1940s: I supported my wife and sister-in-law by hunting.

With the heavy snow blocking the mountain pass and the snow stopping for two days, the woman in the west wing has been sleeping for two days and one night. Her mother and her aunt have been taking care of her for the past two days.

Chen Gaoshan didn't take this matter to heart at all.

In those chaotic times of war and uncertainty, a dog's life was no longer a matter of mere survival.

They pried open her mouth and forced the medicine down her throat, and fed her small sips of rice water as well. The family did everything they could to save her life.

Whether she lives or dies depends on that woman's own fate.

The next morning, Lianhua and Xinghua got up early and started taking care of the two children; their mother cooked the meal.

My aunt took her two children and cooked at home by themselves, saying she would rather die than come over and eat with them.

Old Chen said that since they were all family, it would be more lively to have everyone at one table, and it would save them trouble. But no one could persuade him otherwise, so he could only agree with his sister's approach.

Chen Guilan and her two children are all capable. They cleared the land for half a year this autumn, and the grain they ate for the first half of the year before winter came was all brought back from Old Zhang's house.

This year, with his aunt and two teenagers helping out, the autumn harvest was much easier.

Indeed, at this time, some people are truly productive.

It was freezing, and Chen Liushi admired her sister-in-law's tough spirit.

Before Lao Nian could even speak, he distributed grain to his aunt and two children, along with a jar of cured meat. They were all piled together, and they could get more if needed. When spring came next year, each family would cultivate their own land, and life would gradually become more stable.

The Chen family lived a little better than usual, but they didn't dare to openly eat white steamed buns and rice every day.

These days, the worst thing is when someone gets greedy. They'll snatch your food and women too. Don't be fooled by the fact that we're all from the same village and seem honest and kind; there are always bad apples out there. Otherwise, why would there be so many scoundrels and bastards?

The main staple foods at home are sorghum rice, cornmeal rice, or cornmeal flatbread.

They would only steam some large white steamed buns and white rice occasionally to improve their meals.

At this moment, Chen Gaoshan was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) with a bowl of cornmeal rice. After finishing a large bowl with cucumber and pickled vegetables, he quickly ate the last grain of rice from the bottom of the bowl, wiped his mouth, and stood up.

"Dad, I've made plans with Xiao Kouzi and the others to go into the mountains and do some searching today."

Old Chen knew that he couldn't keep such a big kid locked up; he had legs all over his body.

"Yes, be extra careful when you go into the mountains. The snow is thick and difficult to walk on. If you encounter any troublesome creatures, don't be reckless or risk your life to chase after them. Getting back safely is the most important thing."

"understood."

Xinghua quickly finished the last two mouthfuls of rice in her bowl, not even having time to wipe her mouth clean, and hurriedly got up to get busy.

She picked up the cornbread she had just made that morning from the stove, put it into a clean cloth bag, and then scooped up a jar of boiled radish, cowpeas, and pickled vegetables, stuffing them all into the bag to prepare food for Shanzi's trip into the mountains.

Chen Gaoshan, bundled up in layers of clothing, carrying a Type 38 rifle and a basket on his back, had just pushed open the courtyard gate when he saw Kexin from next door run out as soon as she heard the noise.

"Second Brother, are you going into the mountains? You promised me last autumn that you'd take me into the mountains once the snow stopped! You can't go back on your word!"

Chen Gaoshan couldn't help but laugh when he saw Zhang Kexin blocking his way and insisting on following him into the mountains.

He pulled the rabbit fur hat down a little to cover the little guy's red, frostbitten ears.

"I did promise you before that I would take you into the mountains."

"But I didn't promise you I'd bring you here when the mountains are snowbound and it's freezing cold. Look at you, you're not even as tall as the earthenware jar at home. A black slug that's been starving all winter could easily pounce on you and pin you down in a snowdrift."

He gestured with his hand to indicate a height.

"Stay home and behave yourself. We'll talk about going into the mountains again when you're as tall as me."

Zhang Kexin's face twitched up.

"Then, when will that be?"

