"Sir, excuse me... I am Harukami Jiro's elder brother. Since he has died in battle, his compensation... can be given to me." A seemingly honest-looking Japanese man appeared in front of the table, bowing and scraping as he spoke to the translator.
Everyone around was stunned. Harukami had died in battle, but his wife was still sitting on the ground, and people were already demanding compensation. Widows already face immense hardship; this... was simply too much. Although according to Japanese custom, the deceased's elder brother did indeed have a greater right to inherit than a widow without sons, it was incredibly disrespectful to have so many people watching.
"Uncle, you've gone too far! You kicked us out of our house and stole our cloth. We had no choice but to go to Grandpa's house to live a hard life. Now you're trying to steal our things again! Mom... Mom is pregnant with my little brother! Waaah..." When the girl Ya Zi saw that hateful man appear again, she ignored her mother's dazed expression on the ground and pushed the Japanese man hard, but was pushed to the ground by him.
"Boo..." The surrounding people suddenly became noisy, but... no one came out to stop them. This was a family matter, and according to custom, the man's actions were beyond reproach.
"Little brother, whoever is carrying a boy in her belly, hehe, even if it's a boy, then he should be adopted by me, and the compensation should definitely be mine. Also, from now on, Ya Zi, you might have to call me father! Hahaha." The Japanese man was initially speaking fiercely to the girl, but later his expression changed, and he revealed a lecherous smile to Junko.
"I would rather die than give my child to you, you despicable and greedy coward! You'll only sell my child!" Junko struggled to her feet and saw Haruka Taro, Haruka Jiro's older brother, her eyes filled with intense hatred.
"Junko, you have nowhere else to go but me to survive... I'll treat you well... Hehe." Haruka Taro's face returned to its honest and simple appearance, as if the hideous mask he had just worn had nothing to do with him.
"What's going on?" A lame old man from the Great Xia Dynasty approached. His hair was already white, but his back was ramrod straight. All the Great Xia warriors stopped what they were doing, stood up, and bowed to him.
"Here's the thing, Lieutenant Liu, this woman's husband isn't on the roster, but he has a number plate. We're checking the list of the dead, but suddenly one of the deceased's older brothers came forward demanding compensation... and a dispute arose between the two sides."
After hearing the explanation, the lame captain took the number plate, looked at the two names on the back, and asked, "Who is the beneficiary? It's written very clearly. What are you doing? Will you be able to handle all these disputes in the future?"
"Yes, Commander Liu, I'll take care of it immediately. I thought when in Rome, do as the Romans do... these are the customs of Japan..."
"The customs of Japan are the customs of Japan. What does it have to do with us, the officials? Since her husband is working for our army, she is a military dependent and should be treated according to our rules." Captain Liu interrupted the warrior's explanation impatiently.
"Who is Chunzi? Who is Yazi? You two come here and take your compensation... Damn it, Lao Wu, have you found the list yet? How much compensation should they receive?" The young samurai roared at the people behind him, still seething with anger after being scolded by his boss.
"I've checked the military mail five or six times, and there's no Haruhisa Jiro. There's only one list of the dead, and only a few dozen people have died. What's going on?" Old Wu, who was behind him, was even more aggrieved than him. He was the least senior and had the weakest fist. He was assigned to the pension distribution office, which was already aggrieved. Now he was being blamed. How could he not be aggrieved?
"Go check the list of generals... Sigh! You bunch of people, how can you be so unreliable!" The lame Captain Liu looked at the group of people scrambling around and sighed inwardly, "Young master, you insist that illiterate soldiers are not good soldiers. Look at this bunch, even if they can read, they still look like ordinary soldiers. What use are they?"
"Found him! Haruka Jiro, commander of the 11th Brigade! Really, he's here!" shouted a young man behind the furthest table, the one where high-ranking officers' salaries were distributed. There were the fewest people in line at that table, but everyone who looked at him was filled with intense envy.
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