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

Around 3 p.m., the two arrived safely in Fuping Town.

As soon as Chen Gaoshan returned from outside, he went straight to the town government office.

When Mayor Zhao Hengsheng saw him standing alive in front of him, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense for almost half a year, finally settled down.

Without saying a word, they arranged a large carriage and sent someone to take him and the little girl back to Nangou Village.

The driver was an old acquaintance, Xie Chengliang, who sat at the front of the carriage.

"Brother Gaoshan, you're finally back! My goodness, you've been gone for four months. Everyone was saying you must have died a glorious death. At the town's general meeting the other day, Mayor Zhao was even considering making an exception and submitting your application for martyr status."

He chuckled and waved his hand:

"Brother Liang, I could talk about my ordeal for three days and three nights straight, it was truly horrific. But what can I say, I'm incredibly lucky, God didn't take me, and I made it back safe and sound."

Xie Chengliang cracked his whip, and the horse quickened its pace.

"Of course, the saying 'those who survive a great calamity are destined for good fortune' is absolutely true."

"Auntie, Uncle, and your siblings have been crying their eyes out. They'll be overjoyed to see you."

Chen Gaoshan looked into the distance and saw the outline of Nangou Village.

He had been away from home for almost half a year, and he hadn't been afraid of anything until this moment. His heart suddenly felt hot, his eyes stung, and he felt a sense of security as if he were home.

This little village is his root.

The spring planting in the fields has long been finished, and the light work of watering and weeding has also been cleaned up.

In the open space of the village, the old willow tree cast a large shade, and a large group of men and women, young and old, gathered together, some squatting, some sitting, smoking pipes, sewing shoe soles, chatting and gossiping, doing whatever they wanted.

Among the crowd, Sha Qiangzi had the sharpest eyes.

He was squatting under the roots of a willow tree, watching ants move their nest with his two little daughters, poking around with a twig in his hand.

He looked up and saw the horse-drawn carriage entering the village. His eyes lit up instantly. He threw the branch in his hand on the ground and ran over like a madman.

The villagers told him that Brother Shanzi had died outside and would never come back. He didn't know what death was; all he knew was that he would never see Brother Shanzi again.

When he actually saw the people on the carriage, Sha Qiangzi immediately burst into tears, wailing and rubbing his eyes incessantly, afraid that he had misread something.

"Brother Shanzi, you're back."

"Brother Shanzi, you're back! Brother Shanzi is back safe and sound! Oh, you're back!"

Looking at his pure and sincere appearance, Chen Gaoshan felt a warmth in his heart, and even the hardest heart softened.

"Qiangzi, I'm back."

Sha Qiangzi didn't care at all. He rushed up, grabbed his arm, and dragged him off the carriage. He pulled him into the crowd and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Brother Shanzi is back! He's back! Brother Shanzi is back!"

Chen Gaoshan quickly turned around and waved. "Hongying, hurry up and catch up."

The villagers chatting under the willow tree heard the shouts, turned around, and instantly erupted in chaos.

"My goodness, that's a really high mountain."

"He disappeared for four months without a trace, and everyone thought he was gone, but he actually came back on his own."

"This kid is incredibly lucky."

Everyone crowded around, forming three or four layers. This was definitely the biggest event in Nangou Village recently.

Through the gaps in the crowd, Chen Gaoshan spotted the swallows under the tree roots at a glance.

She held the doll in her arms, her body tense, her eyes fixed on him.

Seeing the person return safely, she felt a pang of sadness. Tears that she had been holding back for half a year welled up in her eyes, but she stubbornly held them back and only nodded to Chen Gaoshan.

Chen Gaoshan looked at her, then glanced at the little child, and immediately interrupted Sha Qiangzi's rant.

"Qiangzi, stop yelling and calm down. Your wife gave birth, is it a girl or a boy?"

Upon hearing this, Sha Qiangzi immediately forgot his boastful tone and scratched the back of his head, chuckling foolishly.

"Brother Shanzi, are you stupid or am I? Wearing open-crotch pants, isn't this Niu Zi? Kid, I have a son."

"My mom said that if you have a son, you'll have descendants, hehe."

"That's perfect, absolutely perfect."

The villagers, a large group of them, surrounded Chen Gaoshan, chattering and urging him on, escorting him all the way to his doorstep.

Some quick-footed teenagers had already run to Old Chen's house to deliver the news.

When Chen Gaoshan saw this, his heart ached.

My father, standing at the very front, looked listless; his eyes were sunken in.

My mother stood at the door, her body swaying.

