The sky collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, I found myself transported to Nanluoguxiang.

After the meal, the three of them walked out of the cafeteria in silence, each heading in the direction where their driver's vehicle was parked.

Li Kaixin arrived at Master Chen's car and stood quietly beside it.

Before long, Master Chen and the other experienced drivers arrived at the car.

Captain Wang then stood at the front of the convoy, clapped his hands, and scanned the faces before speaking in a loud voice:

"Comrades, we're about to set off. There are a few things you must remember along the way!"

"First, keep your eyes peeled while driving! Especially on winding mountain roads and in dense forests, always be aware of your surroundings."

"Secondly, the issued gun must be kept in a place that can be easily reached. These days are not peaceful, and in case of encountering robbers, it can be used for self-defense and also to bolster courage."

"Third, maintain a safe distance, with the vehicle in front and behind looking out for each other. If any vehicle breaks down, the vehicles in front and behind should stop immediately to help. Our transport team is a unified whole; we must work together!"

Finally, Captain Wang raised his voice again and asked, "Did everyone understand?"

"Understood!" everyone responded in unison.

Captain Wang nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand.

"Alright! Let's go!"

The roar of a car engine shattered the morning's tranquility.

Captain Wang jumped into the cab of the lead truck, and the transport team began to move slowly, with one truck after another driving out of the grain station gate.

Li Kaixin opened the car door and nimbly climbed into the passenger seat, while Master Chen firmly gripped the steering wheel.

As the vehicle gently bumped its way onto the dirt road, the outline of this grain depot in a northeastern county town gradually became blurred.

After the car had driven a short distance, Master Chen, with one hand on the steering wheel and the other hand taking out a cigarette from his pocket, glanced at his apprentice beside him and broke the silence first:

"This time on the return trip, the night watch will be a bit tougher."

"I reckon there will be two teams, one for the night and one for the evening. You should be prepared."

Just as Li Kaixin was about to speak, Master Chen continued, "When we came here, our car was practically empty. Even if we encountered robbers, they wouldn't have bothered with us. But now..."

Li Kaixin immediately understood and replied, "Master, I understand. Money can be a powerful motivator."

Master Chen gave a satisfied "hmm".

Then he continued, "Also, no matter how tired you are in the car, don't fall asleep, especially when we're going through those densely wooded sections. You need to keep an eye on our surroundings for me."

"Don't worry, Master, I've remembered everything," Li Kaixin replied earnestly.

Seeing his apprentice so serious, Master Chen smiled instead: "Don't be too nervous. Although we should be on guard, things are much more peaceful now than they were right after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Back then, things were really not peaceful. Now, we don't encounter such things more than a few times a year."

Li Kaixin secretly breathed a sigh of relief; the situation wasn't as serious as she had imagined.

Master Chen then changed the subject and began to criticize.

"You little rascal, you didn't even buy enough grain at Pigeon Market that day. You've seen for yourself how parched the fields are all this way."

"If Director Zhou hadn't been there, I would have given you a good talking-to. Let's see where you'll cry when you're really hungry."

Li Kaixin felt both touched and helpless. Naturally, he couldn't reveal the secret realm, so he could only pretend to be learning and nod repeatedly.

Seeing Li Kaixin's appearance, Master Chen's heart softened: "How about this, when we get back to Beijing, I'll give you twenty catties of coarse grain at the original price."

"No need, no need," Li Kaixin quickly waved his hand, "Master, my family really doesn't need this."

Seeing that Li Kaixin wasn't just being polite, Master Chen didn't insist anymore, saying, "Alright, I'll save these twenty jin for you. If you ever need more, just let me know."

These words warmed Li Kaixin's heart.

Although food is not as precious as it was later, it is still a scarce commodity, and the master's kindness is truly commendable.

"Okay, Master." Li Kaixin replied verbally, but in his heart he was determined that he would never fail to ask his master.

......

Night fell in the blink of an eye.

After everyone had a quick meal of dry rations, Captain Wang indeed gathered all the apprentices together.

"The vigil arrangements will be changed this time."

Captain Wang's voice was exceptionally clear in the still night.

"For the next two nights, we'll be divided into two teams, one for the first half of the night and one for the second. The two experienced apprentices, Liu Xiaojun and Zhang Jianguo, will lead the teams."

Waiting for the two teams to be assigned.

Li Kaixin, Qian Dazhuang, and Wu Tian were still with Liu Xiaojun, but there were two more people with them.

Upon dissolution.

Captain Wang glared at a few others he considered more unruly, and raised his voice to instruct them:

"These past two nights on watch have been different from when we came. The trucks are now loaded with national supplies; we must live up to this trust."

"No huddling together chatting while on night watch, lest someone sneak up on you without you even noticing!"

After Captain Wang turned and left, the two captains quickly agreed on the duty roster.

After some discussion, Liu Xiaojun's team decided to keep watch for the first half of the night tonight and the second half of the night tomorrow.

"You all heard what Captain Wang said. Stay alert tonight and don't be careless," Liu Xiaojun instructed Li Kaixin and the others.

The night passed peacefully.

The next morning, Li Kaixin noticed that Wu Tian looked unwell.

"Nothing's wrong, but you kept me up all night," Wu Tian said, rubbing his red eyes.

Li Kaixin sighed inwardly, predicting that Wu Tian would inevitably be scolded by his master for dozing off in the car during the day.

Sure enough, before the night watch, Wu Tian, ​​seething with anger, complained to Li Kaixin and Qian Dazhuang.

"My master lectured me all day! Just for dozing off..."

Time flew by, and it was already past midnight.

Perhaps because the convoy had already left the Northeast and the temperature was not as cold as the night before, and because they would be back in Beijing in just one more day, everyone unconsciously relaxed their vigilance.

Wu Tian leaned against the wheel and dozed off, while the two apprentices he had been assigned to huddle together and chatted in hushed tones.

Only Li Kaixin, Qian Dazhuang, and Liu Xiaojun remained vigilant, slowly patrolling the perimeter of the convoy.

As the night grew darkest, a soft rustling sound rose from the woods in the direction of the two people who were chatting with their heads down.

Li Kaixin suddenly stopped and listened intently.

The sound was soft, yet it stood out starkly in the silence. Looking toward the source of the sound, one could vaguely make out the shadowy figures moving about in the woods.

"who!"

Li Kaixin shouted loudly and simultaneously raised his gun, pointing it into the air and pulling the trigger.

The gunshot shattered the tranquility of the night sky, startling not only the two people chatting and Wu Tian who was dozing off, but also instantly waking up everyone in the convoy, who all grabbed their guns.

The twenty-odd dark figures that had been quietly approaching in the woods froze in shock at the sound of the gunshot, realizing that their ambush had been exposed.

Let's rewind to a few hours earlier.

The robbers then set their sights on the convoy parked along the forest road.

More than twenty dark figures had been hiding behind the trees for a long time, watching the trucks loaded with goods from afar, and had evil intentions from the first moment they saw them.

The bandit leader saw the convoy setting up a fire and knew that the convoy was obviously going to spend the night in the woods. This was a golden opportunity.

With a hand gesture, the twenty-odd men silently disappeared into the dense forest, waiting to launch a surprise attack when night fell.

......