Chapter 69

In the village of Shoutou at the western entrance of Jingling Mountain, the villagers have been living by logging for generations. In this era of China, there was a lack of structural steel used in modern buildings, so wood was the primary building material. Those unfamiliar with the trade might think logging is easy—just grab an axe and start chopping, but it's not that simple. The trees to be cut down are usually very thick, and one person using an axe would hardly make much progress, no matter how hard they worked.

Therefore, logging is a profound skill: first, you need to find sufficiently thick trees, which requires experienced locals to guide you. Once you cut down the tree, the real challenge begins—transportation. Even a small tree as thick as a wrist is hard for two people to carry, let alone a tree that has been growing for over a century. Moreover, the paths in the forest are often narrow, making it even more difficult to transport the large trees.

The Russians needed a large amount of wood to build railway sleepers. Transporting wood from the Far East region was both time-consuming and expensive, so they decided to source the wood locally, which led them to Shoutou Village.

Knowing their poor reputation in the area, the Russians did not act directly. Instead, they bribed a local merchant to buy the wood under the guise of a Chinese businessman. Otherwise, the people of Shoutou Village would not have gone into the mountains to log.

As the saying goes, "You can't wrap fire in paper." Over time, it became known that the wood was being sold to the Russians. The people of Shoutou Village were not pleased, and the lumberyard immediately stopped operations. The foremen, who were Chinese but had been bribed by the Russians, exaggerated the situation to the Russians, who feared another incident like the one at the church. They ordered the workers from each section to retreat to the base and observe the situation.

Unexpectedly, Kikuchiro harbored such deep hatred for the Chinese that he led a group of men directly to Shoutou Village. The village was located at the mountain pass, and all the men were in the mountains logging. Only the elderly, children, and women were left in the village. Kikuchiro, with the intention of punishing the Chinese, entered the village shouting and herded the remaining people to an open area at the village entrance.

Kikuchiro stood in front of the crowd and roared, "Listen up, you Chinese pigs! The men in your village are not working properly. When they return, tell them that if they cause any more trouble, we will kill you all!"

An elder from the village stepped forward and asked, "Young man, may I ask what the men in our village have done wrong?"

Kikuchiro sneered, "What do you think? The men in your village are not logging properly and have even gone on strike!"

The villagers were unaware of what had happened at the lumberyard and were confused. At this moment, Xu Feng and his group arrived. Xu Feng did not want Liu Dazhuang and Qiong Sanbei to come, but they insisted, so he agreed. Seeing the large number of Japanese, Xu Feng and his group could only watch from a distance.

Just then, a group of about ten burly men, armed with axes and saws, appeared from a distance. Some of them were carrying large bags, the contents of which were unknown. These men were the loggers from Shoutou Village who had decided to stop working for the Russians after learning the truth. They sent a group of men with families to return home first. These men had not seen their families in a long time, and the bags contained rice and tender meat for their loved ones.

When the women saw their husbands return, they burst into tears. The men, seeing their families surrounded by dozens of people, were enraged. They dropped their bags, picked up their axes, and separated the Japanese from the villagers. A bloody battle seemed inevitable, but then dozens of armed Russian soldiers emerged, surrounding everyone. A Russian officer, speaking broken Chinese, ordered the men, "All of you, go back to work!"

He then turned to Kikuchiro and smiled, "You should go back too."

Under the threat of the Russian soldiers' rifles, the men reluctantly left their families and headed back to the lumberyard. They did not know that they would soon be recorded in history.

Kikuchiro and the Japanese left with their heads held high. Xu Feng and his group were relieved that a bloody battle had been avoided, but they were concerned about the fate of the men. Xu Feng began to think, "How can we save them?"

To their surprise, Kikuchiro did not return to the camp with the Japanese but turned onto another road. Liu Dazhuang said, "This is the road to the county town."

Xu Feng thought, "Kikuchiro dared to come to the village and provoke the people; his intentions must not be simple." He remembered what Sakurai Nami had done at the church and decided to follow Kikuchiro from a distance. When Kikuchiro entered the county town, he turned into a brothel.

Xu Feng was taken aback, not expecting Kikuchiro to be there for such a purpose. As he entered, he saw a middle-aged man leading a young girl into the brothel. The girl had her head down, her eyes red from crying, and she looked very delicate.

Qiong Sanbei, noticing that Liu Dazhuang was staring at the girl, smirked, "Sir Liu, I've been around for a long time, and I can tell at a glance that this girl is being sold to the brothel."

Liu Dazhuang's face turned red, and he asked, "How can you tell?"

Qiong Sanbei laughed, "Look at how she's crying. A girl who has been out with a customer wouldn't look like that." "Out" in this context means a prostitute being taken out by a customer.

Liu Dazhuang said, "Oh," and glanced at the door, but the thick cotton curtain blocked his view.

Qiong Sanbei seemed to understand something and said, "Sir Liu, would you like me to go in with you to take a look?"

Liu Dazhuang quickly replied, "My mother said this place is not good, and I won't go in."

Qiong Sanbei said, "That Japanese is so bad. Don't you want to go in and teach him a lesson?"

Liu Dazhuang thought for a moment, nodded, and went in with Qiong Sanbei.

It was the afternoon, and there were few customers at the brothel, so it was quiet. Only the madam was sitting on the kang bed with a small stove in her lap, cracking sunflower seeds.

When she saw the two men enter, she sized them up. Seeing their rough clothes and worn shoes, she knew they were not wealthy and did not greet them. She sat there and said, "Are the two gentlemen here to see a girl?"

Liu Dazhuang, who had never been to a brothel before, stood there awkwardly. Qiong Sanbei, who was used to such scenes, sat down next to the madam, grabbed some sunflower seeds from the table, and said, "Madam, aren't you a girl too?"

"Girl" here means "lover," and the madam, used to such half-joking, half-serious remarks, laughed and said, "If you like me, that's fine, but I'm quite expensive."

Qiong Sanbei pointed at Liu Dazhuang and said, "This gentleman has his eye on one of your girls. Hand over the girl who just arrived, and we'll pay you well."

The madam laughed and said, "You're too late. The girl was taken by your previous customer as soon as she arrived. The money is still here, and I haven't had a chance to collect it yet."