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

The auspicious date for Shuanghong's wedding has been set.

The rooster had just crowed once, and the clock had only struck four times when Chen Gaoshan and his father, Chen Laonian, ate a couple of bites and then got up to work in the fields.

In Northeast China, it gets light early in the summer, around 3 or 4 a.m. Don't assume that there's little rain in the Northeast during the summer; in fact, July is the rainy season. The rain can come suddenly and come down in torrents, causing water to immediately overflow the fields.

This corn is most susceptible to waterlogging. If water gets trapped in the furrows and can't drain out, the seedlings will lean to one side. If they're exposed to the sun for two days, the roots will rot and the whole plant will rot in the ground.

Farmers rely on this season's harvest for food; if they lose their entire year's harvest, it will be completely ruined.

Before the heavy rain started, the father and son rushed to the fields to weed, clear the furrows, and straighten the waterways to prevent waterlogging.

The corn grown in the village is a type of sticky corn passed down from the older generation, which has a soft, glutinous, and sweet taste.

In another month or so, we can start picking and eating green corn by the end of the month. It has a pure, natural sweetness, and it's so sticky that it's almost like a string being pulled when you bite into it. It's so delicious!

As soon as July arrives, the vegetables in the gardens in our own yards are ready for harvest, and every household has more dishes on their dining tables, but there's nothing particularly new to offer.

Every meal consisted of stewed green beans, boiled eggplant, and braised potatoes, accompanied by side dishes such as pickled vegetables, bok choy, water radish, cucumber, and persimmon. The staple foods were mostly sorghum rice porridge and flatbread. Every few days, they would make a flatbread and steam some rice.

The sun climbed higher and higher, and it got hotter and hotter.

The father and son each had a hoe, bending over to hoe the ground, weed, and clear the waterways along the furrows. Their land was a single, continuous plot, with each furrow stretching for over a thousand meters.

That's how farm work is; it doesn't feel slow at all. You just keep raising and lowering your head, and beads of sweat are splattering onto the soil. Before you know it, it's noon.

The heat was unbearable; the air was scorching, the ground was burning hot, and the coarse cloth jacket on my body was repeatedly soaked and dried, leaving a layer of salt and alkali stains.

In just a couple of days, Liu Hongying and Xiaxia, two girls who were in the same class and got along well, became as close as sisters.

The two men, carrying baskets and water bottles, came to the field one after the other, specifically to deliver lunch to the father and son.

Ten freshly baked white flour pancakes, five for the father and five for the son. These pancakes, made by Lianhua, are quite substantial, weighing about half a pound each.

It's no surprise that manual laborers have big appetites, and the Chen father and son are both tall, easily consuming five pounds of food a day.

The father and son squatted on the edge of the ground and wolfed down their lunch.

Old Chen was sweating profusely from the heat, feeling sticky and uncomfortable all over. He picked up his coat and headed towards the river bend, intending to take a bath in the river and wash his clothes while he was at it.

Chen Gaoshan was the only one left in the field.

Seeing the intense sun, which made his scalp burn, he became too lazy to move and found a tree to rest in its shade.

Chen Gaoshan took off his jacket and laid it flat on the dry ground, then lay down on it.

I took off my straw hat and put it over my face to block the glaring sunlight, intending to take a nap and rest.

A gentle breeze rustled under the shade of the tree, and before long, I felt drowsy and was about to fall asleep.

But I had only been dozing off for a short while when I heard movement beneath me.

He felt a pair of soft little hands come over and tug at his waistband, again and again.

Chen Gaoshan was half asleep, dreaming about helping Kuihua recover and produce milk.

As a result, someone pulled at his waistband, instantly waking him up!

My mind suddenly cleared up.

In broad daylight, under the clear sky, would anyone in the village dare to secretly harass respectable women and men?

Without thinking, his body instinctively exerted force, and his leg kicked out smoothly.

"Hey, Shanzi, are you trying to get yourself killed? It's me!"

A soft cry escaped her lips.

