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

In the blink of an eye, it was completely dark.

After finishing their dinner, the Chen family tidied up.

Without saying a word, Lianhua picked up Da Mao from her arms.

Everyone knows what's planned at home tonight.

They deliberately went to the east wing to make room for Chen Gaoshan and Kui Zi.

She says she's obedient, sensible, and not pretentious, but she feels suffocated inside.

They're all women, what woman would genuinely be willing to give up her man to someone else?

She could only console herself by avoiding it, thinking that out of sight, out of mind, and to avoid getting upset.

She stood at the doorway, holding her child, just standing there in a daze.

Chen Gaoshan reached out and took Da Mao from her arms.

"If you don't like the past, then don't dwell on it. Don't force yourself. Tonight, the three of us will sleep together on one bed. You stay and keep me company."

"Shanzi, don't talk nonsense. You'd better give up. I can't do that. Just listen to your parents' arrangements, have a child with Kuizi, and hurry up and continue the Chen family line. Our family needs an heir, and the Chen family has one now."

Only then can Xinghua and I truly feel at peace. I really don't blame you, not at all. To put it bluntly, it's just that my sister and I were unlucky and disappointing, unable to give you a son. As long as you still think of us, I'll be content; I don't ask for anything else.

Seeing her like this, Chen Gaoshan didn't say anything more. They were both good women.

He picked up Da Mao and turned to go to the east wing, where he put the child on the kang (a heated brick bed).

He bent down and kissed each of his two little daughters' cheeks, then leaned in to kiss Lotus and Apricot Blossom, comforting his two daughters-in-law before turning to leave.

No matter the era, a man's charm is always about being rich and powerful, while a woman's charm is about being big-breasted and brainless. Xinghua and Lianhua in their family have one of these qualities. As for their brains, they have some, but not enough to be considered intelligent. That's enough.

"Shanzi! Stop wandering around! Kuizi's boiling water in the north room! Hurry up and get some firewood for the stove!"

"Okay, I got it."

Chen Gaoshan casually picked up a handful of dry firewood and piled it at the base of the wall in the outer room.

The fire in the stove crackled and popped, and the water in the pot was steaming, not yet fully boiling.

Kui Zi, with her head bowed and eyes downcast, trotted back and forth carrying buckets of water to pour warm water into the north room.

There was a large wooden bath tub standing by the kang (heated brick bed) in the north room. It was made earlier, and there was also one in the main room where my parents lived.

Chen Liu turned her head and looked at her son, who was standing still in the same spot.

"What are you standing there staring at? Kui Zi specially boiled hot water for you so you can scrub and wash yourself properly."

"The water hasn't boiled yet, I'm going back inside to wait a while."

Chen Liu didn't stop him. She added two more bundles of firewood to the stove, making the fire burn brightly. She patted the ash off her hands and stepped into the north room.

As soon as I entered the room, I saw Kui Zi sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

Her hair was only half-braided, with the braid hanging down. She was sitting there blankly, her hand still on her hair, clearly nervous and flustered, lost in thought.

Chen Liu went over, sat down next to her, reached out and took the half of her braid, and helped her continue braiding it.

She's been through it all; she speaks frankly and directly.

"Kui Zi, there are two hurdles a woman must overcome in her life."

The first hurdle is giving yourself to a man. The second is giving birth. Only when you've overcome these two hurdles can you be considered a real woman. Do you understand what I mean?

Kui Zi's face was slightly flushed, and her head was bowed low.

"Hi."

Chen Liu smiled and touched her long braid.

A moment later, Aoi walked in with her head down. Her mother had always served her father this way, and she was now following the example of her mother in her memory to serve Takayama-san.

"Please take a shower, please, please take a shower in my room."

After saying that, he knelt down and shuffled step by step to Chen Gaoshan's side, taking the initiative to grasp Chen Gaoshan's hand.

He had never experienced such kneeling service before. This man, living the life of a dog, really knows how to enjoy himself.

To have old women serve you like this.

"Is this how you serve your men where you're from? Kneeling down from the start?"

"Hi, please take a shower."

Chen Gaoshan wasn't the type to dawdle or be indecisive. His mother had already told him that Kuizi was still a virgin, so he wasn't at a disadvantage.

"Get up, I'll go with you."

····

The hot water in the wooden tub in the north room was steaming. Kui Zi's way of serving people was even more professional than the eighty-eighth young lady he had chosen before.

