The Big beard was very dissatisfied with my attempt to make friends with the villagers.
In his opinion, taking down those people would have been a simple matter of firing a few rounds.
I didn't feel like arguing with him.
Dealing with someone as loud-mouthed and thick-headed as him would be like trying to out-quack a thousand ducks - it would only lead to headaches.
Zhang Hongsheng and his group had already left, and I followed them to check out their living arrangements.
They had connected three adjacent courtyards to create a large, interconnected space.
Besides the people we had met earlier, the courtyard was also home to some elderly individuals and three or four children, the youngest being only two years old.
When I saw the little girl, she was drooling and giggling with someone nearby, wearing a bright red cotton jacket with a floral pattern.
The outfit was a bit old-fashioned, but it suited her rosy cheeks perfectly.
I roughly calculated in my mind that this child had probably just learned to walk when the world changed.
It was hard to imagine what kind of mindset she would have to live with if the world remained in its current state or even worsened as she grew up.
Suo Tian didn't express any opinion on Zhang Hongsheng's group, his face remaining calm and indifferent, as if he didn't care at all.
Actually, if I were him, I wouldn't care much either.
The disparity in strength was enormous, and I didn't think Suo Tian would have the same kind of compassion as me, bowing and scraping to avoid hurting them.
If Zhang Hongsheng's group had refused to compromise or had been as unreasonable as Li Jianguo's group, resorting to violence, Suo Tian wouldn't have hesitated to take action.
Back then, he had dared to approach Li Jianguo alone and grab his neck.
Today, if necessary, he would likely open fire without hesitation until they all fell.
Despite the commotion, the guards still had to continue their watch.
This was one of the aspects I admired about Suo Tian's team - their organization and discipline.
Once a decision was made, it would be carried out to the end.
Even the gruff, big beard would execute orders meticulously, despite his constant grumbling.
Being part of a team like this always gave me a sense of security.
Dividing 24 hours into three shifts means each team has to stand watch for 8 hours.
Although 8 hours might not seem long, when you're stuck in that state, counting down every minute, it can drive you crazy.
It's like when I used to teach, and it was the last class of the day.
Those final minutes would be agonizing, with students fidgeting restlessly, trying to suppress their impatience while I wrapped up the lesson.
Standing on the podium, I used to find it amusing to see the students' faces, gazing longingly out the window.
But Shen Xue and I had been stuck in a similar state of anxiety and restlessness for almost 8 hours straight.
Even though we didn't have much to do besides stand guard, the feeling was similar to what many office workers experience - counting down the minutes until the end of their shift, even if they'd just end up bored at home.
It's a peculiar, contradictory feeling.
Finally, when our shift ended, Shen Xue and I sprang out of the car like rockets.
As we emerged, our whole bodies felt revitalized.
We stretched our limbs, and our mood instantly hit an all-time high.
Xu Shu was assigned to the afternoon shift.
Unlike Shen Xue and me, she wasn't restless.
She could sit alone in the car, staring at a fixed point, and remain motionless for hours.
I had to admit, I was impressed by her ability to stay still.
When we changed shifts, the snow had finally stopped, and a few rays of sunlight broke through the clouds, casting a warm glow on the thick, pristine white snow.
The scene was breathtakingly beautiful.
Yangyang, Chen Pu, and Shen Feng were still catching up on sleep, as they would be on night watch later.
Rongrong had taken Yiyi inside and was reading her a story about Snow White and the Seven dwarf.
Both kids were chubby and adorable.
Rongrong had placed Yiyi on the bed, face-to-face with her, and wrapped the little dog in a tattered cloth to prevent it from moving around.
The wrapping was so tight that Yiyi looked like a meatball.
"You're going to kill it one of these days! How can you wrap it like that? Can it even breathe?" Shen Xue exclaimed, rushing over to rescue the hapless Yiyi.
As soon as Shen Xue freed Yiyi and put it on the ground, the little dog immediately let out a defiant bark or two at Rongrong, who was sitting on the kang.
Then, it scurried away like it was fleeing for its life and squeezed itself behind a nearby cabinet.
However, its chubby body got stuck, and it ended up with its head hidden and its little bottom and tail sticking out, wagging back and forth.
Shen Xue and I burst out laughing at the sight.
Rongrong pouted and asked Shen Xue why she let Yiyi go, but Shen Xue's stern gaze silenced her.
I stopped watching their antics, rubbed my aching face, and decided to search the cabinet for some clothes to change into.
Since the homeowner's daughter was old enough to be married, she was likely around my age.
