Newborn 1927

At mealtime, the canteen was almost empty. Yang Jiefang's team was the largest, with thirty people including Bao Ziqiang. The Wolf Team and Dragon Team were both less than half full, with more than one table and two tables not quite enough. The Leopard Team and Tiger Team only had Lin Baozi and Peng Dahu left, who came over and squeezed into Yang Jiefang's table. Bai Lang and Li Yichao from the Dragon Team were both surprised, not understanding when Lin Baozi and Peng Dahu had become so close to Yang Jiefang.

Old Wu, the stingy one, carried over a large bowl of chicken legs and placed it on Yang Jiefang's table, saying, "Forty braised chicken legs, pay up!" Yang Jiefang, prepared, took out twenty silver dollars, placed them on the table, and said, "Count them." Old Wu counted out six silver dollars, tossed them in his hand, and said, "Fair trade, you said that, didn't you! I may be stingy, but I'm not cunning. These forty chicken legs weigh over fifteen jin, I'll round it up for you, six silver dollars. Is that fair?" Yang Jiefang couldn't help but praise, "Fair!"

Hou Fei grabbed a chicken leg first and shouted, "Brothers, time to eat chicken legs!" The people at the other tables couldn't wait any longer and swarmed forward, each grabbing one. Lin Baozi and Peng Dahu, sitting at the same table, exchanged glances, hesitant to take a bite. Yang Jiefang laughed, "Brother Lin, Brother Peng, we're all brothers, don't be shy! It's on me today." Seeing there were still about ten chicken legs left in the bowl, the two didn't stand on ceremony and each grabbed one.

Old Wu turned around and said to the Dragon Team and Wolf Team members, "One silver dollar for seven chicken legs. If you want some, pay up. This is your only chance today; you won't get any tomorrow, even if you have the money." Bai Lang and Li Yichao were still hesitating about whether to add more chicken legs when Yang Jiefang held up six silver dollars and shouted, "Manager Wu, give me forty more chicken legs!" Old Wu angrily replied, "You want to eat them all yourself? No way, no matter how much money you offer, it won't work." Bai Lang and Li Yichao no longer hesitated and each took out two silver dollars to buy chicken legs. Old Wu chuckled as he took the money and had the chicken legs brought over; it seemed he had been prepared all along. Yang Jiefang stood up, holding the silver dollar, and walked up to Wu Laokou, saying, "I'd like to give the sisters in the Phoenix Team an extra chicken leg. They've been guarding the village gate since yesterday, and they've been working very hard!" Wu Laokou was slightly taken aback and said, "There are only a dozen or so of them; we don't need that many." Yang Jiefang said, "If there are any extras, please send them to the chief's courtyard. Make sure everyone gets a chicken leg." This time, Wu Laokou didn't refuse and said, "I'll prepare them for you; you can deliver them yourself." He took the money and left.

Bai Lang walked over and said, "Brother Yang, what's going on here?" Before Yang Jiefang could speak, Hou Fei interjected, "Brother Bai, Brother Yang taught us a new song today, want to learn it?" Bai Lang was taken aback and asked, "What new song?" Hou Fei sang loudly, "Ten Miles..." The members of the Jiefang team joined in, singing, "...I love you! A healthy body every day. Ten Miles, I miss you! Running every day makes you grow strong. Ten Miles, cures all diseases, a day without running feels unhealthy. Brothers in front, run faster, brothers behind, give it your all, after you finish running, go back and get some chicken legs, get some chicken legs..." After singing, Hou Fei said... "Did you hear that? This chicken leg is something we earned by running ten miles this morning," Bai Lang said a little embarrassedly. "We thought it would be the first day of the Lunar New Year, so we wanted the brothers to rest. Don't worry! We'll definitely run tomorrow. Otherwise, we'd be letting this chicken leg down." Yang Jiefang then chimed in, "I begged and pleaded for ages before Manager Wu finally agreed to give us more chicken legs. I wanted a few more, but he absolutely refused. I had no choice but to give one to each of the brothers, I felt really bad! But then Old Wu played a trick on me, even though there were so many chicken legs, he wouldn't let me have any more. He's such a stingy old man, really stingy!"

