Chapter 7: A Good Meal

In a rundown courtyard, along the way he has already seen many rundown courtyards.

In each courtyard there is a group of people, apparently living together, a bunch of soulless people.

Living together has one advantage: the food won't be stolen, but when you find food you must contribute it, and everyone shares it.

It looks harmonious, but in reality everyone is scheming and bickering, crying father and calling mother.

Jiang Anguo just came over, feeling that Chanda's defeat involved more than a thousand people, perhaps even more, but he doesn't understand why the station chief only said eight hundred; maybe he was too lazy to count.

"This piece of meat, three jin four liang six qian, hard‑won. In the name of the army that repels foreign aggression, and in the name of victory, I order the meat seller to give a discount, but…"

It must have been Lin Yi speaking, who just happened to enter the door, with a piece of meat hidden inside his clothes.

He prepared a long speech for this, but before he could finish, everyone had already snatched the meat.

They didn't rush to put it in the pot; instead they kept sniffing, God knows how long it's been since they smelled meat.

Each one was intoxicated by the meaty scent, as if it were dragon meat from the heavens.

The one wielding the ladle was naturally She Pigu, a chef from Guangdong.

The people in the courtyard had already thrown all the gathered ingredients into the pot: sliced pork, cabbage, and vermicelli.

At that moment Mi Long also opened his eyes, walked to the crowd, holding a branch, looked at the pot of thin broth, such a huge pot, and thought how could the contents feed everyone.

"Is this damn pork stewed with vermicelli? Pork stewed with vermicelli isn't made like this! You've turned a perfectly good pot into a disaster for you dead‑zone folk! Why didn't you add soy sauce? Soy sauce calling you? Do you have a grudge against cabbage? Making this huge pot of cabbage‑and‑something? Vermicelli! My god! It's bad enough there's no potato starch, but you dumped a whole bundle of dead sweet‑potato vermicelli in there? You potato‑head, are you brainless? Where's the pork? Did Little Japan snatch all the pork and soy sauce? Get it back! By the heavens, how does anyone in Northeast make pork stewed with vermicelli like this? This whole pot is just damn vermicelli‑cabbage soup!"

Mi Long talked for ages, and everyone dared not breathe; there was no way around it, this courtyard belonged to Mi Long, the most dominant—tall and broad, a Northeastern man.

In a fight, truly no one could match him.

Don't be fooled by Mi Long's hulking build; he knows how to make money. In the whole courtyard, the richest is Mi Long, the wealthiest is also Mi Long; his supplies are endless, even reaching canned food.

"Yang Dan, go bring my canned food and soy sauce."

Soon Yang Dan fetched the two items, kindly noting that the meat can was Beef, and then Mi Long jabbed him in the waist.

Mi Long said and directly sliced the can open with a knife, poured the Beef into the pot, and dumped the whole bottle of soy sauce in.

Everyone stared wide‑eyed; they had thought Mi Long came to cause trouble, but didn't expect him to bring out such precious Beef.

Only She Pigu looked anxious; this isn't how to cook, but he didn't dare speak loudly, fearing to upset Mi Long, and a beating would be the least of it.

Everyone in the courtyard has been beaten by Mi Long; they truly can't win, his strength is too great.

For someone like Lin Yi, She Pigu feels Mi Long could take on ten of them; mainly because this guy is just that strong.

Everyone standing or lying in the courtyard, the thirty‑something, have never beaten Mi Long.

"Xiao Si, straighten your uniform, let's go in." Jiang Anguo and Xiao Si each tidied their uniforms.

"Yes, Young Master."

"Hmm." Jiang Anguo narrowed his eyes, emitting a sound.

"Yes, Major Company Commander." He saluted Jiang Anguo properly.

Jiang Anguo expressed great satisfaction with this.

The courtyard had no gate, so they entered directly.

The lively noises suddenly halted; the courtyard smelled of meat, yet a foul odor also drifted, perhaps because too many people lived there, making the smell unpleasant, though they themselves were unaware.

Meng Fanle muttered, "Another free‑rider shows up."

The veterinarian glanced, as he was standing closer, and heard it.

He probably thought Jiang Anguo came just to get a free meal, but looking at Jiang Anguo's gear, that didn't seem likely.

"Oh dear, what kind of officer is this, soft‑skinned and tender," Mi Long teased.

Jiang Anguo didn't mind; he walked over, looked at the strange contents in the pot, stirred with a spoon, and said, "The smell's okay, but it's missing something."

"You're their leader," Jiang Anguo said, staring at Mi Long; at 1.8 m Jiang Anguo was still a head shorter than the 1.9 m Mi Long.

Seeing Jiang Anguo's blunt face, Mi Long's first thought was that this man came looking for trouble.

But he couldn't read the other's game, so he didn't want to offend him; Mi Long surviving this far shows he has good judgment—his tone may be sharp, but that doesn't make him a fool.

The other is a major, and they also have a major; Mi Long doesn't want to step forward now, he wants someone to test the waters.

So everyone looked at Lin Yi, of the Officer Training Corps, class fifteen, a major who has never seen battle, his face still youthful.

Someone like that going to the Front, just like Jiang Anguo now, will cause deaths, many deaths.

But Jiang Anguo is already seeking his target and preparing for it.

Lin Yi stepped forward, saluted, "Good day, officer; I am the highest‑ranking here, Major Lin Yi."

Jiang Anguo nodded, "You needn't salute me; we hold the same rank—th Division, Major Company Commander, Jiang Anguo."

Jiang Anguo observed everyone; there were over twenty people in this courtyard.

Their eyes changed when they heard th Division; it was clear they knew of th Division, not only knew but also promoted it vigorously.

It wasn't that they wanted to know, but for propaganda; of course, th Division also has outstanding battle records.

The War of Resistance Against Japan has raged to this day, a lonely China.

The army lacks confidence, the populace lacks confidence; therefore propaganda has become extremely important.

Even if a single battle wipes out several thousand Japanese Army troops, it is still a victory.

Meng Fanle obediently fell silent; he kept mentioning the time he killed a Japanese invader and injured his foot, but only he knows what really happened.

But th Division is different; they truly fight the devils.

Meng Fanle, like Mi Long, learned while the Expeditionary Force was stationed at Tengchong that th Division suffered heavy losses in that battle, with combat personnel losses exceeding half.

th Division's strength has not yet recovered.