Newborn 1927

Hou Fei scoffed, "What army like that exists in this world?" Sun Zhiyong chimed in, "Brother Yang, you're still too young! If such an army existed, I wouldn't be holed up in this mountain valley; I'd be the first to enlist." Everyone agreed. Yang Jiefang nodded secretly. Excellent, this was the effect he wanted. So, under Yang Jiefang's deliberate guidance, from nightfall until late into the night, they chatted for half the night. Their conversations were no longer the usual pointless chatter; almost everyone opened up, deepening their bonds. It should be noted that although these people slept on the same kang (heated brick bed) and addressed each other as brothers, much of it was superficial; very few were truly close confidants.

Yang Jiefang felt as if he had returned to his innocent student days, recalling the nights he spent chatting with his roommates; back then, it had a rather unique name: 'Late Night Chats'. Tonight's late night chat was a success, giving Yang Jiefang a basic understanding of the group. Their character was generally good; a glimpse into their character revealed the whole picture, showing that most of the people in Qinglong Village could be reformed.

The next morning, another busy day began. In the mountain village, they only ate two meals a day. The first meal, called midday, was around nine or ten in the morning; the second meal, called dinner, was before dark. Therefore, they didn't eat breakfast immediately after waking up, but went to work first. Hou Fei and Ma Shangfei were naturally busy, Lu Ziqi had some carpentry work to do, Tie Chui and Tie Dan had to go to the blacksmith's shop to repair and forge farm tools and other ironware, Sun Zhiyong, Yan Donglai, and Gui Liqiu had to continue patrolling the mountain, and only Yang Jiefang had no duties yet. Yang Jiefang felt much better when he woke up today. Although the bump on his head hadn't completely disappeared, it wasn't as painful, and he could move freely. Therefore, Yang Jiefang didn't idle either, and went with Hou Fei to feed the sheep.

A biting north wind blew, and a light drizzle fell. Hou Fei didn't plan to go out to herd the sheep; he'd just feed them some stored hay and be done with it. Instead, he came to help Ma Shangfei. Ma Shangfei had more to do; feeding the horses was quite a chore. There weren't many horses on the mountain, only about forty, but that was enough to keep Ma Shangfei busy. Cleaning the stables, grooming the manes, feeding and watering were all routine tasks, and he also had to trim the hooves regularly. In addition, he had to chew the horses' teeth periodically.

Yang Jiefang didn't quite understand, so Ma Shangfei explained, "Horses' teeth are different from humans'; they grow continuously. Free-range horses graze outdoors and don't need to grind their teeth; only penned horses, which eat fine feed, need to grind their teeth." He then had Yang Jiefang hold the reins, put a dental brace on the horse, and began grinding its teeth with a file, asking, "Can you ride a horse?" Yang Jiefang replied, "I've ridden before, but I'm not very good." In his previous life, he had learned to ride at a club while studying at university in Shanghai, so he knew a little. Ma Shangfei continued, "These horses are for riding, so you need to walk them often. It's okay today because the weather's bad; I'll take you for a walk when the weather's better." Yang Jiefang smiled and agreed.

Ma Shangfei checked and found that not all horses needed to grind their teeth. By the time he finished, Hou Fei had already cleaned the stables. Looking at the sky, it wasn't yet mealtime. Hou Fei suggested, "Why don't we go see the head of the household now? It'll be best if Brother Yang stays with her permission." Ma Shangfei agreed, turning to look at Yang Jiefang; Yang Jiefang was naturally more than happy to oblige. So the three of them went together.

Qinglong Village is built along the mountainside, facing south, with a higher elevation in the north and a lower elevation in the south. The Qinglong River flows to the west. At the southernmost point is a sizable flat area, which serves as the village's training ground, though it's usually used for drying grain. Directly above the training ground is the Hall of Righteous Gathering, a place for discussing important matters. On either side of the entrance to the Hall of Righteous Gathering are two large flags, one reading "Acting on Behalf of Heaven" and the other "Robbing the Rich to Help the Poor," making it look quite impressive. The village's livestock sheds are built at the foot of the cliff in the northeast corner, from which one can see most of the village.

