1940s: I supported my wife and sister-in-law by hunting.

After resting, Zhao Guanqun and his team prepared to lead their troops back to town to report.

Before leaving, he deliberately turned around, took a few steps to Chen Gaoshan, and patted Chen Gaoshan on the shoulder.

"Captain Chen, the greatest credit for taking down this man-eating tiger belongs to your Jiapigou Mountain Patrol Militia Team."

When Mayor Zhao suggested that your village form a mountain patrol militia team, it was the right decision. After this trip into the mountains, I finally understand why it was so necessary.

You soldiers spend all your time running around in the mountains, and when it comes to the ins and outs of the mountains, we soldiers really don't know as much as you mountain folk!

In my opinion, in the future, all the surrounding villages will likely need to establish militia teams. These days, the world is chaotic, and there are wild animals in the mountains. Without anyone to protect them, the common people are like meat on a chopping board, everyone wanting a piece. With militia teams, at least they can protect themselves and defend their villages.

Xie Chengliang, who was standing to the side, was completely convinced by Chen Gaoshan this time and took over the conversation.

"Second Company Commander, what you can think of, our Mayor Zhao has already thought of. Brother Gaoshan, to be honest, this time following you across mountains and valleys to hunt tigers, I have truly witnessed it all. The hardships and dangers you endured on patrols, that's real skill, I saw it all."

When I get back to town, I'll report every single word to the town mayor about the capabilities of your Nangou Village militia. I'll report it all to your superiors.

"Now that you've reported this, the village chiefs for miles around are definitely in the bag. You're a real man, well done!"

Chen Gaoshan's heart skipped a beat after hearing this.

This is what happens when you fear something most.

He quickly waved his hand.

"No, no, no, Comrade Xie, please don't. It's really not necessary. It's just patrolling the mountains and protecting the village, hunting wild animals. It's nothing special. It's just the duty of mountain people. It's all about serving the people. It's what we should do."

His simple words deeply touched Zhao Guanqun and Xie Chengliang.

The two men exchanged a glance and thought to themselves, "This young man has such a righteous mindset."

Xie Chengliang patted his chest confidently.

"Captain Chen, you're a good comrade, a good comrade who knows how the organization has cultivated you. If you asked me to say something like that, I really wouldn't be able to. Here's what we'll do: next time you come to town, I'll treat you. All you can eat, including donkey meat sandwiches. I won't be stingy at all."

As she spoke, she gave him a thumbs up, saying that not only were the Gao brothers physically strong and highly skilled, but they also had such high moral character.

Even Xia Yumei, who was standing in the crowd not far away, was staring intently at him.

A man-eating tiger came to the ditch, and none of them could handle it.

It has to be a man like Captain Chen from Nangou Village; you can't find another one like him in the surrounding villages.

Which woman wouldn't be envious of a man with such talent?

If I could have such a capable man, I'd be set for life.

Chen Gaoshan has very keen senses and noticed that someone was watching him.

To be honest, it feels really good to be fawned over and treated like a hero by such a large group of people.

Who doesn't like to hear nice words and be respected?

This feels pretty good.

Little Kouzi next to him couldn't understand what was wrong with his brother Shanzi.

They offered her the position of militia captain for the surrounding villages—such a high-ranking official position—but Shanzi refused to take it.

This brigade leader is quite the big shot, managing so many people in the village.

If he can become the head of the household, he will set up a family in every village, high or low.

Unlike Shanzi, who has a whole bunch of women around him, making a ruckus and exhausting him, he never gets a break and has never had a full night's sleep.

A short while later, the person who had run off to report the news returned.

The whole process took more than an hour, and villagers from Xiajiabaozi and Wangjiatun who had come to identify the person also arrived.

They stepped forward to carefully examine the head and other fragments to confirm if it belonged to their family member who had been murdered.

Everything was taken care of, and no mess was left.

Chen Gaoshan felt much relieved and planned to call the brothers of the patrol team to pack up and return to Nangou Village.

A quick glance revealed that Xia Yumei was not following the crowd.

She stood in the corner with her hands tucked in, shoulders hunched, her gaze fixed on this side of the wall.

Two skinny little girls, one tall and one short, were also with her.

Xiao Kouzi, with her sharp eyes, immediately poked his arm.

"Brother, that lady has been staring at you for ages. Do you know her? There's something fishy about the look in her eyes."