Bai Lang didn't want to dwell on the matter any longer. Pointing at Lin Baozi and Peng Dahu, he asked, "What's wrong with you two brothers? Are you really all alone? What about your men?" Lin Baozi replied unhappily, "We all know the answer, why are you asking when you already know?" Bai Lang was a little confused and asked curiously, "Explain yourself clearly, why are you asking when you already know?" Lin Baozi said, "Aren't most of your men gone?" Bai Lang said, "Yes, they went home for the New Year, so what?" Lin Baozi frowned and said, "Didn't you assign them any other tasks?" Bai Lang first... Startled, he suddenly realized something, his eyes widening as he asked, "Brother Yang, is there something I don't know?" Yang Jiefang also reacted, lowering his voice to recount the subsidy amount promised at Lin Baozi's place yesterday, adding, "This is just my idea; I haven't formally proposed it to the leader yet, and I can't be sure if she'll agree." Bai Lang nodded, "I understand." He immediately turned back to his table and said, "Everyone, stop and come out with me for a moment. I have something to say." He led the Wolf Team out to give instructions: go down the mountain to recruit more people.

Yang Jiefang asked in a low voice, "Brother Lin, Brother Peng, how many men do you plan to expand?" Lin Baozi laughed, "There's no fixed number. We'll bring in as many as we can. But don't worry, I definitely won't take anyone who's not presentable." Peng Dahu nodded, "That's what I meant too. Brother Yang, how many do you think our stronghold can support at most?" Yang Jiefang said, "We can support as many as we want, the key is that our stronghold doesn't have enough guns and ammunition. Do you two have any connections?" Lin Baozi shook his head, "If it's just three or five guns, I can think of a way, but more than that is difficult. Brother Peng used to serve in the army, perhaps you have a solution?"

Peng Dahu pondered for a moment and said, "I've been away from the army for several years now, and my old connections are no longer effective. However, it's not like there's no way." Yang Jiefang eagerly said, "Tell me about it." Peng Dahu said, "Brother Yang, you've been to Yantai City. Do you know if there's an East Mountain Fort and a West Mountain Fort outside the city?" Yang Jiefang shook his head and said, "I went in a hurry and didn't have a proper look around. I really didn't know there were two forts." Peng Dahu said, "Those are coastal defense forts built by the Qing Dynasty. Since the Qing Dynasty fell, these two forts have become mere decorations, and nobody cares about them. At the foot of West Mountain, there's an armory, originally used to store shells for coastal defense artillery. Now, nominally under the jurisdiction of the East China Sea Garrison Command, it has actually become a special warehouse for corrupt officials in the army to smuggle weapons. If you can contact the quartermaster of the East China Sea Garrison Command, you can definitely get weapons, but it's hard to say what kind of weapons they have or how many you can get." Yang Jiefang said, "That's also a way. You can give it a try." This meal further strengthened the relationship between Yang Jiefang, Lin Baozi, and Peng Dahu. Yang Jiefang believes that he can eventually recruit Li Yichao from the Dragon Team to his team.

After dinner, Bai Lang sent all his men down the mountain and contacted those already there, instructing them to recruit as many people as possible. Of course, not just anyone would do; they had to be well-known, strong, and able-bodied young men who could abide by the Ten Disciplines. Hou Fei and the others also asked Yang Jiefang if they should mobilize their men to recruit as well. Yang Jiefang refused, only demanding they intensify their training, but sent Bao Ziqiang down the mountain alone. Bao Ziqiang wasn't going down to recruit, but to Yantai to gather intelligence on the arms depot. However, judging from his sly expression, it was clear he wouldn't have made a wasted trip if he didn't recruit a few people. He also took Zhao Yuanbao with him, saying he wanted to familiarize him with the environment of Yantai.

Then, Yang Jiefang brought a large bowl of chicken legs from the kitchen to the courtyard where the Black Widow lived, claiming he had come to wish the boss a Happy New Year. Bringing chicken legs as a New Year's greeting was unheard of, which amused the gatekeeper, who, while announcing Yang Jiefang's arrival, led him into the living room.

First to emerge were Gao Huilan and Pangya, both laughing so hard they were bent over. Pangya took the basin from Yang Jiefang, her mouth watering. Gao Huilan instructed, "Give one to each of you, the rest are yours to eat." Pangya nodded repeatedly, turning to leave but then turning back to say, "Thank you, son-in-law!" and running off like a shot. Gao Huilan, however, blushed deeply, looking at Yang Jiefang with shyness. Yang Jiefang, thick-skinned, chuckled, "Looks like I came on the wrong day. According to custom, a new son-in-law should visit on the second day of the Lunar New Year." Gao Huilan feigned anger, scolding, "You're talking nonsense again." She reached out to slap him, but the blow was weak and powerless. Yang Jiefang grabbed her wrist, gently pulling her closer, his left hand naturally encircling her waist. A strong masculine presence made Gao Huilan tremble, staring blankly into Yang Jiefang's eyes. Yang Jiefang smiled, gazing at Gao Huilan with deep affection. The condescending gaze from above made Gao Huilan almost breathless, her breathing quickening and her heart pounding. Yang Jiefang tightened his grip, slowly lowering his body and bringing his face close. Gao Huilan froze, completely losing all will to resist. Just as Yang Jiefang was about to kiss her, he suddenly heard a cough behind him, and the Black Widow walked out with a grim face. Helpless, Yang Jiefang had no choice but to release her. Gao Huilan, like a startled rabbit, immediately retreated, hiding far away.

