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

The night is already deep.

Niu Niu is already asleep.

The commotion during the day had frightened her, and she was so sleepy that she could barely keep her eyes open shortly after eating in the evening. Now, she was curled up on the kang (a heated brick bed), her little hands still clutching the corner of the quilt, and she was not sleeping soundly.

Lin Xiu had already tidied up the courtyard and main room.

The food from the daytime meal was no longer edible, so she relit the fire, heated up some porridge, fed Niu Niu a few mouthfuls, and then ate a couple of mouthfuls herself.

She washed away the blood in the yard with water and shoveled away the mud on the ground, but upon closer inspection, dark marks could still be seen at the doorway and at the base of the wall.

The door has been closed tightly again.

The door latch was in place, and a wooden stick was placed across the back of the door.

The Azure Dragon and the Black Dragon were lying on either side of the door.

They weren't sleeping soundly either.

They had actually seen blood during the day, and both dogs were still tense, their ears twitching occasionally, and a low growl sometimes coming from their throats.

Lin Xiu didn't sleep. She moved a small stool and sat at the entrance of the main room, with the Type 54 pistol beside her. She seemed to have calmed down, but her eyes never truly relaxed.

The sounds of banging on the door during the day, Li Cuihua's shrill cries and curses, and Zhao Shanlin's distorted screams still haunt my mind when I close my eyes.

She could only feel at ease sitting here, guarding the door.

After an unknown amount of time, the black dragon suddenly twitched its nose.

It first raised its head, gently sniffed twice towards the gate, and then its ears perked up.

Immediately afterwards, its tail, which had been pressed down, gradually lifted up and lightly swept across the ground twice.

Lin Xiu's heart tightened suddenly.

She grabbed the gun beside her, stood up abruptly, and stared intently at the courtyard gate.

Those guys... are back again?

The black dragon did not immediately bare its teeth and growl as it had during the day.

It let out a low "woof" from its throat, its nose kept sniffing, and its tail couldn't help but wag twice, as if it had already smelled some familiar scent. The whole dog began to get restless and couldn't help but get a little impatient.

Qinglong slowly stood up at this moment.

The large, grayish-blue dog wasn't as conspicuous as the black dragon; it simply raised its head silently and looked towards the courtyard gate.

Its ears were erect, its body was slightly leaning forward, and its tail was held neither too high nor too low, as if it were recognizing people.

The next second, the black dragon suddenly darted forward half a step. Its tail swung even faster.

It was no longer the tense creature ready to pounce on anyone. Instead, it seemed to have caught a whiff of its owner, and its fierce aura softened considerably. It let out two "woofing" sounds and began to paw restlessly at the ground.

Qinglong also confirmed it.

It didn't bark, but stood up straighter. Its fierceness gradually subsided, and its eyes weren't as menacing as before. It quietly stood guard by the door, looking outside.

Lin Xiu was startled.

Just then, there were two knocks on the gate.

"Tap, tap."

The black dragon swung its tail violently, almost crashing directly into the door panel.

Lin Xiu's throat tightened instantly. Before she could loosen her grip on the gun, a deep, familiar voice came through the door: "Xiu." "It's me."

Just two words.

Lin Xiu froze instantly.

The next second, her eyes turned red.

She hurriedly put the gun aside, rushed over to pull the door latch, and almost knocked the wooden stick behind her to the ground.

As soon as the door was opened, the night wind rushed in.

Zhao Shanhe was standing at the door.

He was wearing a dark overcoat, carrying a bulging canvas bag in his left hand and a box of steamed rice cakes tied with hemp rope in his right hand, along with sesame candy wrapped in red paper for Niu Niu.

When the door opened, the rough lines on that face softened instantly upon seeing Lin Xiu.

"Xiu, I'm back."

Lin Xiu's fingers, gripping the doorframe, trembled. After a long pause, she managed to squeeze out a trembling voice: "Shanhe..."

The black dragon had completely gone mad at this moment, its tail wagging so fast it was almost a blur, and it kept lunging at Zhao Shanhe's legs.

Qinglong also came over and rubbed his huge dog head against Zhao Shanhe's palm.

Zhao Shanhe put the things on the table, strode over, and with a sharp look, spotted the May Fourth Movement books on the small stool.

His gaze instantly darkened, and the wildness he had just suppressed suddenly surged up again.

"Show, they've used guns?"

He gripped Lin Xiu's shoulders with both hands, staring intently at her: "What happened at home? Are you hurt?"

As he spoke, his large, calloused hands began to nervously examine Lin Xiu's arms and shoulders, his voice laced with suppressed anger: "Who came?"

Lin Xiu sniffed and reached out to press his hand down: "I'm fine, not hurt at all. Thanks to the gun you left behind, and the Azure Dragon and Black Dragon guns, if it weren't for them, this yard would probably have been torn down today."

Zhao Shanhe stared at Lin Xiu's bloodshot eyes, a cold glint suddenly appearing in his own.

He didn't ask any more questions, but took a deep breath, bent down and placed the canvas bag and steamed rice cakes he had brought back on the table one by one.

Besides steamed rice cakes and sesame candy, he pulled out a red down jacket, which was extremely rare in this era and had a foreign flair, from his large bag, along with two new blue floral-patterned outfits.

Then, he pulled out a shiny thing from the bottom of his bag—a gleaming Shanghai brand women's watch, and a mechanical pencil that he bought for Niu Niu, which shimmered with iridescent colors in the sunlight. In the remote mountains of the 1980s, these were definitely top-of-the-line rare items.

Zhao Shanhe suppressed the anger in his chest, but his movements were extremely light.

He picked up the red down jacket, held it up against Lin Xiu, and forced a smile: "It's good that you're alright. Xiu, what do you think of this jacket? I spotted it at a big department store in the city and immediately fell in love with it. They said it's the most popular style this year, and it's really warm. I picked it out especially for you to suit you."

He glanced into the inner room again, lowering his voice: "Is Niu Niu asleep? I brought a lot of good stuff this time, including her favorite sesame candy, and this mechanical pencil. It's much better than the pencils in our commune; she'll definitely like it."

"father--!"

A wildly joyful scream came from the inner room.

Niu Niu, who was sleeping restlessly, woke up early when she heard the noise.

At this moment, she ran barefoot from the kang (a heated brick bed) and tumbled out, burying her head in Zhao Shanhe's still chilly military overcoat, her little hands tightly wrapped around his thigh.

"Dad! You're finally back! There are bad guys...the bad guys have overturned our table!"

Zhao Shanhe scooped his daughter up and held her in his arms. His face, which had been full of murderous intent just moments before, forced a stiff tenderness when he looked at his daughter.

He gently patted Niu Niu's back with his large hand, but his eyes looked past his daughter's shoulder and were fixed on the direction of the courtyard gate.

"Don't be afraid, Niu Niu, Daddy's back."

"Even if the sky falls, Dad will hold it up."