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

Everyone has their own little schemes and selfish desires in life.

Liu Chuncao, of course, also exists.

She was a young widow, already considered inferior in the village, and her life was uncertain.

But ever since she got involved with Chen Gaoshan, she had a clear idea in her mind that she had to cling to this powerful figure.

In these tough times, there are only two hard truths for women who want to keep their men.

First, make people feel comfortable and happy, so that they can feel something that others cannot.

Secondly, Chen Gaoshan has no children now. If she can give him a big, healthy son, she will be willing to marry into the Chen family.

Her life will be much easier from now on.

Having come this far, why worry about the villagers gossiping or making fun of us? Forget it. Compared to not having enough to eat, living, and living well, is the most important thing.

Liu Chuncao even wanted to slap herself twice, hating herself for being so late in realizing things.

If she had figured it out, perhaps by now her belly would already be bearing a child for Gao Shan, and she wouldn't need to endure the days and wait anxiously.

Today, she's deliberately being clingy and flirtatious; she's determined to mold Chen Gaoshan into her very bones.

She nestled limply in Gao Shan's arms, pressing against his firm abs, drawing small circles.

"Shanzi, what if I get pregnant?"

The cornfield was unbearably hot and humid. After a while, the two of them were covered in sweat and felt sticky.

"What else can we do? The baby will be born and that's it. It's not uncommon for widows to give birth in the village. Let whoever wants to gossip talk. We don't need to worry about other people's faces when we live our lives. Who knows who is starving?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Chuncao's eyes lit up instantly, and she immediately propped herself up from his embrace.

"Really? Then I'll put in all my effort and make sure you have a big, healthy son."

I weighed her bag in my hand twice.

"That depends on whether you have the ability to give birth to it."

After another commotion, the two of them got dressed and emerged from the cornfield one after the other.

···

Chen Gaoshan was thinking to himself that he would stop by Uncle Wan Zhong's house on the way.

His female dog has given birth to puppies, and they're almost a month old now. It's the perfect time to bring them home and raise them.

His two dogs, Da Huang and Er Huang, have been with him for four years. They've never eaten meat in all their lives and spend their days guarding the house, which is really frustrating.

All the dogs in the village roam freely, but his two dogs are the most obedient; they stay in the yard and won't go out to run wild.

He planned to choose two female puppies. He would take one home to be Dahuang and Erhuang's wife when they grew up, and take the other to Chuncao's sister-in-law to guard the house. The widow's house was not safe at night without a dog at the door.

As for Tooth Dog, forget about it; he's afraid it'll steal his business.

Just as I turned the corner of the alley, I passed by Xu Laifu's house.

Chen Gaoshan glanced at the Xu family's courtyard.

A wild man appeared inside the earthen courtyard wall that was half a person high at Xu Laifu's house.

The man looked familiar. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Zhu Laosi, the nephew of Lao Shuanzi from the village.

Speaking of Zhu Laosi, he was a well-known handsome young man in the surrounding area, and he looked very energetic.

The only problem is that my family is too poor.

My parents died early, and I grew up with my lame uncle. My family was extremely poor and had no savings.

Looking at the situation in the courtyard, even a fool could understand.

They've come here to ask for a partnership, to live together as a family!

Xu Laifu was sprawled on the kang (a heated brick bed), while Zhu Laosi was standing in the courtyard. Laifu's wife was wiping the sweat off Laosi's face with a handkerchief. It was clear that the two were having an affair.

"Fourth brother, what's going on?"

Laifu's wife turned her head and saw Chen Gaoshan at the door, but she wasn't embarrassed at all.

These days, life is the hardest for the living. When the men in the family are bedridden, there's no one to work in the fields, and life is unbearable, who cares about saving face or gossip?

"The fourth brother has come to my house to live with us. Brother Gaoshan, you're back from the fields."

Chen Gaoshan nodded, looking at the two people in the courtyard.

These days, a living person can't let themselves die from holding in their pee.

Every family has its own problems, and everyone has their own way of living.

"Yeah, just got back. Great, really great. It's better than anything else that the three of you are living well."

"To form a gang" is easy to understand.

In the past, when driving large carts or pulling heavy plows, if the main horse couldn't handle the heavy load, another horse would be tied to the side to help pull it. That second horse was called a "pulling horse".

The same principle applies to how people live their lives.

If the man of the house becomes paralyzed, sick, or useless, unable to work or support the family, and there are so many mouths to feed, life falls apart.

If a woman can't handle it, she'll find a bachelor with no family or job to come into the house, help with farming, physical labor, and support the family. The three of them will lie on one kang (a heated brick bed), with a curtain drawn, and live together.

The man who came in to help was called "Labangtao".

It was a desperate way of life forced upon us by poverty.

But you really need to be healthy to support someone else's family, including your ex-husband.

Chen Gaoshan muttered to himself.

It's truly a case of one willing to hit and the other willing to be hit. Fourth brother, don't become a stepping stone for Laifu's wife. Once they've drained you dry and used you up, they'll kick you to the curb.

