"That... that was what the officers wanted. How would we dare refuse..."
The old village chief spoke in a trembling voice.
"Outrageous! Since when did soldiers fighting a war need to demand food from the local people?!"
Qi Hong's face flushed red with anger.
Just then, a frail voice suddenly rang out:
"They didn't ask for it... They stole it!"
Everyone turned toward the sound and saw a seven- or eight-year-old boy peeking out from behind a woman. His eyes were large and bright, but hunger had hollowed out his cheeks.
The child timidly looked at Qi Hong and Jiang Bei. "They wouldn't let us eat, and they even carried away all the rice from our family's grain jar. If we refused, they beat us..."
The old village chief hurriedly reached out to pull the child back. "Little Stone, don't talk nonsense!"
"I'm not talking nonsense!"
The child's eyes immediately reddened. "They stole our food and even took Uncle Liu's chickens next door! Uncle Liu tried to stop them, and they broke his leg! I saw it with my own eyes!"
The surrounding villagers all lowered their heads. Many of them silently wiped away tears.
Qi Hong and Jiang Bei stood frozen in place, their fists clenched tightly and their expressions grim.
Qi Hong suddenly pulled a cloth bag from his waist, took out several dry flatbreads, walked over to the child, crouched down, and stuffed the bread into his hands. "Take it. Eat."
The child held the bread in a daze for a long while, then looked up at the woman behind him.
The woman nodded. Only then did the child take a huge bite and begin wolfing it down.
Qi Hong rose to his feet and looked at Jiang Bei, his rage blazing. "Jiang Bei, we need to