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

As he got up to leave, a man with a full beard at the back of the line, seething with resentment, muttered sarcastically in a low voice.

This man was Li Heihu, who had a fiery temper and disliked Chen Gaoshan's behavior from the bottom of his heart. He was the one who cursed at people in the car that day, complaining that they were pulling on their pants.

"What a fucking coward! We're all just militia now, this is how we make a living. We even have to pay for a bowl of noodles. What's the point of being a soldier?"

"And what about the platoon leader? What a load of rubbish! He's got a tall, strong build, but he's a complete coward. He doesn't want to be a big shot, so he insists on acting like a good-natured grandson. His brain must have been blown out of his mind."

His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for Chen Gaoshan in front to hear clearly.

He paused, turned around, and stared at Li Heihu.

"Li Heihu, who the hell are you talking to? If you've got the guts, speak up and say it again in front of everyone."

Chen Gaoshan shoved Wang Ergou aside, who was blocking his way, and walked a few steps to Li Heihu.

Looking down at him with his eyes downcast, Li Heihu, who was just over 1.7 meters tall, suddenly felt much shorter in front of him, his aura completely crushed.

"If you've got the guts, say it again."

Li Heihu was already terrified.

Earlier in the barracks, he relied on his strength to try and steal the spotlight, but Chen Gaoshan always managed to defeat him, leaving him with no face at all.

Deep down, he was genuinely afraid of this young deputy platoon leader.

But now, with over thirty brothers gathered around watching the spectacle, if he backed down under everyone's watchful eyes, he would never be able to hold his head high in the ranks again.

They could only grit their teeth, straighten their necks, and strain their heads to maintain the facade.

"Fine, I'll say it. I'm not afraid of you."

"Platoon leader, we're not farmers anymore, we're the militia."

"Go all over the city and countryside and see, where else do you see soldiers paying for their own bowl of noodles?"

"It's your own fault for being spineless and cowardly, leading a bunch of brothers to suffer injustice with you. If you're called the 'Squeezing People's Army,' you'd be unworthy of the name if you didn't swindle the people and eat for free. You'd be wearing this uniform for nothing."

He immediately retorted with insults.

"Bullshit!"

A solid slap landed on Li Heihu's face!

The slap sent Li Heihu staggering, his head lolling to one side, his brow bone splitting open, and blood trickling down his face.

Li Heihu was instantly stunned. Half of his face burned and went numb with pain. Looking at the blood on his hand, his calves immediately began to tremble. All the arrogance he had just displayed vanished.

No longer daring to get angry, he covered his face and nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, platoon leader, I... I was wrong."

The entire room fell silent; no one dared to utter another word.

Bullying the weak and fearing the strong—that's the evil of the Chinese people. As long as they have a little power, they will make things difficult for others to the greatest extent possible and bully them to death.

"You cowardly bully, when it was time to beat the dog, you were hiding in your mother's lap, weren't you? Why don't you dare to be so tough? You're a coward who only bullies his own kind. If you dare not pay me, I'll beat you every time I see you."

Chen Gaoshan ignored him and coldly glanced at everyone; no one dared to meet his gaze.

After calming myself down, I walked along the street and saw a tofu stall at the intersection. A whole block of tofu looked so tempting.

After traveling for two days, their mouths were so bland that the brothers immediately gathered around and each got a piece of tofu.

The stall owner was honest; he topped it with a thick spoonful of soybean paste, which smelled pungent but actually made the rice quite appetizing.

Chen Gaoshan opened his mouth and took a bite. Hmm, to be honest, it really tasted like tofu, and it was even more tender than the tofu made in the village.

A group of people squatted by the stall, slurping down hot tofu, finally filling their stomachs.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they went back and squatted at the entrance of the command post, waiting for the battalion commander and the others to come out.

The battalion commander, having gone to the city to discuss matters, was sure to stay behind to enjoy a life of luxury, drinking and socializing.

