Newborn 1927

Just then, Hou Fei walked in and called out, "Are you all hungry? Time to eat! Plenty of white steamed buns. Hehe, Brother Yang, as you instructed, I boiled a big pot of water. Should we kill a chicken or a sheep?" Yang Jiefang laughed, "I haven't even finished the pork from this morning. Kill a chicken or a sheep? I want to take a bath. By the way, could you help me see if the Zhao family has any clothes that fit me? If so, bring me a set." Since transmigrating, he hadn't taken a bath or changed clothes, and Yang Jiefang was getting impatient. Hou Fei smiled and agreed, then turned to look for clothes.

After Yang Jiefang finished eating, Hou Fei returned and said with a smile, "I actually found a brand new set of cotton-padded clothes in the second young master of the Zhao family's room, which fits your size perfectly. There's also a large bed with brand new quilts. You're a scholar, so you're particular! Why don't you take a bath first, and then sleep in the bed for a while?" Yang Jiefang was indeed a bit tired, but now was not the time to rest, so he said, "I'll take a bath and change my clothes first. Please tell everyone that we'll have a meeting in the main hall in the front yard later to discuss our next steps. People from Qinglong Village and those from Zhao Family Village who participated in the operation last night will attend together." Hou Fei replied, "Okay, I'll inform them."

Yang Jiefang took a relaxing bath, changed into a new set of clothes, and looked every bit the handsome young master of a wealthy family. When he arrived at the main hall in the front courtyard, more than thirty people, including the heroes of Qinglong Village and villagers from Zhao Family Village, had already gathered, and the place was bustling with noise. When everyone saw Yang Jiefang, their eyes lit up, and they unconsciously fell silent and looked up to greet him. Yang Jiefang's appearance hadn't changed much; everyone was already familiar with him. But his demeanor was different now; his once youthful face now displayed a maturity, composure, and confidence that seemed far beyond his years.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Yang Jiefang calmly and composedly approached the head seat in the main room and said, "Thank you all for your help. You did a great job! You not only avenged me personally but also helped the villagers escape the enslavement and exploitation of Zhao Jinyuan's family. This is truly a righteous act, robbing the rich to help the poor!" The crowd applauded and cheered, their faces beaming with joy. Yang Jiefang continued, "So, what are your plans now, brothers? Feel free to share them, and let's discuss them together!" Everyone looked at each other, silent, until finally all their eyes fell on Yang Jiefang.

It was Yang Jiefang's turn to perform, so he loudly proclaimed, "I'd like to ask you brothers, do you have dreams? What are your dreams?" His tone shifted abruptly, catching everyone off guard. They all stared at Yang Jiefang. Without waiting for their answers, Yang Jiefang continued, "Hou Fei, I remember your dream is for peace to prevail, to herd sheep down the mountain, buy two houses, a piece of land, and marry a wife; Ma Shangfei… Idles, your dream is to return to the grasslands, to ride horses and herd livestock; Chen Ergou, you want to study; Wang Dali, you want a piece of land of your own, a draft ox, to support your family…" Yang Jiefang pointed out the dreams of several familiar faces, and they all nodded in agreement; the others lowered their heads in deep thought. Yang Jiefang continued, “People should have dreams; a life with dreams is a complete life. What’s the difference between a person without dreams and a salted fish? Brothers, you are all hardworking and kind people. Most of your dreams are to support your families and protect them from outsiders through your hard work. But in this chaotic world, even such a small dream is unattainable. If nothing unexpected happens, your dreams will only exist in your dreams. Has anyone thought about how to realize their dreams? Has anyone ever strived for their dreams?” Every word struck a chord in everyone’s hearts, and slowly, everyone’s faces were filled with helplessness and frustration. Before this, most of the people in Zhao Family Village lived a life of quiet resignation, and most of the people in Qinglong Village drifted along with the tide, just getting by.

Once everyone's emotions had built up sufficiently, Yang Jiefang declared loudly, "I also have a dream: to ensure that the hardworking are not poor, the kind are not bullied, the rich are not powerful, the powerful are not arrogant, and the privileged are not corrupt; to ensure that the strong abide by the rules, and the weak have dignity!" Yang Jiefang spoke each word clearly, causing a jolt to run through the crowd, who all looked up at him. Yang Jiefang carefully observed their reactions and continued, "Perhaps some may think my dream is too grand, too difficult to achieve. Hehe, as long as we dare to dream and are willing to work hard, even the biggest dream can be realized; if we dare not dream and are unwilling to work, even the smallest dream will remain unfulfilled. I studied diligently, hoping to one day realize this dream! Now, with this family tragedy, I fear I can no longer return to school. But my dream remains unchanged; I want to achieve it through my own efforts. Of course, my strength alone is too small; I need the help of my brothers. I wonder which brothers are willing to join me in realizing this dream?"