Hou Fei led the way, followed by Ma Shangfei. The three didn't head to the main hall, but instead walked towards a courtyard in the mountain stronghold, the residence of the leader, Black Widow. Along the way, they encountered many people, greeting them with a smile, and the others responded with smiles in return, showing that he was quite popular.

The Black Widow's courtyard was large, guarded by two strong women at the entrance, each with a pistol tucked into their waistband. Hou Fei explained his purpose to someone, and the two women glanced at Yang Jiefang before sending one of them in to announce their arrival. They returned shortly and led the three of them inside. Turning past the screen wall, they entered the main hall, where a middle-aged woman sat in the main room, and a man in a long robe sat in the guest seat.

Hou Fei spoke first, calling out, "Boss, oh, Master Kong is here too?" The two men in the hall didn't answer, but instead stared at Yang Jiefang, sizing him up. Yang Jiefang was also observing the Boss, Black Widow. She had dark skin, thick eyebrows, large eyes, thick arms and legs, and a waist as big as a barrel; she easily weighed over two hundred pounds. In contrast, the middle-aged man, Master Kong, had a thin face, a slender body, and an air of refined elegance.

Before Black Widow could speak, Master Kong spoke first: "You're Yang Jiefang?" Yang Jiefang nodded and replied, "I am Yang Jiefang. Thank you so much for rescuing me, I'm very grateful!" Master Kong then asked, "I heard you're a scholar?" Yang Jiefang nodded again. Master Kong asked further, "What kind of books have you read?" Yang Jiefang was unsure of Master Kong's true intentions and didn't know how to answer. This Yang Jiefang had only completed primary school, while his predecessor had graduated with a master's degree from a world-renowned university.

Black Widow then spoke up: "Don't ask! Schools these days don't teach the Four Books and Five Classics anymore, they teach Western stuff, you probably wouldn't understand anyway. Yang Jiefang, Skyrocket said you want to stay in our stronghold, but I don't know what you know. If you only know a few words, don't bother, our stronghold doesn't support idlers."

This question put Yang Jiefang at ease, and he immediately asked, "I wonder what kind of people the boss needs most right now?" Black Widow frowned; Yang Jiefang's question was rather presumptuous. Master Kong scoffed and interjected, "Quite capable, huh?"

"!" The Black Widow glared at Master Kong with some displeasure and said, "Master Kong was just talking to me about this year's income and expenditure. These days, things are getting worse every year. It's tough for me, a woman, to support over five hundred people in the whole village! You ask me what kind of person I need most right now? What I need most right now is someone who can help me solve the problem of feeding the whole village! You scholars have so many tricks up your sleeves, what solutions do you have?" Her tone was a mix of helplessness and mockery.

Yang Jiefang asked, "It seems the chief wants to increase the stronghold's income! Chief, what are our main sources of income?" Black Widow replied, "In the eyes of the world, bandits are only good at robbing and plundering. But they don't know that robbing and plundering is just extra income, not only is it risky, but the income is also unstable. Besides our own production, our stronghold's income mainly comes from protection fees and tolls. In recent years, the government has been exploiting us severely, and the people don't have much money or food, so fewer merchants are passing through; therefore, the protection fees and tolls we can collect are also decreasing accordingly. Now we can only go out and rob, but this is the most difficult job. The people in our territory have all paid protection fees, so we can't touch them; those who don't pay protection fees have either already been robbed, or they are too troublesome; but if we go to other places, that's someone else's territory, and it's hard to do it without breaking ties, and the key is that the risk is too great because we are unfamiliar with the place."

