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

Compared to the stifling atmosphere inside Old Wang's house.

The Chen family's place was a completely different world, especially Chen Liu's, who was beaming with pride and radiating a triumphant joy.

She sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), watching her two daughters-in-law bustling around in the room. The more she looked at them, the more pleased she became, her smile stretching all the way to her ears.

Look at these two kids, they've really been spoiled. They're always ready to help when something happens, they know who they live in and who they rely on, they're sensible and hardworking.

Chen Liushi became increasingly pleased with herself.

"Apricot blossoms, lotus flowers, stew one of the rabbits hanging on the roof beam. Our family's happy today, I need to have a good drink with your father!"

Chen Gaoshan, who was standing to the side, also saw through the affairs of the Wang family and understood why Xinghua was willing to stay in the Chen family after her elder brother died, bearing the title of the eldest son's wife and living a stable life with him.

Ultimately, it was Old Wang's family that broke the girl's heart, unlike her own family, where her parents were kind and treated the two sisters sincerely, not as outsiders.

As his parents went into the inner room, Chen Gaoshan turned and went into the kitchen. As soon as he lifted the curtain, he saw Xinghua standing on tiptoe, reaching for the willow basket hanging on the roof beam.

She took the basket down and took out a rabbit that had been skinned and gutted.

Beside the stove, Lianhua was washing potatoes in a basin of water.

Chen Gaoshan stood at the door, looking at the two of them. One was calm and meticulous, and the other was quick and decisive. He found them both very endearing and felt that living like this was a promising path.

Lotus looked up and saw him come in, but didn't stop what she was doing.

"Shanzi, the water in the jar is almost gone. We don't have enough for cooking. Go to the well and fetch two buckets of water."

"Okay, I'll go right away!"

Chen Gaoshan turned around, picked up the wooden bucket next to the water vat, and walked outside with the bucket in his hand.

Watching Chen Gaoshan leave, Lianhua turned to look at her sister beside her. She saw that Xinghua was holding a rabbit, but her eyes were a little unfocused, probably still thinking about the troubles at her mother's home.

Lotus stopped what she was doing, stood up, and nudged her with her elbow.

"Sister, don't think too much about it. We can't control what the Wang family does, so don't take it to heart. Don't you know Shanzi? He's honest, kind-hearted, and genuinely good to us sisters."

What hardships haven't we endured? We've survived hunger and injustice. My sister and I will just stay at Old Chen's house and make the most of our lives.

I've figured out what's going on with my parents. They only care about Dazhu and Erzhu. They treat us like outsiders even when they're home. Now that we're all gone, they can't rely on us anymore. Let's not think about those things; living well in the present is the most important thing.

Wang Xinghua felt a pang of sadness at her sister's words and nodded.

She knew from a young age that her younger sister was bolder, more adventurous, and more insightful than her.

That makes perfect sense. Life is for yourself, not for others to see. Her parents and brothers should have given up on her long ago. She just couldn't bring herself to do it before, after all, they were the parents who gave her life and raised her. But after this incident, she understood and came to terms with it.

Parents and brothers are nothing special; they're all just like that.

From now on, I'll just stay here with the Chen family, my sister, and Shanzi, and live a good life.

The meal was ready in no time. In those years of scarcity, this meal was considered quite sumptuous.

A plate of stir-fried radish shreds, and a large bowl of rabbit stew with potatoes.

In Northeast China, winters are long and cold, and the three traditional fare are indispensable for getting through the winter.

Chinese cabbage, potatoes, and radishes.

Before winter, every household would stock up on vegetables, storing a thousand catties of Chinese cabbage in the cellar. Half of it would be pickled into sauerkraut for stewing with vermicelli and meat, and the other half would be used for stir-frying cabbage slices or making fillings.

We'll stock up on another 500 jin of potatoes and several hundred jin of green radishes. We'll eat these for every meal throughout the winter, and if we eat them sparingly, they'll last until April or May of next year, when the new vegetables will be available.

The family sat around the kang table to eat. Lianhua felt sorry for Gaoshan and kept putting rabbit meat into his bowl.

"Don't give it all to me, you all eat too, Mom, Sister, you should all eat more."

"You work the hardest every day, and we rely on you for everything, so you need to eat more meat to nourish your body."

Lotus smiled and put another piece into his bowl.

Chen Liushi, who was standing to the side, nodded in agreement.

"Lianhua is right. Shanzi, eat more and get strong so we can hold our big, fat grandson soon. Then your father and I will be at ease, and our lifelong wish will be fulfilled."

Hearing this, Chen Gaoshan realized that his mother truly saw herself as a breeding machine, her heart and soul longing for a grandson. However, he wasn't angry, knowing that this was the mindset of all elderly people.

He picked up his chopsticks and served a lot of rabbit meat to Xinghua, Lianhua, and his mother.

"Dad, Mom, wife, don't worry. As long as I, Chen Gaoshan, am in this family, I will never let you go hungry or suffer any injustice. From now on, I will work hard to earn money to support the family. I will not only make sure you are well-fed and clothed, but I will also make sure you, Mom and Dad, and your wife live a good life, eating and drinking well. Just you wait and see!"

Sitting across from him, Old Chen took a sip of his wine and watched as his son busied himself serving meat to his wife and mother, without giving him a single piece. He couldn't help but purse his lips.

That brat, he's really forgotten his father after getting married. He's completely abandoned his old man now that he has a wife.

He reached out and picked up his chopsticks, took a large piece of rabbit meat, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed it slowly, and smacked his lips twice.

He couldn't help but think to himself, "I must say, these two daughters-in-law are better cooks than Shanzi's mother. This rabbit stew is so fragrant and tender."

After putting down his chopsticks and bowl, Xinghua Lianhua wiped the kang table clean. Inside the room, his mother-in-law was still chatting about everyday things. He sat for a short while and then felt uncomfortable all over, his palms itching with boredom.

Looking out the window, I saw it was still early before dark, so I got up, grabbed the dog-faced hat from the head of the kang (heated brick bed), put it on my head, and decided to go out for a stroll.

At this time of day, every household is cooking over a fire, and black smoke is billowing from their chimneys, mingling with the smells of firewood and corn cobs, filling the entire village.

Chen Gaoshan walked a hundred steps after meals with his hands behind his back, and lived to be ninety-nine.

I wandered along the village road and unknowingly arrived at the west end of the village.