Wealthy Beauty in the 60s
Chapter 68 - 67 Training

Chapter 68: Chapter 67 Training

This county can be said to be a very remote place, belonging to the region "where the mountains are high and the emperor is far away," but here the mountains are green, the waters clear, and the land fertile. There are natural disasters every year, but compared to other places, they are fewer and less severe.

However, now bandits run rampant, and a good number of refugees and even criminals from other places have poured in, causing great panic among the people of the county.

Gao Jiaxing often brought back news from outside, just like now he said, "Last night, there was a fight at the black market."

Xia Xiao looked at Gao Jiaxing with some concern, "Brother Gao, don’t get involved in those things; it’s better to focus on studying."

Xia Xiao still hoped Gao Jiaxing would take the right path, to make good use of this time to study hard and advance in his education. Even if he couldn’t get into university now, he could still make it when the college entrance examination was restored.

"Are you stupid? I am free and at ease; why would I get involved? If my dad found out, he’d beat me to death. I’m going to join the army, not to become a thief," Gao Jiaxing said.

Xia Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, and then smiled, "I’ve noticed that people here always like to refer to themselves as ’I’. Whether old or young, it’s all the same."

"Don’t think too highly of some people in the village; anyway, I won’t say much. You women should be careful about your safety," Gao Jiaxing suddenly said.

"What do you mean?" Xia Xiao asked, puzzled.

"You’ll be right to listen to me. Be smart and don’t let yourself get easily deceived," Gao Jiaxing didn’t elaborate and just left.

Xia Xiao watched Gao Jiaxing leave, completely clueless about the meaning behind his words.

However, she was always cautious about her safety, even though it was quite difficult to get ahold of a dagger now, and she also needed industrial coupons, which she didn’t have access to.

But thinking of the bandits’ weapons, Xia Xiao’s eyes lit up. If the bandits really dared to come, then she would have to acquire more weapons from them.

"Gege, if the bandits come, can you help me deal with them?" Xia Xiao asked.

"It depends on the situation. Don’t forget that I’m just a stone," Shitou replied.

Xia Xiao was speechless, "You admit you’re a stone yourself, yet are afraid of being called one."

"Xiaoxiao, I’ve noticed that you only call me Gege when you ask for my help," Shitou huffed.

"That’s not true. It was just a slip of the tongue, okay? You do look like a stone now, and you’ve admitted to it yourself, so it’s normal for me to slip up," Xia Xiao refused to admit that calling Shitou was just too natural for her.

"I won’t quibble with you, but don’t call me Shitou," Shitou declared once more.

"Fine, I won’t call you that," Xia Xiao said. "What I mean is, when the bandits come, can I use the space to hide? You tell me where they are, and I’ll deal with them. We’ll specifically target the bandits’ weapons."

Without their weapons, the bandits certainly wouldn’t dare to confront Gao Jiaxing and the others openly. The more Xia Xiao thought about it, the better the idea seemed to her.

But the premise was that no one should find out it was her doing.

"That’s possible. Just be cautious and you won’t get exposed," Shitou said.

With Shitou’s assurance, Xia Xiao was brimming with confidence. She even considered visiting the bandits’ lair to sneak some weapons into the space.

However, this was just a fleeting thought for Xia Xiao. She didn’t know where the bandits’ lair was, and without the ability to transform, getting caught could mean trouble.

"Gege, how far does the energy stone have to be from you for you to sense it?" Xia Xiao couldn’t help but bring up the topic of the energy stone with Shitou again.

"I don’t know, but I’ll definitely know if I come across one."

Shitou’s response was as good as saying nothing, and Xia Xiao sighed, giving up on expecting more.

One day, Liu Jiefang, the leader of the Red Star Production Team, came to the Guangming Production Team and shared good news with Gao Guoqiang.

"Old Gao, the bandits succeeded in one of their attempts, and now the local police station is also after them. They might not be able to focus on our area, so you don’t need to push yourself too hard," Liu Jiefang said.

As soon as Liu Jiefang finished speaking, Gao Guoqiang shook his head, "We can’t let our guard down. If we lose our food supplies to the thieves, we’ll have to survive on just wind. We common folks only have our hoes and sickles to use; if they have guns, we’ll be at a disadvantage."

"You’re right. These days our production team has also been training. Your proposal of ’arming all the people’ is excellent. We should have done this earlier. These bandits are too brazen, not doing honest work and turning to thievery instead," Liu Jiefang said.

Gao Guoqiang shook his head, "Times are hard for everyone now, but that’s no excuse for theft."

"Exactly, if they have the guts, they should go rob the rich. If not, they should stop troubling us common people," Liu Jiefang echoed.

"Anyway, it’s good to be cautious. If you guys run into trouble, send someone over to notify us, and we’ll unquestionably help," Gao Guoqiang said.

After Gao Guoqiang said this, Liu Jiefang patted his shoulder approvingly, "Good, that’s what I wanted to hear. Brother, I’ve always admired you. To tell you the truth, I’ve been uneasy these days, too. Even though I’ve trained the team, I still feel uncertain inside. The county itself is in chaos, they can’t look after us, and we don’t have enough weapons. How can I not worry?"

"We’ve faced the Japanese invaders without fear; we won’t be afraid of a few bandits," Gao Guoqiang said.

"That’s right, the Japanese were far more terrifying than some bandits, and still, we sent them packing back to their old nests. It’s refreshing to talk to you; my heart feels much lighter now. I should get back. The production team can’t do without me, but if you ever run into danger, just send someone to inform me. I’ll come over immediately," Liu Jiefang said.

"Alright," Gao Guoqiang and Liu Jiefang shook hands, and Gao sent Liu Jiefang on his way.

After a couple of days, Ge Lai along with Liu Haiguo, Liu Haihua, and others came over to the Guangming Production Team, saying they wanted to exchange and learn how to fight against bandits with the people of Guangming Production Team. But while resisting bandits was the main goal, the young people were even more eager to capture them.

Though times were tough at the end of the year and life wasn’t easy for anyone, when it came to thieves, everyone was united in their enmity.

Thus, the Red Star Production Team’s young men like Ge Lai and Liu Haiguo trained with Gao Jiaxing, and the women, led by Liu Haihua, exchanged tips with Xia Xiao and others.

Prior to Liu Haihua’s arrival, Xia Xiao and her group had been training with Gao Jiazhi for several days, taking the training very seriously, earnestly learning, and occasionally even sparring.

But as soon as Liu Haihua arrived, she completely outclassed Xia Xiao’s "Women’s Army," and among the women of the Guangming Production Team, none were as skilled as Liu Haihua.