Courtyard houses: Those who are capable are rewarded, and many children bring many blessings.

Niu Dazhuang patted his wife's plump and bouncy buttocks: "Silly girl, don't think too much. After a while, you should be fine. See, isn't it much better now than at the beginning?"

"Well, Dazhuang, I'm not a jealous person. If you have another woman outside, you have to tell me. Don't hide it from me."

"Did your sister-in-law teach you this too?"

"No, this is what my mother told me. She said that if a man is capable, the women outside will definitely be cunning too. There are many like that in our village."

Don't you have a few young widows in your village too? It's not your fault, it's all the fault of the Japanese devils, so many men died in every village!

"With more women than men, who doesn't eat dumplings during the Lunar New Year?"

"My mother-in-law seems to see things very clearly. Sigh, is my father-in-law having an affair too?"

"Go to hell, my dad's getting old. But my older brother seems to have one. Isn't it like that in your village?"

When asked, Niu Dazhuang was speechless.

"Xueru, have you gone back to your parents' home these past few days? Did you mention the matchmaking thing we discussed?"

"I've replied. Yue Ru is willing to give it a try."

"Have you set a date? What's the location?"

"The day after tomorrow, when the villagers distribute meat and they come to our house as guests, will we also have meat to treat them?"

"Them? Who else?"

"Of course it's Sister Huairu! We can't let Yueru come alone!"

"So, we're helping them get together, and our family has to sacrifice our meat too? What a loss!" Niu Dazhuang joked.

"It's all your fault for taking on this! But if they really get married, we should thank the matchmaker properly! I'm hungry, why don't you go and make something to eat?" It's been more than ten days since they got married, and Qin Xueru has gradually stopped being so polite with him.

"Why aren't you full yet?" Niu Dazhuang said, pretending to take action.

Qin Xueru gave him a push and said, "Ugh, you're always so irresponsible. Go and cook."

"Hehe, I'm going right now. We might be slaughtering a pig and dividing the meat today, let's go together in a bit." With that, Niu Dazhuang got dressed and got off the kang (a heated brick bed).

"You did it on purpose, didn't you? Anyway, it's not like you walk awkwardly!"

"Hehe, I forgot about that. Why don't you just bring me back another concubine!" Niu Dazhuang joked.

"Alright, as long as you can afford it, I'll get you a concubine. With a concubine, I won't have to worry about serving you anymore!" Qin Xueru wasn't a boring person, and she joked along with him.

"I'm not kidding you anymore. I reckon we'll get a lot of meat this year. We won't give it away, but we'll take some meat to your parents' house and exchange it for some rice."

"Our family back home is busy clearing land, why isn't there any activity in our village?"

"I'm not sure, there should be a meeting in a couple of days!"

As the two chatted, Niu Dazhuang started cooking in a large pot outside. It was time to divide the meat, so there was no need to be stingy with the cured meat at home. He took out a piece from the porcelain jar used for curing the meat.

First, cook the rice, then stew some pickled meat and sauerkraut... The stew can be made on the coal fire in the inner room.

Cooking with two fires at the same time is fast; lunch is served on the kang table in just half an hour.

Niu Dazhuang poured himself another half pot of hot wine.

"Come on, wife, have a drink with me!" Qin Xueru was already dressed and sitting cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed).

"You drink it yourself, I'm not falling for it. My sister got drunk last time she came. Hey! Dazhuang, did the team finish their hunting mission?"

"The necessary task is completed. What's up?"

"Have you forgotten what you promised my brother when we went back to his parents' home?"

"No, I don't want to take them into the deep mountains and forests. When it snows, we can go to the nearby mountains and hunt a few rabbits and pheasants. It would be bad if something happened to me taking them."

"Oh, as long as you know it, that's good. Did you encounter any wolves this time you went into the mountains?"

Niu Dazhuang took a sip of hot Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), then smacked his lips on some food: "How come we didn't run into each other? Luckily, your man is quick-witted..."

"These past two years, there have been quite a few wolves, and wild boars too. Every year after a heavy snowfall, they come down from the mountains to wreak havoc on the crops and livestock!"

"We can't worry about that much, just mind our own business. I have something to tell you, but don't tell anyone else. I have a roe deer and a black goat hiding in the mountains outside the village. I'll go out and bring them back tonight."

Qin Xueru asked cautiously in a low voice, "Why are you shouting so loudly? I'm not stupid. It's the commune market on the fifth day of the lunar new year. Is it alright if I take it out to exchange for some grain?"

"No need, we'll eat at home. We just need to eat discreetly. I'll think of another way to get the food."

"What other options do you have? Didn't you just tell me to take the meat back to my parents' house to exchange for rice?" Qin Xueru was a little confused.

"I was just giving meat directly to your family; it hurt my wallet, so I had to get something in return!"

Qin Xueru tilted her head and thought for a moment before saying, "No need. My family eats better than us. Although we don't have meat, we can still eat refined grains. Look at our family, all we have in the jar is cornmeal or sweet potato starch. Although we have some cured meat, it's not much."

"Then don't take too much at once, exchange it for some flour at the market."

"Okay, then I'll go to the market the day after tomorrow."

They finished their lunch while chatting.

"I'll wash the dishes again. You go out for a walk. A grown man shouldn't always stay cooped up at home."

Niu Dazhuang asked mischievously, "You can do it again?"

Seeing his mischievous grin, Qin Xueru knew what he meant and laughed, scolding, "You big dummy! You're much more used to it than before, but it's still not good enough."

"Then why are you still making arrangements to do the work!"

"I reckon if I rest a little longer, I should be able to get off the bed this afternoon!"

As he spoke, Niu Dazhuang had already placed the bowl and chopsticks in the porcelain basin: "Get some rest, we'll continue tonight!"

"If you want me to die quickly, then keep torturing me tonight!"

"Is it really that exaggerated?"

"It's not you who's in pain! Do you think I can even get off the bed? You're so annoying!" Qin Xueru said coquettishly.

"Alas! What a miserable life. I married a beautiful wife, but I can only watch her..." Niu Dazhuang said with a hint of sarcasm.

But Qin Xueru kept it to herself.

Niu Dazhuang, with a pipe in his mouth, went to the village office.

"I've rested enough, we're just waiting for you, the custodian," Niu Youcao said.

"Hehe, with Uncle Cao, and you and Brother Dashan here, you guys can decide how to divide it up. Just tell me a number when the time comes."

"Then I'll divide up all the lamb offal, will you agree?"

"Hehe, no way, I just really like this kind of thing."

At this moment, Niu Youcao climbed the steps and shouted loudly: "This year's harvest is about the same as last year's. The two pigs slaughtered this morning, plus the game we hunted, brought the total meat to 1285 jin, and the heads, hooves, and offal to 454 jin. There are a total of 26 households in our village."

In the past, meat was distributed per household. But in the last two years, there have been more births, so distributing it per household would be unfair to those with more children. Distributing it per person would be unfair to those with fewer children. So this year, I discussed it with Dashan...

How much should adult male laborers receive, how much should women receive, how much should children over eight years old receive...?