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

Chen Gaoshan looked back and realized that he had unknowingly walked to the back of the line. His father, Chen Laonian, was standing not far away, frowning and waving at him.

He immediately separated from the money pendant and ran quickly towards his father.

Without saying a word, Old Chen handed him the basket in his hand, which contained a processed green hide and two complete wolf pelts.

The other green-skinned dog was carried on Chen Laonian's shoulder.

"Stop wasting your time talking nonsense with these people and go home! You've been busy since morning, aren't you hungry? Why bother arguing with them about such rubbish!"

Reminded by his father, Chen Gaoshan finally felt his stomach rumbling with hunger, and he felt completely weak.

"I was just joking around with Brother Zhui Zi when I was bored, I wasn't really messing around."

After saying that, he carried the basket on his back and followed closely behind his father, walking quickly home.

Chen Gaoshan followed Chen Laonian, and soon they arrived at the gate of their own courtyard.

"Damn it, open the door! We're back!"

Upon recognizing their owner's voice, the two yellow dogs in the yard, Da Huang and Er Huang, immediately wagged their tails and barked happily.

Inside the house, Chen Liu was sitting on the heated kang with her two daughters, Xinghua and Lianhua, getting their quilts changed.

The mother and her two children, with needles and thread in hand and new cotton in hand, planned to make two small swaddle blankets for their two unborn babies.

Hearing the shouts and barking of dogs outside the door, Chen Liushi paused in her needlework.

"Oh dear, you're back after only one day! I'll go open the door right now!"

She quickly put down what she was doing, slipped on her cotton shoes, and ran outside, reaching out to open the courtyard gate.

"Dad, Shanzi, you're back! It's windy outside, come inside and warm up!"

Chen Liu quickly stepped aside to let the father and son in. She then turned around, picked up the broom that was standing by the door, and swept the snow off the legs of her husband and son.

After shoveling the snow, she looked at the green husks on the father and son's backs and in their baskets.

"Dad, did you catch another wolf this time? Those wolves have been starving all winter, they're really fierce. What if they smell us and break into the village in the middle of the night?"

Old Chen stamped the snow off his feet.

"Don't be afraid. Our yard walls are high, and we have Da Huang and Er Huang in the yard. Even if they really come in the middle of the night, we'll know as soon as the dogs bark. With Shanzi and me here, there's nothing to be afraid of. Just relax."

"I'm hungry, go get some hot food quickly."

Xinghua and Lianhua also came out from the inner room. When they heard their father say he was hungry, the two sisters looked at each other, nodded quickly, and went into the kitchen without saying a word.

Chen Gaoshan carried the green husks from his basket into the kitchen, leaned against the door frame, and watched the two sisters busy at the stove.

Xinghua was in charge of starting the fire, reaching into the stove to add dry firewood. The flames leaped up, making her face glow red.

Lotus stood in front of the cutting board, scooping flour, mixing it, and kneading the dough.

Looking at the two girls.

Chen Gaoshan felt a strong urge to go, and slowly walked forward.

"Have you two decided whose room I'll be staying in tonight?"

Xinghua and Lianhua paused simultaneously, exchanged a glance, neither daring to speak, their faces burning from the fire in the stove.

Chen Gaoshan couldn't help but laugh at their awkward manner.

"Since neither of you will say anything, let's not give in to each other. Let's just sleep together. I won't be biased, and I won't mistreat anyone."

Upon hearing this, Xinghua immediately stopped kneading the dough.

"Alright, alright, I knew you'd been thinking about this. Stop messing around. I'm the older sister, I have to set a good example. You should go to the Lotus House."

Lotus pouted, clearly unconvinced.

"Sis, where are you the oldest? Tell me in detail."

One sentence made Xinghua blush again, and Lianhua also realized what she meant, lowered her head in embarrassment, and quickened her pace, no longer saying anything.

Two large bowls of hand-pulled noodles, accompanied by a plate of fragrant wolf meat stir-fried with marinade.

Chen Laonian and Chen Gaoshan were really starving, having spent the whole day running around in the mountains.

