In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 459 Envy

During their conversation, a sharp-eyed woman spotted Fang Yong entering the village. Looking at Fang Yong's figure, which seemed both somewhat familiar and utterly unfamiliar, the woman shouted, "Who are you? What are you doing in our village?"

The woman's voice was quite loud, and she quickly drew everyone's attention to Fang Yong.

"Who is this person? There's no one like him in our village, is there?"

"I don't know him."

"I don't know him either."

"..."

All eyes were on Fang Yong, their faces full of vigilance, and some of the young men had even started looking for suitable weapons.

Unfortunately, with the arrival of the cold disaster, people's lives became increasingly difficult, and there were more and more thieves stealing chickens and dogs and robbing houses. When a stranger entered the village, no one could guarantee that he was not a thief who came to gather information.

Fang Yong was carrying ducks and grain sacks, so he didn't look like a thief; otherwise, many men would probably have already grabbed their weapons and chased him away.

Noticing the gazes of the crowd, Fang Yong stopped and said to the woman who had spoken first, "Aunt Li, I'm Fang Yong. Don't you remember me?"

To be honest, Fang Yong was a bit confused. He was a native of Tupo Village, so why would the villagers treat him like this?

"Huh? Fang Yong?"

Not only was Fang Yong dumbfounded, but the woman called Aunt Li was also dumbfounded!

"Are you Fang Yong?"

Aunt Li looked Fang Yong up and down and asked incredulously.

Of course she knew Fang Yong; in fact, you could say she watched him grow up.

It was precisely because she knew Fang Yong that her expression changed so drastically at this moment.

In her memory, Fang Yong was taller than other men in the village, but his build was no different from that of ordinary men; he was rather thin.

However, the man in front of her was... broad-shouldered and burly, walking with a powerful stride, completely different from the Fang Yong she remembered.

"What? This is Yong-ge'er?"

"I have to say, the face shape is quite similar."

"The face is indeed quite similar, but this physique... Is Brother Yong really that strong?"

"Is this really Yong-ge'er?"

"..."

The other villagers looked at each other in bewilderment. Tupo Village was such a small place, and the villagers all knew each other, so they naturally recognized Fang Yong.

The man in front of them did indeed resemble Fang Yong in their memory, but...

The difference in physique is too great. Fang Yong used to be more than just skinny, but this man in front of him...

With his thick arms and muscular physique, many men in the village couldn't help but wonder... if he could knock them out with one punch.

"Of course I am Fang Yong."

Fang Yong said, both amused and exasperated, "Aunt Li, your house is so close to mine, don't you recognize me? Take a closer look at me."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Li carefully examined Fang Yong's face, comparing it with the face she remembered of him.

Soon, Aunt Li laughed: "I recognize you, it really is Yong-ge'er!"

"It really is Yong-ge'er?"

"How come Yong-ge'er has changed so much?"

"This... has Yong-ge'er eaten a thousand-year-old ginseng? How come he's so strong?"

"..."

The villagers were shocked to hear Aunt Li's words. Since Chen Jiajun's dormitory was built, Fang Yong had been living in Chenjia Village, which meant that they had not seen Fang Yong for more than a month.

A little over a month isn't a long time, but in that short period, Fang Yong's changes were so dramatic that they couldn't recognize him.

"Brother Yong!"

A boy asked curiously, "Did you take some kind of super tonic? How come you're so strong?"

"Uh……"

Fang Yong scratched his head and laughed, "I ate better in Chenjia Village, so I grew stronger."

"What? Is the food in Chenjia Village some kind of magic pill? Can it make people grow this strong in just one month?"

"Is the food in Chenjia Village really that good?"

"This... Brother Yong is now as strong as a calf, I feel like he could kill a tiger with one punch."

"Is Chenjia Village really that good?"

"..."

The villagers knew about Chen Jiajun's treatment and that Fang Yong had joined Chen Jiajun, but what they didn't know was...

The food provided by Chen's army was so good that Fang Yong had changed so much in just over a month.

"The food in Chenjia Village is indeed quite good!"

Fang Yong replied to everyone, "We can eat three meals a day, with plenty of white flour steamed buns at every meal, and we can also eat meat every other day, so we gain weight very quickly."

"Huh? Three meals a day of plain white steamed buns, all you can eat? Yong-ge, you're living the life of a god!"

"Damn it, the food in the Chen family army is really this good?"

"Even the richest landlords don't live such a good life, having meat every two days!"

"No wonder Yong-ge is so strong and healthy, he must eat so well!"

"..."

Envy and jealousy welled up in the villagers' hearts. The thought that they had to scrimp and save on their sorghum flour while Fang Yong could eat white flour buns every day and even have meat every two days... they felt utterly miserable. However...

Fang Yong's words were clearly not over yet.

"In addition to food, we also receive military pay."

Fang Yong lifted the quacking white-feathered duck in his hand and said, "I can receive one tael of silver in military pay every month, and I can also have a day off. I received my military pay today, so I bought a duck and some grain to bring back to my parents."

"..."

Silence fell. Everyone stared silently at the plump white-feathered duck in Fang Yong's hand, their hearts aching even more.

“Steamed buns every meal, meat every two days, and a tael of silver every month—damn it, even the county magistrate doesn’t get this kind of treatment.”

"Brother Yong is really rich now! Such a fat duck, it must be so juicy to eat."

"Damn! Yong-ge's parents are probably going to be overjoyed."

"..."

A sour feeling spread among the crowd.

Aunt Li grabbed Fang Yong's wrist and pulled him along, saying, "Brother Yong, your parents will be so happy to see you back. Come back with me right away."

As she spoke, Aunt Li pulled Fang Yong toward his home.

The villagers stood there, watching Fang Yong's retreating figure, their hearts filled with envy and a touch of sour jealousy.

“A whole duck! My family doesn’t eat a whole duck in a whole year.”

"That's right! I should have signed up for Chen's Army back then."

“Old Li, you’re fifty years old. The Chen family army doesn’t want you.”

"Yong-ge'er is so successful now, his parents are probably going to enjoy a comfortable life in the future."

"That's right! One tael of silver a month, even if Yong-ge's parents eat delicacies every day, they still can't spend it all."

“I’ve known since I was a kid that Yong-ge’er was going to be successful, and I was right.”

"Bullshit! When Yong-ge went to sign up for Chen's Army, you said he was going to die sooner or later!"

"That's it!"

"..."