There is a narrow mountain road between the mountains.
Veteran Tie Hammer hung a long knife on his waist and walked alone on the mountain road.
Walking around the mountainside, you can see a small village sitting on the only flat land at the foot of the mountain.
At the foot of the mountain, several sallow-looking children were looking for mushrooms in the woods.
One of the seven or eight-year-old children heard footsteps, raised his head and glanced up. He didn't even want the basket and ran over in surprise:
"Dad, why are you back?"
"Didn't I tell you not to come to the back mountain again? Why did you come here again?"
Iron Hammer's rough palm rubbed the child's hair.
There is a small road in the back mountain here, which is relatively safer. There are rarely tigers and other wild beasts.
But there are also a lot of insects, rats, scorpions and the like. Every year, children who go into the mountains to cut firewood and pick mushrooms are bitten in the back mountains.
Tie Hammer's family used to have a difficult life and had to let his son go into the mountains to pick mushrooms to supplement the family income. However, after joining the escort team, Tie Hammer received one month's salary.
Three hundred yuan was enough to feed the family, so I told my son not to go to the back mountain again.
"Sister Xiaomei didn't dare to come to the back mountain, so I came with her."
The son raised his head and asked, "Dad, you said last time that you would take me and my mother to live in a brick house. Is that true?"
"Of course it's true," Iron Hammer said, "The brick house has been built. Isn't Dad coming to pick you up?"
"Goudan, I didn't lie to you, I'm going to live in a brick house!"
The child turned to make a face at a friend, and followed the hammer down the mountain in the envious eyes of a group of children.
It can be said that the Iron Hammer family has only four walls. Except for an old bed that is about to fall apart at any time, there is only a small table made of adobe.
There is no need to pack anything, just put the pots and pans on your back, take your wife and kids with you, and you’re done moving.
When they reached the mountainside, Iron Hammer's wife Xiu Niang couldn't help but look back at the village at the foot of the mountain.
She is also from this village. She has lived here for half her life and now she has to leave.
"Master, can we come back in the future?"
Xiu Niang asked softly.
"We went to Xihewan to do work, not to go to jail. Of course we can come back."
Tie Zhui said with a smile: "I'm afraid you won't be able to come back in the future."
"You are now the head of the family, so don't lie to me."
Who would have thought that Xiu Niang suddenly knelt on the ground and said, "As long as you sell me as the head of the family, my son is your blood, so you can't sell him too."
"What?"
Tie Shui was confused by Xiu Niang: "Why should I sell you and my son?"
"The money that the boss sent back a few days ago is not the money from selling me and my son. Where did it come from?"
Xiu Niang asked, crying.
"Didn't I tell you everything? That was the salary advanced by my employer after I found a job."
"Master, why are you still lying to me?"
Xiu Niang wiped her tears: "What can you do? Your boss will give you three hundred wages a month?"
"I……"
A salary of three hundred cents is definitely a high salary these days. Tieniu didn't know how to explain it, so he simply slapped the mother-in-law fiercely:
"No matter how incompetent I am, I will never betray my wife and son. Get up and follow me!"
Although Xiuniang was beaten, she felt slightly relieved.
She could feel that the man didn't lie to her.
He climbed up and followed Iron Hammer, asking, "What does your boss do?"
"He runs a spinning workshop."
"It's not like I've never spun thread, so I can't make much money?"
"That's a spinning wheel you've never seen before, but it's very fast. One person is faster than five or six others."
Iron Hammer said: "You can go work in my employer's workshop. If you go quickly, you can earn more than one copper plate a day."
"Really? I heard from my second aunt that Xihewan is a poor village."
"That was before, but it's different now," Iron Hammer said impatiently, "You'll know when you go there."
Xiu Niang didn't dare to ask any more questions and followed behind with her head lowered.
The family of three hurried slowly and hurriedly, and finally arrived at Xihewan before lunch.
"Brother Tieniu, I brought my wife and children."
Tie Hammer found Tie Niu who was busy at the door of the dormitory and asked, "Which room should we live in?"
"You are a very fast runner."
Tieniu smiled and said, "You are the first one to come here. You can choose any room."
"Xiu Niang, you choose."
Iron Hammer scratched his head and posed the problem to his wife.
But Xiu Niang didn't seem to hear it and stared at the house in trance.
It wasn't until the hammer kicked her that Xiu Niang came to her senses and chose the third room from the beginning.
The room is about forty square meters. When you enter, there is a kitchen of seven or eight square meters, and the rest is a large living room. There is a brand new table and chairs in the middle space, and a wooden bed is placed against the wall.
"Brothers and sisters, time is tight and preparations are not enough. You will live in a makeshift place for now. My boss has said that when the conditions improve, we will give you a better house."
Tieniu smiled and took out a door lock and put it on the table.
"Brother Tieniu, this is already very good."
Xiu Niang touched here and looked there, the surprise in her eyes could not be concealed.
"Then you should tidy up first and come back to me if you have anything."
Tieniu smiled and left.
"Master, this house will be ours from now on?"
Until now, Xiu Niang still feels like she is in a dream.
It turns out that Tie Hammer didn't lie to her, and she could really live in a brick house.
"The house doesn't belong to us, it belongs to the owner. We can live in it but not sell it. We still have to pay ten cents in rent every month."
Iron Hammer explained.
"My boss gives you three hundred cents a month, and lets us live in a tile-roofed house. We should pay ten cents for rent."
Xiu Niang said: "Tie Hammer, my boss thinks highly of you, so you must do your job well."
"Don't worry, my life will belong to my employer from now on."
Iron Hammer nodded heavily.
The same conversation happened many times in Xihewan this day.
On this day, the thirty-two veterans completely recognized Jin Feng from the bottom of their hearts.
It was on the evening of this day that the Xihewan Guard was officially established.
During this period, in order to reduce the possibility of conflict with the Tiegun Mountain bandits, Zhang Liang only delivered goods to the county government twice.
The first time he was severely extorted, the second time Zhang Liang simply set out in the middle of the night and sneaked through Tongshan while the bandits were still sleeping.
When I came back, I didn't dare to leave until midnight.
Mountain roads are inherently difficult, so rushing in the middle of the night is definitely not an option.
And since they are being targeted by bandits, they will find out sooner or later.
Then the battle might begin.
Jin Feng had actually been worried these past few days. It wasn't until the escort team was established that the tight strings in his heart finally relaxed.
These more than thirty veterans are all veterans who have been on the battlefield and killed people. Even if the Iron Can Mountain bandits attack tonight, they will have some ability to protect themselves.
It would be better if the bandits don't come anytime soon.
When Jin Feng is ready, it will be the bandits' turn to be afraid!