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

"You should go back now. We know you have three older brothers here. If you keep causing trouble, I'll have your eldest brother's whole family come over," Qin's mother urged again.

As she spoke, she walked to the outer room and stood in front of the half-full sack of rice: "Ningru, come and help me carry this."

"Dazhuang, I'll put down what you brought. Take this half-bag of rice back and hull it yourself."

Just as Niu Dazhuang was about to say something polite, Xue Ru chimed in, "Perfect timing, the rice Dazhuang got back before the New Year is almost gone."

"Don't come over on the fifteenth of the month. I heard that on the sixth of the month, Youde went to the township to report the situation. The government will definitely have a solution," Qin's father said from the inner room.

Qin Ningru looked at her mother pitifully, as if to say, "Should I stay, or go back with my sister?"

How could Qin's mother not understand her youngest daughter's thoughts? "Ningru, don't go over there and cause trouble."

"Mother, Ningru didn't cause any trouble; she helped me a lot. Come with us!"

Well, they came quickly and went back just as fast, carrying half a sack of rice home. Now Qin Xueru and her sister had something to do again.

That afternoon, I went to push the millstone...

In those days, there was no electricity in the mountain village, let alone electric mills. To peel grains, you had to use a stone mill.

Niujiazhuang only has one stone roller and one stone mill. The village even built a shed over them so that it wouldn't be affected by rain.

The village women gathered here; some lined up to use the millstone, others chatted idly. News of anything happening in the village always spread from here.

As soon as Qin Xueru and her sister appeared, they were stopped by enthusiastic aunts, grandmothers, and sisters-in-law.

"Hey, isn't this Da Zhuang's house? Come on, sit here, just put your baskets on the ground and line up."

Seeing Qin Xueru's bewildered expression, a woman in her thirties volunteered to act as an introducer: "I'm from Dashan's family, you have to call me sister-in-law. And this lady, even though she's older than us, she has to call us aunt..."

Qin Xueru nodded and greeted them one by one.

"Tsk tsk... Da Zhuang's family, this is your sister, right? She's just as beautiful as you. Da Zhuang is lucky to have married such a good wife, both beautiful and useful..."

"Haha... you're such a busybody, your mouth is like a cotton waistband. She's a new bride, don't make her feel embarrassed."

Qin Xueru is now a young married woman, she understands everything, and she's not one to take a loss lying down.

"Sister-in-law Niangen, you're quite useful too, otherwise why would Niangen marry you?"

"Hehe... Da Zhuang's wife, don't say that. She's not very useful. She's already had two kids, and every time she gave birth, there weren't enough for the babies to eat. She's so worried about it that she's almost bald by the end of the year!"

"Hello, hello, alright? You look like you're carrying a giant pumpkin in your chest, aren't you afraid of your chest sinking when you walk!"

"We're not asymmetrical at all; the front is bulging, and the back is perky—it's just right."

"Don't talk nonsense, there's still a virgin here."

"Look at her figure, her looks, no wonder they call her one of the seven beauties of the Qin family, she's just different. Hey, Da Zhuang's wife, is De Shui on a blind date with your sister?"

"The woman I met on a blind date in Deshui is my cousin, Yue Ru, and this woman is my younger sister, Ning Ru."

"Listen to these names! You can tell they were given by someone who can read and write. And look at our village, the boys are either Gou Dan or Gou Sheng, and the girls are either Er Ya'er or Lai Di!"

"The Qin family produced a scholar in their ancestry; our Niu family village can't compare. Looking at the mischievous kids in our village since we were little, they're always either climbing trees to steal bird nests or fishing in the river—not a single one of them is cut out for studying..."

In no time, Qin Xueru became one of them; every village had such a gathering place for women.

They joked around and got the job done.

The atmosphere here is completely different from that in Qinjiawa. They're all chatting and laughing.

"Aunties, sisters-in-law, aren't you worried about wolves coming into the village?" Qin Xueru asked.

"What are you worried about? We're worried that not many people will come. Go home and ask Dazhuang where he got his wolfskin coat."

"That's right, Da Zhuang's family. Although there aren't many men in our village, every single one of them is a skilled hunter. Every household has an old-fashioned hunting snare, so we don't have to worry about wolves coming into the village. A wolf pelt is worth ten yuan or so these days. Hunting one wolf is enough to cover the cost of salt for a year."

"Dazhuang's wife, you've just married into this family, there are many things you don't know. I'll tell you all about it after the New Year when you go back to work."

"Sister-in-law Dashan, you're talking about the female militia members, right?"

"That's right, you also have female militia members in Qinjiawa."

This is liberation. Before, all the men in our village went out to find food, and a bunch of women stayed at home to take care of things. In today's terms, they were all organized.

"Back then, your mother-in-law was their leader. She could fire a Mauser pistol with both hands; she was just as capable as the men."

An older woman chimed in, "Of course! We just help the men out, like slaughtering a sheep or butchering a pig. Your mother-in-law really did the hard work herself..."

Qin Ningru, getting playful, quickly asked, "Boom? With a Mauser pistol?"

"Yeah, we've already shot one."

"They must have shot down the Japanese!" Qin Ningru quickly tried to make amends for her mother-in-law.

"No, these traitors are even more hateful than the Japanese devils..."

The local customs here are unusually fierce. The older generation was so fierce, how could the younger generation not be fierce after being taught by their example?

As darkness fell, the two sisters carried their baskets home. Qin Ningru whispered, "Sister, it's a good thing your mother-in-law died early. If she were still alive, tsk tsk..."

"Don't talk nonsense. My mother-in-law killed bad people. Look at those female generals who led troops into battle; they weren't good wives or good mothers-in-law either!"

"That's true. I'd heard before that Niujiazhuang was a bandit's den, and now I really believe it. Goodness! Every woman in the village can slaughter sheep and pigs, and more than one of them has even killed someone!"

"You brat, you were forced into this situation, weren't you? Look around, who kills people now?"

"That's pretty impressive!"

"When you get back, don't say anything out of the ordinary."

"Do I need to exaggerate? Niujiazhuang has a notorious reputation."

"What others say is what they say; you are not allowed to spread rumors."

"Okay, I promise I won't talk nonsense!"

The village's atmosphere also influenced them, and they no longer felt afraid at night.

After dinner, with nothing else to do, the three of them sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) and chatted idly.

"Brother-in-law, will you teach me how to shoot tomorrow?" Qin Ningru blinked her big, dark eyes and asked Niu Dazhuang.

"Why did you suddenly want to learn how to shoot?" Qin Xueru asked.

"Sis, there's nothing else to do anyway."

"Ningru, learning to fire a gun is easy, but mastering it is not."

"I've seen their militia training, and it didn't seem that difficult!"

"Alright then, since you don't mind the effort, I'll teach you."