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

Old Chen just slapped his thigh and yelled.

The sight startled Liu Hongying, who was engrossed in eating noodles at the kang table.

The shock caused him to choke, coughing violently until tears streamed down his face.

The noodles that hadn't been swallowed came straight out of his nostrils.

Chen Gaoshan, sitting opposite her, couldn't help but burst into laughter at her.

"Quickly, get two sheets of toilet paper to wipe this girl's throat; she's choking and it's making her uncomfortable."

"Dad, are you sure you're okay? The fortune teller said it had to be a boy! A daughter is a son too, they're all children of the Chen family, why are you making such a fuss?"

Old Chen was still seething with anger and was about to continue cursing the fraudulent fortune teller, but his son's retort left him speechless.

He still wanted to act like a father, but his voice did become quieter.

"You little brat, you've grown wings, haven't you? Can't you tell the difference between inside and outside now?"

"That girl Hongying, I have a naturally loud voice. I wasn't talking about you just now. You should eat and drink as usual."

By this time, Liu Hongying had recovered.

She took the tissue paper, pulled the noodles out of her nose, smiled, and nodded obediently.

That sudden movement really scared her, but she wasn't angry at all.

Having traveled from my hometown with Brother Gaoshan, I've seen all sorts of people.

Ever since she followed Brother Gaoshan back to this Nangou village and entered the Chen family's house, she knew that this family were all good people.

No one tried to take advantage of her or make things difficult for her.

I'm so lucky! I've stumbled upon such a kind and honest family.

She's determined to follow Brother Gao Shan closely from now on, doing whatever he does and becoming his right-hand woman.

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Just then, the militia members patrolling the village heard that Chen Gaoshan had returned to the village safely, and they all ran over.

A group of young men and two young women squeezed into the courtyard.

Little Kouzi, the most pathetic one, saw Chen Gaoshan standing there perfectly fine as soon as she entered the door, her eyes instantly turned red, she rushed forward and hugged his arm, and started sobbing.

This kid is sincere.

He truly regarded Shanzi as his own brother, his support, and even as a second father.

From the moment Shanzi took him down into the ice cave, and then took him under his wing, found him a way to make a living, taught him skills, and helped him live a good life, all of his good days were given to him by Shanzi.

There were rumors circulating outside that Shanzi was gone and wouldn't be coming back. They said it several times, and whenever he heard it, he would curse back.

He had already made up his mind that if Shanzi didn't make it, he would raise Shanzi's nieces for the rest of his life, even if he remained a bachelor for the rest of his life, he would still raise Chen's children.

Chen Gaoshan stared at the little button who was crying.

Looking again at Qian Zhuizi, Xu Quansheng, and their brothers who patrolled the mountains and shared responsibilities together, standing in the courtyard, I couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion:

People travel all over the country, suffer a lot, and see a lot of the world, but in the end, their hometown is still the best.

Among this group of people, besides Xiao Kouzi who had cried her eyes out, the second person who was genuinely happy for him was Xu Quansheng.

Xu Quansheng burst through the door with a smile on his face.

He was overjoyed; his wife, E'zi, was four months pregnant.

If it's a girl, we'll have to ask the mountain brothers for help.

It's always better for a child to have only one father, just as Gao Shan was seeing them off at the door.

After the group had finished chatting, Chen Gaoshan escorted the militia brothers to the gate.

Xu Quansheng turned his head and waved his hand, telling the others to go back first, while he stood still, wanting to have a private chat with Shanzi.

Chen Gaoshan was taken aback. "Brother Quansheng, is there anything else?"

"Shanzi, I have some good news for you. Your Aunt Ezi is pregnant. She's four months along and everything is going smoothly."

"Let's not talk about anything else. I'm happier than anyone that you're back safe and sound. My family has just raised two big, fat geese. Once I've collected five goose eggs, I'll bring them to your house so you can have a good rest and recover. You've suffered a lot out there."

Chen Gaoshan felt a surge of warmth in his heart and reached out to pat Xu Quansheng on the shoulder.

"Congratulations, Quansheng! You're going to be a father soon. When a woman is pregnant, the family should take good care of her and not let Aunt Ezi get tired."

Xu Quansheng grinned from ear to ear, feeling incredibly happy.

Regardless of whether this pregnancy results in a boy or a girl, as long as it is born to his daughter and bears the surname Xu, then it will be the root of his Xu family.

