Chapter 60

"Down with Japanese imperialism!" The political commissar suddenly blurted out a sentence in French, then looked at the fat man with a smile, testing whether he was bluffing or really knew the language.

"Revolution knows no high or low, whether it's one or a whole team of devils, they are all devils, and all are heroes!" The fat man responded immediately, though his French pronunciation was a bit rough, the grammar was correct.

The political commissar stared at the fat man, his eyes showing both surprise and approval. He reached into his pocket, took out a cigarette, and prepared to light it to calm his nerves.

The fat man, seeing this, didn't like it. How could the political commissar smoke Japanese cigarettes? It was too girly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his Hardmen, offering it to the political commissar.

The political commissar took the cigarette, put it in his mouth, and put the Japanese cigarettes back in his pocket.

The fat man took out a lighter and lit the political commissar's cigarette, then took one for himself and offered one to Commander Ma, lighting it with the lighter.

The political commissar and Commander Ma immediately fixed their eyes on the lighter, unable to look away.

"Don't stare, or you might get it stuck in your eyes," the fat man said, putting the lighter back in his pocket as if it were a treasure. Before the American supplies reached this continent, this Zippo was a rare item.

"Ahem," Commander Ma coughed a few times to cover his embarrassment.

The political commissar, however, laughed and asked, "Good stuff, where did you get this Zippo lighter?"

"The little devils offered it up," the fat man said seriously, knowing the political commissar was a connoisseur.

The political commissar looked disbelieving. You say it was seized, but did the devils really offer it up? Who are you trying to fool?

Actually, the lighter was indeed offered by the devils.

The political commissar discussed some details with the fat man and agreed to have Commander Ma bring the selected soldiers to Tiger Mouth Mountain Village the next day for his inspection. After that, the political commissar left, as there were many things at the division headquarters that needed his attention. The specifics of the operation could be discussed with Commander Ma.

Originally, the division commander and the political commissar didn't know the fat man had come, but because he had driven a military vehicle into the hospital, it was too conspicuous. The news spread throughout the village, and even the division commander and political commissar heard about it. They went to the division hospital to see what was going on and unexpectedly found themselves in this unprepared "deal."

At this moment, Monkey and the fat man had walked out of the hospital gate.

Bear's arm was fixed with a splint and wrapped in bandages, hanging in front of his chest. His wound was a through-and-through injury from a Type 38 rifle, but unlike Saishe, he didn't have the good fortune of having the alcohol, which was reserved for Saishe due to the severity of her injury.

"Son-in-law." Both Monkey and Bear were waiting for the fat man to make a decision. Saishe's condition was still unknown, and the fat man was their mainstay.

"Monkey, come back with me later," the fat man said, smoking. He was still worried about the brothers in the mountain village and hoped the worst wouldn't happen.

But he also believed that these bandits knew the terrain well. As long as they didn't engage in a direct confrontation and fled into the mountains, the devils would be helpless.

"Okay, what about the second boss?" Monkey asked.

"Son-in-law, what about Bear?" Bear was anxious. He had been a member of the mountain village since he was a child and considered it his home. Hearing that the fat man was taking Monkey back and not mentioning him made him anxious.

"You and Xiaocui will stay to take care of the second boss. We can't let her be alone in the Eighth Route Army camp and get taken advantage of, right?" The fat man reassured Bear. Since the Eighth Route Army could save Saishe, they wouldn't make things difficult for the female bandit.

"Okay." Bear was a bit disappointed and lowered his head. Although he wasn't very smart, he had been loyal to the Sai siblings for over a decade, and the fat man trusted him to take care of Saishe.

Of course, one man taking care of a woman wouldn't work. There was Xiaocui, too.

"Here." The fat man took out the remaining silver dollars from his pocket and gave them to Bear, saying, "There are mountains all around. Get some game for Xiaocui to cook and let the second boss recover. Use this money to buy some flour from the locals."

Bear nodded and took the silver dollars.

"Dog, catch!" Monkey also took out the few silver dollars he had and gave them to Bear, saying, "If anything happens to the second boss, I won't forgive you, and neither will the son-in-law or the first boss and the brothers!"

Bear was startled and suddenly felt the weight of his responsibility.

The fat man was about to leave with Monkey, but as he turned, he suddenly saw a familiar plant growing in a corner of the courtyard.

Thinking of the plant's effects, a look of joy flashed across his face. He had been worried that Bear might not have antibiotics and that his wound might become infected. Now that he had found this plant, he felt more at ease.

This common plant, found everywhere, was one of the food supplements used by special forces in enemy territory when there were no medicines or medical care—dandelion.

Although dandelion's effects were not as strong as medicine, it had anti-inflammatory and swelling-reducing properties, which was better than nothing.

The fat man walked over, picked the plant, and then returned, handing it to Xiaocui, the bandit girl he had spanked, saying, "Cui'er, do you know what this is?"

"Dandelion, who doesn't know?" Xiaocui glared at the fat man resentfully. This damn fat man had really been ruthless.

"Good, you know. Every day, pick some dandelion leaves from around here, cook them, and give them to Bear and the second boss. Understand?" the fat man said.

"Son-in-law, this is a wild vegetable, it's so bitter, even cows won't eat it." Xiaocui was dissatisfied. She had only eaten dandelions when her family was so poor they couldn't afford food. How could such a bitter thing be given to the second boss?

"If you skip even one day of cooking dandelion for the second boss and Bear, you know what punishment Fat Master will give you," the fat man said with a wicked smile, his eyes scanning Xiaocui's body with ill intent.

"I... I will cook it!" Xiaocui felt a chill run down her spine, remembering how the fat man had sat on her, making it hard for her to breathe and tearing her clothes. Her face turned red, and she lowered her head in shame.

Seeing that his words had effectively subdued Xiaocui, the fat man smiled, called over Commander Ma, Xiao Li, and Monkey, and got into the military vehicle to head back.

He wanted to see Wang Yi, but the situation with Sai Laohu and the bandits was more urgent.

Girls need to be wooed slowly; you can't rush things. Slow corrosion is the way to go, and he wasn't in a hurry.

When the car arrived at the Independent Regiment's base, he let Commander Ma and Xiao Li off and then drove the military vehicle with Monkey back to Tiger Mouth Mountain, hiding the vehicle and returning to the mountain village.

By now, it was almost sunset. The bandits guarding the mountain gate all looked dejected. These guards had been replaced, no longer the old, weak, and sick bandits, but the brothers Sai Laohu had taken out.

Seeing the fat man return, the bandits all greeted him, their voices weak and listless, completely losing their usual rough and tough demeanor.

Without asking, the fat man could tell from the bandits' faces how severe the loss had been, possibly even worse than the last failed grain raid.

As soon as he entered the main courtyard of the mountain village, the sight inside made the fat man shout in anger, "Sai Laohu, you damn scoundrel, are you addicted to harming your own brothers? Get out here, Fat Master wants to see you!"

He didn't care about the bandits' lives and even hoped they would all die, so he wouldn't have to marry Saishe.

But when he saw the courtyard filled with bodies, even he, who had always wanted to run away, who had many grievances with these bandits, and who had experienced the baptism of death, felt a surge of uncontrollable rage.