"It's nothing. You take the brothers to Master Zhang's house to get the horses and harness the sleds. Wait for me there. I'll go check on her."

Xiao Kouzi obediently turned his head, and before leaving, he looked back at Xia Yumei a couple more times.

The more I look at it, the more eerie it seems.

The way this older sister looks at Brother Shanzi is exactly the same as the way her younger sister looks at Brother Gaoshan—they're so sticky, it's like they're about to stick together.

I must say, this woman is actually quite good-looking, though she looks a bit haggard.

It really is the one I like, I wonder if it's the young widow...

But the next second he quickly shook his head, extinguishing the thought.

No, no! I absolutely mustn't let my mind wander!

Brother Shanzi is so loyal and takes such good care of me, how could I possibly have designs on the woman he's set my sights on?

A brother's wife is not to be trifled with.

but...

If, by any chance, Shanzi didn't even like her, could she still try to get closer to him?

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Xia Yumei deliberately lingered until the very end, glancing around to make sure no one was watching. She saw him waving at her again, pulling the two girls behind him along the wall.

She's determined to make things clear today.

She quickly reached out, grabbed her two daughters from behind, and pulled them in front of him.

The two little girls hunched their shoulders, not daring to look up.

"Captain Chen, look at these two girls. The taller one is Huifen, and the shorter one is Huifang. I really didn't lie to you before. Look at them with your own eyes, what do you think of my two daughters?"

The two little girls had never had a full meal since they were kicked out of their big house, especially their father, who was paralyzed on the kang (a heated brick bed) with a sallow complexion.

When people lack food and drink, their faces become pale and they lose their energy. Even the most beautiful face will look withered and lifeless.

The two sisters were very timid, keeping their heads down and their eyelids drooping, not daring to look up at the tall, masculine man in front of them.

They just saw Captain Chen throw that man-eating tiger to the ground all by himself. That takes a lot of strength. Just one glare from his eyes could make them tremble with fear.

Chen Gaoshan looked down at the two girls and sighed.

The mother had practically begged him, how could he possibly refuse?

Life is too hard these days. If you can lend a hand, you should. People are all made of flesh and blood.

Without saying a word, he reached into his pocket and pulled out two silver dollars.

He stepped forward, took Xia Yumei's hand, and placed two silver dollars in her palm.

"Don't talk about anything else, she hasn't even fully grown yet. Take this money, don't think about anything else, buy some food for Yadan first, and get her back in shape before we talk about anything else."

After saying this, Chen Gaoshan didn't linger and turned to walk towards Old Zhang's courtyard.

Xia Yumei was left standing there, stunned, holding a silver coin in her hand.

She subconsciously brought the silver dollar to her lips, blew on it, and heard a clear buzzing sound in her ears.

Two silver dollars.

Xia Yumei's eyes lit up.

Captain Chen is being incredibly generous.

Previously, in Jiapigou, some families came to Huifang's door to propose marriage, but they were stingy and only gave her some coarse grains at most. This was nothing compared to Captain Chen's generous generosity.

In the past, Xia Yumei was very proud and looked down on women who were concubines or mistresses, feeling that they would never be able to hold their heads high and would be ashamed.

But things are different these days. People are struggling to make ends meet, and even the bottom of the pot is scraped clean.

She would become a proper wife to a poor family, spending her whole life toiling in the fields, enduring hunger and cold, and working herself to the bone.

It's better to follow a capable, generous man like Captain Chen. Even if you're a concubine, at least you'll be able to eat and dress well for the rest of your life and avoid poverty.

Life is so demanding that people have long since lost all sense of self-respect.

The younger daughter, Huifang, looked up after everyone had left.

"Mom, why did Captain Chen leave so suddenly? Did he... did he not like us sisters?"

Xia Yumei snapped out of her reverie, sighed, and reached out to touch her two daughters' somewhat frizzy and yellowish braids.

"Silly girl, what do you know? If he really had no feelings for us, he wouldn't have given us two silver dollars for nothing."

Men are all like this: stubborn and thin-skinned, they pretend to be serious and unwilling to do anything, but their hearts and actions tell a different story.

"Alright, with this money, I'll go to town first thing tomorrow morning to exchange it for grain and buy coarse grains. You two shouldn't have any other thoughts, and don't blame me for being heartless and making you work as servants. Once you're well-fed and clothed and no longer suffer from poverty, you'll know that I'm doing this for your own good."

"Let's go home."

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