Chapter 8: In the Midst of Turmoil (Part 1)

  They were talking about the chaotic world nowadays, and it's been almost a year since the establishment of "Manchukuo". The former Xuantong Emperor Puyi, who had already abdicated, has taken the throne again. He is essentially an emperor in disguise, but can the current Manchukuo be compared to the great Qing dynasty? Back then, the emperor sat in the Forbidden City, and although the Qing dynasty later declined, becoming weak and poor, invaded by foreign powers, ceding territory and paying indemnities, losing sovereignty and dignity. However, at least the emperor could still speak for himself and had some authority. Now look at Manchukuo, with Japan behind it, can Puyi really have a say? Whatever he says is what the Japanese want him to say, just using his name and mouth to make things look good on the surface. In reality, he has no real power or influence. It's pathetic that an emperor has been reduced to this state.

  Old Zhang said that the eldest son of Lao Li's family in Qiantun had gone to "New Jing" (now Changchun, Jilin Province, which was then the capital of Manchukuo and renamed Xinjing) through connections and joined the Public Security Bureau as a policeman. He came back recently, and his arrogance was overwhelming, his tail almost touching the sky. Old Zhang and his father were relatives by marriage, not too distant, so one day when Old Zhang went to Qiantun to buy tofu, he ran into that young man. As a result, he flipped his eyes, curled his lip, pretended not to see him, swung his coat, and kicked the snow on the ground with his shiny boots, strutting away. What a guy, enough to make people talk for half a month!

  If it were in the past, seeing me from afar would come to greet me, calling "Uncle, Uncle" with such enthusiasm. It's not worth mentioning that they just wanted to pick some good tofu and give me their bad beans. At the time, I was so angry that I didn't even want to stay, turned around and left. When I got home, I lay down on the kang and sulked for half a day. Alas, he thought he had gotten a good job, but didn't know how many people in the village were stabbing him in the back, saying he was a traitor, selling his soul to the Japanese, and that his ancestors' tombs were emitting green smoke.

  And my brother-in-law, he's like a different person now, talking to the neighbors and old friends in a much louder tone, always saying that he'll take me down if I dare to mess with him. He wasn't like this before, he was actually a pretty good guy. What happened to him? Now that he's got power, ugh! This is what kind of world we live in, where traitors and sycophants get ahead and still have the nerve to show off. He has no idea how people in our village talk about him behind his back, pointing fingers at him when they see him on the street. He's still clueless, thinking he can just pretend nothing's wrong. If it were me, I'd be too ashamed to leave my house, I'd move away and hide somewhere where nobody knows me!

  My second uncle said that he had a sworn brother who used to be in the Northeast Army and was a company commander with some skills. After the "9.18" incident, he ran back home and hid for a while. Then, when he heard that "Manchukuo" was recruiting soldiers, he immediately got excited and didn't want to stay at home for even one more day. He rushed to join the army and brought two guns with him. He gained recognition from the Japanese and reportedly did quite well, becoming a regimental commander. Last month, he came back and insisted on divorcing his wife.

  We old brothers had advised him at the dinner table, but he was determined, and kept boasting about the Japanese, saying how powerful they were, with their planes and cannons, that they would soon occupy all of China. He said that China's population was not enough to withstand Japan's might, and that Chiang Kai-shek couldn't hold out against them. He claimed that this world would eventually belong to the Japanese, and advised everyone to surrender to the Japanese as soon as possible, to advance their careers and enjoy wealth and glory. He even said that he would introduce us to the Japanese, considering our long-standing brotherly relationship. I was furious when I heard this, and immediately overturned the table. Everyone else also gave him a cold stare, and we parted ways in discontent. When I got home, my heart was still burning with anger!

  His family situation, others don't know, I still don't know. He used to often run around outside, doing business here and there, making friends, earning a little and spending a lot, not seriously taking care of the farm. His parents at home were struggling to make ends meet, almost starving. But his wife didn't despise him, at that time her family strongly disagreed, but she resolutely followed him, carrying a burden, and they started their life together. After finishing the farm work, he busied himself with household chores, tidying up the house inside and out, changing its appearance, taking care of his parents, which was beyond reproach. He also had two children with her, a boy and a girl, living a happy life, everything going smoothly.

