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

As soon as it was light, Zhangjiaba Village came alive with activity. The sounds of suona horns and drums filled every corner early in the morning, accompanied by occasional bursts of firecrackers.

My mother, my younger mother, and my sister went to help early in the morning, bringing their own bowls, chopsticks, and chairs. My son and daughter also ran off to see what was going on.

Zhang Tieniu didn't go early. He brewed a pot of tea and started scribbling in a small notebook. Under the guidance of his instructor for the past six months, he had learned to write most of the characters.

As an officer, he knew more than the soldiers. He estimated that by the time he returned from this leave, the troops would be going out to fight. And this time, the opponents would no longer be bandits and outlaws, but well-equipped foreigners.

This is bound to be a bloody battle; anything can happen on the battlefield. He needs to make arrangements at home so that things won't fall into chaos if he doesn't make it back.

For officers like myself who die in battle, the pension is several hundred taels. Combined with the military pay I've saved over the past six months, it's enough for my family to live on. I've heard that Lord Shen is also planning to support the parents and children of fallen soldiers; it would be even better if that could be implemented.

Erniu will be seventeen next year, it's time for him to settle down. He just needs to find a dutiful and hardworking wife. Erniu is still too timid, I'm afraid he won't be able to handle a wife from a strong-willed family.

Unfortunately, his military service was too short, and he didn't save much money. The family still only had a few acres of land; otherwise, they should have acquired some property for him.

My younger sister will be getting married in a couple of years. Although she doesn't have any special skills, she's quite pretty and has a good personality. She needs to find someone from a well-off family; after all, we have official positions.

When the time comes, let my mother and my wife prepare a generous dowry for her, so that her husband's family won't look down on her.

As he wrote this, he recalled the grand spectacle of Lord Shen's wedding. The bride's dowry stretched for miles; it was incredibly lavish. His own family certainly couldn't dream of such a thing, but they could certainly afford a dowry a little more than the average farming family.

My son, Xiao Niu, will be six years old this year, and it's time to send him to school. Master Shen once said that an army without education is a foolish army. The child should still go to school; even if he joins the army later, those with education will rise through the ranks much faster.

It's time for my daughter Yaya to learn needlework. It would be even better if she could recognize a few more words and know a little arithmetic.

"Dad, Dad! It's almost time, Great-Grandma wants you to come over!" Just as Zhang Tieniu was deep in thought, Little Niu ran back with a piece of candy in his mouth.

"Okay! Wait a minute, Dad will be right there!" Zhang Tieniu said, standing up and putting the notebook away in the box.

"Can't you eat properly! You're such a big boy, and you're still so filthy!" Zhang Tieniu took out a handkerchief to wipe the stains from his son's mouth and the sweat from his forehead, then picked up the little boy and walked towards Shi Tou's house.

He only has this one precious son, and the family line is still too small. His mother keeps saying she wants another son, so he's been trying hard these past few days to see if he can get her pregnant.

"Hey, Tie Niu's here! Come and sit down, quick!" The village chief's second uncle saw Zhang Tie Niu approaching and hurriedly stood up from his chair to greet him!

Zhang Tieniu put his son down, and the boy ran off as soon as he landed. Over there, a group of children were picking up unexploded ordnance.

"Hey! Second Uncle, please sit down, please sit down!" Seeing the village chief's second uncle leading him to the seat of honor, Zhang Tieniu quickly waved his hand.

"Hey! Etiquette cannot be disregarded! You are now a formal military officer, the only one in our Zhang family with an official position. If you don't sit in the seat of honor, who will dare to sit there!" The village chief's second uncle pressed Zhang Tieniu into the seat of honor without allowing any further discussion.

Zhang Tieniu had no choice but to sit down, and then took out cigarettes from his pocket and offered them to his uncles.

"Our Tie Niu is really something! Look how imposing he looks in his military uniform. When he arrives in the county town, even the magistrate and the county constable will treat him with great respect. Hehe!"

"These cigarettes are also sold in the county town, a pack costs twenty or thirty coins! Tie Niu, I heard you guys don't have to pay for cigarettes anymore, is that right?" Uncle San asked with a fawning smile.

“Yes! Officers in the army have a monthly quota!” Zhang Tieniu nodded. He currently gets ten packs a month, which is enough for him if he's careful with his spending.

This third uncle is the younger brother of the village chief's second uncle. He's been a good-for-nothing since he was a child, always out fooling around. Now that he's older, he's still the same. The village chief's son, Chuanwen, is a result of his bad behavior.

"You bastard, get over here and greet your Brother Tie Niu!" Speak of the devil, and he appears. Zhang Chuanwen had just been peeking over the shoulder when his father caught him red-handed.

Zhang Chuanwen was very reluctant to attend Shi Tou's wedding. How could a common soldier, someone who used to be his family's cowherd, be qualified to invite him, the eldest son of the Zhang family, to his wedding?

But the old man insisted on making him come, and he couldn't do anything about it!

"Greetings, Brother Tie Niu!" Zhang Chuanwen walked over timidly. He had been beaten up by Zhang Tie Niu a lot when he was a child, and he was still a little afraid of him even now. Seeing Zhang Tie Niu in his neat military officer uniform now only increased his fear.

"Hmm!" Zhang Tieniu nodded expressionlessly. He looked down on his distant cousin, who indulged in all sorts of vices, including drinking, gambling, whoring, and smoking.

"Tie Niu! You're an officer now, can you find a job for your good-for-nothing brother? So he won't waste his days doing nothing. Chuanwen has studied for a few years, after all, he can do some writing and calculation work!" The village chief's second uncle said with a smile.

Village chief, you're really shameless! You want a job that involves writing and calculating? Every political instructor and clerk in the army is a top-notch individual. And your son dares to even dream of that!

"Chuanwen, are you still smoking opium? You'd better quit! Maybe one day Lord Shen will implement a full ban on drugs, and someone like you might be arrested and sent to a labor camp!" Zhang Tieniu didn't answer his second uncle's question, but looked at Chuanwen and said.

"Tie Niu, are you telling the truth?" Uncle Er asked hurriedly. He didn't want his precious son to be sent to a labor camp. How could his body withstand that?

“Yes! If it weren’t for the Boxer Rebellion causing such a stir and the foreigners also getting restless, Lord Shen might have already started a drug ban throughout the entire Taiwulin Road.” Zhang Tieniu nodded.

During conscription, they were already educated about opium. Everyone in the new army knew the dangers of opium!

"Then, what should we do? Chuanwen is weak. If he's sent to a labor camp, he'll die!" Uncle said anxiously.

After the new army suppressed the bandits, each prefecture and county had an additional labor camp. The people often saw these people working, doing manual labor such as clearing river channels and repairing roads.

"Second Uncle, there's nothing you can't quit! If you still want this son, tie him up and don't let him go out. He'll quit in less than a month!"

Since they were family, Zhang Tieniu said a few more words. Whether they listened or not was none of his business! He just hoped they wouldn't bother him later.