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

Xinghua dawdled around in the yard until she finished tidying up and drying herself before going back inside. It was almost eight o'clock at night.

A small kerosene lamp was lit inside the room.

Lianhua sat cross-legged in the middle of the kang (a heated brick bed), her face sullen, clearly see that she was holding back a lot of anger.

Xinghua lifted the curtain and entered the room. As soon as she looked up, she met her staring gaze. Feeling a little uneasy, she touched her face.

She smiled a little awkwardly.

"Lotus, why are you staring at me like that? Is there soap scum on my face or what?"

As he spoke, he looked down and glanced at his clothes and arms, but saw nothing.

Lotus's lips twitched, but she didn't smile; instead, she looked a little awkward and sour.

"Sis, you took a really long bath. I thought you went out to persuade Shanzi to shut up, but it turns out you went out to eat alone and enjoy yourself in secret."

"I never knew you were such a schemer, sis. You even played tricks on your own sister."

Upon hearing this, Xinghua immediately understood.

She knew her younger sister too well. Ever since Shuanghong entered the family, Lianhua had felt uneasy and unhappy, especially after she became pregnant, she was even more prone to overthinking.

She's holding back her jealousy and resentment.

Xinghua didn't argue with her. She took off her outer cloth jacket and sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Lotus, stop carrying grudges around all the time. Don't be so awkward and stubborn with everyone. You really need to change your fiery temper."

"I know you're feeling uneasy and frustrated since Shuanghong came into the family. We're sisters, I know that, so I won't argue with you or pick on you."

"But men are different. Men care about their pride. They're like a donkey that needs to be stroked gently. You have to stroke their fur slowly and coax them. The more you argue with them, confront them, and fight back, the more stubborn they become and they'll kick up their heels and do the opposite of what you say."

"Think about it yourself. You keep arguing with him every day. Aren't you just pushing Shanzi towards Shuanghong? I'm trying to win Shanzi over for you, and you're complaining that I'm the one who's involved."

"Shanzi is such a man, capable, able to support the family, and can stand up to the four of us women. Someone like him could never just spend his life with the two of us."

"My sister and I, and Da Mao and Er Mao, our whole family, who do we rely on to make a living? It's Shanzi who's the pillar supporting us."

"You can't win his heart now, and as time goes on and you have more and more children, it'll be fine if we can have a son, but what if we keep having only girls?"

"We still have to beg Shanzi to come to our house. You tell me, is it better to have a cold stove and a cold pot, or to have the kang (heated brick bed) burning brightly? You should think about it carefully."

Xinghua didn't say anything more after she finished speaking. She turned over, climbed onto the inner side of the kang (a heated brick bed), spread out her quilt, and prepared to sleep.

Only Lianhua remained, sitting cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), completely stunned.

She lowered her head, pondering her sister's words over and over in her mind, remaining silent for a long time.

Lotus wasn't unreasonable; she just felt conflicted, especially after becoming pregnant. She didn't know what was wrong with her temper, but she just couldn't control it.

She was the first to marry Shanzi, and she was the eldest daughter-in-law of the second wife. However, her brother-in-law passed away, and her sister received half of Shanzi's property.

My father-in-law has been a scoundrel again, and my wife has taken half of the mountain.

As soon as Shuanghong entered the door, Shanzi had been staying in her room for the past few days. She didn't say anything, but she tossed and turned at night, unable to sleep, and felt more and more frustrated.

She was just not convinced. Why should so many people suddenly take away her man when she was living a perfectly good life?

But upon closer examination of her words, every single one of them turned out to be the absolute truth.

Yes, men are like donkeys that need to be stroked gently.

You're angry and give him the cold shoulder. He has so many women, why should he bother with you when you're cold to him?

The family has a solid financial foundation, and Shanzi is young and capable.

How could a man like that spend his whole life just watching over those two sisters?

Once she understood, Lianhua realized her sister's good intentions. She lay flat, protecting her belly, and dared not make any sudden movements.

