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

He drove the horse-drawn carriage. The horse was an old horse that his family had raised for many years. It knew the way and could walk to Fuping Town and return home from there.

Chen Gaoshan loosened the reins, letting the old horse go forward. He reached out and picked up the cornbread that Lianhua had placed on the carriage, and stuffed it into his mouth with some pickled vegetable strips, taking a bite to tide him over.

I glanced at my watch; it had been about an hour. We finally arrived in Fuping Town.

Since it was already afternoon, the bustling market of the morning was gone, and there were only a few people scattered on the main street. He found the Fulai Restaurant, where he and his father had previously shipped goods, based on his memory.

This restaurant is the most impressive in town, with a blue cloth wine flag hanging at the entrance.

Liu Yinzi, the waiter who was standing at the door greeting customers, had a sharp eye and immediately recognized the person leading the carriage as Chen Gaoshan, the son of Chen the hunter who regularly delivered wild delicacies to the restaurant.

The two are only a few years apart in age, so they can be considered peers.

In the past, when Chen Gaoshan came with Hunter Chen to deliver wild game, he would always give Liu Yinzi, who was guarding the door, a handful of roasted peanuts or a few dried dates. Over time, the two became very close.

The martial arts world isn't just about fighting and killing; it's about human relationships and social interactions. Even Manager Zhao's father would occasionally give him a rabbit or a flying dragon.

Liu Yinzi was always very warm and friendly when she saw him.

They immediately came forward and called out to him.

"Shanzi, why did you come alone today? Didn't you come with Uncle Chen? What good game did you hunt this time?"

Chen Gaoshan held the horse's reins.

"My dad's busy with spring planting in the fields and can't get away, so I came by myself. Luckily, I happened to hunt a big wild boar in the mountains and specially brought it over to the restaurant. Is Manager Zhao in the restaurant?"

Upon hearing that it was a wild boar, Liu Yinzi's eyes lit up immediately, and he nodded hurriedly.

"Here he is, the manager is checking the accounts in the backyard! Don't come in through the front door, lead your horse and follow me through the back corner gate, so as not to block the customers inside."

As he spoke, he turned his head and shouted into the store.

"Goushengzi, I'll take Shanzi to the backyard to see the manager. You stay here and keep a close eye on the storefront and take care of the customers!"

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"Alright, don't worry, Brother Yin!" came another young waiter's crisp reply from inside the shop.

Chen Gaoshan led the horse, following Liu Yinzi, towards the backyard of the restaurant.

Liu Yinzi muttered to herself as she walked.

"Shanzi, it's been almost two months since you last came to town, hasn't it? The other day our shopkeeper was just saying, 'Why aren't you sending any more wild game here? We're almost out of wild game supplies.' You can't help but complain!"

"It's been windy in the mountains lately, and with farm work to do, I haven't been able to go into the mountains. I just happened to run into this wild boar today, and it took a lot of effort to catch it."

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Yinzi suddenly lowered his body, quickly looked around, and seeing that no one was around, immediately moved closer to Chen Gaoshan.

"Shanzi, I have some big news for you! Did you know that just two months ago, the warehouse that the Russians were occupying in town, which used to be the town's police station compound, suddenly exploded in the middle of the night! Flames shot into the sky, and half the town could see them!"

He knew about it; he was the one who blew up that warehouse.

But he didn't show any emotion on his face. Instead, he widened his eyes and asked questions in a unaware manner.

"Really? This is no small matter! How could it explode out of nowhere?"

"How would I know the specific reason? Heaven knows what happened. It just exploded like that, and the noise was terrifying!"

Liu Yinzi pursed her lips and gritted her teeth.

"If you ask me, God has eyes. Why didn't He blow up all those damn Russian bastards who were messing with women?"

He moved closer to Chen Gaoshan.

"This explosion isn't the most important thing. Our restaurant is frequented by merchants who travel all over the country; they're very well-informed. I have some much more important news, and you'd better listen carefully, but whatever you do, don't tell anyone else!"

He's been trapped in the village for so long, cut off from all news from the outside world, and right now he desperately needs information from the outside.

He immediately nodded, waiting for Liu Yinzi to continue.

"Old Mao ran off with his stuff last month! I heard from the vendors who often eat at our restaurant that a group of people called Eighth Master Gray came from Black City and took over this area. The commotion was deafening!"

Having just fought a tough battle with the guy in the yellow coat, he immediately declared that he would wipe out all the bandits and robbers in the mountains!

"You don't know, I heard from merchants coming and going that these people dress just like us farmers. They have clothes, but their shoes are all quite worn out, and they wear leggings. They even have a motto: they won't take a bite of food or water from the people, they won't beat or curse anyone, and when they see people carrying water or chopping firewood, they will take the initiative to lend a hand. They are as friendly as neighbors."

"To be honest, I don't believe it at all. We ordinary people are just shrimp in the mud; anyone can come and trample on us! In my opinion, no matter who governs this place, it's the same old wine in new bottles! Back when the Russians and the Japanese were in power, didn't they just rob grain and conscript men? These people are probably just putting on an act, just like the old yellow-haired devils!"

The "Eighth Master Ash" that Liu Yinzi mentioned was clearly the soldiers who came to liberate their area.

Ever since the little dog left, the stags in the mountains have become increasingly agile, causing the people a lot of suffering. If they really come, these stags won't be able to keep up for long.

"Don't be so sure. Everything has its pros and cons. If these people really care about the people, then we're in luck. If they can really get rid of all the scraggly beards in the mountains, we can sleep peacefully when we farm or hunt, and life will be better."

Liu Yinzi, however, disagreed, her lips curling into an even wider smirk as she shook her head.

"Anyway, they haven't completely established themselves in Black City yet. It'll be a while before they can control this little place like ours. Shanzi, take my advice, go home and hide all your food and valuables. You can't judge a book by its cover!"

These people might be just like the Russians and the dogs, all pretending to be kind. Let's wait until it really comes down to looting food; then we'll have nowhere to turn for help!

He knew in his heart that Liu Yinzi meant well; in these chaotic times, it was always good to be cautious.

"Don't worry, I've got it. I'll pack it when I get back."

The two walked to the back door of Fulai Restaurant. Chen Gaoshan tied the carriage to the old locust tree in the backyard. The horse was panting heavily and nibbling on the grass on the ground.

Liu Yinzi, preoccupied with the wild boar business, said, "You wait here, I'll go call the shopkeeper," and ran towards the shopkeeper's room.

Chen Gaoshan rolled up his sleeves and hoisted the cleaned wild boar onto his shoulder.

Upon entering the kitchen, he saw Manager Zhao of Fulai Restaurant standing by the stove, smiling and waiting for him to come in.

"Shanzi, I've been waiting for you! I'm happy to accept your Chen family's wild game. We always clean it thoroughly, it's effortless, and it's a hundred times better than what other families send!"

Manager Zhao took two steps forward, rubbed his hand on the wild boar meat, and then sniffed the meat to confirm that it was fresh and had no strange smell. He nodded in satisfaction.

"By the way, did you bring the pig's stomach? That stuff is really good, especially for treating stomach ailments!"

Chen Gaoshan immediately put down the wild boar on his shoulder, took out the wild boar's stomach wrapped in clean oil paper from the cloth bag on the carriage, and handed it over.

"Manager Zhao, this pig has a lot more boils on its belly this time."

Manager Zhao took the wild boar stomach and examined it from all angles.

"It's good stuff! Come on, let's weigh it!"

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