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

Throughout the journey, Chen Gaoshan had no shortage of food or supplies.

As soon as he left the village, when no one was around, he secretly piled all the grain, iron pot, and bottled gasoline in the back seat of the car, along with a change of clothes and a quilt.

The two of them ate and slept on the train. When they were sleepy, they would take a nap leaning against their seats. When they were hungry, they would start a fire and cook on the spot, heading north along the railway line.

By noon on the second day, they were almost at Songyuan territory.

This area is quite unusual. Although a large area to the north has been occupied by Eighth Master Gray, and the overall situation is stable, there are still many small, scattered pieces in the corners.

Not every village has a troop stationed there.

In the town and villages, there were organized self-defense groups, village associations, and township guards, as well as confiscated clean beards and twigs, and all sorts of messy private armed groups.

These guys have lost their momentum now, they can't cause any big waves or become anything significant, but they're still annoying.

They spend their days setting up checkpoints at intersections and side streets, doing nothing but ripping off passersby.

If they saw someone carrying some dry food or odds and ends, they would try to sneak a little bit of it away, taking whatever they could get their hands on.

They knew that the main force of Eighth Master Gray was currently focused on those who were robbing the people, and they didn't have time to deal with these small fry.

These bastards are jumping around now, but once the entire Northeast is completely liberated, they'll all be dealt with one by one by Master Hui. Then they'll have their day of crying for their parents.

To be on the safe side, he deliberately chose to take the main roads along the way.

He can do whatever he wants as a man, but he still has to be careful when he has a young girl like Liu Hongying by his side.

Two or three o'clock in the afternoon is when the sun is at its strongest, and people's faces are so hot that they're practically dripping oil.

Chen Gaoshan spotted a river bend by the roadside with clear water. He pulled the car over and decided to rest and start a fire to cook.

Having Hongying with me these past two days is definitely better than going alone.

He used to travel alone, it was lonely, he ate whatever he could find, his clothes got dirty and no one washed them, and he had no one to chat with when he was idle.

Now I have several little girls around me, who are well-behaved and obedient, and can do laundry, cook, and keep me company.

Chen Gaoshan gathered a pile of dry branches, built a small fire, and set up the iron pot he carried with him.

Hongying quickly came over to help.

Yesterday, I passed by Xia's shop. Chen Gaoshan traded cornmeal for a lot of cabbage and potatoes, which I used to stew.

The little girl squatted by the fire, kneading cornmeal, making flatbreads, and chopping cabbage and potatoes, preparing to stew a pot.

After dinner, the sun shifted to a lower position and it wasn't so scorching anymore.

Chen Gaoshan looked at the clear river water in the river bend, feeling sticky all over, and decided to take a bath to cool off.

Last night, he passed by a river bend in the middle of the night. When no one was around, he stood guard at a distance and let Hongying secretly go down into the river to take a bath.

This girl has been through a lot these past few days, crying and sweating, and her body is all sticky. Even her own husband finds the smell unpleasant, let alone a young girl who likes to be clean.

As he took off his coat, he turned to look at the girl next to him holding the Mauser pistol.

"Hongying, did you remember the marksmanship I taught you yesterday? Have you forgotten it completely?"

"I haven't forgotten, Brother Gaoshan. Take the safety off before firing, grip the gun firmly with both hands, stand steady, and don't worry, I'll keep watch here for you and keep an eye on everything."

Chen Gaoshan smiled as he looked at her serious expression.

He stripped down to just his shorts, walked a few steps to the riverbank, and plunged in.

"thump!"

The water splashed so hard it was like the frisbee's frying squad, giving it a zero.

In the sweltering heat of July, the upper reaches of the river are warmed by the blazing sun, making for a comfortable soak.

You can walk into the deep water in the middle of the river, where the water is bone-chillingly cold and can be used to cool the lower body.

The contrast between warm above and cool below, a stark contrast of hot and cold, sent a shiver down one's spine.

