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墨書 Inktalez
The weather is getting colder, with the crispness of autumn already giving way to the chill of winter. It seems that in just a few days, winter will officially arrive. Jiangbei City is located in the northeast, so the temperatures during winter are quite low.
Now, aside from the food supply issues everyone is facing, there is another pressing concern: heating for the winter, which is quite a headache!
Li Nan stepped out from the shooting range and suddenly looked around, thinking about the heating problem for winter. As the saying goes, one does not know how precious firewood and rice are until they face hardship. Given Li Nan's previous nature, he would not have considered such matters, but his situation has changed. He has a woman, children, and a group of brothers to rely on, so his perspective has broadened. It seems that one's circumstances can indeed shape their thoughts.
Thinking about the heating issue made Li Nan smile; instead of worrying about that, it would be better to think about how to deal with the fierce challenges in the camp—that is what truly matters!
As he walked, Li Nan unconsciously found himself at Qin Old Man's workshop. There he saw ten-year-old Qin Lang stretching his arms at the stove, working the bellows.
The camp is small, and Li Nan knows even fewer people, so he naturally ended up at Qin Old Man's place.
Qin Old Man had his back to Li Nan, holding a large hammer and continuously striking something, while Qin Lang was fully focused on working the bellows beside him.
Qin Lang had changed into a clean set of clothes; it seemed that Lin Hai had taken care of what Li Nan had instructed him to do earlier in the morning.
Noticing Qin Lang, Li Nan approached and squatted down beside him. He gently asked, "Little friend, what are you doing?"
Qin Lang sensed a stranger nearby and immediately tensed up, almost losing his balance in his half-squatting position.
Li Nan quickly reached out to support Qin Lang's back and said with a smile, "I'm not a bad person; you don't need to be afraid of me!"
Qin Lang opened his mouth as if to shout but then recognized that this was the person who had come by last night and quieted down.
Li Nan continued with a smile, "You're a boy now; one day you'll have to support a family. How can you be afraid of strangers?"
Qin Lang blinked and tried to move away but found he couldn't shake off Li Nan's large hand.
Li Nan asked again, "What were you doing before?"
Qin Lang struggled to break free, hesitated for a moment, and then replied, "I am working the bellows for my grandfather to forge iron!"
Li Nan was not very familiar with this old-fashioned task, so he did not ask further. Instead, he said, "Do you always help your grandfather?"
Qin Lang nodded, and Li Nan smiled, saying, "What a sensible child! If only Li Da Peng could be half as sensible as you..."
Qin Old Man was hammering away at something nearby, the sound ringing out without noticing Li Nan. Hearing Li Nan hesitate to speak, Qin Lang asked, "Who is Li Da Peng?"
Li Nan was momentarily speechless but then said with a knowing smile, "Let me introduce you to a little friend. How about that?"
The shy Qin Lang, upon seeing Li Nan for the second time, accepted him. It must be said that there was quite a connection between the two.
Seeing Qin Lang relax considerably, Li Nan suggested again, "I'll take you out to play; don’t worry about your grandfather. What do you think?"
Qin Lang shook his head, saying, "I have to work the bellows for my grandfather; I can't leave!"
Noticing Qin Old Man was focused on forging something, Li Nan tugged at Qin Lang's arm and said, "It's fine. If your grandfather gets angry later, just tell him it was someone named Li Nan who took you out. He definitely won't blame you!"
Qin Lang still shook his head, seemingly not understanding Li Nan's words. However, he was still pulled away by Li Nan, neither shouting nor struggling. He turned back to glance at Qin Old Man, then quickly followed behind Li Nan.
Li Nan brought Qin Lang to the shooting range. When Fatty saw Li Nan with a child beside him, he smiled widely and asked, "Who is this kid?"
Li Nan pushed the shy Qin Lang in front of him and said, "This is Qin Old Man's grandson from the camp, Qin Lang. Isn't he quite good-looking?"
Fatty nodded in agreement. "With looks like that from such a young age, he'll definitely grow up to be a Korean oppa type. I bet he’ll charm countless girls!"
While Li Nan and Fatty were joking around, at the shooting range, Mo Xiaohui caught sight of the child next to Li Nan, and her heart filled with joy.
At the age of ten, Qin Lang had already grown to Li Nan's waist height. Although his hair looked like a bird's nest, messy and sticking out in all directions, his fair little face was incredibly cute.
Mo Xiaohui put down the Glock 18 pistol in her hand and approached Li Nan, asking, "What is this child's name?"
"Qin Lang!" Li Nan replied, while Mo Xiaohui bent down to get closer to Qin Lang, wanting to cup his little face in her hands.
Qin Lang instinctively shook his head, refusing to let Mo Xiaohui touch him, while Li Nan introduced him: "I'm Li Nan, she is Mo Xiaohui, that woman is called Lingdang'er, and the man behind me is Fat Uncle; you can just call him Fat Uncle. The kid holding the gun is Li Dapeng!"
