There is no sign of life in the mountain stream in early spring. Everywhere is gray rock, yellow sand, and large patches of dead grass swaying in the wind. It looks dazzling and desolate under the not-so-warm sunlight.
Four living people were stuck here, standing at four points with a distance of more than ten meters between them. If you connected the four points under their feet with a line, it would be a perfect square.
Luo Fugui held the machine gun in his hand, aiming left and right, staring at the two men and one child in front of him, sweating on his forehead. "Damn it, I'm warning you, don't move again, or I'll really shoot! Don't think I'm scared just because you stand apart. This is a machine gun, do you understand? It can sweep a large area, do you understand?"
Ma Liang stood on the left side, holding the Mauser pistol with his arm raised, pointing the muzzle at Luo Fugui: "Look carefully, you blind man, this is a 'quick-fire machine', I can shoot you into a sieve with just a flick of my finger."
Xiao Hongying stood on the right side, holding a grenade and waving it around: "Silly man, stop scaring people. What's so great about having a broken machine gun? I still have grenades. If you dare to shoot, I will pull the string. Do you believe it?"
Luo Fugui glanced at Xiao Hongying and said, "Bah! You little girl, you are not even tall enough to support your buttocks. What are you yelling about? Get out of here!"
Oh! Upon hearing this, Xiao Hongying's face turned red with anger, and her pigtail shook: "Big fool, big idiot, how dare you look down on me! Do you believe that I will pull the grenade now?" She raised the grenade and pretended to pull the rope.
Luo Fugui took a look and thought that the naughty child was courting death, so he said in a naive voice: "Silly girl, are you stupid? You pulled the grenade, so you are going to die together, you little bastard!" Xiao Hongying was so angry that she couldn't speak.
Hu Yi stood in the middle, with nothing in his hands. He folded his arms and squinted his eyes, carefully observing the mountain ridges on both sides. There was no vegetation and no place for people to hide, which made him feel much more at ease. The big man opposite seemed to be a person. His shoes were worn out, his trouser legs were torn, and he was covered in dust. Considering that the Japanese had just passed by today, this guy was either a bandit or a bandit. He was probably hiding from the Japanese and was alone. Seeing him waving his gun around and yelling for a long time, he was a typical pretentious person. Based on his expression and temperament, he suspected that even if he was a bandit, even if he was tall and big, he didn't have the courage to kill people. Simply put, he didn't have the killing spirit.
He was relieved, but the problem was that his improper gun-holding posture was shaking, which was not a good thing. If it went off accidentally, it would be a disaster. So Hu Yi cleared his throat and waved to the little girl to put down the grenade, ending her argument with Luo Fugui. Then he said to Luo Fugui, "Brother, can we talk it out? Can you put down your gun first? Your machine gun is so heavy, aren't you tired?"
After holding the gun for a long time, Luo Fugui's arms were already sore, and he wanted to take a break, but Ma Liang's revolver was still pointed at him, so he didn't dare to relax. "If he doesn't let go, I won't let go either."
"Ma Liang, put down the gun."
"elder brother!"
"It's okay, put it down."
Seeing Hu Yi's calmness, Ma Liang's hand holding the gun slowly dropped, but he remained ready to fire at any time.
Seeing that the crisis was over, Luo Fu breathed a sigh of relief and leaned on his machine gun by sticking it on the ground. He was tired, hungry and thirsty, and he really couldn't hold on any longer while holding this piece of iron.
Hu Yi took a few steps forward until he stopped not far from Luo Fugui and said, "Brother, judging from your posture, you are from the mountains, right? Have you been attacked by the Japanese?"
Luo Fugui looked Hu Yi up and down, thinking to himself that this narrow-eyed guy is quite good at deceiving people. How could you be so deceiving? He replied, "Look at your outfit. You are the Eighth Route Army, right? The devil is looking for you. I guess you are fleeing."
Hu Yi really didn't hide anything and nodded: "That's right, the Japanese destroyed our lair, and now I don't know where to go. Since I have the chance to meet you, can you please show me the way, please?"
The independent regiment had just arrived here not long ago. Apart from placing spies in some villages, other work had not yet begun. The situation was even more complicated in the area between the east and the Meixian devils. Hu Yi was unfamiliar with this place. Although Ma Liang was a communicator, he had basically never left Wuming Village after following the independent regiment here. Xiao Hongying was a child and could not be relied on. They came out in a hurry without bringing any food. Although they knew that the main force of the independent regiment was in the north, they had no idea where it was, how far away it was, whether it had been moved, and whether there were any devils blocking the way. So the first priority at the moment was to get food first and fill their stomachs before making any plans.
The big fool in front of him was living in the nearby mountains, so he must be familiar with this place. From a pragmatic point of view, Hu Yi certainly didn't hesitate to ask questions.
Luo Fugui felt much better after hearing Hu Yi's honest words, and his expression and tone did not show any contempt for his status. "So, where are you going?"
"Where is the nearest village from here and how far is it?"
Hearing Hu Yi's question, Luo Fugui couldn't help but start to think. They want to go to the nearest village, which is the same as my idea. It's really not confident to go alone. I don't know much about the Eighth Route Army. It is said that since they came to the mountains, they have not done anything extraordinary except fighting the Japanese. If I can have a companion with them, at least I can have some support.
Having made up his mind, Luo Fugui said, "How about this, we team up and I'll lead you there, how about that?"
Xiao Hongying was the first to disagree: "You are dreaming, you fool. I can tell from the first glance that you are not a good person. I think you are a robber. Are you trying to lead us into a den of thieves? I won't fall for your trick!"
Looking at Luo Fugui's behavior, Ma Liang on the side could also tell that he was a bandit, and could not help but look at Hu Yi with full of suspicion.
Bandit? Hu Yi had been a bandit since he was a child. He did not think there was much difference between bandits and other people. Good and bad people were not determined by status or appearance. From beginning to end, the big guy's eyes showed fear, panic, anxiety, and relief, nothing else. Hu Yi could conclude that the boy in front of him would not be a qualified bandit because he was not ruthless enough and because he was not brave enough!
Hu Yi stared at Luo Fugui's eyes for a long time without saying anything. The deep look in his eyes made Luo Fugui feel uneasy, as if all his clothes had been stripped off by Hu Yi. The feeling of being naked was so uncomfortable.
Fortunately, Hu Yi's silence did not last too long, and he finally spoke: "My name is Hu Yi, what's yours?"
"Luo Fugui, my name is Luo, Luo Fugui." Luo Fugui hadn't recovered yet and spoke a little vaguely unconsciously.
"Okay, count you in. It's getting late, we have to leave quickly."
The sun began to turn dim, gradually approaching the haze in the distance, casting a ray of afterglow, illuminating the desolate mountains with golden light, which was extremely beautiful. In the dark valley, four tiny figures were walking.
The voices echoed across the cliffs: "Luo Fugui! Bah! You are just a mule!" "If you dare to call me a mule again, I will beat you up!" "Mule, try to touch me!"...