Big Belly English Lord (3)
Chen Zizhong was clever but not cunning, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, a large frame, and taller than a ten-year-old child. The old man liked him from the bottom of his heart and took him hunting in the mountains whenever he had the chance. In his youth, the old man often hunted with the Manchu nobles in the imperial hunting grounds of Aiboluo, and was skilled at capturing tigers and wolves. He was even more adept at digging traps and laying rope snares. That year, just after the winter solstice, the two encountered a three-foot-long lynx king in the forest. Chen Zizhong charged forward with his wooden-handled steel spear, but fortunately, the old man's hands and feet were quick, and he shot the lynx with his crossbow, scaring it away. After this incident, the old man decided to teach Chen Zizhong martial arts. Chen Zizhong immediately kowtowed and begged to be his apprentice, calling him "father" instead of "master", which delighted the childless old man so much that his goat-like beard trembled with joy.
Ten years later, Chen Zizhong's face was like a ripe date, with high eyebrows and eyes, a wide nose and mouth. He had the air of Guan Yu, and the village girls would turn their heads and swing their hips when they saw him from afar. Ten years of bitter practice had given him a body as hard as copper and iron, the strength to uproot mountains and lift tripods, and the agility of a monkey. The number of wolves and mountain cats that died at his hands was not less than a hundred.
Chen Zizhong's clothing expenses were paid in cloth, and his food expenses were paid in grain. After he grew up, his appetite became even more insatiable. On that Mid-Autumn Festival, Chen Zizhong invited the old man to his home. The old man drank a few more cups of wine, wanting to test how big Chen's stomach was. He slaughtered 20 kilograms of wild goat and roasted it for him to eat. Chen didn't dip it in salt or sauce; in just a short while, he ate until only two sheep legs were left. He wiped his mouth and handed the sheep legs to the old man, saying that as a son, he should show filial piety to his father. After finishing speaking, he lay down and fell asleep. The old man was worried that Chen would get indigestion and didn't let him sleep, but Chen said he had only eaten until he was 50% full.
Later, the village was invaded by Japanese devils, and the old man and his family were killed. He used a sickle to kill four devils, and carried his blind mother out of the village. Along the way, they climbed mountains and crossed rivers, traveling at night and resting during the day, using wild fruits and mountain spring water to satisfy their hunger. After three days, they mixed into a county town 100 miles away. The mother and son were starving, so Chen Zitong entered a restaurant to ask for food and drink for his mother. However, the restaurant was occupied by a group of bandits from the mountains, who had scared off all the customers. But when they saw Chen's filial piety, they gave him a plate of braised pork belly, which he served to his mother. He didn't even use chopsticks, grabbing the meat with his hands and devouring it, including the bones. The bandits were curious about his eating habits and ordered the restaurant owner to bring out as much food as possible. But they didn't expect him to eat six plates of braised pork belly in one breath, along with a whole jar of wine, without even turning red or getting out of breath.
The beards were overjoyed and forced him to go up the mountain to see the great master. The great master was so fat that he could crush a kang, and strong like a bell tower. This man had a strange habit, he didn't like to wield swords or staffs, but loved to compare belly buttons with people.
The way of competition is unique, eating a bowl of meat and throwing the bowl at a two-foot-high wooden bucket with gold lacquer, drinking a tank of wine and pouring the tank into the wooden bucket.
Two men each occupied a table for eight, with the foreigner grinning from ear to ear and looking vicious. Chen Zizhong smiled and said "Spare the master's face".
He drank wine with a loud "gulugulu" sound, chewed meat with a "ba-da-ba-da" noise, his cheeks puffed out as he ate with abandon, his eyes blazing with anger. But Chen Zizhong was different, his mouth moved swiftly without being annoying, like the sound of waves crashing, pouring wine and shouting toasts, each shout making one's ears numb, this meal made him eat with a majestic air, killing intent soaring, so that outsiders couldn't see any sign of poverty or weakness, but rather seemed like a great general single-handedly welcoming a million enemies.
Two hours later, the wooden barrels of wine and food on the East Ocean were less than half full. Chen Zizhong's barrel was overflowing with wine and meat, but he didn't even run to the toilet once.
For the first time in his life, Chen Zizhong had a bowl of Wonton noodles.
The Eastern Ocean was convinced, and Chen Zizhong wanted to stay with him, even thinking of forming a sworn brotherhood. Chen Zizhong had a strong desire for revenge against the Japanese devils, but the Eastern Ocean's methods also harassed civilians, causing chaos in nearby villages. He couldn't bring himself to bully honest people, so he politely declined the Eastern Ocean's offer. The Eastern Ocean didn't want to use force, and instead made a promise by pointing at the lamp, saying that Chen Zizhong would always have a place with him. Chen Zizhong was forced to leave, riding a tall horse as he was sent off with courtesy. Along the way, they encountered two large black bears, and the bearded men drew their guns to shoot them. Chen Zizhong took charge, grabbing the bearded man's large knife and charging forward. With three or five slashes of the knife, he felled the two bears, then skinned them and extracted their gallbladders, giving the skins to the bearded men to bring back to the Eastern Ocean. He kept the bear meat for himself. Chen Zizhong killed the bears with ease, skinning them with even greater skill. The bearded men watched in awe, feeling a few more points of respect and fear towards him.
Returning to the county town, Chen Zizhong carried his mother and continued to flee south, performing the famous "drawing land to grab flatbread" of the field army.
Xu Kai and three anti-Japanese soldiers were carrying sacks of steamed buns back to their secret camp on Lao Bai Mountain when a man, as fierce as a leopard, suddenly appeared from the woods. He used a thick branch to block their path and demand that each person hand over ten steamed buns in order to pass through. The anti-Japanese soldiers thought they had encountered a bandit and asked him which faction he belonged to and who his leader was. Chen Zizhong couldn't answer, but instead kept shouting for buns. Xu Kai saw that he was a poor man driven to desperation and invited him to join the anti-Japanese league. Chen Zizhong was so hungry that he only cared about eating buns. Xu Kai tossed him a sack full of steamed buns, and Chen Zizhong first stuffed several into his chest before devouring them like a wolf. In an instant, over ten large buns disappeared into his belly. The anti-Japanese soldiers were having a hard time, and steamed buns were a rare luxury. They tried to stop him, but he knocked them all down, piling them up on the ground like a tower of blocks, and sat on top of them, still eating nonstop. The soldiers cursed and shouted in anger, but Xu Kai just laughed and explained that the anti-Japanese league was different from bandits - they didn't bully civilians, only killed Japanese devils, and were a team of poor people. Chen Zizhong didn't believe him, saying that even if they fought against Japan, they still harmed civilians. Xu Kai patted his gun and said, "Have you ever seen any bandit on the mountain who would let someone pass through without taking their food or touching their guns?" Chen Zizhong suddenly came to his senses, turned back to his old life, and joined the anti-Japanese league.
Years later, Lao Dongyang died an unjust death. The second master, Hou Fenge, took the throne. At that time, Chen Zitong had already made a name for himself in the Anti-Japanese League. He single-handedly brought a empty gun holster up the mountain and subdued over 120 bandits with just one meal. From fighting against the Japanese to battling the Chiang Kai-shek army, not one of them escaped or betrayed him. Hou Fenge even voluntarily became his squad leader.