On the shore, Liu Hongying stood obediently, holding a gun, her eyes wide open, staring at her surroundings.

Chen Gaoshan washed himself thoroughly.

Holding a towel, he wiped himself from side to side.

He simply took off his underwear and carefully wiped every nook and cranny of his body.

Especially the old male cadres need to take a good bath, as for the old women, what are they?

It's a senior citizens' activity center.

Liu Hongying, who was on the shore, kept watch with a Mauser pistol.

I stared for a long time, but there wasn't a single person in sight, and even the birds were barely chirping.

Seeing how hard Gao Shan was scrubbing himself in the bath, this girl must have accumulated a lot of chapped skin, which must be itching.

She became a little bolder, tucked the Mauser pistol into her waistband, walked to the riverbank, and bent over.

"Brother Gaoshan, isn't it cool in the water? Why don't you move closer to the shore? I'll rub your back for you. You've been traveling for the past few days and you're covered in dust and dirt. You must be really itchy."

Chen Gaoshan didn't think much of it at all.

Ever since I rescued this girl and took her with me, I've treated her like a younger sister. I'm completely open about it and don't feel awkward or embarrassed at all.

He quickly pulled on his shorts that were tucked between his legs, stepped on the smooth stones in the river, and carefully walked towards the bank, taking a few steps to reach the shore.

He reached out and handed the towel in his hand to Hongying.

"Okay, then you can rub it. Don't hold back, put some force into it. I can handle a lot of pressure."

Hongying took the towel and was just about to wipe his back.

Just then.

Chen Gaoshan's ears twitched, a result of his alertness honed through years of running through mountains and getting his hands dirty.

Footsteps and voices could be heard coming from the path ahead; there were quite a few people listening.

Damn, I was careless!

They were so caught up in the fun that they let their guard down!

Without thinking twice, he grabbed Liu Hongying, who was standing there stunned, and lowered his voice.

"Hongying, someone's here! Quick, get your guns!"

Before the two of them could even tidy up, Chen Gaoshan, wearing only a pair of shorts, bent down to protect the petite Hongying, and quickly darted behind the jeep, using the vehicle as cover.

He reached into the passenger seat and grabbed the submachine gun, muzzle facing outwards, ready to fire at any moment.

At this moment, the people in the distance also approached.

There were six or seven people in total, carrying long poles and buckets, looking like they were out fetching water.

Once you can see clearly their gray uniforms and the arm sleeves, you'll understand.

It was a false alarm.

He immediately put the submachine gun back in the passenger seat, raised his hands above his head, and shouted to identify himself.

"Captain, don't shoot! It's me, I'm a laborer from Eighth Master Gray."

Damn it, how did I become a supporting character?!

Liu Hongying, who was standing next to her, was also quite frightened. Her face turned pale, and following Chen Gaoshan's action, she raised her hands obediently.

The seven soldiers opposite them didn't dare to be careless either. It was too strange that an unusual American jeep was suddenly parked in the middle of nowhere, with a man and a woman hiding inside.

Several men immediately stopped and surrounded the car in a fan shape, holding their guns with the muzzles pointed at the back of the vehicle.

The leader was a middle-aged soldier with a slight overbite. He looked honest, but his eyes were very wary. He immediately began to question them.

"What do you two do? Where did you get this car? Tell me the truth."

Chen Gaoshan understood it at a glance.

These people were carrying buckets; they were clearly from the cookhouse, out to fetch water for cooking.

"Comrade, I'm from Hecheng. In the spring, I followed Eighth Master Gray's team, specifically to help transport grain and do manual labor."

"Later, we were bombed by enemy planes halfway through the journey, and the team was scattered. I was separated from the main force and was conscripted by the soldiers who were raiding civilian files."

"This car, and these guns on my body, were all secretly seized and acquired by me."

As he spoke, he pointed to his coat pocket in the car.

"If you don't believe me, I have the travel permit that the team gave me back then, it's in the inner pocket of my outer coat, I can show it to you."

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