They'll undress you, scrub your back, wipe your body, and wipe your feet—this kind of service is definitely top-notch.

It felt so good. When Kui Zi's little hands rubbed against his body, it was a completely different feeling from her calloused hands.

He sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) watching Kui Zi bathe with the water he had used, chatting about the water as if it were water being poured into his heart.

He immediately got up, walked over, and took the towel from Kui Zi's hand.

"I'll scrub your back."

As he was wiping, Chen Gaoshan simply lifted the person out of the bucket.

"Chen Sang, you're wet!"

"It's okay, it won't be able to work in a bit anyway."

The two of them got on the kang (heated brick bed). Kui Zi was a little scared and trembled slightly, her hand pressed against his chest.

Chen Gaoshan frowned as he looked at her frightened and somewhat cautious expression.

"You don't want to?"

Kui Zi immediately shook her head and reached out to hug his neck.

"I am willing, I am willing to have children."

If he had been any later, it would have been seen as a sign of his slackening in his resistance against Japan.

Riding a foreign horse, straddling a foreign sword, he just throws it down with a clatter.

A biological sister and a biological sister are not the same thing, just as resisting Japan and resisting Japan are not the same thing.

Some things are ingrained in one's bones, and he is contributing his share of the national spirit to the best of his ability.

Regardless of whether it's a new car or not, I just floored the accelerator and headed straight for the highway.

"Yamade".

"Get it, get it, get it."

In the dead of night, every household in the village had already blown out their lamps and gone to bed early.

In the main house and side rooms of the Chen family, no one dared to sleep soundly.

The kerosene lamp is still lit in the east wing.

Xinghua had just coaxed little Ermao to sleep soundly, and was now holding big Mao in her arms. She gently patted the baby's back, following his burps, but her eyes kept glancing at the still-burning oil lamp in the west wing.

Lotus pricked up her ears and didn't dare to breathe too loudly.

"Sister, do you think those two in the west room have gone to sleep yet? Why is the light still on? They don't seem to be going to turn it off at all."

"Don't you know what kind of guy Gao Shan is? He loves to keep the lights on. If he doesn't sleep, he can't keep her awake. He's the kind of guy who won't stop running around all day. There's no way he'll be able to sleep peacefully tonight. He'll definitely be up to no end."

"From the day we married into the Chen family, my sister and I were completely rooted here. We can't run away. I don't have any ambition in this life. I just want to live a peaceful life, keep the family line alive, and leave a proper descendant."

"I know you're feeling a little uneasy, and it's awkward for anyone to have another person on their side. But you have to look on the bright side! Look at our village, comparing every household, which wife can live as comfortably as the two of us? We have enough to eat and wear, and the man is thoughtful and caring, never hitting or scolding us, and never causing trouble."

Stop pouting. Weren't you complaining every day a while ago about Shanzi being young, energetic, and too demanding? Now it's all good; having someone else to share the burden is a relief!

After Xinghua finished speaking, Lianhua felt much more at ease.

Lotus let out a long sigh of relief, no longer peering through the cracks in the window, and reached out to take the sleeping Da Mao from Xinghua's arms, cradling the baby's small body.

"Yes, one should be content. Sleep well, my Da Mao. From now on, you'll have another stepmother and another aunt."

Xinghua looked at Lianhua like this, and thought to herself, "My sister comes and goes quickly."

Old Man Chen and his wife, Mrs. Chen Liu, who were in the main room, certainly couldn't sleep either.

They each wrapped themselves in a quilt, huddled by the window, their heads pressed against the glass, straining their ears to listen to the sounds coming from the west wing.

Old Chen squinted at the lamp, his wrinkled face crinkling into a smile, and chuckled softly twice.

"Shanzi's mother, just relax! Once this matter is settled tonight, our Chen family will definitely be able to hold our grandson very soon!"

Chen Liu put her hands together and muttered something.

"Oh, thank God! What are you doing, you old hag! Calm down! We've finally had a few days of peace at home, and you're already going crazy again! What are you laughing about!"

Chen Laonian chuckled and threw the blanket off him, then turned and crawled into Shanzi's mother's bed, embracing the plump Shanzi's mother tightly. He thought that plump women were the best.

"What? The huge weight that's been on my mind for so long has finally been lifted off my shoulders. Shouldn't I be allowed to relax and have some fun?"