Chapter 9: In Turbulent Times (Part 2)

  There were three tables on the floor in the room, and two kang tables on the kang. The hot wine had been poured out, emitting a tempting aroma of wine.

  While chatting, all kinds of dishes were served in large bowls and brought to the table. When people from Kwantung entertain guests, they emphasize being practical, especially in rural areas. They don't bother with ten or eight dishes, nor do they use small plates or bowls. Although there are many varieties, each dish is just a little, not enough to satisfy one's appetite. Before you can take a few bites, the food is gone. No matter how big your face is, who would dare to ask for more? After finishing the banquet, oh! You have to fill up with something else at home before your stomach is full. What kind of thing is that? If any family really did that, it would be spread throughout the village within three days, and people wouldn't even let you show off!

  So, in total there are four dishes. The wild boar meat stewed with mountain mushrooms and then topped with some starch noodles (some book friends said, "Are you kidding me? Who are you trying to fool? I've heard of chicken stewed with mushrooms, that's a famous Northeastern dish, but pork stewed with mushrooms, what's the difference? Don't worry, everyone, Xiaojin has had pork stewed with mushrooms and starch noodles before, but it must be wild mushrooms, that feeling... just thinking about it now makes me drool, let alone with wild boar meat, hehe).

  Braised river fish, this braised river fish is also particular about it, it's a common practice of Northeastern farmers' families. The sauce fragrance mixed with the freshness of the river fish, add some dried red chili peppers and dried dill weed on top, when it comes out of the pot, sprinkle a few cloves of garlic on top, that flavor will make you unforgettable after eating it. Cold mixed yellow flower chives, fried meat sauce, paired with well-cooked big scallions and clean tender white radish, each dish is served in an extra large bowl, overflowing with steaming hot aroma, directly enticing your appetite. This is called matching meat and vegetables, balanced nutrition, cold dishes and fried meat sauce are also called wine dishes, the details of this will be slowly explained by Xiaojin later.

  Everyone yielded to each other and took their seats, with men sitting on the kang table. This is a folk custom in Northeast China, without any rigid legal provisions, but everyone follows it, especially in rural areas. The ones sitting on the kang are usually male elders or people with prestige and respect in the village, as well as some distinguished guests. Ordinary people cannot sit at the kang table. If you're allowed to sit there in a similar setting, congratulations, your status has obviously been elevated and you've gained everyone's recognition. Don't believe me? Go to a rural area in Northeast China now, and they'll definitely invite you to sit on the kang. It's even more so during meals.

  Everyone sat down and the room immediately fell silent, with all eyes turning to my dad. This meant that as the head of the family, my old man was about to speak up.

  "What's the point of saying anything? We're all close relatives, old brothers, old neighbors and so on. I won't say much more about gratitude. Today is a happy day for Autumn's recovery, and I'm delighted that everyone can share in this joy. During Autumn's injury and coma, you all were thinking of us, and now we have the chance to get together, drink some wine, and be merry. The Tang family has been in the village for over 200 years, so it's not necessary to say more about our character - everyone understands. If anything happens in the future, don't hesitate to speak up, whether it's a difficult situation or a disaster. At that time, I'll be there to help without fail. Now, with the current state of the world being chaotic and Japan occupying the three northeastern provinces, who knows what will happen next? Don't worry, if anything happens, come find me and I'll take care of it. Here, let me drink this cup of wine first!" My dad said, raising his head and downing the wine in one gulp, showing off the boldness of a Northeasterner. Oh my god, that cup of wine must have been almost half a kilogram, and it was 65 degrees strong sorghum liquor! My dad is so bold and has such a capacity for drink - maybe he's just happy and excited today, not his usual self."

  Everyone emptied their bowls of wine and started eating and chatting, with constant praise for the dishes. "How can this be so delicious?" Especially Xiaoling's braised fish, which was always devoured in no time. "If I had you as my daughter-in-law, I'd get to eat Xiaoling's braised fish every day!" Some people joked, but their words carried a hint of seriousness. Ling jie blushed and didn't respond. She just ate her food, being the straightforward and natural Northeastern girl that she was, without any pretentious reserve or coyness.

  Looking at the atmosphere in the house, it's so natural, warm, harmonious, without hypocritical courtesy, without mutual exploitation for benefits, without sincere words that have to be said in order to get something from someone, without humble flattery and forced laughter. When was it, this kind of atmosphere only appeared in my dreams, and only when I was with comrades-in-arms could I feel this way.