The two picked up their large bowls and chopsticks, and began to eat heartily, soup and all, swirling the food around in their mouths until they were covered in sweat.

Lotus sat to one side, peeling garlic in her hand.

She picked up a peeled clove of garlic and handed it to her husband.

"Shanzi, stop eating your noodles and have a clove of garlic."

Chen Gaoshan was secretly delighted. What a heavenly treatment! He even had a waitress peeling garlic for him while he ate a bowl of noodles. He wouldn't trade this kind of life for any amount of money.

Eating noodles without garlic diminishes the flavor by half.

He opened his mouth and took the garlic that Lianhua handed him. With the garlic and hot noodles, he finished a large bowl and then asked for another half bowl.

After eating and drinking his fill, Chen Gaoshan returned to the west wing.

He casually unbuckled his belt, leaned against the scorching wall of fire, and couldn't help but let out a satisfied burp.

Lotus, holding needle and thread, silently walked to his side.

"Take off your pants, I'll mend them for you."

Seeing Lianhua grab his pants right away, I really wanted to hold her head down.

"Take it off."

Chen Gaoshan was just thinking about it. After all, Lianhua was pregnant, and it wouldn't be good to make her feel disgusted. He had to cherish his own woman.

He took off his pants and handed them to Lianhua.

Lotus painstakingly sewed back on the torn leather pants and ripped buttons, which had been ripped by wolves.

After she finished sewing, she tied a tight knot at the end of the thread and then bit off the thread with her teeth.

After resting for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Chen Gaoshan got up, went to the courtyard, chopped up the firewood piled in the corner, and stacked it neatly.

As I closed and opened my eyes, it gradually got dark.

Just as he was about to get into bed, Lianhua came in carrying a large basin of hot water.

She placed the wooden basin on the ground.

"Get up and wash up quickly. I could smell the sourness on you as I walked past you. You've been busy all day. Get up, let me scrub your back, and you'll feel more comfortable sleeping after a wash."

He quickly jumped off the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) and went forward to catch it.

"Didn't I tell you before? I can do this kind of heavy lifting! You're not even three months pregnant yet, the baby isn't fully settled!"

"I'm not that precious. In our village, which of the old women is pregnant and still serves her husband? There are plenty of women who are about to give birth and still go to fetch water and do farm work. What's a little work like this?"

"I know you feel sorry for me, but men should do men's work. Hunting, doing manual labor, braving wind and snow, they're exhausted. As an old woman, I should do my duty at home. If I can't even make sure you can rest comfortably at home, can I still be considered a good old woman?"

Chen Gaoshan sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), pursing his lips and remaining silent.

Seeing that he remained silent, Lianhua stepped forward, reached out and grabbed his collar, and kissed him on the lips.

"What, can't you coax me? I know my own body well, I will never wrong our child, nor will I wrong myself."

Chen Gaoshan pursed his lips.

"What do you mean by 'feeling comfortable'? Tell me, how exactly do you plan to make me feel comfortable?"

Lotus turned around, moved a small stool over, sat opposite him, and reached out to take off his shoes.

"I'll wash your feet and help you relax, isn't that enough? Don't push your luck."

She put Chen Gaoshan's feet into the basin of water and vigorously rubbed the chapped and muddy areas on his feet.

Soon, she picked up a foot cloth, placed Gaoshan's feet on her lap, supported his ankle with one hand, and used the cloth in the other to dry his feet.

Chen Gaoshan looked down at her face, feeling the sensation on his feet. With a slight movement of his foot, he could touch her soft flesh.

I couldn't resist touching it again with my foot.

Lotus's legs went numb from his intermittent teasing, and she was panting heavily. Seeing that he wasn't done yet, she quickly hugged his feet.

"What are you doing? You'll be done wiping soon, behave yourself."

"What are you saying I'm doing?"

As he spoke, he pulled the person off the ground into his arms. "Don't worry, I definitely won't hurt the child. I have other ways to ensure you're happy, I'm joyful, and the child is safe."

He took her hand and pulled her into his arms.

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