1940s: I supported my wife and sister-in-law by hunting.

Kui Zi couldn't understand too many complicated words, but she could understand the words "it's okay".

She nodded slightly, then secretly glanced up at the tall figure at the cellar entrance.

Chen Gaoshan stood guard at the very edge, carrying a gun.

Even if there were gunfire outside, she felt much more at ease as long as he was by her side.

In this damned year, we barely had two days of peace before trouble struck again.

That's how people are. They've just had a hot meal and settled into a warm bed, and before they've had enough of a peaceful life, natural disasters haven't struck, but man-made calamities have been piling up one after another.

After a while, he couldn't stand it anymore and climbed the ladder. "Father, Mother, you stay here while I go out and see. I won't feel at ease until I see you with my own eyes."

He then lifted the cellar lid and went outside.

"His dad!"

"Let him go. He's just as stubborn as me."

Madam Chen grew anxious and grabbed Old Man Chen's arm. "Then go and give him a few words of advice."

The cellar was pitch black, and the muffled sounds of cannon fire outside still seeped in.

Old Chen climbed up to the cellar and called his son, who was about to leave, back down.

"I don't know when this battle will stop. Shanzi, listen to your father. You should quickly take your mother, your wives, and the children and run. Run towards Wangjiatun and hide with your mother-in-law for a while."

Chen Gaoshan wasn't actually that panicked. He believed that the only ones who could use cannons and fight in this area were the Eighth Prince, who wanted to liberate their region.

As for who was on the other end, he wasn't sure, but he wasn't scared at all.

He immediately shook his head.

"Dad, last time our families had such a bad falling out with the Wang family, we're practically at each other's doorsteps now? How can we have the nerve to do that? It's just two cannon shots, look how scared you are."

Chen Laonian immediately glared at him and scolded him irritably.

"Get lost! I wasn't scared! I was worried about you kids! If they really attack, your families will be the ones who suffer!"

"If we're going to run, let's run together."

Old Chen waved his hand dismissively, his attitude firm.

"I'm not leaving! This is such a big yard, and our horse, all our livestock and belongings are here. If our whole family runs away, what if someone steals or robs everything in the yard? And those soldiers just sweep everything up after the war, leaving nothing behind! I have to stay home and guard it!"

We were talking about that.

Auntie also came over with Xiaxia and Kexin.

The whole family, including the elderly, women, and children, were gathered together.

My parents are getting old and can't handle being startled.

Lotus and Apricot Blossom were still carrying their nursing babies and couldn't run at all.

As for Kui Zi, needless to say, she was so scared that her soul almost left her body, her legs were so weak that she couldn't even stand up, and she couldn't run far at all.

"Dad, you should quickly take Aunt and the others to the cellar. All of you, stay in the cellar and keep a tight watch. No one should show their face or make a sound. I'm going out to see what's going on."

After saying that, he picked up his gun and strode out.

Old Chen and his uncle stood guard at the gate, peering through the crack in the door at the dark village outside, watching Chen Gaoshan leave the courtyard alone.

The uncle felt uneasy and could only try to calm himself down by muttering to himself.

"Brother-in-law, Shanzi is safe and sound. He'll be fine. Our whole family will be safe. We've been through wars and cannon fire before; we'll get through this eventually."

As he was speaking, Chen Gaoshan had already jogged all the way to the entrance of the village.

By this time, a group of men had gathered at the entrance of the village. They were all wearing cotton-padded coats, carrying their tools, and were all in a panic, whispering and making a ruckus.

A timid man was so anxious that he kept rubbing his hands together and then opened his mouth to shout.

"Men, young and old! Don't just sit here in the village waiting to die! Run! Seek refuge with relatives and wait out the danger!"

Liu Chunlei, who was standing next to him, frowned deeply and shook his head as he listened.

"Run? Where to run? The artillery fire is coming from the hilltop right in front of our village! If we want to escape, we'll have to go through the middle of the artillery fire! Bullets and shells don't have eyes, that's just asking for death!"

He stiffened his neck and flung his hand away.

"If you want to run, run! I'm not running! If I'm going to die, I'll die in my own backyard!"

Ma Wanzhong, who was standing next to him, chimed in, lowering his voice and speaking mysteriously.

"You guys don't know what happened. I went to town for a bath the other day and saw something interesting. Soldiers have arrived in town!"

"Why are those bearded guys running around everywhere on Black Tiger Mountain and the nearby hills? They were beaten badly by Eighth Master Gray! They have nowhere to stay."

"In this freezing weather, those soldiers didn't occupy houses or loot anything; they just laid out some straw and slept on the street. It was the townspeople who felt sorry for them and insisted on taking them into their homes for shelter and warmth."

Ma Wanzhong smacked his lips and continued.

"Isn't it strange? The soldiers are completely unceremonious. They bring their own rations and don't eat a single grain of food from the civilians. After settling in, they even help the civilians chop wood, carry water, and sweep the yard."

Upon hearing this, the group of men nearby were stunned.

Liu Chunlei's eyes widened; he simply didn't believe him.

"There's some truth to this nonsense! Are you kidding me? Are there really soldiers like this in the world? They don't rob or steal, and they even help the people work?"

"I bet he's frozen senseless! Sleeping on the street in this freezing weather must have made him so brain-dead he'd do something so stupid!"

A group of people surrounded each other, chattering and arguing, but no one could say for sure what the situation was like outside.

When Ma Wanzhong heard that they didn't believe him, he immediately became unhappy.

"I saw it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears, would I lie and try to fool you? In my opinion, tonight's battle is hopeless!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the cannon fire that had been going on for a full half hour suddenly stopped completely.

One second it was booming and rumbling, the next it was completely silent.

The old men gathered at the entrance of the village were all stunned, and they all pricked up their ears to listen.

Chen Gaoshan listened for quite a while.

He frowned and muttered something.

"Not playing anymore?"

The little button standing next to him shrank his neck.

"Brother Shanzi, could it be that they're tired from fighting on both sides and are taking a break before continuing later?"

"It's over now, it's actually less of a worry. Hurry home. I'm worried about your sister being home alone."

Little Button nodded quickly.

"Before I left, I made sure she hid in the cellar and wouldn't dare come out."

Based on what Ma Wanzhong just said, and considering the sudden ceasefire, it's almost certain that Eighth Master Hui came to clear out the area.

Since it's our team, there's nothing to be afraid of.

His heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was slightly relieved, but he still dared not be careless.

War is unpredictable; you can't be too afraid of the unexpected. No one can guarantee that the enemy won't break into the village at night.

He didn't dare linger at the village entrance, and everyone dispersed and rushed back to their own courtyards.

No matter how quiet it was outside, no one came out of the cellar; the elderly, women, and children all stayed inside.

The entire night was calm and peaceful.

They stayed up until the next morning, when it was fully light and the sun rose in the east.

Only then did Chen Gaoshan dare to speak, allowing his family to come out of the cellar.

When everyone climbed out of the cellar, they all looked exhausted.

For a whole day and night, no one got a single minute of rest.

From the moment the cannons suddenly went off in the middle of the night, everyone's nerves were on edge, filled with anxiety and fear. They couldn't eat or sleep well, their hearts pounding the whole time.

After a whole night of tossing and turning, everyone felt heavy-headed and their eyelids were drooping.

I simply boiled some water and made do with a makeshift breakfast.

After dinner, no one was in the mood to chat or watch the excitement. His mother and Xinghua took the children and went back to their rooms to get some sleep.

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