Time Travel: Volume 1! Starting from a Small Mountain Village

After dinner, the group was arranged to rest in the brigade headquarters' bedroom. In the dim light of the kerosene lamp in Director Huang's room, the two young Revolutionary Committee members stood out. Director Huang sat on the slightly worn wooden bed, his face showing some fatigue, while the two young men stood straight beside him, their expressions revealing a hint of dissatisfaction.

Recalling the meager dinner that evening, the man surnamed Zhong couldn't help but complain: "Director Huang, the cadres of Dongwan Village really don't take you seriously! They only gave us some corn stubble and flatbread for dinner. Is this how you treat a guest?" His words were full of dissatisfaction and indignation.

A man surnamed Du, standing nearby, quickly chimed in, "That's right, Director Huang. Look at us these past few days, all the other village officials have treated us to good food and drink, but Dongwan Village is the only one who's been so unfair to us. They're completely disregarding us." He waved his arms as he spoke, his emotions running high.

Upon hearing this, Director Huang frowned slightly, a complex look flashing in his eyes, but he did not speak immediately. A silence fell over the room, broken only by the occasional gust of wind from outside the window.

“Alright,” Huang Shi pondered for a moment before slowly speaking, “Our next task will require the cooperation of the village officials, so we shouldn’t escalate things too much. Let’s make a note of this, and we’ll find a way to deal with them later.” His tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable authority.

After saying that, he turned to look at the two young Revolutionary Committee comrades, his eyes revealing a hint of reassurance: "Don't worry, since you're following me, Huang Shi, as long as you do your job well, I will naturally not treat you unfairly. I will get my revenge for this grievance."

Upon hearing this, the two young men's expressions immediately brightened, their eyes gleaming with determination. They knew that as long as they followed Director Huang, they would definitely have a bright future.

"Tomorrow, everything will proceed as usual." Huang Shi's eyes appeared particularly sinister in the dim light of the kerosene lamp. "We'll follow the same procedures as before and bring her to the village committee. I'll read out her 'criminal evidence,' and you two will provide cover and incite the crowd. Those villagers are nothing but ignorant peasants; with a little guidance, they'll pounce on her like mad dogs. Hmph, she definitely won't be able to withstand the villagers' onslaught and will naturally confess obediently."

After Huang Shi finished speaking, a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth, as if everything was under his control. The two young Revolutionary Committee comrades also smiled knowingly, their eyes gleaming with cunning.

However, at this moment, the man surnamed Zhong frowned slightly, as if he had some unresolved doubts. He hesitated for a moment, but still couldn't help but speak up: "Director Huang, the Jiang family used to be just a small landlord in Pingwu County. Although they had some land, it's not enough to warrant such a big fuss, is it? Aren't we making a mountain out of a molehill by mobilizing so many people?"

He paused, then continued, "I think we should focus our efforts on that old couple in Yunyang Commune. They used to be big landlords in Beijing, with a huge fortune. They're definitely more lucrative than the Jiang family. If we can take them down, our achievements will be much more than this."

After speaking, the man surnamed Zhong's eyes gleamed with anticipation, seemingly hoping that Director Huang would adopt his suggestion. However, Huang Shi merely smiled slightly and did not respond immediately. He had his own plans; the Jiang family was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

You see, the Jiang family was specifically ordered by "that" big shot above to come down and "take care" of them. Thinking of his two subordinates who had been with him for several years and were considered his capable assistants, he finally said, "I'll tell you, but don't go spreading it around. It's said that the Jiang family has a treasure."

"Treasure"

Upon hearing those two words, their eyes gleamed with an unusual light, as if they had already seen this so-called "treasure."

"Director Huang, rest assured, we will definitely follow you closely and do our best, even if it means going through fire and water."

"Hmm," Huang Shi squinted, quite satisfied with his two subordinates' statements. "Of course, we can't give up on Yunyang Commune." Huang Shi pushed up his glasses, his eyes gleaming with cunning and greed. "The Zuo family, where Zuo Minghan is from, was once a well-known landowning family in Beijing. Although they voluntarily handed over their land to the government after the founding of the People's Republic, putting on a righteous front, the Zuo family had been operating in Beijing for decades. They were a large and wealthy family. I don't believe they didn't keep some gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, or calligraphy and paintings."

At this point, Huang Shi licked his lips, as if he could already see the piles of gold and silver treasures before him, waiting for him to enjoy them. His eyes grew even more greedy, as if he wanted to possess everything the Zuo family owned.

Unbeknownst to them, their discussion inside the room was overheard by a petite figure outside. Indeed, Long Lifan was quietly crouching against the wall, just as she heard the name Huang Shi utter—Zuo Minghan.

Now Long Lifan is 100% certain that the elderly couple in Yunyang Commune are indeed her maternal grandfather and his family. The thought of the persecution her grandfather and his family suffered fills her with grief and anger towards Huang Shi and the others.

Long Lifan knew something about her maternal grandfather's situation. During the War of Resistance against Japan, her maternal grandfather's family began to sell their property to support the front line. During the Liberation War, the Long and Zuo families became in-laws. In order to support her paternal grandfather's in-laws, her maternal grandfather sold all the valuables in the house to provide supplies for her paternal grandfather's troops.

In Long Lifan's view, her grandfather had made great contributions to the establishment of China, but now he was being treated unfairly and was being persecuted by Huang Shi, a person with ulterior motives. She was burning with anger. Just as she was thinking of a solution, she turned her head and saw a figure. She was startled and almost screamed.

"It's me, Long Zhiqing!"

A low, soft voice rang out from the figure, and after a moment, Long Lifan was able to make out the person's identity in the dim light—Qi Shishen.

"Comrade Qi, what are you doing here?" Long Lifan, recalling what she had just overheard—that the other party was after Qi's mother—suddenly felt her question was somewhat redundant. She then asked, "How long have you been here?"

I wonder if Qi Shishen heard what was said earlier. If he did, then the two of them now have a common enemy, and maybe they can even cooperate.

"Not long, just a little bit earlier than you!" Qi Shishen leaned against the wall and answered softly.

"???" Long Lifan was speechless. The other person had arrived earlier than him, and he hadn't even noticed.