Chapter Five: Scheming and Calculating

  Yan Ju Fan smiled and chased after his father with his eyes, watching as they counted something unknown. Yan Yu Nong stood by the side, not speaking until the others dispersed to eat, then waited for a chance to talk to her brother: "Brother Ju Fan, you must be careful next time, don't do these things again. You have no idea how worried I was about you, I couldn't sleep at night and had nightmares." As she spoke, she lowered her head. Yan Ju Fan's heart felt warm, having experienced two lifetimes, he increasingly felt the preciousness of his loved ones. He lovingly patted Yu Nong's head: "Don't worry, Brother Ju Fan will always be by your side to protect you." At this moment, Yan Ju Fan's eyes were deep and distant, absolutely not like those of a 14-year-old boy.

  From then on, Yan Jufan was no longer that naughty boy. He began to prepare his own path. As for his past life's Wu Dingguo and Yan Jufan, they truly merged together at this moment. In the distant sky, the golden sun shone brightly, illuminating Yan Jufan's slender figure, making him appear even more majestic. Many villagers looked at this young man and realized that in just two days, he was no longer like the familiar child who only knew how to be mischievous and playful.

  Kuai Shi Village was shrouded in the darkness of night, with warm lights flickering. In the daytime, the rubble-filled courtyard had several thatched cottages hastily set up, and it would take another two days for the houses to be properly built, so everyone could only temporarily settle into these makeshift shelters.

  Not long after, the smoke from cooking wafted out and the aroma of food spread everywhere, making the children feel as if it were Chinese New Year. The adults chatted with each other at the entrance of the shed.

  Yan Jufan sat at his own door, looking at how kind the people were, even if their homes had been burned down by the devils. They would only scold a few curses. Our countrymen are just too kind, so that in this time and space, they are still bullied by the Japanese devils. Yan Jufan thought of this and heavily patted the tree stump under him.

  "Come over here for a moment." Yan Xiawu sat on the wooden stump, beckoning with his hand and pointing to the seat beside him.

  "I was just discussing with your second uncle about organizing a village self-defense team, and you've made a great contribution this time. Why don't we use the three-eight rifle you brought back for the self-defense team? Hehe, don't mention that your dad took your things, it's just that we really didn't have any quick guns here." Yan Xiawu said with a smile.

  "Alright, but you have to promise that next time I hand over the gun, you can't take it away from me." Yan Jufan said helplessly.

  Yan Jufan said: "Right, Dad, are there so many guns in our village? And who's going to train us?"

  Yan Xi Wu was slightly surprised, how did this kid know to ask that. In the blink of an eye, the child had grown up, and Yan Xi Wu felt a great sense of relief in his heart, saying: "Zhang Yun Tian promised to give us some quick guns, and they also trained people for us."

  "Does the self-defense team trained count as ours or theirs?" Yan Jufan asked after a moment of contemplation.

  Yan Xi Wu and Yan Xi Wen exchanged a glance, feeling somewhat surprised in their hearts. As it turned out, they had thought of this possibility, and couldn't help but wonder if that mischievous little scamp had opened up his mind after going through this experience.

  "Of course, it's ours. We must grasp the team, otherwise they will use military orders as an excuse to transfer them away, and our village will be left with nothing." Yan Xiwen said, looking at Yan Xi Wu.

  Yan Xi Wu nodded: "Not bad, let's get the team together first. We can't get involved in their party struggle yet." Yan Xi Wu had often heard people talking about the cruel party struggles in the south while he was traveling outside these past few years, and couldn't help but feel a lingering fear. That's why Zhang Yun Tian brought Tuijin Bao to the village and kept his distance.

  "As it's a self-defense team, of course, we'll protect the village. Let's set up the name and take control of the team. There shouldn't be any problems then." Yan Xi Wu made up his mind. Looking around, apart from the three of them, everyone else was busy in the distance.

  "If our guns are not enough, we can make more landmines. We have a blacksmith, don't we?" Yan Jufan suggested again.

  "That's right, let's do it that way. If there are any other good ideas, speak up." Yan Xiuwen couldn't help but feel a bit impatient.

  "Looks like we should swap names, haha!" Yan Xi Wu joked.

  Yan Xiuwen scratched his head with his hand and chuckled.

  "Dad, Second Uncle, I'll think of something and tell you right away." Yan Jufan said with an embarrassed smile.

  Yan Xi Wu nodded and reminded again: "What we just said, don't tell others, remember."

  "Alright," Yan Jufan nodded. It seems that Dad is a man who can keep secrets when it comes to big things. That makes me feel more at ease. Yan Jufan thought to himself, what methods from his past life could he use here to resist the Japanese? He had to think carefully about this, it was all because of his own fault in his past life that he let Old Master think of ways to evade military service, which led to many things being unclear and uncertain.

  But even so, Yan Jufan still has great confidence in himself. After all, having experienced one more life allows him to gain countless experiences that others have obtained with their blood.

  Zhang Yun Tian gazed at the flickering bonfire in the distance, somewhat distracted. The local customs were simple and unsophisticated. People's lives here were not as harsh as those on the plains, nor was there too much land, let alone landlords. It was a bad job, but the forest was lush and dense, with countless wild beasts living among them. In today's world where every place was a battlefield, it was inevitable that things would be different. How could they break through this situation? Zhang Yun Tian couldn't help but feel uncertain.

  In the distance, the Yan family father and son were chatting and laughing, but Zhang Yun Tian couldn't help feeling a little disheartened. Most of this place was mountainous terrain, with only a small amount of arable land, which was mostly privately owned by individual households. Even the leader, Yan Xi Wu, didn't have any extra land to spare. The leader here was chosen by the mountain people themselves. Compared to other places, this place seemed more like a utopia. It was similar to the Datong society. If it weren't for the Japanese invasion, it's likely that their peaceful lives wouldn't be disturbed even after a hundred years.

  In order to resist Japan and also for the development of the party, Zhang Yun Tian still made up his mind to tie Yan Shi Fu Zi and Shan Min to himself. However, there was no deep internal conflict here. Yan Xiu Wu was deeply respected by the mountain people, so the work here was mainly cooperative, trying to win over Yan Xiu Wu. Moreover, Yan Ju Fan, this little guy, was clever and brave, a good seedling. If he could be educated, would Yan Xiu Wu still be able to compete with his child? Thinking of this, Zhang Yun Tian couldn't help but feel a sense of clearing away clouds and seeing the sun, very pleased that he had found a solution so quickly.

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