Walking to the foot of the mountain, Lu Miao Miao finally took the basket, along with the wild chicken and rabbits, out of her space.
The basket couldn’t fit everything, so she simply carried the two rabbits and the wild chicken in her hands.
“Hey, sister-in-law of Bi’an, you really caught wild chickens and rabbits—three of them too! That’s impressive!”
“I was just on my way to your place. Let me help you carry some!”
Village Party Secretary Wang, who was heading to the Xiao family’s house, smiled as he greeted Lu Miao Miao, warmly offering to help when he saw her carrying the rabbits and chickens.
He wasn’t surprised at all that she had managed to hunt so much. With her skills and strength, even if she brought down a wild boar, he wouldn’t find it too shocking.
“Sure, then I’ll trouble you, Uncle Wang!”
“Since you’re coming to my house, don’t leave at noon—stay and have some meat!”
Lu Miao Miao didn’t stand on ceremony. She turned and handed him the two tied-up rabbits, warmly inviting him.
This man was likely going to become the new brigade leader of Red Bull Brigade in the near future, so building a good relationship with him wouldn’t hurt.
“Haha, how could I? Meat is so rare these days!”
“I don’t want to be a thick-faced old man sticking his cheek out like a shoe sole!”
The old man laughed heartily. This educated young woman was not bad at all—generous and capable. Xiao Bi’an that brat was truly lucky.
“What do you mean? I don’t get it!” Lu Miao Miao looked confused. Why would anyone use a shoe sole as cheeks?
“Oh, I just mean I don’t want to be an overly shameless old man! Haha!” Secretary Wang laughed again.
“How could that be called shameless?” Lu Miao Miao said. “As juniors, if we have something good at home and want to show respect to an elder, what’s wrong with that? I’d like to see who dares say anything bad about you!”
“Anyway, I’ve already decided—you’re staying. If you don’t eat at my house, I’ll bring it to you later.”
She deliberately put on a fierce expression.
“Besides, I’ll go up the mountain more often in the future. We won’t be short of meat. Look at my basket.”
Lowering her voice, she turned her back slightly so Secretary Wang could see inside.
She had two purposes in doing this:
First, to let him know she would often go into the mountains, making her hunting activities legitimate in advance so no one in the village would gossip.
Second, to observe his reaction upon seeing so much game.
Secretary Wang curiously lifted the grass covering the basket and immediately sucked in a sharp breath—good heavens, it was all meat!
He quickly covered it back up.
“Don’t let anyone know about this. Just tell outsiders you only caught these three. Otherwise, people with sour grapes will cause you trouble. Even just these three will already make plenty of people jealous.”
In those days, most things had to be turned over to the collective brigade for distribution, though enforcement was now somewhat relaxed. Usually, villagers could go into the mountains and hunt small game for occasional meat without handing it in.
But Lu Miao Miao had far too much. If someone reported it, malicious villagers could force her to hand it all over.
“That’s exactly why I asked you to stay for lunch,” Lu Miao Miao smiled. “It’s hot, and if we don’t eat it now, it’ll go bad. What a waste!”
“Haha, you girl! Alright then, I’ll shamelessly stay for a meal.”
Secretary Wang laughed.
……
When they reached the house, Lu Miao Miao heard voices inside—quite lively.
“Oh dear, my memory is really going! I forgot to tell you earlier. Dogdan just came to call me—they’re here to commend you for your act of bravery,” Secretary Wang said, patting his forehead.
While he was speaking, Lu Miao Miao had already pushed open the courtyard gate. As expected, there were quite a few people inside.
Everyone turned to look at her.
It turned out to be Officer Qian, along with Zhu Hongjiao’s husband and son, who had come to express their thanks. After some polite conversation, Lu Miao Miao invited them to stay for lunch, and they ate heartily.
Officer Qian then asked Secretary Wang to gather the villagers for a commendation meeting. In front of everyone, a certificate of honor and a 50-yuan cash reward were presented to Lu Miao Miao.
“Everyone, applaud! Let’s all learn from Comrade Lu!”
Thus, the commendation meeting ended amid enthusiastic applause from the entire village.
After all, the village had recently suffered a major scandal, and their chances of being selected as an advanced brigade that year had been ruined, even tarnishing their reputation.
It even affected marriage prospects. Suddenly, a brave female hero emerged, and everyone treated her like a lifesaver, applauding endlessly.
After everything was over, the family enjoyed a hearty lunch before heading back to work in the fields full of energy.
After closing the door, Lu Miao Miao pushed Xiao Bi’an’s wheelchair and led Officer Qian, Zhu Hongjiao’s husband Zhao Yingxiong, and Secretary Wang into the main room.
During their conversation, she learned that Zhao Yingxiong was actually a brigade commander stationed in Beijing, only 30 years old.
In that era, such rapid promotion only came from real battlefield achievements—he was truly an admirable hero.
The five of them sat together. Lu Miao Miao remained silent, quietly observing Zhao Yingxiong.
He had well-defined features, tall and slender build, and wore a military uniform with great presence—serious and upright, carrying an undeniable aura of authority and righteousness.
“Comrade Lu, you said you had something important to tell us. Why are you just staring at me?”
Zhao Yingxiong noticed her gaze immediately—she made no effort to hide it at all.
“Ahem… Miao Miao, what are you going to say?” Xiao Bi’an tugged at her a little sourly, clearly jealous, since he knew his wife liked good-looking men.
“Yes, Comrade Lu, please just speak. We are absolutely trustworthy,” Officer Qian said seriously.
Earlier, she had said she had something important to discuss, but after bringing them into the room, she had fallen silent.
What exactly was going on?
“My family was sent down. They are the Lu family currently living in the cow shed of our brigade.”
Lu Miao Miao finally spoke. She did not mention the matter of spies—she went straight to her parents’ situation.
Immediately, everyone’s expressions changed in different ways.