He sighed to himself, then turned and continued walking toward Ma Wanzhong's house, not wanting to get involved in other people's business.

It was only a short walk to the place, and even before entering the yard, you could smell the pungent odor from afar.

People who keep cats or dogs often have this problem; their yards are always filled with the smell of cat odor mixed with dog urine, especially on rainy days when the smell is even stronger.

Immediately following was a series of barking dogs in the yard.

"Uncle Wan Zhong, are you home?"

The courtyard gate was opened, and it was Wan Zhongshu's youngest daughter, who was only seven or eight years old.

The little girl had two crooked pigtails and was hugging a big dog in her arms, her little hands gripping the dog's muzzle tightly.

"Dad, Brother Gaoshan is here, come out quickly."

"Brother Gaoshan, don't be afraid. My black girl is very docile. She only chases rabbits and doesn't bite people. She just likes to bark."

Chen Gaoshan was amused by the little girl.

"Xiaohua, has your big dog had puppies yet? I talked to your dad about it yesterday."

Xiao Hua didn't raise her hand, but simply tilted her head and gestured towards the backyard with her lips.

"They've had eight puppies! And Erhei is even more prolific, having ten in one go! The backyard is full of puppies!"

As they were talking, Ma Wanzhong, wearing a jacket and with his coat open, came out of the house.

It was obvious at a glance what Chen Gaoshan's visit meant; it was something they had agreed on yesterday—he was coming to hold the puppy.

"You've come at the perfect time. These little ones are all a month old and can eat solid food now. I was planning to keep two of the strongest ones for myself, and sell the rest at the town market for a few bucks. You can pick as many as you want."

There are some things to consider when choosing a dog.

First pig, last dog.

Choose a dog with a nose pointing skyward; don't rush when it comes to food and drink.

One dragon, two tigers, three poor, four rich;

With a mouth full of flowers, one need not worry about food and drink;

If the tail is pointing to the left, there's no need to lock the door.

Black dogs are accurate, blue dogs are fierce, tabby dogs are clever, and yellow dogs are steady.

"Uncle, I don't need much, just two little female dogs. I already arranged it with you yesterday."

Ma Wanzhong nodded and led him to the backyard.

I pushed open the wooden fence gate to the backyard, and wow!

A dozen or so dogs, a dark mass, immediately barked and surrounded the two people when they heard them come in, their little tails wagging like propellers as they rubbed and circled around their feet.

A mother dog is extremely protective of her puppies; it's an animal's instinct.

His own dog wouldn't bite him, but Chen Gaoshan was an outsider. If he got too close, the mother dog, protecting her puppies, might bite him in a fit of anger, and that would be troublesome.

So he pulled out the two puppies and put them in the side kennel.

"Take a look at this one, what do you think? It's a whole size bigger than the other cubs, and it has a bigger frame."

Chen Gaoshan reached out and pinched the skin on the back of the puppy's neck, lifting the little guy up.

When the other puppies were picked up, some tucked their tails between their legs, others kicked wildly, and some howled.

This little yellow dog, however, stood on all fours with its tail held high, unafraid of people and very bold.

"Uncle Wan Zhong, don't try to fool me. I'm not completely clueless."

When choosing pigs, you pick the biggest ones—the ones that are born first, fight for milk, and grow the fastest. But it's different with dogs. The biggest ones in the first litter are usually the ones that fight for food, and they're wild, stubborn, and hard to train. On the other hand, the last one is often the smartest, most obedient, and most stable—the easiest to train.

Ma Wanzhong, leaning against the doghouse, listened and laughed heartily, not arguing back, but going along with his rambling.

"What you're saying is an old saying, and it's true. But when we hunters raise dogs, the first thing we look at is their physique."

"A dog that grows this big must have been eager to nurse from a young age. It's strong, tough, and easy to raise. When it grows up, it's fierce and daring to bite. It's best suited for running up the mountain, catching rabbits, and hunting wild boars. Whether you can use it depends entirely on whether you know how to train it."

As he spoke, he took the little yellow puppy from Gao Shan's hands, and carefully examined it by prying open the puppy's mouth with both hands.

"It has a fancy tongue; this dog is pretty good."

"Uncle, take another look at the beard on your chin. A dog with one beard will become a king of dogs in the future; a dog with two beards is fierce and daring; a dog with three beards is just an ordinary guard dog; a dog with four beards is the most honest and loyal."

Ma Wanzhong listened to what he said, which sounded very convincing.

"You know a lot, but let me tell you, choosing a dog is one thing, but training it is the real key."

"A cowardly soldier is a coward, a cowardly general makes a whole pack of cowards; the quality of a hunting dog depends entirely on its master. If your master is strong and bold, the dog will dare to charge and fight; if the master is a good-for-nothing, even the best puppies will be ruined. The hunter is the backbone of the hunting dog."

After saying that, he reached down to the puppy's chin and plucked out the extra whiskers in two quick movements, leaving only one.

"Here, your uncle made this for you himself. It's the king of dogs."

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