"No need," Du Jianshan smiled. "You were working on butchering the muntjac all night, you must be exhausted. If anything happens, I'll whistle a few times, three short and two long. As soon as you hear the commotion, come with your gun and men."

"Then... be careful!" Wang Tieniu looked at him with concern.

Du Jianshan waved his hand and crouched down, making his way towards the wooded area on the east slope. He gripped his pistol tightly and slowly advanced along the edge of the bushes. The woods were quiet, with only the occasional chirping of early birds and the rustling of leaves in the cold wind.

He walked for about fifteen minutes when he suddenly discovered several fresh footprints behind a fallen tree.

"Um?"

He bent down for a closer look and realized that it wasn't Zhao Guangming's shoe sole pattern, and it was much larger in size; it was a pair of Liberation shoes!

"There are accomplices?"

He continued following the trail and suddenly saw a smooth wooden stick lying in the bushes, with dried meat and half a bottle of wine tied to it.

"Reception supplies?"

He had a sudden inspiration, picked up a few small stones from the ground, tossed them into the air a few times, and then whistled softly—three short and two long whistles.

A mountain breeze swept by, and a moment later, the sound of tree branches cracking underfoot could be heard in the distance. Then, Wang Tieniu rushed out, panting heavily.

"What happened? Did something go wrong?"

“Look at this.” Du Jianshan pointed to the footprints and wooden stick on the ground. “This wasn’t done by Zhao Guangming alone. I bet someone else will come to collect this bag of dry food and wine tonight.”

"Then... shall we stay and guard it?"

“Yes.” Du Jianshan said in a low voice, “Go back and tell Company Commander Chen not to rush to take the man away. Let’s wait for him to come to us tonight.”

"What about Zhao Guangming?"

"Take him back, but deliberately make a scene and hold a trial, let the wind blow that he has been handed over to the military. Once his accomplices think it's safe, they can come back to scout the place."

"Brilliant!" Wang Tieniu slapped his thigh. "Old Du, you've really lived all these years with that brain of yours!"

"Enough with the nonsense." Du Jianshan laughed and scolded, "You go back and arrange the manpower, I'll stay here and keep an eye on things."

"Alright, let's catch them red-handed tonight!"

“If you knock down this mud wall, I’ll let you live at the foot of it.” Du Jianshan rolled his eyes, picked up an iron shovel, and walked toward the flat patch of mud in the center of the dugout. “Let’s get started, bury the door frame first.”

The two men worked efficiently, and in no time they had buried several pieces of pre-prepared poplar wood into the pit, propping up a lintel at an angle. Du Jianshan used a machete to cut a piece of rope to secure the lintel firmly, then looked up and shouted to Wang Tieniu:

"Tie Niu, have you brought the stone slab yet? Stop dawdling there!"

"Coming right up!" Wang Tieniu, panting heavily, carried over two old stone slabs, muttering, "You insisted on using stone slabs for the threshold, aren't we tired from carrying them several times?"

Du Jianshan slapped him on the back of the head: "The stone slabs are sturdy! This dugout can really last for several years without collapsing. We won't have to worry about snow or water getting in, and most importantly, it keeps out rats!"

“That makes sense.” Wang Tieniu helped with the arrangement while glancing at the corner of the shack. “What about the old bricks piled up over there? We can use them to build a stove later. I want to eat stewed meat.”

Du Jianshan laughed: "All you ever think about is food. Fine, dig out the stove pit first, then seal the furnace with mud."

Just then, a series of footsteps and heavy breathing came from afar: "Brother Shanzi, Brother Tieniu!"

Wang Tieniu looked up and saw it was the short Zhao Chenggui. "What brings you here?"

"Li San and I encountered serows while running in the mountains!" Zhao Chenggui said, panting, as he pulled a cloth bag from his basket. "Li San wounded one, and the blood trail went all the way to the other side of the ditch. I rushed back to get your help!"