  In my past life, I attended many banquets and saw that most of them were eating for the sake of socializing and drinking for benefits. If you didn't have any utilitarian value, you wouldn't be invited to appear at the wine table and dinner party. Every time I participated in such a banquet, I had an uncomfortable feeling in my heart. Many times, it was only after coming out of the hotel and walking alone on the street that I felt like I was really eating when I had a small snack. I was infected and indulged in it.

  My dear elders and fellow villagers, in you I have experienced what it means to be genuine and authentic. How many more times can we gather like this? Who can grasp and predict the fate of the future? Good people, in these chaotic times, with mountains and rivers broken, winds and rains swirling, foreign invaders invading, on this land, you are no longer the masters. Have you foreseen the fate that awaits you? You will face wolves, beasts, and slaughter knives, plundering, oppression, and humiliation. Today's scene, I will forever remember, especially at this time, such a scene and atmosphere, even more precious. Perhaps in the future, I can only search for it in my dreams! Maybe it will become a deep and cherished memory of my loved ones and fellow villagers. Thinking wildly, I feel a surge of blood rushing through my chest, my throat choking, tears flowing into my heart.

  Suddenly, I remembered what my dad said, and my heart suddenly tightened, as if I had sensed a great danger approaching. My dad didn't know that I was a time-traveler, and he was familiar with the course of history. He didn't know about future events, and his thoughts were based on the current situation. At this time, the Little Devils hadn't yet fully invaded China - that would be five or six years later. Now they weren't as depraved, beastly, devoid of conscience, and inhumane as they would become later on.

  With my dad's temper and personality, even if it's a big deal, he will take responsibility for it. He doesn't understand the Japanese devils; they are beasts who have just bared their teeth, already stained with Chinese blood. On the land they occupy, there can be no resistance or disobedience. My dad would suffer because of this and might even lose his life. If my relatives were to encounter the same situation, it would be unbearable. I must completely avoid such a thing from happening. I have the ability and responsibility to use all my abilities and wisdom to protect them.

  No, things can't be delayed any longer. I must quickly establish my own team and build a squad using the training model of special forces from my previous life. But who to use? Those who are several years older than me are definitely not suitable. Their thinking patterns have been fixed, their habits are hard to change, and it's difficult to train them. In their eyes, I'm still just a kid, although I have some skills, they won't necessarily believe in me or listen to what I say. They might even be skeptical of me, which would greatly hinder my ability to command them in the future. The team I want to build is an elite special operations unit, and we will be facing a large group of heavily armed savages. It's worth noting that the Japanese pirates have been making meticulous preparations for generations to occupy China, driven by their wild ambition and goal. The military quality of the Japanese soldiers is still commendable; they are not a mob.

  Thinking of this, I couldn't help but feel anxious...

  Yes, I have some young friends who are just right for this. They're all around 15 or 16 years old, at the age when they're most receptive to new ideas and ways of thinking. They're curious, bold, passionate, and ambitious - the very embodiment of youthful energy! And they're all educated, not a single one is illiterate, so they can absorb knowledge quickly. Their minds are sharp, they dare to think and act, just like unsheathed swords waiting for someone to wield them. Plus, they've all been training in martial arts since they were young, just like me, so they have a solid foundation in the ways of combat. They're the perfect combination of brains and brawn - where else would I find people like this? I've struck gold! Haha, it's settled then.

  Thinking of this, I couldn't help but get excited, and I wanted to go find them right away. But thinking about the current situation, I shook my head in dismay and could only endure for a few more days. After making up my mind and figuring things out, my mood lightened up, and I felt like I had put down a heavy burden. Moreover, I began to outline my future plans and the most important things to do as soon as possible, and I couldn't help but feel proud of myself in my heart. What is genius? What is talent? I am it! (Heh, this also counts, right? That means there are talents and geniuses everywhere, and you can knock down three with just one brick, and the remaining half is still a quasi-talent or quasi-genius!)

  Everything is settled, and I'm calm again. Now I have a free mind to think about other things. This is my advantage - once I've decided on something, I'll have a free mind to do something unrelated to the main thing.

  "Hey, where are all my little buddies? I've been awake for half a day now, and by rights, school should be over already. How come there's not a single person in sight? And what kind of people are they anyway? It's frustrating, puzzling... gotta find an opportunity to ask them!"

  No, I cast my eyes on the table full of delicious food. At this time, my mother said: "Those kids are still at home, why didn't you bring them? Haven't they eaten yet? Call them over, and it's less trouble for you to cook again when you get back." It turned out that my mother was talking about the people at the table. Everyone said no need, originally those little ones were clamoring to come, but weren't allowed. Xiaoyu's injury wasn't healed yet, if they came, wouldn't it stir up Xiaoyu's heart? That wouldn't do. These past few days we've been holding them back from coming. If not, they would have run over already, no need to invite them. No big deal, we left food at home.