Although Gao Shan's second wife gave birth to a daughter, it seems that all the good fortune has come to their family.

Ideally, Ezi would be able to muster some strength and give birth to a son.

"I'll head back now."

Xu Quansheng waved happily, turned around and walked away along the village road.

Summer days are long, but in Northeast China it gets dark late; it doesn't get dark until after 7 p.m.

Xiao Kouzi led Shuang Hong home first, feeling very happy, just waiting for Shanzi to marry his sister in a few days.

Everyone left.

Chen Gaoshan remembered the important matter at hand.

My uncle had previously prescribed me deworming medication and liver-protecting medication.

He turned and went inside, bent down and rummaged through the two baskets in the corner, reaching under them.

Take out two glass bottles containing medicine.

"Uncle, this is the medicine I prescribed for you. As usual, take it on time and in the correct dosage. This is a note from Dr. Li, which I got from Hecheng Hospital. I'm so grateful for your help taking care of things while I was away these past few months. Thank you for your hard work."

The uncle quickly reached out and took it, not keeping it for himself, but putting it into Guilan's hand.

"Gao Shan, you're such a stranger. We're all family, why are you talking about owing each other anything? If we're really talking about it, the favors I owe your Chen family are enormous, I could never repay them in this lifetime."

As the two were chatting, Chen Guilan, being straightforward and unable to keep things to herself, stepped forward and reached out to lift up Kexin's father's jacket.

His belly, which had shrunk considerably, was exposed.

"Shanzi, look! Your uncle's belly is much smaller than before. But there's a problem with this medicine; he always has diarrhea after taking it and can't hold it in."

"I've always had this worry in my mind, afraid that his poop might contain poison or dirty stuff. Every time he finishes using the toilet, I dig a really deep hole and bury him in the ground."

Chen Gaoshan nodded in agreement and pondered the matter.

"Aunt, you're right. My uncle's problem, whatever it is, is definitely caused by worms in his stomach, and his stool will definitely contain worm eggs. Burying them won't cause any problems."

"Logically speaking, our village is so cold in winter, so we shouldn't get schistosomiasis. But as the old saying goes, nothing is absolute. There must be worms in my stomach, otherwise the deworming medicine wouldn't be so effective, and my stomach wouldn't have gone down on its own."

"No matter the reason, the stomach is gone and I feel better, that's better than anything else."

"That makes sense. Now that you're safely home, you have everything you need."

Chen Laonian, who had been sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) smoking a pipe and hadn't uttered a sound for a long time, took a puff of his pipe and shoved a mouthful of smoke into his mouth.

"One thing is still missing: a grandson with a son."

Chen Gaoshan ignored his father and instead arranged a room for Hongying. She would stay in the north room of the east wing. That room was originally a bathroom, but it also had a kang (heated brick bed). Today, he would let her share a kang with Xinghua. After cleaning up and drying the kang tomorrow, he would let her move to that room.

After making the arrangements, he went straight back to the west wing. Lianhua and Xinghua were busy in the west wing, sweeping water in a large pot for Shanzi and Hongying, so they could take a bath after going out and get rid of bad luck.

His mother has managed to get Da Mao and Er Mao to come over today, so they'll sleep with the old couple tonight.

No wonder he's so lucky! Apricot Blossom Lotus gave him a massage to rub his back and arms, and he felt so good that he almost fell asleep in the bathtub.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and the old folks lined the streets to welcome them.

Moreover, he doesn't need to worry about breaking up or being cheated on; he knows exactly what kind of person his wife is.

After saving up so much energy for so long, it's time to put it to use.

After taking a bath, Xinghua insisted on going back to her room. As soon as she left and the door closed, he immediately hugged Lianhua and started kissing her.

Without a second's hesitation, I just didn't dare hug her too tightly, with her belly in between.

Being apart for so long has its advantages. Everyone seems a little unfamiliar with each other after the separation, and Lotus is even shy and embarrassed.

I feel like my wife is someone else's, so I'm too embarrassed to make a move.

Hehe, that's exactly the feeling I wanted.

Lianhua held his head, her eyes glazed over, her mouth slightly open. "Shanzi, I've missed you so much! You heartless bastard, you left and my heart went with you. I wish I could stay tied to you forever."

"You'd better stick to me completely, because I miss you, I think about you all the time."

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