  In our circle of friends, no one doesn't admire his wife. As soon as he's mentioned, everyone gives a thumbs up and says that he's lucky to have such a good wife, it's his accumulated virtue from past lives. If it were someone else, who would marry him? Later, when he went to join the army, his wife didn't say a word, packed his bags neatly, and let him go to the troops. She took care of the old folks, raised the kids, and even sent off her in-laws until they passed away. But now that he's become an official, a Han traitor at that, he's changed his heart and says that there's a daughter from a wealthy family in Beijing who has taken a liking to him and is forcing his wife to divorce him. Ugh, this heartless thing!

  He also asked someone to pass a message to me, saying: "Second brother, why don't you join our team? We have good food and drink, it's very comfortable. With guns in hand, everyone will give us face. With your skills, becoming a regimental commander would be easy, and it would be great for brothers like us to hang out together." When I heard this, I was furious, my anger couldn't be contained, and at that moment, I gave the messenger a flying kick, sending him tumbling out of the house. If your sister hadn't held me back, I would have beaten him half to death.

  I told the person who brought the message: "Go back and tell that good-for-nothing son, from now on, I, Tang Er, don't have a brother like him. Starting today, we're cutting off all ties, he can go his own way, I'll go mine, he can be an official, I'll farm my land, the two of us are done with each other. He can eat and drink whatever he wants, but I'm not interested. If he steps on dog shit, don't drag me down with him. Tell him, if I ever run into him again, who knows what might happen? Maybe I'll break his arm or leg. Get out! Take this message to that little brat." "Big brother, you're right, how could I have become sworn brothers with someone like him? I must have been blind, mistaken about the person... being friends with him was a mistake." Even now, my heart is still burning with anger, it's like I swallowed a fly, don't even get me started on how disgusting it feels.

  Second Uncle finished speaking, still shaking his head, as if he was still not satisfied, with a gaze and tone that still had suppressed anger. "They're all gutless, shameless things, holding Japanese rice bowls, serving as dogs for the little devils, and they're still proud of it, their ancestors' faces have been completely lost."

  They also brought up that they want to establish a maintenance association in every village, elect a president, and collect donations and taxes, which are much more than what Zhang Dashuai did during his time. There were so many items on the list that I couldn't remember them all. Every household with able-bodied men had to provide labor for public works, and they also had to take turns conscripting strong young men into the army. Later, life will be even harder, how can people survive?!

  Everyone fell silent, no one spoke a word, their faces wore complex expressions, leaving only the sound of "puffing" and occasional coughs, the smell of dry tobacco in the room grew thicker, making the already dim tallow lamp even more hazy, the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive, revealing a sense of confusion and incomprehension towards the current situation and the world, as well as a mindset that couldn't see clearly into the future and direction, with a hint of helplessness and hidden deep within, fear. It was the fear of being unable to control one's own destiny.

  I quietly listened to everyone's conversation, looking at the expressions on each person's face. I didn't need to interrupt, and they all didn't talk behind my back. Maybe they thought I was a kid who didn't understand many things, so they didn't have any scruples. Besides, the people in the room were all old acquaintances who had known each other for years, living in the same village, hearing each other's chickens and dogs, some were close relatives, and others were even childhood friends who grew up together, saying whatever came to mind.

  From their conversation, I understood the current situation and roughly grasped the current form. Although they spoke vaguely, some things were not fully understood, nor did they know the deeper truth. It's no wonder that in the environment where Father and Second Uncle lived, they may never have left the mountains all their lives, let alone big cities, so it's impossible to understand too much.

  However, what they said were all things that happened around them, all vivid actual examples, and also revealed their current mindset, which is very important to me. I need to grasp these to determine my next plan. I used the materials from my past life to verify with my memory, and it made sense. This is exactly what I needed. Although my past life memories had these materials, I couldn't guarantee that they wouldn't be distorted in the real world. The more I understand about the current world, the more beneficial it will be for me.

  I am a man who is going to do great things, striking and eliminating the Japanese devils is my only goal now. I won't be ambiguous about my current environment, using past memories to carry out my resistance. Not understanding how to adapt to local conditions and change strategies according to different environments is courting death. Even pigs aren't that stupid, it's a shame to the name of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Special Forces. Having crossed over from another time and being familiar with history, I still can't defeat the Japanese, what's the point of even trying? Might as well hang myself, or wait for the Japanese to come and behead me after washing my neck clean.