This question seemed to have stumped everyone, who stared at Yang Jiefang with puzzled expressions. Yang Jiefang was equally bewildered; why was there another awkward silence? Just then, Zhao Changzhi spoke up, asking, "So, how can you realize your dream?" The others echoed his sentiments, nodding in agreement. Yang Jiefang's heart leaped with joy, and he replied, "To realize this dream, we must first end this chaotic era of warlordism and establish a new social order; to put it bluntly, we must overthrow the old government and establish a new one. Throughout history, those who have gained power have done so through force. If you brothers are willing, come with me to fight for our dreams! I know this will be very dangerous! But a man should be self-reliant, and as passionate men, we should strive and fight for our dreams!"

Ma Shangfei suddenly stood up and said loudly, "Brother Yang, I'm on your side. From now on, I'll go through fire and water with you. If I don't even flinch, I'm not a true grassland man!" Yang Jiefang was overjoyed to hear this. This first person to agree was indeed a man who grew up on horseback, full of courage! Seeing that Ma Shangfei had taken the lead, Hou Fei no longer hesitated and stood up, saying, "Me too."

Chen Ergou tugged at Wang Dali beside him. The two exchanged a glance, stood up together, and said, "As the saying goes, 'brothers fight tigers together.' The three of us have been playing together since we were toddlers. We're closer than brothers. How could you do something without us?"

Sun Zhiyong clenched his fists and said proudly, "It would be a real shame if my marksmanship weren't on the battlefield. Before, I just hadn't met anyone worth risking my life for, but now… Brother Yang, if you can really help me realize your dream, I'll do whatever you say." Yan Donglai chuckled, "Look at you, so confident. You're a good marksman, but I, Old Yan, am no slouch either. Brother Yang, I just hadn't met anyone sensible before, and I was living in a daze all day. But after spending time with you these past few days, I know you're a man of vision and capable of great things; I'll follow you from now on." As soon as he finished speaking, Gui Liqiu, Lu Ziqi, and the Iron Hammer and Iron Egg brothers all expressed their willingness to join him. Their main reason for following Yang Jiefang was that his performance in the Zhao Family Village operation had truly astonished them.

The people of Qinglong Village all agreed, while the expressions of the former security team members from Zhao Family Village varied; some were eager to try, some hesitated, some were deep in thought, and some had shifty eyes. They looked at each other, seemingly waiting for the other to speak first. Finally, Zhao Changgui spoke first: "Everyone knows that I can't give up Lianhua; so, I'll work with Xiao Yang from now on. What you all think is up to you; whether you want to work together or not, we'll still be brothers." Finally, someone spoke up. Zhao Changgen said, "To be honest, I'm willing to work with them too, but if I leave, my family will be short a strong laborer; we just got the land, and we can't be without someone to work!" His words seemed to represent the sentiments of most people, and many nodded in agreement.

Yang Jiefang understood immediately. These people were thinking too simply; it seemed he needed to use another trump card. So, Yang Jiefang said, “Today we defeated Zhao Jinyuan and seized his land and grain; but not all of his family members are dead. We can let the others go, but there's still the second young master, Zhao Changyi, studying away from home. What if he becomes successful abroad and comes back to let us go?” These words were like a bucket of cold water, dousing everyone from head to toe. Their faces changed drastically. They already had the land deeds and grain; they wouldn't give them back under any circumstances. But what if they came back to settle scores someday?

Yang Jiefang continued, "Therefore, we need to have our own men. As long as we have men and guns, we won't be afraid of anyone. If you're unwilling or afraid to stand up and protect your homes, what can you expect from others?" This statement was quite effective. Zhao Changzhi whispered, "Brother Changming, why don't we join in?" Zhao Changming didn't immediately agree but instead asked, "Brother Yang, if we follow you, won't we all have to leave Zhao Family Village? Putting aside what those who leave will encounter, how can we ensure the safety of Zhao Family Village in the future?"

Yang Jiefang had already planned ahead, saying, "If everyone is willing to work with us, I won't take everyone with me. I can only take a maximum of twelve people. The rest will stay behind to form a peasant self-defense force, still called a security team. If anything happens in the village, handle it yourselves if you can; if you can't, report it to Qinglongzhai, and we'll handle it according to the specific circumstances. Also, Zhao Jinyuan is dead, so the village is short of a village head. We can organize a council, elect a reliable person to serve as the new village head, and then report it to the higher authorities. Zhao Jinyuan's family still has a lot of grain. Besides what we can take, the rest will be stored in the charitable granary and managed by the council. If anyone is short of grain, they can borrow grain from the charitable granary, with an annual interest rate of three to five percent." Although he only said a few simple words, everyone readily agreed and expressed their willingness to work with him. As for who would go with him and who would stay behind, that would require some deliberation. Yang Jiefang had no choice but to compromise, saying, "Go home and discuss it with your families first, then come to my study when you've decided. I will only select the first twelve people by nightfall; even if I haven't selected all twelve by nightfall, I will not select any more!" Upon hearing this, the people from Zhao Family Village got up and left.