Xinghua lay on her side with her back to her, her eyes closed, ignoring everyone. Both children were with her.

Lotus felt even worse, knowing that her sister was still holding a grudge about her earlier nonsense.

She shamelessly inch closer to Xinghua.

She moved closer, reached out, and nudged Xinghua's back twice.

Xinghua didn't even turn her body.

She moved even closer, until their bodies were almost touching.

Just then, Xinghua pulled off the blanket covering her.

Lotus's eyes lit up, and she immediately understood that her sister was no longer angry with her.

I snuggled into Xinghua's quilt, pressed myself against her back, and leaned my whole body against her.

"Sis, are you still angry with me?"

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The next day, just as dawn broke, the rooster crowed for the first time.

After finishing his breakfast, Chen Gaoshan tied his trouser legs tightly with strips of cloth to prevent insects from crawling up his legs.

They carried their belongings for going into the mountains, as well as dry rations.

Two large hunting dogs, Da Huang and Er Huang, were already squatting at the gate waiting. As soon as they saw Chen Gaoshan packing his gear, they knew they were going into the mountains and whimpered excitedly.

They met up with the patrol team.

Once all six people were present, they set off for Black Tiger Mountain without further ado.

The mountains are most damp in the early morning, and the straw is covered with dew.

As soon as people walked by, dew dripped down in a pattering sound. Before they had walked two miles, everyone's trousers and cloth shoes were completely soaked.

Wang Tongsuo, who was in the team, had been running in the mountains with his father, Uncle Changfa, since last winter. Although he wasn't a veteran mountain patroller, he was definitely not a novice.

Since he set up the mountain patrol team, they go into the mountains once every seven days.

Firstly, to prevent the remaining scavengers from hiding in the mountains and causing trouble in the village; secondly, to protect the forests and crops and prevent wild animals from gathering and coming down the mountain.

During the off-season, when there wasn't much work to do, the group practiced according to the methods taught by Chen Gaoshan.

The old Type 38 rifles that the county had approved for the mountain patrol team were all distributed to them.

Guns can be kept by individuals and taken home for cleaning and maintenance. Bullets are kept in small lockets and are not allowed to be taken into the mountains or given away.

Chen Gaoshan often talked about this with these guys.

"A gun is like a wife at home. If you take good care of it and clean and serve it every day, it will be reliable, won't jam, and won't break down."

If you just sloppily use it and then leave it aside, it'll definitely let you down and cause trouble when it really matters.

Today, in addition to the five members of the patrol team, Wan Zhong's hunting dogs also came along, along with his two dogs, Da Huang and Er Huang, making a total of ten dogs running ahead.

The dog has a keen sense of smell. As soon as it entered the mountain pass, it darted forward and kept sniffing, probably because it smelled the pungent odor of wild boars in the mountains.

As everyone walked along the mountain path, before long, the little button in front of them suddenly disappeared, having vanished into some grove of trees.

Just as everyone was wondering what was going on, they saw Xiao Kouzi carrying a gun and running back in a short distance.

He held the hem of his shirt with both hands.

"Captain, there's a huge patch of ripe raspberries by the gully ahead. They're all bright red, and there are so many of them."

As he spoke, he moved closer to the group.

These people didn't hold back when they saw the wild fruit.

He grabbed a handful, blew on it, and stuffed it directly into his mouth.

Sweet and sour, the group of people took turns picking the pieces, and in the blink of an eye, Xiao Kouzi had eaten every last bit of the bunch of dried fruit.

Chen Gaoshan patted the dregs off his hands.

"At this time of year, wild fruits from the mountains are in season, such as wild kiwifruit, black nightshade, and blueberries, all of which are delicious."

"But we're here in the mountains today to do something important: hunt wild boars, not to eat wild fruits and enjoy the scenery. We'll come back another day when we're free, and you can eat your fill and pick lots of wild eggplants to take home, make jam, and spread on your bread."

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