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

We hurried along, and just as noon approached, we finally arrived at the foot of the mountain.

Wang Changfa stopped and looked back. Chen Gaoshan was struggling to pull the sled, and Sanpangzi was lying quietly on it.

He spat.

"Damn it, the poorer you are, the more trouble you get into! This time we went into the mountains, we killed seven green stags and two roe deer. According to the usual rules, we should split them equally, but we lost Fatty San. In the end, it's because we didn't keep an eye on that good-for-nothing."

He paused, glanced around at everyone present, and then stated his plan.

"This is what I'm thinking: each of us here should get one green leopard, and the remaining three green leopards, along with the two roe deer, should all be sent to Fatty San's house."

Qiu Yanzi, a woman with two young girls, was struggling to make ends meet after her husband's death. These prey animals would at least sustain her and her two daughters until the spring thaw, preventing them from starving.

Old Chen was the first to nod and agree.

"Let's do as Brother Long Hair said, let's divide it like this! We're not talking about the issue, we're talking about the person. That son of a bitch Sanpangzi asked for it, but those three are innocent. We can't let them starve to death. Damn it, they're already in this state, we should help them out as much as we can, it'll be a good deed."

Liu Chunlei stood to one side.

"I think the same way as Lao Nian, no objections, let's just leave it at that! We're all from the same village, we can't just watch the mother and her three children starve to death."

Although Wang Changfa disliked Sanpangzi, when it came to real matters, they were both men of principle.

"Shanzi, what are you thinking? Just say it."

"Uncle Long Hair, I have no other ideas. I'll do whatever you say."

At this time, the village of Nangou was making quite a commotion because Wang Changfa and his hunters were pulling their sleds back to the village.

Almost everyone except those sitting on the heated brick bed came out to watch the excitement.

Some people in the crowd glanced at the number of people next to the sled and began to wonder, whispering to the person next to them.

"There were five men when they went into the mountains, how come there are only four left?"

Upon hearing this, the old woman next to him immediately covered her mouth and stared at the sled.

"Oh my god, where did that Fatty go? I hope nothing bad has happened to him!"

"Look! Behind that sled, that bloody mass covered by a cloth, isn't that Fatty San?"

"This sled is full of green scavengers! There must be at least five of them. This trip into the mountains is going to be a huge success!"

"What?! If you can't count, don't spout nonsense! There are clearly seven green stags, and two fat roe deer are underneath them!"

Wang Changfa had been helping his father organize weddings, funerals, and neighborhood disputes in the village since he was a child. Apart from his second uncle, he was the most respected person in the village. He was always straightforward in his words and deeds, and everyone respected him.

At this moment, I saw several teenagers standing on tiptoe and craning their necks, as if they wanted to bury their heads in the sled to watch the fun.

"What are you all doing crowding around here? Are you bored? Have you eaten your fill at home? Are you all dressed warmly for winter? Or did your parents already arrange a wife for you? Can't you understand human language?!"

"Stop crowding around and making a scene. Go find somewhere cool and quiet. You're just making a racket and causing trouble. Get out of here!"

No sooner had he finished scolding him than Da Shaqiang, wrapped in a loose cotton-padded coat, came running out of his yard. He was running so fast that the coat was open, and the cold wind blew straight into his clothes.

Aunt Wang chased after him, shouting at the top of her lungs as she ran.

"Qiangzi! Slow down! Tie your clothes up before you go out, okay? Be a good boy, and I'll find you a wife someday!"

Upon hearing the words "getting a wife," Da Shaqiang, who was running around happily, immediately froze in place, stopped in his tracks, and began to chuckle foolishly as he clumsily buttoned his cotton-padded jacket, muttering to himself all the while.

"Wife, I want a wife. Qiangzi, be good, button your clothes, wife, hehe."

After buttoning his shirt, he ran excitedly to the sled, tilted his head back, craned his neck to look up, and almost drooled from the corner of his mouth.

"Uncle Long Hair, meat, meat! Qiangzi wants to eat meat!"

Wang Changfa was already fuming because of Sanpangzi's matter, and was further annoyed by the crowd of onlookers. He immediately let out a loud shout, which almost scared Da Shaqiang so much that he wet himself on the spot. Da Shaqiang trembled and immediately shrank back.

"Eat, eat, all you know is eating! What else do you see besides food? There are people up there, stop eating your grandma's mouth! Wang Er's wife, come here and take your Qiangzi away! There's a right way to watch the show, is this something your silly boy can just mess around in? Take him back right now!"

Upon hearing this, Aunt Wang immediately became displeased. She twisted her plump body and shuffled her small feet across the ground, rushing forward in a flash. She shielded Da Shaqiang behind her, put her hands on her hips, and craned her neck to confront Wang Changfa.

"What's wrong, Wang Changfa? Why are you so angry? What did my Qiangzi do to you? What's wrong with him? Why is your mouth so foul? Do you eat soy sauce from your big soy sauce vat every day? Has your mouth been pickled and rotten?"

"You little brat, treating my silly Qiangzi like a dog, spewing insults at him all day long? I'm his mother standing right here! If you have a problem, take it out on me, don't take it out on the child!"

Aunt Wang stood there, her figure curvaceous and mature, seemingly nourished by the years, her round face showing no signs of aging.

Chen Gaoshan watched from the side and realized that for some women, the marks of time are not necessarily on their faces.

Wang Changfa was at his wits' end after being rebuked by Wang Ershenzi.

Everyone in this village is someone you can mess with, except for Wang Er's wife. She's got a sharp tongue; she can talk as much as three people. Once she starts throwing a tantrum, it never ends. Right now, Sanpangzi's matter is the most important thing, so there's no time to get entangled with her.

Moreover, the gods and spirits this woman worships are quite sinister.

He sighed and waved his hand in resignation.

"It's my fault, it's all my fault, okay? Hurry up and take Qiangzi back! Please, don't cause trouble here, okay?"

As he spoke, he gestured with his chin toward the sled.

"Third Fatty was bitten to death by those shrews. It's a fatal situation, don't delay!"

Aunt Wang wasn't unreasonable. She pulled Qiangzi over, reached out and touched the child, then turned and glared at Wang Changfa before tugging at Qiangzi in annoyance.

"Come on, let's go home, Mom will stew some meat for you!"

Seeing that the mother and daughter had finally turned around and gone home, Wang Changfa breathed a sigh of relief, gave everyone a wink, and pulled the sled towards Sanpangzi's house.

Before long, they arrived at the gate of Sanpangzi's house.

The courtyard wall was made of adobe bricks and was only half a person high.

"Third Fatty's family, come out here right now!"

Inside the house, Qiu Yanzi was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), rubbing corn kernels, with the corn cobs piled up at her feet.

Hearing the sound outside the door, she felt a sudden tightness in her chest. She immediately stopped what she was doing, got up quickly, lifted the curtain, and ran outside.

"Who is it? Calling me in the middle of the day!"

"It's me, Wang Changfa."

Qiu Yanzi walked quickly to the courtyard gate and pushed open the wooden door.

"Uncle Long Hair, didn't you take Fatty San into the mountains to hunt? You were only gone for a day, how come you're back so soon?"

She immediately realized that something was wrong; her courtyard gate was surrounded by layers upon layers of villagers.

Nangou Village is not a large village, and there is nothing unusual on ordinary days. If there is any disturbance in any household, people will immediately flock to watch. They will lean against the courtyard wall, stand on tiptoe, and even try to peek through the window.