Chapter 55 Preparing to Enter the Ancestral Hall

Throughout the afternoon, Zhang Huacheng was somewhat absent-minded. It wasn't because of the news that the old Chen family were bandits—he had already suspected as much beforehand, so it came as no great surprise.

What occupied his thoughts were the firearms and ammunition hidden within the old Chen family's ancestral hall.

As long as there were sufficient arms and ammunition, and provided they weren't surrounded by a massive wolf pack led by an alpha wolf, he could walk completely unhindered through the Changbai Mountains.

Once the wolf-skin coats were finished, he would even dare to lead Tiezhu and Ergou in a direct charge against smaller wolf packs that only had a single alpha.

"Are you truly not considering moving back to the county town?" Shen Yue had finally managed to persuade Wang Zhengang to bring their youngest daughter's family to live in the county town, but she never expected that they had no desire to go whatsoever.

There would be a vacancy at the food station opening up by the end of the year, and she had already planned to reserve it for Zhang Huacheng.

"Mom, I'm doing quite well here. Please don't ask anymore. Why didn't big brother come along with you?" Wang Lin was unwilling to leave, nor did she wish to dwell on the subject.

She was living a very happy life now.

Whenever her mother visited in the past, her eldest brother would always accompany her, but this time he was absent, and Xiao Meng had come instead.

"Your brother? He just started working as a train security officer at the railway station. He said he wanted to prove himself, so we didn't ask him to take time off." Mentioning her son brought a flicker of worry to Shen Yue's face.

"Big brother became a train security officer? That's wonderful!" Wang Lin exclaimed in pleasant surprise. After being demobilized from the army, her eldest brother had stubbornly refused the much-coveted job at the food station because he was dead set on becoming a police officer. Being able to work as a security officer on the trains could be considered the fulfillment of his wish.

A train security officer?

Zhang Huacheng, however, knew this was hardly an ideal job. In the chaos of the current era, train security officers not only had to maintain public order but also combat crime. The trains were swarming with criminal syndicates, pickpocketing incidents occurred with high frequency, and ticket-evading profiteers were everywhere.

"Wonderful? What's so wonderful about it? He's either arresting members of the Black Five categories or nabbing pickpockets. With your brother's stubborn temperament, he's bound to get hurt sooner or later."

Wang Zhengang chimed in with this blunt remark.

Zhang Huacheng thoroughly agreed with that assessment; Wang Lin's eldest brother possessed a rigid and confrontational personality, making a security officer's role a poor choice for him.

"Can't you play the part of a mute? Is there anyone else who curses their own son like that?"

Angered, Shen Yue kicked Wang Zhengang.

She knew Wang Zhengang's resentment stemmed from their son's refusal to take the food station job in favor of becoming a train security officer. She was well aware of the dangers involved in the work, but she had been unable to talk him out of it.

Arresting members of the Black Five categories was relatively safe—landlords, rich farmers, counterrevolutionaries, bad elements, rightists, and their descendants were heavily restricted at present, strictly forbidden from roaming about freely.

Pickpockets, however, were a different story. Operating in small bands of three or five, they were tightly knit groups, and if one encountered a massive gang of train robbers, a security officer would be in grave danger.

"By the way, Linlin, there is another reason for our visit. In half a month, your brother is getting married. His fiancée is a young woman from the textile mill in our area, introduced by the director of the street committee's women's federation. You two must attend!"

Shen Yue shared this piece of good news with Wang Lin.

"Big brother is getting married?"

Wang Lin was pleasantly surprised.

Watching the family of three converse happily, while Zhang Huacheng occasionally eavesdropped, dinner was soon prepared.

"Huling, tell Mom to bring the two children inside for dinner." Zhang Huacheng had finished stir-frying two dishes, fried a plate of peanuts, and stewed a pot of pork tripe soup. He called out to Huling, who was currently engrossed in reading *Dream of the Red Chamber*.

"Okay!"

Huling ran outside to call them, and soon enough, her mother walked in with little Ya and Doudou.

As soon as dinner started, the two little girls were happier than anyone else.

Xiao Meng was also invited to sit down and join the meal.

Wang Zhengang and his wife had already ascertained that their daughter's household was living better than their own; there was no shortage of rice, flour, meat, or cooking oil at all. Furthermore, Zhang Huacheng's culinary skills left them astonished—this food tasted far better than anything served in a restaurant.