Standing beside her were several women from the family, Xinghua and Lianhua, both of whom had protruding, bulging bellies.

Sunflower had a ribbon wrapped around her head and was holding something in her arms.

Shuang Hong stood at the very back, her eyes fixed on him.

The family stood at the door.

The old lady didn't care how many people were in the village; her emotions, which had been bottled up for four months, finally broke down.

She let out a loud cry, rushed forward, and pressed her head firmly against Chen Gaoshan's chest, grabbing his clothes with both hands.

Tears mixed with snot streamed down her face uncontrollably, and she cried so hard her whole body was convulsing.

"My son! My son!"

Chen Gaoshan felt a pang of sadness. What kind of tough guy was he? He wasn't tough at all; his heart was softest when he was with his family.

My parents are only in their forties, in the prime of their lives, but in just four months, most of their hair has turned white.

His disappearance this time terrified the elderly couple.

After all this time, he finally knows what it feels like to be loved by his parents and cherished by his wife.

No matter how chaotic the world is or how treacherous people are, only these few people at his doorstep truly hope he lives and returns.

In this life, there's nothing to be ashamed of—kneeling to heaven, to earth, and to one's parents.

No matter how many villagers surrounded him, he didn't stand on ceremony; he bent his knees and knelt directly on the ground.

"Father and Mother! Your son is unfilial! I have caused you both so much worry and fear!"

"I'm back. I'll never run away again, never stray far from home. I'll stay here and protect you all."

His mother held his head, crying as she raised her hand and repeatedly pounded his back.

He pounded his face several times, then quickly cupped it in his hands, looking him over from left to right, touching him repeatedly, afraid that he might be missing a piece of flesh or skin.

"You brat, when Qian Zhuizi and the others came back, your dad almost couldn't catch his breath and collapsed on the bed when he heard you hadn't been heard from."

Standing to the side, Old Man Chen's eyes were already bloodshot.

For the past four months, he has been the pillar of his family, holding on so tightly that he dared not collapse or cry.

When Xinghua and Lianhua both found out they were pregnant, the family finally had a bit of joy, and it was all thanks to the two unborn grandchildren that he managed to keep going.

Sunflower was pregnant and already had a weak constitution. When she saw that her second son hadn't come back with her, she was terrified and gave birth prematurely, less than eight months into her pregnancy.

Looking at his son kneeling on the ground, Old Chen was so excited that his legs went stiff and he could barely walk.

He gritted his teeth, held back his tears, reached out and grabbed his wife's arm, and whispered words of comfort.

With so many people watching, if the head of the household cries and wails, all the girls and wives in the family will start crying too, and things will get chaotic.

"Honey, get up, stop crying. Our son is back, that's more important than anything. Come inside, he must have had a tough journey."

Aunt Chen Guilan heard the commotion outside and rushed out.

Hearing the commotion outside, she thought something had happened to the Chen family, so she ran over and saw her second nephew kneeling on the ground.

His nose suddenly stung, and he cried even louder than his mother.

As soon as Chen Gaoshan stood up, his mother on his left clung to his arm and cried, while his aunt on his right tugged at his sleeve and wiped away her tears. Both sides were filled with the sound of sobbing.

"Apricot Blossom, Lotus Blossom, are you two pregnant? Sunflower, have you given birth?"

The three women cried until their bodies went limp, their throats became hoarse, their lips trembled, and they couldn't utter a single coherent word for a long time, only tears streaming down their faces.

In the end, it was Old Chen, who could keep things calm at home, who sighed.

"In the second month after you left, Doctor Zhou came and took your pulse. Xinghua and Lianhua were pregnant, and they are now five months along."

"Last month, when Qian Zhuizi and his group returned to the village, only you and Changfa's Tiesuo didn't come back. Kuihua was pregnant and was frightened by this, so she gave birth in less than eight months. It was a girl."

"This child is lucky to have survived. Don't talk outside, come inside quickly, it's good to be home, it's good to be home."

The villagers who had gathered around watched this scene, but no one made a fuss or said a word.

In this day and age, being able to return home alive, with the whole family still around, is the greatest blessing. Gao Shan has returned.

Chen Gaoshan quickly calculated the days in his mind.

Xinghua and Lianhua were conceived just three months after the end of her postpartum period.

As for the fact that Kuihua was born a girl, he didn't mind.

Just now at the entrance of the village, Qiu Yanzi gave birth to a boy for him. My father can also have a son.

He doesn't need to worry about that; he'll have a son sooner or later, there's no rush.