Chapter 351 - 235: Burning the Bastards (Part 4)

Chapter 351: Chapter 235: Burning the Bastards (Part 4)

"Honey, what did the county give us for the model worker award this time? Let me see if Secretary Jiang was stingy or not."

Lin Zhiyin pursed her lips and smiled, explaining, "They gave you a lot of prizes at the county’s commendation ceremony. Secretary Jiang also approved a large batch of scrap bricks for you. He said they’re rejects left over from the brick factory."

Zhao Wendong’s eyes lit up. ’Scrap bricks?’

Bricks were the scarcest resource for building houses back then. Even scrap bricks were a rare commodity. They might have broken corners, missing edges, or bulging shapes, but they were still usable. Plaster them over with yellow mud, and you’d have more than enough to build pigsties and chicken coops. If you had enough, you could even build an entire brick wall.

"That’s really decent of Secretary Jiang. How many bricks?"

Jiang Weimin held up two fingers.

"Two thousand?"

"Twenty thousand."

"Twenty thousand scrap bricks?" Zhao Wendong’s voice couldn’t help but jump an octave. The more he looked at Jiang Weimin, the more he liked what he saw.

"Hahaha, if you think it’s too many, you can give some back."

"No, no! Hehe. It would be even better if there were more."

The secretary of Feng County and several other officials standing nearby exchanged a glance and nodded slightly.

Zhao Wendong pulled Li Dawei over and said to Jiang Weimin,

"Secretary Jiang, we owe a lot to Brother Li this time. If he hadn’t gone into the village for reconnaissance and taken out the enemy sentries, things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly."

Li Dawei shot Zhao Wendong a grateful look, knowing that Zhao Wendong was putting in a good word for him.

Hearing this, Jiang Weimin looked at Li Dawei. After a moment, he nodded in satisfaction, a hint of warmth and admiration in his eyes. He didn’t mind having more people close to Zhao Wendong around him, as he and Zhao Wendong were now deeply intertwined—when one prospered, so did the other.

"Comrade Li Dawei, you’ve performed very well. Not bad, you’re good stock. How long have you been stationed at the Commune?"

"Over two years."

"Hmm, and your family is from the county town, correct?"

Hearing this, Li Dawei could barely contain his excitement. He replied, his voice trembling slightly, "Yes!"

Jiang Weimin nodded. "Alright. The County Bureau is short-staffed right now. You should be prepared to take on a new challenge at any time!"

"Yes, sir! I guarantee I will complete the mission!"

Li Dawei bellowed at the top of his lungs. Zhao Wendong clapped him on the shoulder, happy for his friend. Yang Wenxue, on the other hand, was dismayed. Li Dawei was his most capable assistant. ’What a pity, he’s leaving. Who will I hand his work to when he’s gone?’

The official conclusion of the investigation had been determined. After taking statements and verifying the details with the people of Phoenix Village, Old Zhou, the deputy head of the neighboring county, and the men from the border defense regiment arrived at a verdict that largely mirrored Zhao Wendong’s account: a group from a neighboring country had illegally crossed the border, entered Phoenix Village to plunder food and supplies, and was subsequently discovered and eliminated by the Dragon King Pond militia, who happened to be passing through the area.

Before the men from the border defense regiment left, they specifically pulled Zhao Wendong aside to say a few words.

"Comrade Zhao Wendong, we have a clear understanding of this matter now. You did a beautiful job. We will request a commendation for you."

Zhao Wendong smiled and expressed his thanks.

Just then, the village’s meal was ready, so everyone ate right there in Phoenix Village. After the meal, it was time for Zhao Wendong and his men to leave. As they were about to depart, the production team leader of Phoenix Village pulled Zhao Wendong aside alone.

"Captain Zhao, the Elder Master has something to discuss with you."

Zhao Wendong looked at the old man leaning on a cane in the distance. Though puzzled, he still walked over quickly.

"Old Sir, you were looking for me?"

Elder Master Teng was so shaky he trembled even while walking with his cane. He glanced left and right, and only after confirming no one was around did he slowly begin to speak.

"I never expected you to be the ’Man Will Triumph Over Heaven’ that the old man spoke of. I know of you. You’re a good lad. Let this old man tell you a story."

"This story was told to me by Teng Fugen’s father, Teng Shoushan, when he came back all those years ago. I’ve never told anyone else. When he was young, he was captured and forced to build a treasure vault. The person who had the vault built was Pu Yi of the Manchukuo puppet state. They hid a massive trove of treasures in the so-called Land of the Dragon’s Rise, hiding it from the Japanese. All the laborers who built the vault were poisoned to death. Shoushan was lucky. He and another person escaped, and they even drew a map."

"When the two of them parted ways, they tore the map in half, each taking a piece. The person who escaped with Shoushan was from a neighboring people. Last year, Shoushan died in the river. The story goes that he was fishing and ran into a storm, but that day was perfectly calm and sunny. Isn’t that strange? To this day, he’s missing without a trace—no sign of him alive, no body found."

"So that’s the little story. Captain Zhao, you can just treat it as a bit of amusement. Anyway, this old bag of bones doesn’t have more than a couple of years left. I’ll be in the ground soon enough, and then no one will know this story."

Zhao Wendong glanced at the old man and nodded, a smile in his eyes, but his heart betrayed him and began to pound. ’Pu Yi’s treasure vault? That old bastard was still dreaming of making a comeback? From the perspective of later generations, aside from a few glamorized TV dramas and some sneaky little plots, it’s not like he ever accomplished anything significant.’

"Alright, Old Sir. I understand. Thank you."

"Take care, Captain Zhao."

"You too, Old Sir. Take care."

Back with his men, Zhao Wendong called over Zhao Ergou. "Set aside a wolf’s leg for Elder Master Teng."

"Right."

Zhao Ergou nodded and went to do it. He always carried out Zhao Wendong’s orders unconditionally.