"We'll talk about it when your hair has fully grown back."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Kexin's eyes lit up immediately. Forgetting her sullenness, she hurriedly pulled off her hat, grabbed her hair, and tilted her head back to show herself.

"Second Brother! I've grown hair! Look! It's all grown long!"

Chen Gaoshan reached out and tapped him on the forehead.

"I was talking about Mao from somewhere else, you silly boy."

"Hurry back inside and warm up, don't stand in the wind and get cold. If you don't listen and refuse to leave, I'll call your mother to come and drag you away. Then she'll grab a broom handle, pull down your pants, and spank you. I won't be able to stop her."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Kexin immediately deflated.

He fears nothing and no one, except his mother.

He was really stubborn, so I just pinned him to the edge of the bed, pulled down his pants, and started beating him. The broom handle hit his buttocks again and again, and it really hurt.

Zhang Kexin reached out her hand.

"You little rascal, pinky promise! Second brother, once I've grown hair on other parts of my body, you absolutely have to take me into the mountains. You can't keep lying to me like this!"

Chen Gaoshan pulled his hand out of his glove and hooked it around his little finger.

"Pinky promise, a hundred years from now, whoever breaks it is a dog. Now it's settled, you little brat."

"Um!"

After kicking Zhang Kexin in the butt, Chen Gaoshan didn't linger and quickly went to the assembly point to join the group heading into the mountains.

There were four people in total who went into the mountains to hunt this time: him, Xiao Kouzi, Ma Wanzhong, and Liu Chunlei.

Speaking of Ma Wanzhong, he is a well-known dog breeder. He has more than ten hunting dogs and local dogs of all sizes. Everyone in the village knows him.

Despite everyone calling him Uncle Wan Zhong because he's an elder, he's actually not that old. He's only twenty-six this year. It's just that he's of a higher generation in his family and was born later, so people his age call him old.

His older sister's children are all two years older than him, the younger uncle.

The old folks in the village were chatting, saying that his mother was forty-two years old when she gave birth to him. She was a child born late in life, and when he was little, she didn't have enough breast milk, so he grew up drinking his sister-in-law's milk.

He's finally learned his lesson from his sister-in-law.

The snow in the forest was really thick because no one had stepped on it. The four of them walked into the forest through the thick snow that was above Bolingai.

Ma Wanzhong led the way.

He was breathing heavily, and the white breath he exhaled frosted over his eyebrows, eyelashes, and the edge of his dog-skin hat.

As he walked, he raised his hand and tugged at the dog-skin hat on his head.

Liu Chunlei looked at his old hat.

"Wanzhong, look at that tattered hat of yours! The fur's all matted and worn out, and you're still wearing it like it's a treasure? It looks so familiar... Oh my god, isn't that the old dog-skin hat your older brother wore?"

"If we're lucky this time and manage to catch the thug, I'll have your wife make you a wolfskin hat so you can show it off when you go out."

Ma Wanzhong took off his hat and straightened out the few crumpled old counterfeit bills that were underneath.

His hair was very oily; he put a piece of waste paper on it to keep it a bit filthy.

He chuckled.

"Of course! This hat was originally left to my older brother by my dad, and he gave it to me when it got worn out. It's very sturdy, so there's no need to replace it."

"If I happen to catch something good today, or if I get something new, I won't be concerned about wearing a new hat first."

"It's most practical to exchange some fine cloth and buy some cotton. I'll make a new cotton-padded jacket for my husband who tends the fire, so that my wife can be happy too."

"Besides, this hat looks old, but the leather is old leather that was tanned back then. It doesn't shed and is very windproof. When I wear it out, I can pass it on to my son, and it can be passed down from generation to generation without any delay."

Chen Gaoshan, who was standing beside him, listened to these words and then picked up the conversation.

"So this hat is older than you. What's that saying? A dog-skin hat can be passed down for three generations; it's still there even after the person is gone."

"Haha, Shanzi, you're such a chatterbox! That's amazing! It's like a family heirloom, very durable!"