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

Wang Changfa immediately arranged for men to select ten strong young men to tie up all the remaining women, maids, and boys in the Zhu family and lock them in the storeroom.

Send people to guard the courtyard in shifts. Keep an eye on everyone tonight, and deal with them when it's light tomorrow.

The matter concerning the Zhu family has been completely settled, and Chen Gaoshan is no longer involved.

He followed his father, Chen Laonian, home.

As soon as I entered my own yard, I saw my uncle sitting alone on the cellar cover, shivering.

He held a Mauser pistol in his hand, his eyes were tense, and he kept staring at the gate of the courtyard, not daring to move.

Seeing his brother-in-law and his son return safely, the old uncle's tense body instantly relaxed.

He quickly reached out and lifted the cellar cover.

The family members, who had been cooped up in the cellar all day, were all waiting to come out.

Chen Gaoshan first bent down and reached out to pull his mother out of the cellar.

He then leaned in and took the two little girls from Xinghua's arms, carrying them out steadily.

As Lotus and Apricot Blossom emerged from the cellar one after the other on the ladder, the two girls rushed over and threw themselves into his arms as soon as they saw him.

Chen Gaoshan patted the two of them on the back.

"Don't be afraid, it's alright, everything's fine now."

After saying that, he immediately pulled the two people in his arms, protected the whole family, and walked into the house.

......

At this time, the entire Chen family was huddled together on the heated kang in the main room. The room was tightly closed, and no cold wind could get in.

The kang (heated brick bed) was warm and cozy. The family had just come out of the cellar, and their hearts were still not completely at ease.

Chen Guilan turned sideways and moved closer to Old Chen and Old Nian.

"Dad, that Zhu Mantang guy, is he really hooking up with that bearded guy?"

Old Chen took a slow, dejected puff of his pipe, the embers in the bowl glowing faintly, and nodded with a sullen face.

"Really, our Nangou Village has really escaped with its life this time. It's all thanks to Eighth Master Hui for wiping out the Black Tiger Mountain stronghold, otherwise, it wouldn't just be four people who escaped tonight, it would have been twenty or thirty bearded men with guns."

"If they really let them into the village and smash the kilns, do you think the few guns we have in the village can take on mounted men? Every household in our village will suffer."

Chen Guilan, who was standing to the side, was so angry that her teeth itched and she felt uncomfortable all over. She opened her mouth and started cursing.

"I knew Zhu Mantang was a reincarnation of swine fever! He was incredibly stingy and crooked from the start. Why didn't he mention that good people died of the plague? If all else fails, give him my father's womb. He's just a scoundrel."

"In my opinion, not a single one of them is human! Like father, like son! Zhu Mantang's kids have learned bad habits from their father since they were little. If they stay with him, they'll be a menace sooner or later, just like their father, not easy to beat!"

"They all deserved to die! What were they thinking all along?! Why didn't they just live a good life instead of getting involved with that bearded man and dragging the villagers into this mess!"

As Chen Laonian heard her cursing getting more and more outrageous, he quickly raised his hand to stop her.

"Alright, alright, shut your mouth."

"Your mouth is as loose as a cotton waistband, you just blurt out whatever comes to mind. It's all over now, stop babbling on."

"Tomorrow the elders in the village will get together for a meeting. They'll have their own rules for dealing with Old Zhu's dozen or so people. You don't need to worry about it. Hurry up and go help with the cooking; we're hungry."

Then Chen Liu and her aunt hurriedly prepared the meal, steaming the cornbread and stirring a bowl of cornmeal porridge. This day really kept the old and young of the Chen family very busy.

The women were busy cooking, while Chen Gaoshan followed his father, adding firewood to each room to heat the kang (a heated brick bed).

It was so cold at night, and no one lived there all day; the house was like an icebox.

The father and son heated all the kang beds in the rooms until they were very hot, and the rooms slowly filled with warmth so that it wouldn't be cold to stay there.

The food was all ready-made and was served in no time.

They sat at two tables, one for the men and the other for the women and children.

No one chatted or talked; everyone just kept eating in silence.

After eating hot pancakes and warm porridge, my body, which had been frozen all day, felt warm all over.

I feel much more comfortable now.

Clean up after you finish eating.

Before Chen Gaoshan could catch his breath, Old Chen, with a wilted expression, banged his shoe on his pipe and immediately told him to chase him away.

Tell him to go and stay in Nohara Aoiko's room.

Chen Gaoshan was at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"Dad! I just finished fighting with that bearded man, I've been busy all night, I'm exhausted! And you turn around and tell me to do *that*?"

"Don't you care about your son at all? Are you even my real father?!"

Old Chen glanced at him sideways, slowly puffed on his pipe, and kicked him in the butt.

"It's not that easy to get pregnant on the first try!"

"That's a piece of work, it'll be over in the blink of an eye, how much time could it take you? Even if it's raining knives, you still have to go and do it."

"Now that everything's settled and things are peaceful at home, there's nothing to worry about. Hurry up and get to work! Giving me a grandson is the most important thing!"

"Alright, Dad, I know you're anxious. But that child can't be out in one night. You should go back now. I know what I'm doing."

Old Chen coughed.

"Just knowing the numbers isn't enough; you have to do the work. Take today's situation, for example. If we had more men in our family, would we be so afraid? The father conquers the world, and the sons rule the country. If we don't have sons, who will inherit all of this? Go on."

Chen Gaoshan didn't go to the west room where Kui Zi lived, but turned a corner and went straight to the east wing.

Xinghua and Lianhua live in this house, along with his two little daughters.

This little baby is such a strange and interesting thing. In the first few days after it was born, it was all red and wrinkled, like a little mouse that had shed its skin. It didn't look good at all.

No one could have imagined that this thing would grow so fast, it really changes every day, and it grows up visibly.

Da Mao's head used to be long and pointed, which looked really ugly. But after a few days of care, it has actually grown straighter and rounder.

Now that the two sisters are placed together, they look more and more alike. No one needs to say it; they are indeed born of sisters.

When Er Mao grows up, and when Xing Hua has any more children, they will all have to respectfully call him Second Uncle.

What's more, they have the same father.

That's just how his fate is. He's stuck with the title of his own elder brother, carrying the burden of two families' lineages and helping the Chen family continue their lineage.

Although Er Mao and Xing Hua's future children will all have to call him Second Uncle.

I'm a little tired.

That's life; you always have to choose between hardship and toil.

It's good to be tired.

No matter how tired or bitter you are, just think of yourself as a fool; no matter how difficult or dangerous it is, just think of yourself as thick-skinned.