The anti-Qing movement began with the looting of the Eight-Nation Alliance.

"Did the village chief's second uncle really come?" Zhang Tieniu wondered to himself. His second uncle was a scholar who had even passed the imperial examinations in his youth. Although he was almost seventy, he was still in good spirits. He was usually quite arrogant.

He's never even been to Zhang Tieniu's house, let alone the two dilapidated thatched huts at the Shi family's house. And today he even brought a gift—that's truly rare!

"Second Uncle!" Zhang Tieniu quickly got up to greet him!

"The village chief is here, come and sit down!" Second Grandma hurriedly came out to greet him when she heard the commotion.

"Hey! Second Aunt, why are you being so polite with us? I came in a hurry and didn't prepare anything. Here's a pack of snacks for you to try," the village chief said with a kind smile.

The word "Second Aunt" made Second Grandma overjoyed. She had been married into the Zhang family for decades, and when had she ever heard the village chief call her "Second Aunt"? Occasionally, when they met, he would call her "Second Uncle's wife."

In fact, her deceased grandfather and her father shared the same great-grandfather! Yet he never seemed to offer her any special treatment. She never expected him to be so kind today, not only coming but also bringing gifts and calling her "Second Aunt."

"Stone, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and pour tea for your second uncle!" Second Grandma called out to Stone, who was standing there dumbfounded.

Stone was genuinely a little afraid of the village chief because he had herded sheep for his family since he was a child and was often scolded by him.

"Hey! We're all family here, I'll do it myself!" the village chief said, pouring himself a cup of tea.

"Tie Niu, Shi Tou! You two have really made us proud this time! I heard that at least 100,000 people from all over the surrounding villages and prefectures went. Lord Shen only selected 5,000 elite soldiers, and you two were chosen. Good, good!" The village chief praised them as soon as he came up.

"This Lord Shen is a truly excellent official! He stopped all kinds of taxes and levies as soon as he took office, cleaned up checkpoints and prisons, and rectified the officialdom. Our Taiwu Lindao is completely transformed!" The village chief cupped his hands in greeting when mentioning Shen Lian.

"You all do a good job in the new army! Five taels of silver a month! Tsk tsk, many families don't earn that much even after a year of hard work. Let's get your brother Chuanwen in there sometime!"

So that's why you've been so polite today – you wanted to get your grandson into the new army too!

Give me a break! Your grandson, who's good at everything from eating and drinking to gambling, whoring, and smoking, wouldn't even get a chance to sweep Lord Shen's stables.

Of course, Zhang Tieniu thought this in his heart, but he said aloud that he and his companion had just arrived and didn't know the situation yet. He would definitely recommend them to his superiors once they had become more familiar with each other.

Shi Tou listened anxiously from the side. That Zhang Chuanwen was a scoundrel. He had bullied him countless times before, and the marks on his back from being whipped by Zhang Chuanwen were still there!

The dishes were served quickly. Today, Grandma Er had stewed a chicken, stir-fried some pork liver, made a plate of fatty pork, and served a winter melon soup. This was considered a very lavish meal for a rural family.

Zhang Tieniu opened the wine he had brought and filled the village chief's glass, and also poured half a bowl for Shi Tou.

"Second Uncle, this bowl is for you! Since it won't be convenient for Shi Tou and me to come back from the military camp in the future, please take good care of our family!"

"Hahaha! We're all family, no need for formalities. Go ahead with peace of mind! Do a good job! I'll take care of things at home!" The village chief accepted their respect with great pride.

The village chief was in high spirits today, frequently raising his glass. Soon, the three of them had finished two jin of wine.

Before leaving, the village chief patted Tie Niu and Shi Tou on the shoulders, hiccuping as he said, "My two nephews, do your best in the new army, and try to make a name for yourselves. The world is not peaceful these days, but with you two in Lord Shen's new army, even if some villains want to take advantage of our village, they'll have to think twice."

When Zhang Tieniu got home, he was about to lie down and rest when his mother came in.

"Honey, there are still quite a few steamed buns left from lunch. Could I take some over to my mother and the others?" the young woman said softly.

"Hey! It's all my fault!" Zhang Tieniu slapped his forehead. His own family was well-fed, but his in-laws were still starving! Their situation was even worse than his own before; they were probably already starving!

"wait for me a while!"

Zhang Tieniu got up and went to his mother's room, explaining that he wanted to send some grain to his father-in-law. Although he was now in charge of the household, he had joined the army. His mother still needed to manage things, and he needed her consent to avoid future conflicts between them.

The old lady was a reasonable person, and she liked her daughter-in-law very much. She was sensible, filial, beautiful, and kind to her siblings. Now that her own family was doing better, it was only right that she take care of her in-laws.

"How much are you planning to send?" the old lady asked, nodding.

"How about ten catties of wheat flour and ten catties of corn flour, Mother?" Zhang Tieniu said cautiously, glancing at his mother's expression.

The old lady shook her head; "Let's replace them all with cornmeal. That way they can eat a few more bites."

"Thank you, Mother!" Zhang Tieniu said with great joy.

"Hmph! You brat, do you think your mother is such an unfeeling person? Go and come back soon, you have to go back to Linqing tomorrow!" The old lady rolled her eyes at her son and scolded him with a smile.

Upon receiving the news, the young woman happily ran into the house to kowtow to her mother-in-law, and finally came out wiping away her tears of joy.

It's about ten miles to Zhang Tieniu's father-in-law's house, and it happens to pass through a town. We won't bring any grain from home; it'll be more convenient to buy it in town.

Because they needed to leave early and return early, the couple didn't bring their child. They hurriedly left with a small cloth bag containing several old clothes for adults and children, a box of pastries that the old lady had brought for her in-laws, and a few steamed buns.

The two arrived in town in one go and first bought thirty catties of cornmeal. Seeing that there was pork for sale, Zhang Tieniu also bought two catties.

This time when she returned to her parents' home, Nenniang felt incredibly at ease, and even her steps felt lighter.

"Hey, your mother's back!" "Your mother's back to see your parents!"

"Yes! Third Aunt, how are you feeling!"

As she entered the village, people kept greeting her! The young woman smiled and answered them all.

After the two left, a murmur rippled through the room. "Was that young woman's man? Did he strike it rich? Look at the sacks he's carrying, they're definitely grain!"

"Yes! Such a big bag, how much must it be? Even wheat bran would be worth tens of coins!"

"What kind of eyes do you have! Did you see what he's carrying? Even though it's wrapped in paper, it's obviously meat! Someone who delivers meat wouldn't bring wheat bran; it would at least be cornmeal. Maybe even wheat flour!" another woman said.

"Tsk tsk, you have to admit Old Ge is lucky! They were on the verge of starvation and were just lying at home waiting to die. But then such a good son-in-law came and brought them food."

"Absolutely! Why don't I have such a good son-in-law! Sigh!"

"Give me a break! Haven't you even looked at your daughter? How dare she compare to that young woman!"

"No matter how ugly my daughter is, she's still better than some people's daughters who are as thin as reeds!"

"Whose daughter are you calling a piece of trash?"

"Tell me what's wrong with you?"

"I'll fuck you %￥%￥@￥%%￥@....."