Qin Lang looked around as he listened to Li Nan's introduction but seemed not to absorb any of it. His gaze eventually landed on Li Dapeng nearby; it seemed that kids were indeed the best playmates.
Li Nan noticed Qin Lang staring at Li Dapeng with envy. At that moment, Fatty humorously called out, "Li Dapeng, take a break! Becoming a Gunslinger isn't something you can achieve in just a few days. I've been shooting for ten years!"
Li Dapeng lowered his gun and noticed the little boy next to Li Nan but didn't pay much attention. He walked around to the other side and plopped down on the ground, staring blankly at the sun.
It was Qin Lang's first time seeing such a charismatic older brother. He showed no signs of fear in his eyes, and Li Nan could clearly see that this child liked Li Dapeng!
Li Nan patted Qin Lang on the shoulder and said with a smile, "That big brother is about your age; go play with him!"
Qin Lang looked up at Li Nan as if asking, "Is it okay?"
Li Nan nodded affirmatively.
At the shooting range, no one was practicing anymore. Li Nan and Fatty stood side by side, while Mo Xiaohui and Lingdang'er spread out, each holding firearms under the sunlight, looking quite impressive.
Qin Lang slowly moved closer to Li Dapeng and whispered, "My name is Qin Lang; I'm the blacksmith's grandson. I can..."
Li Dapeng turned around and glanced at Qin Lang's somewhat dirty but fair face before replying bluntly, "You can't!"
Qin Lang's face suddenly showed disappointment, and the small hand that had reached out quickly withdrew.
Just as Qin Lang was about to turn and leave, Li Dapeng suddenly turned back and asked, "What can you do?"
Qin Lang did not respond but continued to step back, as if the courage he had mustered for the first time would never return after being rejected.
"My name is Li Dapeng, I am the son of Li... Fatty..." Li Dapeng stood up from the ground and then reached out a hand, trying to stop Qin Lang.
Sometimes, it is hard to say whether it is fate that brings people together; some may be strangers while others share a deep bond. Calling it fate is not unreasonable.
Under the watchful eyes of Li Nan and Fatty, Li Dapeng and Qin Lang, these two little kids, sat down together on the ground and began to joke around.
Fatty smiled and said, "Nan Ge, what are you trying to do this time?"
Li Nan held onto Fatty's shoulder and asked, "What do you think of that Qin Lang?"
Fatty shook his head and replied, "He's cute and adorable. If he doesn't change much as he grows up, he'll definitely be a handsome guy!"
Li Nan scoffed, "I meant, how about these two kids learning some shooting skills under your guidance?"
"To put it bluntly, herding one sheep is easy, herding two sheep is also easy. It's not difficult for me. But whether Qin Lang has any talent is another matter!"
Seeing that Fatty agreed, Li Nan became serious and said, "Times have changed. In the past, children had to go to school to learn knowledge. Now, children need to learn firearms and combat skills. Learning knowledge is for a skill to support themselves; learning firearms and combat is for survival. Ultimately, they serve the same purpose; it's just a different form!"
Fatty sighed with a wry smile, "Nan Ge's words are getting more profound. But in this era, there is no humanity left; the weak are treated like dogs. Killing is as easy as slaughtering a dog; moral values have changed!"
Li Nan glanced sideways at Fatty, surprised that Fatty could articulate such a philosophical statement.
"Fatty" clicked his tongue and said, "I learned cultural knowledge in the army too. I may not compare to you, a college graduate, but am I really worse than someone from Blue Sky Technical School?"
"Li Nan" put his arm around "Fatty's" shoulder and said to the woman behind them, "Let's go back and let those two kids make friends!"
"Fatty," whose shoulder was still wrapped in bandages, immediately cried out in pain when "Li Nan" hugged him, "It hurts... it hurts..."
"Li Nan" didn't let go and said, "If it hurts, just bear with it. You're a big man; how can you be afraid of pain?"
Seeing this, "Lingdang'er" couldn't help but laugh, while "Fatty," noticing her cheerful demeanor, immediately perked up and stopped complaining about the pain. He stood tall and took confident steps.
Unfortunately, despite his serious expression, "Fatty" still looked quite comical. At that moment, "Li Nan" secretly thought to himself, "Fatty, you wouldn't have developed feelings for 'Lingdang'er,' would you?"
"Fatty" shook his head and replied, "Brother Nan, don't joke around. With my old face and big belly, how could I possibly be worthy of her?"
Hearing this, "Fatty's" thoughts were clear as day. "Li Nan" laughed and said, "You have good taste. But remember, it's not enough to just have feelings; you need to consider the other person's feelings too!"
(The recent buildup has been a bit too much; the story is starting to wrap up, and the plot of Volume Two is also coming to an end.)
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