Reborn in 1963: I Hunted and Stockpiled Meat During a Famine

Qin Qiming and Liu Qingsong exchanged glances, each reading an urgent signal in the other's eyes.

problem occurs!

Upon hearing the gunshots, the soldiers on guard immediately became alert and ordered Qin Qiming and the others to stay put. One soldier remained on guard to keep watch while the other ran inside to request reinforcements.

"What exactly happened? Why were there shots fired in the city? Were they our comrades, or were there some saboteurs who infiltrated the city?"

"Take your team and head there immediately. We need to be careful that no one tries to cause trouble."

"Yes, sir! I'll take men there immediately!"

Qin Qiming listened to the sounds inside and saw Chen Jingen leading a group of people, all fully armed, running quickly towards the source of the gunfire.

"Comrade Qin Qiming, we meet again."

Zhao Meng looked at Qin Qiming and greeted him with a smile: "Come in. I spent a long time in the mixed-surname village a few years ago and I'm quite familiar with the elders in your village."

As she spoke, she nodded to Liu Qingsong: "My uncle has come too."

"Qiming has hunted a lot of game, so he came into the city to buy some things."

"You're quite capable!"

Looking at Qin Qiming, Zhao Meng smiled. "Not bad, you're quite capable. I knew you were different from the first time I saw you; you're definitely much better than the average young man. Did you sell the stuff?"

"It's already been sold to the owner of Yizui Fangxiu Restaurant."

Zhao Meng pondered for a moment and nodded: "I know Zhang Peng. He's an interesting guy, and he's never had any blood on his hands. He's generous, so he'll definitely fetch a good price."

Upon entering the room, apart from Qin Qiming and Liu Qingsong, everyone else felt uncomfortable around Zhao Meng, unsure whether to sit or stand.

Zhao Meng then took out his own allowance and asked the comrade next to him to arrange for the others to rest and prepare some food.

Qin Qiming and Liu Qingsong wanted to stop it, feeling that they shouldn't let others pay for the meal.

But once Zhao Meng spoke, they stopped insisting.

"I lived in a village with mixed surnames for a while years ago. Back then, when I ate in the village, no one complained to me or asked me to pay a penny. I didn't say anything wrong either. But now that I've invited the villagers to dinner, why are you all unhappy? Do you look down on me because I'm not from a village with mixed surnames?"

Once those words were spoken, there was no way to stop them.

They're still blocking him; isn't that clearly saying Zhao Meng is an outsider, and they won't even let him have a meal?

"You must have some other important business in this county town, right? You couldn't have come here just to see me, could you?"

"It's still Zhao..."

Qin Qiming glanced at Zhao Meng's age and was about to ask him to call him Uncle Zhao when he thought about it again. Zhao Meng had just called Liu Qingsong his uncle, so if he called him uncle, it would mess up the generational order.

"Just call me 'brother,' no matter how old you are."

“Brother Meng!” Qin Qiming continued, “I’m here mainly to report something. Brother Hao’s father-in-law was shot and killed in the mountains with a pistol.”

"Shoot him?"

Seeing Zhao Meng's expression change, Qin Qiming continued, "Short guns are rare in the mountains; most are long guns with old-fashioned barrels... and those short guns aren't Mauser pistols, they're more like pistols."

Zhao Meng gestured for Qin Qiming to continue, while he himself fell into deep thought.

"When my uncle and I went to town earlier, we ran into a group of people who were going to find Zhang Laosan. Those people had guns hidden in their sleeves. This time, something happened in Baijia Village. My uncle, Tian, ​​and I discussed it and felt something was wrong. In addition, with the guns and bullets this time, we guessed that Uncle Bai was probably killed by Qingmiangui's gang."

As for why they harmed him, it's probably because Uncle Bai inadvertently approached their hiding place. If they didn't get rid of him, they would be exposed, so they resorted to this underhanded tactic.

"In other words, there's a very high probability that the Green-Faced Ghost and his gang are currently near Baijia Village?"

"It might be near our mixed-surname village. Compared to other villages, our village is relatively close to Baijia Village."

After Qin Qiming finished recounting the events in the village, he also described the situation he encountered when he left the restaurant, his eyes never leaving Zhao Meng's light tapping of the table.

"You mean, one of the Blue-Faced Demon's gang has already infiltrated the county town?"

Zhao Meng immediately became alert: "Are they carrying weapons?"

“They were definitely carrying guns. I saw them with my own eyes when they passed our donkey cart, and they were hiding something in their sleeves.”

"Then, the ones who fired shots in the county town just now were most likely their group."

"You said you encountered them when you left the restaurant, and even saw them driving a carriage into town, and the gunshots came from that direction." Zhao Meng sneered, "They couldn't find them in the mountains, and now they dare to barge into the county town? They're courting death!"

As he spoke, he turned to Qin Qiming and Liu Qingsong.

"You must stay in the county town tonight. I will arrange your accommodations. You can leave after I've dealt with this matter and ensured your safety, otherwise the journey will be too risky. I have some errands to run; I'll have someone take you away. Jingen, come with me."

Zhao Meng shouted outside.

"Have Old Ma arrange accommodation for the people from the mixed-surname village; they can stay there tonight."

"Yes!"

The remaining people followed the advice and stayed for the time being, planning to discuss returning tomorrow.

Now we have a place to stay and food to eat, so we don't have to worry about anything else.

As night fell and after dinner, everyone went to sleep on the communal bed early.

People who can't sleep start talking about their experiences over the past few days.

Suddenly, I heard someone knocking on the door.

"Which one?"

"I am Zhao Meng."

Qin Qiming got up, dressed, and wrapped himself up tightly. He told Liu Qingsong to stay in bed while he went to open the door.

"rest?"

"No, it's cold, lying down is warmer."

"This kind of weather is truly unbearable."

Seeing that the room was dimly lit, Zhao Meng paused briefly and said, "Come with me for a moment."

After Qin Qiming left, the others continued chatting, shifting the topic from Qin Qiming selling wild game to the reason he had been called away.

"We've caught someone who came into town and opened fire, killing three people, and one is still at large. Come with me to confirm if you know that person."

Qin Qiming then understood the source of the gunshots in the county town before nightfall.

Just as I guessed, it was the Green-Faced Demon's gang!

Qin Qiming followed Zhao Meng to a stone house, where many comrades were on guard.

As soon as he opened the door, a wave of stuffy heat hit him, gradually warming Qin Qiming's chilly body.

"This place was once where the Japanese devils interrogated comrades who fought against the Japanese."

"Chief!"

The interrogator standing next to him stood up and saluted.

“I brought people to verify their identities.”

Zhao Meng stood with his hands supporting him in front of a disheveled man, and coldly commanded, "Raise your head!"

There was no response from the other party.

"Face me squarely. This is for real. Do you think you still have a chance?"

Zhao Meng's tone remained indifferent; his voice did not rise, and he did not lose his temper.

The man slowly raised his head, expressionless, leaning back limply, as if all his strength had been drained away.