If I could find her room, I might be able to swap out my dirty cotton jacket.
I scanned the room we were in, but it didn't look like it belonged to a young woman.
I decided to search the other rooms one by one.
The first room I checked was where Yangyang and the others slept.
The furnishings were extremely simple, with not even a desk.
It seemed like no one had lived there before.
The second room belonged to Suo Tian and a few other black-clad individuals.
I knocked on the door, and a voice from inside responded, "Come in."
It was Middle aged Man's voice.
I pushed open the door and entered.
Only Suo Tian and the Middle aged Man were in the room.
When they saw me, Suo Tian raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's up?"
I waved my hand. "Nothing, nothing. You guys chat. I'm just looking for something."
I quickly scanned the room and spotted a mirror on the wall farthest from me.
Next to the mirror, on a small table, were a few simple bottles and jars covered in a thick layer of dust.
This seemed like the right place.
There was no wardrobe in the room, just a large wooden chest.
It seemed like this family preferred using chests to store their belongings.
I opened the chest and rummaged through it.
Luckily, it belonged to the girl, and I managed to find a few thick clothes that I could wear.
I picked them up and held them in my arms, waving at Suo Tian and the Big beard to indicate that I had found what I was looking for.
Suo Tian's lips curled slightly, and he nodded at me.
After returning to the room and changing into clean clothes with Shen Xue, I felt a significant surge of comfort.
Looking at the dirty cotton jacket that had been discarded on the ground, I couldn't help but feel a sense of disgust.
How had I endured wearing it for so long?
Humans are creatures that tend to be lazy, yet at the same time, they have an innate fear of boredom.
It's a natural contradiction that can't be changed.
As I lay on the bed, I listlessly scanned the room and suddenly remembered something.
I sat up and exclaimed to Shen Xue, "Let's go visit Zhang Hongsheng and his folks! We've been cooped up in this room all afternoon. It's not like we can just lie here all day."
Shen Xue, being someone who enjoys socializing, had likely felt even more bored than me after standing guard for so long that morning.
When I suggested this, she perked up like she'd been injected with energy.
She sat up straight, her face filled with excitement, and exclaimed, "Yes, yes, yes! Let's go out and take a stroll. If we stay cooped up here any longer, I'll start to feel like I'm going stale."
We were both people who couldn't resist the urge to get involved in something exciting.
With our mutual enthusiasm, we quickly confirmed our plan to visit Zhang Hongsheng's group within a minute.
Yesterday, I was thinking that today might be a good day to go out and search for food and maybe find a cellar or something.
But with Zhang Hongsheng's group showing up, I'm guessing they've already scoured the area and cleaned out all the households.
They probably found all the good spots for food, so it's unlikely we'll find anything left for us.
Before we left, Rongrong insisted on coming with us.
I figured it would be good for her to go since Zhang Hongsheng's group has kids, and she could play with them.
Plus, some of them seem hostile towards us, so bringing a child might help them warm up to us faster.
When we were about to leave, one of the guards asked us where we were headed.
When he found out we were going to Zhang Hongsheng's, he hesitated and asked if it was safe.
Xu Shu also seemed a bit worried, mentioning that we were bringing a child.
I waved my hand dismissively and said, "Don't worry, they'll know we're not bad people. If they wanted to cause trouble, they would've done it this morning, not waited for us to come knocking."
Shen Xue and I each held one of Rongrong's hands as we walked down the rural path.
The houses on either side were empty, and the surroundings were very quiet.
Rongrong was humming a nonsensical tune as we walked.
I felt extremely relaxed.
How long had it been since I'd experienced this kind of leisurely stroll?
Bringing Rongrong along proved to be the right decision.
The little girl didn't have the same reservations and suspicions as adults.
As soon as we entered the courtyard, she spotted a few kids playing jump rope and immediately perked up.
She forgot all about Shen Xue and me and ran over to join them, asking with a charming smile, "Can I play with you?"
Zhang Hongsheng asked Shen Xue and me about our visit and seemed a bit resigned when he learned we were just dropping by.
"You promised not to wander around, and now you're bringing a child to visit us already?" he said.
Shen Xue chuckled and replied, "You're misunderstanding. We're here to promote friendly relations and strengthen bonds between friends. It's a very significant gesture."
Perhaps because only the two of us females came, Zhang Hongsheng's guard dropped a bit.
He quickly responded to Shen Xue's witty remarks, and the two of them bantered back and forth, making Shen Xue and the women doing laundry nearby laugh out loud.
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