The kang (heated brick bed) for left-behind women

He Xiulan then went to cook.

Lin Dachun glanced at He Xiulan's figure. This woman was much more proper than that widow Su.

That widow Su appears to be a lady and refined, but in reality, she's a slut.

But He Xiulan was different; she was very clean.

Moreover, He Xiulan's figure is absolutely stunning, exactly the type of body men find most attractive.

Lin Dachun and He Xiulan had some interactions before.

We've had a few private meetings, but nothing has crossed the line.

Later, He Xiulan's husband found out, which led to others finding out as well, causing a very tense and ugly situation.

After that incident, Lin Dachun and He Xiulan broke off all contact.

Lin Dachun wasn't idle either. Seeing that Su Xiulan's yard wasn't chopping enough firewood and the water tank was almost empty, he picked up the axe again and chopped up a large pile of firewood, neatly stacking it in the corner.

Then he picked up the buckets and went to the well in the village to fetch water twice, filling the water tank to the brim.

When doing these heavy tasks, he seemed to have regained the agility he had in his youth, but the wrinkles on his forehead and the occasional pause to pound his back showed that time waits for no one.

He Xiulan watched from inside the house, and her nose suddenly felt sore.

It's been too long since a man in the family has done these heavy chores.

The meal was simple: a plate of stir-fried shredded potatoes, a dish of pickled vegetable dumplings, a bowl of sorghum porridge, and two cornbread buns mixed with cornmeal.

But in those days, this was already a sign of hospitality.

The two sat facing each other at the kang table, while the child ate quietly on one side.

At this time.

He Xiulan handed Lin Dachun a hard-boiled egg.

What are you doing?

"You do heavy work, so you need to replenish your nutrition more," He Xiulan replied.

Lin Dachun took the egg, peeled it, and then handed it to the little child next to him.

"The child needs to eat because he's growing; I don't."

"this."

He Xiulan had no choice but to give up.

Lin Dachun sat down opposite He Xiulan, his collar slightly loosened.

Lin Dachun shoveled down a few mouthfuls of porridge, then thought of the old black dog.

"That old black dog," Lin Dachun's brows furrowed, "...has he come looking for trouble again?"

He Xiulan's face turned pale instantly, and her hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly.

She lowered her head, her eyes instantly reddening. After a long silence, she spoke in a barely audible, tearful voice:

"...Come here. Every now and then...he just loiters outside the courtyard gate, spouting nonsense."

Her voice trailed off, filled with humiliation and lingering fear. "A few days ago... at night, he... he drank some cat urine, climbed over the wall, and almost... almost did something to me... Luckily, my child was crying so hard, and I screamed for him, and he... he left cursing..."

By the end, she was almost sobbing uncontrollably, and large tears fell into the bowl.

Lin Dachun listened, his face turning ashen, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged out.

He never expected that the old bachelor would be so lawless!

"That beast!" Lin Dachun squeezed out the words through gritted teeth, his chest heaving violently.

Looking at the helpless, weeping woman before him, a surge of anger mixed with a strong desire to protect her welled up inside him.

If they can climb over the wall today, they'll dare to smash the door tomorrow!

He Xiulan, a widow and orphan, was in this village. If no one kept her in check, something terrible would happen sooner or later!

"Damn it, last time he went to Widow Su's house, he just went straight for her. If I hadn't shown up in time, that bastard would have liked to loiter around the village and target widows. I thought his attention was all on Widow Su, but I didn't expect he was still eyeing you."

Lin Dachun was somewhat indignant.

"Don't get into a conflict with him. I heard that your brother is now involved in the underworld in town and is doing very well. I heard that he even stabbed someone to death. It's scary to think about." He Xiulan said, her eyes reddening.

Among these young men, Old Black Dog and his brother are two ruthless characters.

"Make sure to close and lock all the doors and windows tonight, so he doesn't have a chance to get in," Lin Dachun said, glancing at the doors and windows.

"I'll find some wooden planks to board up the window another day and seal it shut, that way they won't be able to get in," Lin Dachun suggested.

"Um."

He Xiulan looked up at Lin Dachun, then lowered her head and said, "If there were a man in the house, that old black dog wouldn't dare to come. It's a pity I'm a widow. If I were like Ruoxue, with your care, no one would dare to bully me."

