Under the moonlight, the mountains turned into dark outlines, undulating around. In a small valley hidden and sheltered from the wind, the light of the campfire danced with the occasional night breeze, embracing the three figures and bringing them warmth.
Xiao Hongying sat by the campfire, gnawed the last piece of chicken leg bone, threw it into the fire, sucked her fingers clean, and said to Luo Fugui in dissatisfaction: "Mule, you are so strong, why didn't you bring a few more chickens? You ate almost one of these two chickens by yourself, how could it be enough for the four of us? You are so stupid."
"What? You little girl, speak with conscience. When I caught these two, you were still complaining about being a burden and making fun of me. If you guys hadn't rushed me away in such a hurry, I would have caught all the chickens in the backyard!" Luo Fugui glared at me angrily.
Ma Liang had just finished eating and was still wiping his mouth. Normally, he should have gone to the top of the mountain to replace Hu Yi as sentinel, but he didn't get up in a hurry. He smiled and said to Xiao Hongying, "Comrade Hongying, how about discussing something with you?"
Xiao Hongying tilted her head and looked at Ma Liang. This was the expression she used most often. Her smile was so unnatural, her eyes were not sincere, and her movements were not from the heart. It was far worse than her acting skills. She blinked her big eyes and said, "Let's discuss it!"
"Now that you have a gun and so many bullets, you don't need those Mauser pistol bullets, can you give them to me? You know, I only have one box of bullets for my Mauser pistol. I gave you one in the nameless village, and the remaining 19 were all used up in the battle during the day."
Oh, this matter. Xiao Hongying rolled her eyes. What Ma Liang said was not bad. It didn't matter if he gave it to him, but if he just gave it to him for no reason, he would feel uncomfortable. It was a psychological habit. How could he not take advantage of it? But now there was nothing on Ma Liang's body that was worth plundering. What else could he ask for
After thinking about it for a while, he finally came up with a condition: "How about this, if you join Team Nine, I'll give you bullets."
"Ah? Why do you have to join Class Nine?" Ma Liang knew that this damn girl had no compassion, but he didn't expect the conditions to be like this.
Xiao Hongying shook her two pigtails and said, "Everyone knows that I, Hongying, have a high level of awareness and will definitely stand by my comrades. If you come to Class 9, then we will be comrades."
"Ah? You... Aren't we comrades now?"
"The Second Company also said they were my comrades. Do you think any of them were polite to me?"
Ma Liang was speechless. In Xiao Hongying's mind, the understanding of the word "comrade" was too narrow. They had to draw a small circle around them to be "comrades". This Class 9 was not a serious designation at all, and it was even more ridiculous to have a runny nose as the squad leader. On the other hand, there was no point in being a signalman. There was nothing to gain except running errands. How could it be as good as today? It didn't matter whether he joined Class 9 or not.
"Even if I agree to join Class 9, I still need the consent of the regiment commander and political commissar, right?"
"He can become a squad leader even if he has a runny nose. You, Ma Liang, are not as good as him? Just tell me whether you will be included or not?"
"Yes, I will."
As soon as Ma Liang finished speaking, Xiao Hongying opened her satchel and took out the canvas bag, carefully picking through it in the light of the campfire. She found more than twenty rounds of Mauser pistol bullets and gave them all to Ma Liang.
The transaction was completed. Xiao Hongying seemed to suddenly think of something and spoke again: "Ma Liang, the rule of our team is that the spoils captured on the battlefield must be returned to the public, right?"
"Yes, it is."
“What if you return to the regiment with your current outfit…?” Xiao Hongying said as she looked at the Type 38 rifle in Ma Liang’s hand and the bulging bullet box on his waist.
"This is just my personal equipment. The group shouldn't mind, right?"
"What about my bullets and grenades?" These spoils captured during the day were naturally regarded by Xiao Hongying as her own private property.
Haha, Ma Liang smiled and said, "I guess it will have to be handed over to the authorities."
Alas—Xiao Hongying actually sighed, raised her little hand to rub her nose, looked at the bonfire dejectedly, and felt worried.
Seeing the cute worried look of the little girl, Ma Liang couldn't help but feel a little happy. You are such a wicked little girl who takes advantage of others' misfortune. It turns out that you have such a moment. Let's see how long you can hold on to those bullets. It's time for you to experience this feeling. I'll add fuel to the fire. Then he said, "Not only this, but even this machine gun may have to be redistributed."
Huh? It was already pouring rain, and now there was lightning. The little girl almost fainted.
Seeing that his words had worked, Ma Liang immediately stood up and said, "Okay, I have to go to the mountain to stand guard. Let's go!" His figure then disappeared in the moonlight.
Xiao Hongying was staring blankly at the bonfire. Luo Fugui was hunched over opposite her, adjusting his large body to a comfortable position to sleep for a while. Suddenly, a stone flew over from the opposite side and hit him. He couldn't help but feel a little annoyed: "Hey! You little bitch, why did you throw it at me? Didn't you see I was going to sleep?"
Xiao Hongying, with her pigtails sticking up and her big eyes erect, stared at Luo Fugui across the campfire: "The machine guns are almost gone, why are you sleeping?"
"I've already given you the machine gun. What does it have to do with me?"
"You have to join Team Nine too!"
"As long as the food is provided, it doesn't matter which shift you work!"
"When the time comes, you will say that the machine gun is yours. If you don't leave the machine gun in the ninth squad, you won't join the Eighth Route Army!"
"I don't care about this shit!"
"Ouch—" Another stone hit Luo Fugui, and this time it hurt a little, and he couldn't help but scream. "You're crazy, using so much force!"
"My lifelong belongings are all here. If we can't protect them, no one will have a good life!"
"You are just a little old man, how can you have a lifetime?"
"Do you remember what I said?"
"I don't care!"
"Believe it or not, when the fox comes back I'll let him punish you!"
"I'm sleeping peacefully here, why does he do that?"
"… "
"I'm going to sleep!"
Clap! Luo Fugui had just laid down when he felt himself being hit again. This damn girl was really crazy. He hurriedly got up just in case, but found that what was thrown from the other side of the bonfire this time was not a stone, but a dollar! Four dollars were scattered around him, shining brightly in the moonlight and the bonfire. They were the four dollars that the Song family gave to Xiao Hongying.
Luo Fugui picked up the four dollars in his hand, weighed them, and clenched them tightly. He said to Xiao Hongying in a serious tone, "Girl, I, Luo Fugui, am absolutely a man of honor. You asked me for this favor, because you think highly of me. I have no choice but to help you. Just wait and see!"
Xiao Hongying stared at Luo Fugui who was speaking shamelessly across from her, and was so angry that her liver ached: "Bah - if you mess up, I will let you know how powerful I am!"
The bonfire was still burning, reflecting the little girl's frown. The machine gun problem was solved, but what about the bullets and grenades