  Everyone was in a daze, and then several more people came into the house. The men went straight inside, while the women took a look at me before hurrying off to help out in the kitchen. These people who had arrived were all my dad's relatives, close friends or neighbors from the street. Each person was carrying something - wild chicken, rabbit, deer leg, pheasant, salted vegetables, mushrooms and so on, either game or mountain specialties. Some of them brought a few bundles of noodles or some white flour. They came over to take a look at me, one touching my head, another holding my hand, all with very familiar expressions. Each of them sincerely congratulated my dad, some handing him cigarettes, others starting conversations with him.

  My mom and second aunt came into the house, took over the things that everyone was holding, and kept expressing their gratitude. It's clear that my mom is very happy today, smiling from ear to ear, with a radiant face. One reason is that my injury has put her mind at ease, and the other is seeing so many people come to visit me, which should be due to not only my relationship with my parents but also my good relationships with others. In Northeast China, especially in rural areas, these things are highly valued.

  There's another one, I call him Old Man Huang, who said his son and I have been close friends since we were young, just like two peas in a pod, except for the difference in surname. He brought out a jar of wine, saying it was stored away last year, 65 degrees strong sorghum liquor, hard to come by from Liu's distillery, and he hadn't had the heart to drink it until now. Some people joked: "Old Huang, you're not being stingy for once! It's not easy to get a taste of this wine, I've been thinking about it for over a year, there was even one time when I caught a rabbit but didn't get any, and it was said to be saved for his son's wedding. Why are you willing to bring it out today?"

  "It's not the same, isn't today a good day? Coinciding with Little Autumn recovering, it's all good fortune and no big deal. You don't know, as soon as I heard that Little Autumn had an accident, my heart was in knots, let alone how much commotion I felt. Today, seeing this kid looking like nothing's wrong, I'm overjoyed. Everyone is gathered together again, and besides, Old Tang's family, the older brothers, they've always been helpful to everyone, right? Whoever has a crisis or disaster at home, we all lend a hand to help out. These things, everyone knows in their hearts, don't you think? I'm not even willing to part with a jar of wine?"

  "It was Xiao Qiu, that kid, who fell from such a high mountain and managed to pick up his life. This kid has good fortune in the future. If it were you, your arms and legs would have been separated long ago, and you'd be buried in a hole by now. Not to mention having fun drinking with everyone together." The crowd burst into laughter after hearing this. Northeastern men are known for their straightforward and bold speech, rarely holding back their words. The long winter and cold weather had created unique living characteristics and ways of speaking among the people of Northeast China. The room was initially in a bit of an uproar, but the previously suppressed atmosphere began to liven up, with a sense of vitality and joy filling the air, like flowers, grass, and trees awakening from a long winter's nap, exuding the breath of life.

  It seems that my dad and my uncle, along with our family, have a high standing and reputation in the village, which will be a good foundation and condition for me in the future. It looks like building my own team shouldn't be a problem, it just depends on the quality of the people I find and whether they can meet the standards of my elite special forces.

  "Eldest sister-in-law, not yet, everyone is hungry, the wine is ready, first bring up a few dishes and let's drink," Second Uncle couldn't help but shout loudly. "It'll be ready soon, just put out a few dishes, you guys go ahead and drink, Old Two, isn't it that your wine bug has crawled out of your throat again?" Mom joked with Second Uncle, others heard this and burst into laughter. I looked at Second Uncle, huh, no sign of embarrassment, looks like the relationship between mom and my uncles is quite harmonious. "Then hurry up and set the table, move the stools, grab bowls and chopsticks," Second Uncle yelled while busily working with his hands.

  The door curtain was lifted, and Ling sister walked in with a large bowl of braised river fish, instantly filling the entire room with a rich aroma.

  I smelled the fragrance, and couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva, I actually felt a little hungry, oh my god, I won't be able to eat anymore, will I? It's going to be another big mess, I'm dizzy...

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  By the way: Today, Xiao Jin was delayed by some things and arrived a bit late. Sorry to everyone! Please forgive me, fellow book friends! Sorry again!!