Yang Jiefang clasped his hands in a gesture of respect and said, "Boss, Happy New Year! I wish you good health and ever-increasing beauty!" Black Widow smiled and said, "This year, there are an unusually large number of brothers coming down the mountain to visit their families. Did you arrange this?" Yang Jiefang shook his head and said, "No, it was their own idea. They want to recruit a group of loyal followers. I just gave them a little hope." Then he took out a few sheets of paper from his person and handed them over. "These are the living allowance standards and reward and punishment methods for the brothers on the mountain that I wrote. Please take a look, Boss!" Black Widow took the papers and opened them. Gao Huilan also came over to read them together. After finishing, Black Widow did not comment, but changed the subject and said, "Now that almost all the able-bodied men on the mountain have come down, it is the time when the mountain's strength is at its weakest. Take your Liberation Team and patrol the mountain stronghold carefully, and strengthen the defenses. If necessary, collect some ammunition as a precaution." This was a kind of trust, and Yang Jiefang quickly agreed. The Black Widow then asked, "Is there anything else? If not, go ahead and do your work!" Yang Jiefang said, "I want to see my sister." The Black Widow agreed and had Gao Huilan take him inside.

Turning around, Gao Huilan said softly, "Those old guys on the mountain, after a few years of peace, really think the world is at peace. They don't even think about their own status, or how they got their food. Whatever your ideas are, just go for it. My mother and I will definitely support you." Yang Jiefang smiled and said, "Do you support me or agree with the ten rules I proposed?" Gao Huilan was slightly taken aback and asked, "Is there a difference? Yang Jiefang, when Aunt Chu rescued you from the traffickers, we handed you over to Hou Fei. We didn't want to get too involved with you. But your performance really impressed me. Most of the people in the mountain stronghold only see immediate benefits and few understand your good intentions. But I understand you. You are the person I've been hoping for. I agree with all your proposals. This chaotic world needs people like you so much!" It seems this girl isn't just blinded by love; she's a person with her own opinions, which makes her more reassuring. Yang Jiefang said confidently, "As long as you understand me, that's fine. It would be better if these people in the stronghold could agree with me, but it doesn't matter if they don't. As long as they listen to me, that's enough, even if they're only after immediate gains." Gao Huilan asked, "So, you let them recruit people without worrying about them turning against you?" Yang Jiefang replied, "I'm not afraid of them having ulterior motives; I'm afraid of them being without any desires or ambitions. That would be a real headache!"

As they spoke, the two arrived at the house where the older sister lived. Yang Lianhua shared a room with the other women who had been rescued with her, and they all came out to greet them upon hearing the commotion. Yang Jiefang called them "sister" and wished them a Happy New Year. The women had recovered both physically and mentally, and they were exceptionally affectionate towards Yang Jiefang, calling him "brother" repeatedly. Yang Jiefang chatted with them about everyday matters for a while before taking his leave.

Turning back, he saw Jiang Xiaojun again; she was still with Aunt Chu. Perhaps because it was the first day of the Lunar New Year, she didn't argue with Gao Huilan this time. She first thanked Yang Jiefang for the chicken leg, then asked when classes would resume, saying she could start anytime. Seeing that she was in good spirits, Yang Jiefang didn't say much, told her to focus on preparing her lessons, and then took his leave, with Gao Huilan seeing him out.

Afterwards, Yang Jiefang gathered the members of the Liberation Team and counted them. Including Wang Xunyong and others from Doushan Village, there were a total of twenty-seven people. Yang Jiefang reorganized them, dividing them into three groups of three, and three groups into three squads, with Hou Fei, Sun Zhiyong, and Yan Dong serving as squad leaders respectively. He then led them to the Black Widow to collect ammunition, five rounds for each rifle. He arranged for the three squads to take turns guarding the village gate and patrolling the mountain stronghold, replacing the members of the Phoenix Team.

At the handover of defenses at the village gate, they encountered Wang Yang from the Long Team leading a dozen or so men down the mountain. Wang Yang claimed they were going down to pay New Year's visits to relatives back home, but Yang Jiefang knew they were there to recruit new members. Li Yichao wasn't stupid; he had already figured it out. He knew that even if Yang Jiefang's men obeyed orders, they might not be truly loyal; only those recruited from his own hometown would become his trusted confidants. Having a group of loyal followers was the foundation for his future. Yang Jiefang certainly didn't like internal factions, but he knew this situation was unavoidable.