Yang Jiefang understood and nodded, saying, "The chief wants me to lead the way and get the brothers on the mountain to pull off a heist." Black Widow's lips curled slightly, and she said, "Whether you do it or not is up to you. If you succeed, it'll be your pledge of allegiance. Don't worry! According to the mountain's rules, no matter how much you get, you'll get ten percent!" Yang Jiefang asked, "How is the other ninety percent distributed?" Hou Fei beside him answered softly, "Ten percent goes to the chief, one percent to the participating brothers, and the remaining seventy percent is shared." Black Widow added, "If you have any other ways to increase income, I'll give you ten percent as well." Yang Jiefang nodded and said, "Please allow me to think about it. Besides, I'm injured and need to heal first." Black Widow said, "Of course. Skyrocket, you carried this man up the mountain, so let him come with you! Make sure you explain our village's rules to him! Alright, if there's nothing else, you can leave now!"

Seeing several account books on the table next to Master Kong, Yang Jiefang said, "May I take a look at the account books?" This was out of professional habit; the operating status of a company can be seen from its account books. The same applies to this bandit group. If Yang Jiefang looked at the account books, he might be able to find some problems and then find corresponding solutions.

Black Widow was slightly taken aback. Before she could speak, Master Kong suddenly stood up and angrily said, "Who do you think you are? Do you think you can just look at these ledgers as you please?" Black Widow frowned and said, "Master Kong, why get angry? What does a mere child like him know?" Then she waved to Yang Jiefang and the other two, signaling them to leave. Hou Fei bowed in agreement, tugged at Yang Jiefang's clothes, and left with Ma Fei.

Yang Jiefang was incredibly annoyed. All he wanted was to look at the accounts, why was he so furious? Could they have falsified the accounts? Lost in thought, he heard Hou Fei mutter behind him, "This Master Kong is getting more and more unruly; this isn't a good sign." Hou Fei countered, "They're about to be family, so naturally they don't hold back. Let's not worry about it!" Yang Jiefang compared the Black Widow's large frame to Master Kong's thin frame and shook his head, saying, "Master Kong's tastes are really heavy! With his physique, can he handle it?" Hou Fei scoffed, "I'm talking about his son, who's two or three years older than Miss Gao, and he's been eyeing him for a while. Master Kong is managing the stronghold so diligently; he's paving the way for his son." With the Black Widow's figure, her daughter would likely be just as beautiful; perhaps Master Kong isn't after the daughter-in-law, but rather the stronghold itself?

Hou Fei turned around and hooked his arm around Yang Jiefang's shoulder, saying, "The chief has agreed to let you stay. From now on, you're a brother of our Qinglong Village." Yang Jiefang nodded and replied, "Yes. It just feels a bit too simple, there's no sense of ceremony at all." Hou Fei chuckled and said, "Who do you think you are? Do you think you need to set up an incense hall, chop off a chicken's head, and drink blood wine? You've watched too many plays, haven't you? You're just an ordinary little henchman on the mountain now. Do you know what the chief means by letting you follow me?" Yang Jiefang nodded in response: "It means I'll be your little brother, and do whatever you say!" Hou Fei was quite satisfied with how cooperative Yang Jiefang was, and nodded, saying, "From now on, you're one of my men. I'll protect you and make sure you don't suffer any losses. But you also have to listen to me, you understand?" Yang Jiefang nodded and replied, "Understood, Brother Monkey, I'll do whatever you say." Hou Fei chuckled and said, "Actually, it's nothing, it's just... um... you're a scholar, could you teach me to read?" He looked at Yang Jiefang expectantly, his heart filled with trepidation. Hou Fei also stopped and looked at Yang Jiefang expectantly as well.

Yang Jiefang said loudly, "What's wrong with that? It's just learning to read! Not just the two of you, but all the brothers in this stronghold, as long as they're willing to learn, I can teach them. Not just reading, but also arithmetic, foreign languages, anything you want to learn, I can teach." Hou Fei and Ma Shangfei exchanged a glance, overjoyed. They hugged Yang Jiefang, excitedly saying, "Good brother, this is wonderful!" In this era, the illiteracy rate was extremely high, which is why scholars were so precious; in Qinglong Stronghold, a bandit's den, scholars were even rarer. Master Kong was considered the most learned person in the stronghold, usually aloof and looking down on these rough men. Asking him to teach you to read was impossible. For these young people eager to improve themselves, how precious was the opportunity to learn to read!