"With skills like these, Huacheng could work as a professional chef, couldn't he?"

After taking a few bites, Shen Yue was deeply amazed by the vibrant colors, rich aromas, and excellent flavors. No wonder her daughter had claimed she wasn't good at cooking; with culinary skills of this caliber, she herself would probably be afraid to step foot in the kitchen.

"Where did you learn to cook?" Wang Zhengang was equally surprised. He frequently dined at restaurants, and the dishes he ate there fell far short of what was on this table, so he naturally knew these skills were extraordinary.

"I picked it up here and there, and figured out some of it on my own."

Zhang Huacheng smiled and gave a vague reply, constrained as he was by the available ingredients and seasonings; otherwise, he could have made the meal even more delicious.

As for becoming a professional chef, that was out of the question. In the 1960s, the catering industry in small county towns was entirely dominated by state-run and collective restaurants. Private eateries had ceased to exist both in policy and practice, only gradually reappearing in the 1980s.

Xiao Meng glanced sideways at his master. Was this the country-bumpkin son-in-law his master had disparaged all the way along the road? Judging by this culinary prowess and eloquence, he felt that his master was the actual country bumpkin when compared to this man.

Naturally, he didn't dare voice these thoughts aloud.

During the bitter winter months, darkness fell quickly, and snowflakes had begun to drift down by afternoon. Before four o'clock, Wang Zhengang and his wife prepared to leave for the county town, knowing full well that once night fell, the road would become perilous.

Naturally, Zhang Huacheng and Wang Lin made no attempt to persuade them to stay longer. The family escorted them out to the village entrance.

"Linlin, Huacheng, whenever you have time, bring Doudou home for a visit."

With reddened eyes and a smiling face, Shen Yue waved goodbye with lingering reluctance.

Pushing his bicycle, Wang Zhengang walked ahead in silence. Tied securely to the back of his seat were a wolf's leg and two gray wolf skins that Zhang Huacheng had practically forced upon him.

He truly didn't know what else to say.

"Dad, Mom, be safe on the road!"

Wiping away her tears, Wang Lin waved continuously.

"Let's go, time to head home."

"Mmm."

Only after their figures had completely vanished from sight did Zhang Huacheng take Wang Lin by one hand and pick up Doudou with the other, heading back home.

When they arrived, Tiezhu and Ergou had already returned, having clearly waited somewhere nearby until he finished dealing with his family's matters.

"The ancestral hall was empty, but the door was locked. Are we going tonight?"

Ergou had gone ahead to scout the location.

"We are!"

Zhang Huacheng said with considerable anticipation, "If we can secure a couple of crates of ammunition and a few good firearms, our trips deep into the mountains will be infinitely safer."

Ammunition was exorbitantly expensive; on the black market, a single bullet was estimated to cost one dime.

Even the mountain guards of the Chen Family's Three-Mile Canal were only issued fifty bullets during the winter season. In spring, summer, and autumn, however, they received a mere twenty bullets per season, out of fear that the guards might sell them off. If they ran out, they had to pay for replacements out of their own pockets at the production brigade, or trade meat for them.

And that was considered an abundance. In other production brigades, such as the Fuzhuang Brigade, the mountain guards weren't even guaranteed ten bullets during the winter.

Inside the house, Wang Lin was tidying up the bowls and chopsticks, weeping softly as she worked. Zhang Huacheng knew her tears were tears of joy; after all, several years of estrangement had finally been resolved.

"Big brother is getting married in half a month. We need to prepare a proper gift."

Zhang Huacheng walked over and patted her gently on the back.

"Wh-what should we prepare?"

Wang Lin choked back a sob. She would finally be able to return home for a visit.

"A generous gift, of course!" Zhang Huacheng said with a smile. "If it weren't for your eldest brother and mom sending us money and grain during the past few years, we would have starved to death. I remember your brother gave us his entire demobilization payout last year."

They had relied entirely on handouts from Wang Lin's eldest brother and mother over the past few years; otherwise, they never would have made it through to the present day.

"Mmm!"

Tearful yet smiling, Wang Lin nodded heavily.

What kind of gift would be most appropriate?

Zhang Huacheng pondered this question as well.