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

Chapter 440 Imagine the future

Wu Gang rested his head on his hands, looked at the ceiling, and said, "Brothers, shouldn't our pay be coming soon?"

"almost!"

The man on the bed opposite Wu Gang replied, "Mr. Chen said before that as long as we become martial artists, we can receive military pay. All four of us are already martial artists, so we should be able to receive our pay this month!"

Upon hearing the words "receive money," the four men felt a surge of excitement. No one in the world dislikes money, not even the well-off soldiers of the Chen family army.

Although they don't need the money right now, they still have families!

After receiving their military pay, they could give the money to their families to improve their lives, which was an extremely important thing for them.

"We should receive our military pay by the middle of this month."

Fang Yong spoke up: "I asked the deputy commander before, and he told me that Chenjia Village pays wages on the 15th of each month, and our Chenjia Army is the same."

The so-called deputy commander is naturally Chen Da, and the commander is undoubtedly Chen Dao.

"Great! We'll receive our military pay of one tael of silver this month!"

"As soon as I receive my military pay, I will send it home to my mother so that she can help my sister recover."

"Me too. I have a younger brother who goes hungry every day. With this military pay, my brother will be able to eat his fill from now on!"

"..."

The men fantasized about what it would be like to receive their military pay, and a smile unconsciously crept onto their lips.

Joining Chen's army was definitely the best decision they ever made in their lives. Not only did they transform themselves from poor farmers into martial artists, but they also received military pay to improve their families' living standards.

Their fates were completely changed the moment they joined Chen's army.

"By the way..."

Wu Gang suddenly spoke up: "We are already official members of the Chen Family Army and have obtained the household registration status of the Chen Family Army. So, can we bring our families to live in Chen Family Village?"

"Yes!"

Another man named Guo Tai's eyes lit up. "Chenjia Village is a great place. Not only is the food cheap, but we can also find jobs and earn money. If our family could live in Chenjia Village, our lives would definitely be much better than before."

"That's always been my opinion."

Fang Yong said with a smile, "I've already decided. Once the military pay comes in this time, I'll bring my parents to live in Chenjia Village."

"Me too!"

A man named Song Zhihua said, "My hometown village is so poor that there are only people left. We have to go to the city to buy things, which is very inconvenient. It would be better to bring my parents to Chenjia Village to enjoy their retirement!"

“I’m also bringing my family here; the village in my hometown is really no longer a suitable place to live.”

"Me too!"

"..."

Similar conversations were taking place in one dormitory after another. The men of Chenjia Army, who had finally stopped training and had half a day of free time, were dreaming about bringing their families to Chenjia Village to enjoy a better life after they received their military pay.

…………

…………

The next day.

As dawn broke, the men of the Chen family army woke up, quickly washed their faces, and rushed out of their dormitories, spontaneously forming ranks in the training ground.

Shortly after, Chen Dao walked over with Li Qingyun, Xu Zhiwen, and Liu Yi, and stood in front of the line, saying, "Are you all ready?"

"Ready!"

"Very good! Now, everyone, follow Magistrate Li!"

"Yes!"

The crowd responded with high spirits, and then marched out of the village in unison with Li Qingyun.

Pedestrians on the roadside stared at this imposing army, utterly bewildered.

"What are these soldiers up to?"

"Could it be that thieves are causing trouble somewhere?"

"No way? All the thieves in our county were killed long ago. Who would dare to cause trouble now?"

"All the men of Chen's army have been mobilized. I wonder what big thing has happened!"

"..."

Passersby were both puzzled and envious as they watched the men of the Chen family army marching in perfect unison.

The reason for their confusion was that it was extremely rare for the entire Chen family army to be mobilized, and they couldn't help but wonder if there were bandits causing trouble somewhere.

The envy stems from... the treatment of soldiers in Chen's army.

It was common knowledge that Chenjia Village provided generous treatment. They ate white flour buns three times a day, had meat every other day, and received a military stipend of one tael of silver per month...

Such generous treatment is something many people wouldn't even dare to dream of!

"Fuck him!"

A lean man couldn't help but spit on the ground, his face full of envy, and said, "If I could join the Chen family army, I would die happy!"

"Ha ha!"

A man standing nearby who recognized the man couldn't help but laugh: "Zhang Laosan, you idiot! Back when the Chen family army was recruiting, you lied about your age. Now look what you've done, you've missed such a good opportunity!"

"Don't mention it, it's bad luck to even talk about it!"

Zhang Laosan looked annoyed. He had signed up for the military when Chenjia Village was recruiting soldiers, and he met the requirements.

But at the time, he didn't know if he had lost his mind or what, but he actually thought that the younger he was, the easier it would be to get a job. So Zhang Laosan reported his age as 20 instead of 28.

then……

Unsurprisingly, Zhang Laosan was not selected.

Zhang Laosan was quite annoyed about this for a long time, especially after seeing those who joined Chen's army become visibly stronger.

Those who successfully joined Chen's army ate white flour steamed buns every day and could eat delicious meat every other day. On the other hand, Zhang Laosan, who failed to be selected, ate bran and wild vegetables every day and couldn't even get enough to eat. It was truly infuriating to compare people like that.

"Damn it."

Zhang Laosan stamped his feet and said, "I shouldn't have lied about my age in the first place."

"Ha ha!"

Everyone around burst into laughter.

"Zhang Laosan, you idiot, you clearly meet the requirements, but you still lied about your age."

"If Zhang Laosan hadn't lied about his age, he might be living like the Chen family army now, eating his fill every day!"

"Hahaha! Zhang Laosan, that big idiot."

"..."

Hearing the laughter of the people around him, Zhang Laosan felt even more uncomfortable, but he didn't feel any resentment, because he knew that the people around him didn't mean any harm, they just found it funny.

"These men of the Chen family army are truly mighty and extraordinary!"

After making fun of Zhang Laosan, an old man watched the Chen family army gradually disappear from sight and sighed, "They're all as strong as calves. I could tell at a glance they're good soldiers!"

"Old Li, you used to be a soldier, right?"

A man standing nearby who recognized the old man asked.