After waiting for about half an hour, a black sedan stopped on the main road in front of the courtyard.

The sedan was quite rare; it was clearly the vehicle of a high-ranking official.

Everyone immediately stood up, stood at attention in unison, and stood ramrod straight.

Chen Gaoshan reacted quickly, taking two quick steps forward and opening the car door.

As soon as the car door opened, a woman who looked to be about thirty-two or thirty-three years old got out.

Her jet-black hair was neatly coiled at the back of her head, and she wore a dark red cheongsam with a floral pattern.

She was dressed in a tight-fitting, slender skirt, with a small fur shawl draped over her shoulders and a small leather bag in her hand, exuding the air of a wealthy and powerful noblewoman.

It can be described in eight words.

Fair-skinned and beautiful, with a lovely face and a slender figure.

That tiny waist, that big chest, that smiling face.

Chen Gaoshan almost slipped out, "Hello, welcome," but quickly swallowed it back.

"Madam, watch your step."

The woman glanced at him indifferently.

The young soldier in front of her was handsome, tall, and fit; he looked energetic, and she couldn't help but take another look.

He didn't say anything after that, his expression calm, his leather shoes gleaming, and a faint fragrance lingering on him as he got out of the car and walked into the command post compound.

Once everyone had walked away and the car had been moved to the side and parked, the group swarmed around Chen Gaoshan, each of them stretching their noses and sniffing him intensely.

Qian Xiangqian pushed his way forward through the crowd, looking envious and unsuspecting.

"My goodness, Platoon Leader, you were closest, you must have seen it clearly. This is the first time in my life I've ever seen a woman with such a slender waist, and she's so beautiful. If I could just have a bite of that little mouth, I'd die happy."

A few people nearby secretly started to chuckle, their shoulders twitching as they kept their voices down.

"You're such a sucker."

"Go home and live off your own wife. That kind of woman is not someone we can even think about. Don't even think about it, unless..."

Someone quickly chimed in, "Unless what?"

Chen Gaoshan scoffed.

"Unless your mother finds you a rich and powerful stepfather, don't even think about it in this lifetime."

A group of people leaned against the wall, chatting idly, grinding their teeth and farting. They talked about which village's widow was pretty, which family's daughter was good-looking, and which family's wife was virtuous, just passing the time.

They waited until it was almost dark.

It was almost completely dark when Battalion Commander Zhao finally emerged from the command post with a few trusted men.

At the back of the group was the woman who had worn a cheongsam and a small fur coat that had appeared that afternoon.

The group immediately stopped joking around and stood up straight.

When they reached Chen Gaoshan, just when everyone thought they were about to lead the team back to their unit.

The woman, who seemed to have some issues with her sex life, actually took the initiative to speak up.

"Battalion Commander Zhao, this soldier under you seems quite clever. We happen to need someone at home to run errands and stand guard. Give him to me."

Upon hearing this, Chen Gaoshan was stunned. What? He had just sent someone away, and it was a noblewoman no less?

Battalion Commander Zhao knew exactly what was going on.

This is the first wife of Quartermaster Wang.

Anyone who catches her eye is incredibly lucky.

He deliberately feigned a reluctant and hesitant expression.

"Oh, Madam, this won't do. This boy is my most capable assistant. He's efficient and reliable. You're asking too much of him."

A slight smile played on her lips, a relaxed and confident air.

"Aren't you still waiting for the approval of firearms and equipment and the replenishment of supplies? We can't let you drink all that good wine and food at the banquet for nothing, can we?"

With just one sentence, he completely crushed Battalion Commander Zhao.

Battalion Commander Zhao immediately understood. He stopped pretending, walked a few steps to Chen Gaoshan, patted him heavily on the shoulder, and lowered his voice.

"Takayama, go, go to the director's residence and do a good job, perform well."

"Now that we have connections in the Governor's Mansion, whether I can successfully marry the Fourth Concubine depends entirely on you paving the way for me."

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