These words sounded like expressions of envy, but they were actually said intentionally for Lin Dachun to hear.

Both of them were well aware that Aunt Zhou was acting as a matchmaker.

He Xiulan's words were also a test of Lin Dachun.

"If there's any heavy work to do in the future, you can call me. If Old Black Dog comes again next time, just give me my name and I'll find him." Lin Dachun will still protect He Xiulan.

"Why are you giving your name? Are you saying I'm your woman?"

He Xiulan said shyly.

Before Lin Dachun could interrupt, He Xiulan put down her chopsticks and grabbed Lin Dachun's hand.

"Da Chun, why don't you take me?"

Lin Dachun quickly withdrew his hand and said, "What nonsense are you talking about in front of the child? Let's eat."

After leaving He Xiulan's house, Lin Dachun felt as if a heavy stone was pressing on his heart.

When He Xiulan placed his hand on his body, it was like a tiny thorn gently pricking him, awakening a long-dormant feeling within him that he had almost forgotten.

It's a primal instinct belonging to men, a mixture of longing for a warm body and affirmation of their own strength.

He couldn't help but recall Aunt Zhou's words: "...How can you manage without someone who cares about your well-being?"

He remembered the grateful and dependent look in He Xiulan's eyes when she handed him water, and the graceful curves of her back as she cooked.

An absurd yet audacious idea, like a spark emerging from the darkness, suddenly flashed into my mind: What if... what if I really stole a girl, had an illegitimate child, or continued the family line?

The thought made his heart skip a beat, followed by a deeper sense of panic and self-mockery.

He's already this old, practically buried up to his neck, why is he still thinking about these things?

However, once that spark is ignited, it is not so easy to extinguish.

If... if we really get married, will we... be able to have children?

The word "after" struck him like a bolt of lightning.

The child's death was a wound in his heart that could never heal, and it also meant that the Lin Dachun lineage had completely ended with him.

This is the deepest pain and regret in his heart.

He never dared to think about it before, and felt he wasn't qualified to think about it, but now...

As if possessed, he took a different turn and instead of going straight home, headed towards the home of Sun Xiangu, the village doctor, at the other end of the village.

Sun Xiangu had interned at the county health center for several years and was considered the most knowledgeable person in the village. Everyone liked to consult her for headaches, fevers, and other difficult-to-diagnose illnesses.

Sun Xiangu was sitting on the edge of her kang (heated brick bed) rolling medicinal pills when she saw Lin Dachun come in. She was somewhat surprised: "Dachun? What brings you here? Are you feeling unwell?"

Lin Dachun stood in the middle of the room, unsure of what to do with his hands and feet. His weathered old face turned slightly red, and although he pursed his lips a few times, he couldn't utter a sound.

Sun Xiangu was even more puzzled: "What's wrong? Why are you dawdling like a woman!"

Lin Dachun took a deep breath, as if he had made a huge decision, leaned forward, and asked in a very low, indistinct voice:

"Dr. Sun... I... I just wanted to ask... at my age... is it still possible for a woman to... get pregnant?"

After asking that question, Lin Dachun felt as if his face had been burned, and he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Sun Xiangu was clearly stunned, looking Lin Dachun up and down as if she were seeing him for the first time.

"Haha, haha, why are you asking this? Thinking about remarrying?"

"Stop laughing!!"

Lin Dachun, his neck stiff, neither admitted nor denied, but stubbornly asked, "Just tell me... is it still possible?"

Looking at his embarrassed yet earnest expression, Sun Xiangu understood seven or eight parts of the situation.

He sighed, "Dachun, logically speaking, a man like you, only in your forties, or even seventy, can still have children as long as he's capable. But..."

Sun Xiangu paused for a moment, then said, "At your age, your energy and spirit are definitely not as strong as they were when you were young. The chances of getting pregnant are a bit small, but it's not entirely impossible."

She glanced at Lin Dachun's tense face and added, "Well, the key to this is the woman's age and health. If she's younger, the soil is good, and even a less-than-ideal seed can sprout. If she's older, the soil is poor, and even the best seed is useless."

Sun Xiangu's words were blunt and vulgar, yet they struck Lin Dachun's heart like a heavy hammer.