  "Oh, I see. No wonder it's been a long time and not a single person has shown up. I was wondering why none of these young men came to visit me. It's simply inhumane! Turns out they were blocked by the adults. Sigh... I had hoped to meet my future husband today, but now that's impossible. Just wait, once I'm able to run and jump around, I'll go find them."

  But mom, don't just care about other people's kids, what about me? Not to mention anything else, that braised river fish, how can I not have a bite of it? That was cooked by Little Ling, didn't you see my eyes turning green with envy and my mouth watering for half the day? But it's also embarrassing to ask. Just now we ate so much rabbit meat, can I still fit in some braised fish? Am I going to be reborn as a gluttonous ghost or Zhu Bajie? If I were to ask for some, wouldn't others give me weird looks and hurt my little self-respect? Mom, won't you even glance back at me? Even if I beg you.

  Right then, I felt a gaze on me. I looked up to see Xiaoling staring at me with her big, dark eyes, filled with inquiry and a hint of a smile. She glanced at me, then subtly pointed to the braised fish with her chopsticks, using a motion that others might not notice.

  My eyes lit up, and I hastily nodded, with a flattering smile still on my face. What's wrong with me? I'm also someone who has seen the world, and as a special forces soldier who crossed over, how could I have such an action? It seems that my thoughts and behavior have unconsciously been influenced by my body and original memories, having the mentality of a 16-year-old boy - mischievous, cunning, clever, and naive. This feeling isn't bad either, I'm becoming more and more satisfied with my body.

  I saw her nod, still like that, Little Ling sister strongly held back her smile, her face was a bit red, her eyes turned around other tables and people's faces, taking advantage of others not paying attention, she quietly got down from the table, lightly stepped into the kitchen, after a while, she brought in two bowls, pretending to add dishes to the table where Dad and others were sitting, secretly handing one of the bowls to my hand. I took it over, wow, what a big piece of fish meat! Hurriedly taking a bite, satisfied with smacking my lips, huh, there wasn't that much sauce on top, originally, Little Ling sister was afraid I would eat too salty without anything, so she had put the sauce underneath, what a thoughtful Little Ling sister, I secretly praised her, such a considerate girl! I quietly gave her a thumbs up and even shook it.

  She gazed at my expression, watching me eat, still tense, seeing my expression as if I was in a state of ecstasy, and made that gesture to her, laughing happily, scolding me with a glance, then sat back down in her original seat. I smiled smugly, this little girl, I don't understand her thoughts yet, but I've had thirty years of life experience in my past life, although I only talked about love briefly, and never eaten pork or seen pigs run. That was the innocent and naive youth of a young girl, the heart flower that was about to bloom under the sun. I knew that my shadow had already entered her heart, stirring up ripples.

  To be honest, I also like her, whether it's the mindset of my past life or the current me, there is a strange excitement. Oh my god, I'm only 16 years old, this is a typical early love affair! If it were in my past life, that would be a heinous crime! Teachers and parents would be heartbroken, persuading and educating, surrounding and intercepting, as if facing a great enemy, feeling anxious and uneasy. I've had an early love affair in this life, there shouldn't be any problem, people in this era get married early, I won't encounter the same situation as my past life... secretly, I'm filled with anticipation for this feeling. Ugh, typical of being well-fed and warm, thinking about romance! Despicable!!

  I didn't know if our little movements had been seen by others, and I felt a bit guilty as I glanced at everyone's expressions. When I saw Auntie Er, she was also looking at me, and I somehow felt that the smile on her face was somewhat ambiguous, with a hint of teasing in her eyes. Oh no, I'm afraid Auntie Er had seen us, so I pretended to look confused, but Auntie Er's smile only grew thicker.

  I withdraw my gaze, pretending to lower my head. This matter is better left unclear. Besides, being ruthless doesn't necessarily mean one is a true hero. Is it not that the elegant and virtuous ladies are also worthy of admiration? The love for beauty is something everyone has. A normal mindset, a normal mindset! Let's just think about tomorrow instead.

  Tomorrow, I don't know if the snow will stop or not, is it a good weather? Can my parents let me go out? I really want to see the sky and earth that have not been polluted in this life, and my hometown in this life that has not been trampled by the iron hooves of Japanese devils. I also miss my little friends, who are my future soldiers, how are they?

  I have infinite expectations for tomorrow!