"Brother Zhuzi, if what Zhang Guorui said is true, then we're in danger."
At this moment, Er Gouzi grew scared again.
Earlier, he thought looting the camp's supplies and burning it down would set the Zhang family's finances back to square one.
Now he realized that the camp's supplies were just a drop in the bucket for the Zhang family.
And the Zhang family hadn't sent large numbers into the mountains not out of fear, but because they had bigger plans.
Besides that, the Zhang family was currently held back by bandits and other families.
Once the Zhang family shook off these opponents and stormed into the mountains in force, the grenades they'd set up wouldn't be able to stop them.
Hearing Er Gouzi's words, Liu Tiezhu remained calm.
"Don't be scared."
"The Zhang family can't spare the effort to deal with us right now."
"Otherwise, they wouldn't have sent such a small number."
Given the current situation, while the Zhang family was strong, their opponents weren't pushovers either.
For the Zhang family to subdue these rivals, they'd have to pay a heavy price.
Besides, the Zhang family knew that if they allied with the horse bandits, the other two families would do the same.
On top of that, the bandits at Tiangang Stronghold were watching eagerly.
In Liu Tiezhu's view, Zhang Guorui's words were a bit exaggerated.
Taking over the town in a few months?
Liu Tiezhu thought it was impossible.
Even if the Zhang family could take over Dianhai Town in a few months, cleaning up the mess would take time.
That time would be enough for him to prepare everything.
Hearing Liu Tiezhu's words, Er Gouzi relaxed a little.
The two walked and talked, soon arriving at Huang Xiumei's parents' home.
The secret struggles among the three major families in town had affected the surrounding residents.
Besides theft, there were also robberies.
So now, every household kept their doors tightly shut.
Except for going out to buy daily necessities, everyone stayed locked inside, hiding for safety.
"Uncle Huang, it's me, Liu Tiezhu."
Liu Tiezhu knocked on the door a few times and shouted.
He'd come here a few times as a kid with his older brother, but he didn't know if Huang Zhengting still remembered him.
After several shouts, the thick wooden door slowly opened.
Seeing Liu Tiezhu, Huang Zhengting's face lit up with joy, but when his gaze fell on Er Gouzi behind him, his expression tensed.
"Uncle Huang, this is my cousin Liu Er Gou," Liu Tiezhu explained.
"Come in quickly."
Huang Zhengting let them in, then stuck his head out to look around, making sure no one else was there before closing the door tightly.
Huang Lifeng poured them hot water and said, "I heard your area was taken over by bandits. Are my sister Xiumei and the others okay?"
"Brother Lifeng, don't worry. Sister-in-law and everyone are fine."
"We've moved into the mountains now, with plenty of food and clothes."
"We came here at her request to check on you all."
As he spoke, Liu Tiezhu took out money from his pocket and handed it to Huang Lifeng.
"Brother Lifeng, I couldn't bring any meat this time."
"Keep this money and take good care of Uncle Huang and Auntie."
Seeing the thick stack of bills, Huang Zhengting's family's eyes widened.
Judging by the thickness, it was several thousand yuan.
That much money was almost a regular family's income for several years.
Coming to his senses, Huang Lifeng immediately pushed the money back.
"Zhuzi, where did you get this money?"
"We can't take this. Take it back."
Huang Zhengting chimed in, "Lifeng's right. We don't need anything."
"Life in the mountains is tough. Buy more things for yourself."
"Uncle Huang, don't worry. Even though we live in the mountains, we have plenty of meat, rice, and other supplies."
Liu Tiezhu said, "We still have money at home. This is just a small token."
"If you don't take it, I can't explain it to my sister-in-law when I go back."
Huang Zhengting thought for a moment, pulled out two fifty-yuan bills, and pushed the rest back.
"A hundred is enough for us. Use the rest to buy more supplies."
"Lifeng, Lili, go to the kitchen and prepare some food."
"Uncle Huang, don't stand on ceremony. We still have things to do, so we can't stay for a meal."
"You must keep this money and take care of yourselves."
Liu Tiezhu put down the money and pulled Er Gouzi away.
He knew that if they kept being polite, even until nightfall, Huang Zhengting and his family wouldn't take the money.
Sure enough, Huang Zhengting chased after them with the money.
"Zhuzi, what's so urgent that you can't even stay for a meal?"
"Uncle Huang, please don't be polite. Walls have ears."
"We really have things to do. I'll come see you next time."
Liu Tiezhu waved his hand, signaling Huang Zhengting not to insist, and quickly left with Er Gouzi.
Seeing that Liu Tiezhu was serious, Huang Zhengting didn't press further.
After closing the door, an old, relieved smile spread across his face.
His daughter had been married to Liu Tieshan for over a decade, and now she was finally getting by.
In these times, being able to casually pull out a few thousand yuan meant a wealthy family.
Liu Tiezhu bringing so much money showed that his daughter was indeed living well.
Leaving the Huang family, Liu Tiezhu took Er Gouzi to the tavern they'd visited last time.
They had a big meal before buying the supplies they needed.
By the time they left the town, it was already dark.
Liu Tiezhu didn't dare delay any longer and headed straight for Liujia Village with Er Gouzi.
The entrance to Liujia Village was still brightly lit. The single sandbag barrier from before had been replaced by three, blocking the entire village road.
Each sandbag position had five men on guard, now Zhang family soldiers instead of the former bandits.
Besides their rifles, a World War II-era heavy machine gun was mounted on the sandbags.
"Holy crap, these bastards are loaded. They even got a heavy machine gun."
Er Gouzi stared at the machine gun with a look as intense as if he were eyeing a naked woman.
"Gouzi, quit yapping. Let's sneak around to the back of the village."
Liu Tiezhu warned him, then moved along the outskirts of Liujia Village, slowly approaching the village's rear.
After circling around, Liu Tiezhu found the entire village surrounded by Zhang family soldiers.
A man stood guard every three meters.
And these were just the visible posts. How many were hidden was anyone's guess.
"Brother Zhuzi, the whole village is surrounded by these bastards. We can't get to the supplies in the cellar."
At a ridge at the village's rear, Er Gouzi lay low and couldn't help cursing.
Liu Tiezhu frowned, unable to think of a solution.
With this spacing, if he took out one guard, he'd be exposed immediately.
Then everyone would surround them, and they'd have no way to escape.
"Brother Zhuzi, what do we do now?"
Seeing Liu Tiezhu silent for a long time, Er Gouzi asked again.
Liu Tiezhu said, "Wait."
"Wait for the bandits to show up. Then we'll look for an opportunity."
The best plan now was to wait for the Zhang family and the bandits to clash again.
Once the whole scene descended into chaos, he could find the right moment to strike.