Flip the table and divide the family property! Take his wife and daughter into the mountains and eat

Zhao Shanhe's question, scalding with passion, was like a red-hot knife, stabbing deep into the chests of these men.

There was an eerie silence in the main room for half a second.

"Bang!"

Dazhuang yanked off his tattered felt hat and slammed it hard onto the blue brick ground.

His eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep, the veins on his neck were bulging, and his rough hands gripped the edge of the table tightly.

"elder brother!"

Da Zhuang, his voice trembling and hoarse, yelled, "Just because of what you said today! Even if it means shoveling manure in a state-owned factory, we brothers will follow you to the death! Our lives are yours from now on!"

"Yes! Let's do it!"

Erga Zi's eyes reddened as well. He put one foot on the long bench, gritted his teeth, and said fiercely, "Staying in the village will only make me a poor beggar. I might as well come with me to the city and try my luck! At worst, I'll be kicked out. What's the big deal?"

Li Baotian slapped his thigh and rubbed his hands excitedly: "Shanhe! My wife scolds me every day for being useless, but this time I'm going to the city with you. I'm going to make a name for myself and show her what I'm made of!"

A dozen or so men were filled with righteous indignation, shouting at each other, their heavy breathing filling the room.

Looking at his brothers whose fighting spirit had been completely ignited, Zhao Shanhe felt a surge of pride welling up inside him.

Without saying a word of nonsense, he pressed his hands down heavily, stopping the crowd's commotion.

"good!"

Zhao Shanhe's voice was loud and clear, with an extremely crisp and efficient quality: "It's getting late, everyone go back to sleep! Tomorrow morning at seven o'clock, everyone gather at the village entrance!"

He glanced at everyone, grinned, and said, "Everyone, put on your best clothes. We're going to town tomorrow!"

The news of the meeting held in the main hall last night spread like wildfire throughout the entire Kaoshantun village in just one night.

The news that Zhao Shanhe was going to become the director of a large state-owned factory in the county and would also be leading his group of peasants to secure stable jobs shocked the entire village.

The next morning.

The raging snowstorm that had lasted all night finally stopped, and the blinding winter sun shone with a cold, white light on the snow.

As dawn broke, a large crowd gathered under the old elm tree at the village entrance.

A Jiefang brand truck, adorned with a large red ribbon, was parked on the side of the dirt road, its exhaust pipe sputtering out black smoke—a rare sight indeed.

The three large carts of top-quality raw hides were already neatly stacked inside the carriage.

The truck was surrounded by layers of villagers who came to watch the spectacle.

Everyone's eyes were gleaming with greed as they stared at the men climbing onto the vehicle.

Dazhuang, Ergazi, and other core members all changed into their most treasured family outfits today.

Ergaizi pulled out a green military uniform that was neither new nor old. Although it lacked collar insignia and cap badges, it was clean and his hair was even slicked back with water. Dazhuang wore a new overcoat that he usually wouldn't even touch, and he had a military belt tied around his waist with great seriousness.

"Baotian! You bastard, get down here!"

Suddenly, a spirited woman in a floral cotton-padded jacket and short, shoulder-length hair emerged from the crowd, carrying a steaming, rough porcelain bowl. She was Wang Xiulan, the village's women's director and Li Baotian's wife.

Li Baotian had just stepped onto the bicycle wheels when he shrank back in fright and quickly jumped off: "Wife, what's wrong? In front of the whole village, give me some face!"

"Give me any face whatsoever!"

Wang Xiulan's eyes were red-rimmed. She grabbed Li Baotian by the collar and roughly shoved the several freshly boiled, piping hot eggs from the large bowl into his arms, scalding Li Baotian so much that he winced in pain.

"I'm telling you about Li Baotian!"

Wang Xiulan slapped the snow off his shoulder while yelling, "When you get to the city, you better open your eyes! Do more work and talk less nonsense, and stick close to Shanhe and learn the trade properly! If you dare to embarrass yourself at the factory and get kicked out, don't ever come back to my bed!"

Li Baotian wasn't annoyed by the scolding at all. Instead, he puffed out his chest and shouted with extreme pride, "Don't worry about it! I told you, I'm taking us there to be technical backbone! When I get paid, I'll get you a really stylish Lenin suit when I get back!"

Liu Sanye's wife, with her bound feet, squeezed over and stuffed a heavy cloth bundle into her husband's arms. Wiping away her tears, she instructed him, "Old man, the city is dangerous. You're slow on your feet, so don't rush into anything."

Old Liu tapped his pipe, his old face beaming with joy: "Old woman, don't worry about it. Working with Shanhe, how could we possibly suffer?"

The brothers joked with each other, while the wives at home scolded and gave instructions in a cacophony of voices.

The entire village entrance was filled with an extremely warm and joyful atmosphere.

Just then, the crowd automatically parted to both sides, making way for them.

Zhao Shanhe walked over, looking extremely tall and imposing, wearing a thick military overcoat and fur-lined boots.

Lin Xiu followed behind, carrying Niu Niu, who was dressed like a red cotton ball, her eyes red-rimmed.

Zhao Shanhe stopped, reached out and pinched Niu Niu's little face, which was red from the cold, and then forcefully stuffed a roll of ten-yuan bills wrapped in a handkerchief into Lin Xiu's pocket.

"Eat and drink well at home, and don't open the door for anyone."

Zhao Shanhe lowered his voice, his tone revealing a man's domineering nature: "Once I've subdued those old men at the factory and settled them in, I'll bring you and your daughter to the city to enjoy a life of luxury."

Lin Xiu bit her lip hard and nodded forcefully, tears welling up in her eyes: "Honey, the wind and snow are fierce outside, please be careful."

Zhao Shanhe grinned and said no more. He turned and walked towards the truck, his gaze sweeping sharply over the dozen or so spirited men.

The men who had been making a ruckus just moments before fell silent instantly, all of them unconsciously straightening their backs.

"Listen up, everyone!"

Zhao Shanhe's voice wasn't loud, but each word struck the snow with a resounding force: "Once you're in the car, put away that carefree, wild attitude you usually have when you're out in the woods! State-owned factories have rules. We're going there to learn skills, not to become bandits!"

Before anyone could react, Zhao Shanhe's eyes suddenly darkened, and he then uttered an extremely inspiring sentence.

"But don't play the coward! If anyone gets bullied by those old men in the factory and doesn't dare to fight back, I, Zhao Shanhe, will be the first to kick their ass to pieces!"

The dozen or so men were filled with righteous indignation and roared in unison.

"Got it, bro!"

Zhao Shanhe, with a cigarette between his fingers, swung his hand sharply forward: "Get in the car!"

A dozen or so men scrambled onto the truck, excitedly patting the cargo bed.

Zhao Shanhe opened the passenger door, climbed in, and slammed the door shut.

"Boom!"

The Jiefang truck let out a deep roar, its tires leaving two deep ruts in the snow. Carrying its group of peasant brothers and three large trucks as door knockers, it drove domineeringly out of Kaoshantun amidst the extremely envious and awe-inspiring gazes of the entire village, heading straight for the county town.

All that remained was a flurry of snowflakes, tinged with the smell of diesel fuel, dancing freely in the winter sun.