He immediately sat up from the ground, grabbed the straw hat off his face, and opened his eyes wide.

Liu Chuncao was kicked to the ground and was curled up, clutching her chest with one hand.

He quickly got up and reached out to help the person.

"Oh, sister-in-law, it's you!"

"You should have said something! You quietly pulled down my pants. I was thinking it was that old lady with the gap-toothed tooth in the village who has nothing better to do than wander around the village looking for someone to chew on. She's probably here because she's craving something. You're just trying to sneak a peep down the mountain path."

"How are you? Did it hurt? Let me rub it for you, but don't hurt yourself."

Liu Chuncao felt a tightness in her chest from the kick, but when she looked up and saw the mountain she had been longing for day and night right in front of her, all the pain was worth it.

She stared at the young and muscular man, her longing built up over half a year, and without a second thought, she threw herself into Chen Gaoshan's arms, wrapping her arms around his waist.

Her chest pressed against his body.

"No pain is as painful as missing you, Brother Gaoshan, your wife misses you so much."

"I heard you came back from outside just the day before yesterday. I haven't been able to sleep at night for the past two days. Today I went to work in the fields, so I took a long detour to try my luck. I didn't expect you to actually be resting here."

"Your sister-in-law isn't coming to see you, have you forgotten about me? I'm so worried at home."

As she spoke, her shoulders trembled, and she hugged him, quietly sobbing.

Chen Gaoshan felt the soft warmth in his arms, listened to her soft sobs, and stroked her back.

"Silly sister-in-law, why are you crying?"

"I had planned to visit you tonight after I finished my farm work. I didn't expect you to be so eager and come looking for me first."

He patted her on the back.

"Okay, okay, stop crying. I'm standing right in front of you, aren't I? Since you've come looking for me, let's keep going."

Liu Chuncao chuckled and gently pinched his flabby flesh.

"You damned devil, you never stop causing trouble, even in your dreams. I bet you were that fertile donkey in your past life, and you were reincarnated as such."

No wonder Liu Chuncao, this widow, is so fond of the Gao brothers.

They really cared about her. When she left, they not only gave her five silver dollars, but also carried a bag of cornmeal for her, which must have weighed over a hundred pounds.

Her heart was already firmly tied to the mountain brothers. He was considerate and treated her like a human being, and he was young, good in bed, and full of energy.

In the village, he was the only one who could juggle four women and still be as energetic as the Gao brothers.

Here, a fire of fire bursts forth from the very roots of her body, like burning weeds that cannot be extinguished, but only burns ever brighter.

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Lin Chuncao's back was pressed against the tree trunk.

"Hey kid, take it easy, don't ruin my clothes!"

The two men, using the corn stalks as tall as a person as they were, hid behind a tree, completely absorbed in their own world, when they heard someone approaching.

"Shanzi, Shanzi, let's go home."

It was his father's voice. The two of them stopped immediately. Liu Chuncao covered her mouth, not daring to breathe.

Chen Gaoshan quickly grabbed Lin Chuncao's waist, picked up the clothes on the ground, and dashed into the cornfield.

Soon, Old Chen, his hair still wet and a jacket draped over his shoulders, walked over and saw no one.

"That brat, he left without even saying goodbye. What a spendthrift! He didn't even take his hoe with him when he left. That's his livelihood. You wait for me to come home. That little punk is really showing off out there. He's become too wild."

After saying that, he walked out, his voice fading into the distance. Lin Chuncao really wanted to strangle him.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed? If Uncle Nian sees this, how am I supposed to face anyone? He's still alive and he's already trying to cause trouble."

After saying that, she bit his shoulder.

Chen Gaoshan was not annoyed; his waist strength was exceptionally good.

The two hugged each other tightly, and he chuckled softly.

"What are you afraid of? He's my dad. Even if he finds out about us, he won't go around telling everyone in the village. I can tell you're nervous. Looks like I need to provoke you. You've been holding back for a while now, haven't you?"

"Get lost, you big donkey, but I like your donkey-like nature, I'm just fond of it."

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