bai family will abide by it."

"Don't take action unless absolutely necessary."

"it is good."

-

Bai Jun's house was a mud-brick house at the very back of the village, a dilapidated house with half of its roof missing.

Bai Tiejun's ashes are placed in the room, without even a candle.

Feng Yuxiu stared blankly at the scene before him, his gaze calm and unwavering, his pupils reflecting the slightly eerie sight.

“Look, there’s nowhere to sit in my house…” Bai Jun stood there helplessly, this scene of poverty indeed following the arrangement from thirty years ago.

Feng Yuxiu remained silent for a moment before taking out a leather envelope from his pocket. Inside was a donation from his comrades from the old Seventh Company.

"Here you go, Uncle." Feng Yuxiu handed it to Bai Jun.

Bai Jun hurriedly retreated, "No, no, no, this is already enough. This is enough for the rest of my life. It's really too much."

Feng Yuxiu shook his head. "This amount of money is a lot now, but it will depreciate quickly in a few years... it will be worthless. The era of the 'ten-thousand-yuan household' was just a flash in the pan... it was just for nouveau riche."

“I heard that the county leaders are going to relocate you all, and that you will get rid of these places in the future.”

Feng Yuxiu looked around and said, "You have been out of touch with this world for a long time. The outside world doesn't operate the way you do now."

Bai Jun and Zhang Zhaodi were completely bewildered, because they couldn't understand a single word Feng Yuxiu was saying.

Feng Yuxiu placed the parchment in Bai Jun's hand, thought for a moment, and said, "Now pack your things and come with me. I'll find you a home in the county town."

For the local area, being a first-class meritorious official is a topic that is very popular for publicity, so none of the county leaders would refuse.

Bai Jun was silent for a moment and then shook his head. "No, I'm from this village. I've been here since my father's time. And my parents' graves are here. I can't leave."

Feng Yuxiu almost forgot that in this era, what people in rural China value most is returning to their roots and visiting their ancestral graves.

“If you stay here any longer, you won’t be able to keep this money.”

Bai Jun slowly spoke, "Our village originally belonged to the collective, so this money belongs to the village, not just me."

Feng Yuxiu frowned. "This is your son's pension, not the village's."

“We have been working collectively since the era of the one-child policy. There is no individual work, only collective work.”

Feng Yuxiu was stunned. He finally understood why Bai Tiejun had always been filled with inferiority.

He grew up in such a family atmosphere. It wasn't that they were simply dull-witted, but rather that they were gradually changed by their environment.

After half a lifetime of ideological indoctrination, their views cannot be changed overnight.

“Uncle, Bai Tiejun is my comrade-in-arms. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have changed this place.”

Feng Yuxiu turned and walked towards the village chief's house. Since Bai Tiejun's parents were unwilling to leave, then he would ask the village chief to make a change.

Most people in this village have been brainwashed for half their lives by the warnings passed down through generations.

The only ones who woke up were the village chief and a few lackeys.

Therefore, the best approach is to let the village chief take the initiative, giving him a strong reason to retaliate.

Feng Yuxiu put all the money into Bai Tiejun's box, then turned around and said, "Keep this money for the next few days. If anyone asks, just say I took it."

"This belongs to Bai Tiejun personally."

Bai Jun and Zhang Zhaodi remained silent.

Feng Yuxiu turned and left, but paused as he walked out the door. He turned back and said, "Bai Tiejun, this is the last time I'll help you."

-

"Village chief, it's like this. After my investigation, we've decided to let Comrade Bai Tiejun's parents move to the county town. I plan to take that money with me and give it to them as a retirement fund."

boom!
The village chief stood up instantly, and the villagers outside the courtyard took a few steps forward, some even touching the handle of the hoe by the door.

"Village chief?" Feng Yuxiu asked in surprise.

"Oh, is that so? That's a good thing. It means the government's policies are getting better and better for us ordinary people. It's a good thing indeed." The village chief coughed and sat down again.

"Then this money..." The village chief hesitated for a moment, "Well, the Bai family's child will eventually return to his roots, and we plan to dig up the grave and bury him in seven days. According to our village's custom, the Bai family should host a few tables, so shouldn't we set aside some money to buy vegetables, wine, and cigarettes?"

Feng Yuxiu smiled and said, "No need, village chief. After the seven-day vigil, the county leaders will come again. This is a big deal."

The village chief responded with a few "ohs," then said, "That's good, that's good."

"That's settled then, I'll be going now." Feng Yuxiu stood up and took out a piece of brown paper from his pocket. "Take good care of this, I can't afford to lose it."

As Feng Yuxiu stepped out of the living room, he slowly stopped, because the entire courtyard was surrounded by villagers.

The village chief's expression shifted between grim and sinister, then he suddenly spoke, as if he had just thought of something, "Get out of the way, what are you blocking the way for?"

The villagers reluctantly made way for them.

Feng Yuxiu strode out.

"Village chief, they've taken it all!!!" Sanzi roared, "That's all the collective's money!"

"Leave? Where to go! This huge sum of money belongs to the village. We can't leave. It takes more than ten hours to get down the mountain to the county town, and there are wolves in our mountains!"

"The women have their eyes on those two from the Bai family, and all you men, come with me! This is the money that will change the future of our village!"

"Great! We've been doing this for a long time!"

"Go further away and do it!!"

-

In the distance on the hillside, Feng Yuxiu freed Gan Xiaoning and Ma Xiaoshuai from their restraints.

Gan Xiaoning's face turned pale, and she sniffed hard at Feng Yuxiu.

"Squad leader... I can't smell the blood on you..."

Feng Yuxiu slapped one of them, saying, "I'm not crazy, I just said, let's go down the mountain."

Gan Xiaoning didn't believe it, so she quickly ran forward a few steps and stood on the highest point to look down. Only after she saw a group of people standing at the entrance of the village did she feel relieved.

"It's alright, it's alright, you scared me to death."

"Let's go."

The three of them went up the mountain and then down.

Ten minutes later, the village chief led the villagers off.

(End of this chapter)