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

The next day, he went to the river to catch frogs again. As soon as he got to the riverbank, he saw Xiao Kouzi sticking out his butt and touching the frogs.

As soon as Xiao Kouzi saw him, she instinctively handed him the few toys she had just caught.

This time, Chen Gaoshan waved his hand and didn't take it.

Little Kouzi was catching these toads to save up and take them to town to exchange for money. The other kid had a hard life, so how could he really take them?

Besides, he wouldn't mind having a bite of toad meat to satisfy his craving.

This kid is good at enduring hardship.

Chen Gaoshan rolled up his trousers and waded into the river to get busy. In no time, he had caught more than 30 jin of frogs and put them in a cloth bag.

Once these toads have fully recovered, in a day or two at most, the surface of the Hetao River will be covered with a layer of toad eggs, and then there will be no more toads to eat.

I'm thinking about it.

"Oh my god, whose kid is this?! Quick, help him!"

Immediately following was the sound of splashing water, with water spraying high into the air, less than two or three meters away from Chen Gaoshan.

Chen Gaoshan waded through the mud in the river and rushed over, grabbing the little man's clothes and pulling him hard to the shore.

Not far from the riverbank, Widow Li, who was washing clothes, stood up from the stone, holding a washing mallet in her hand.

"Gaoshan, hurry up and come up here! Check if he's still breathing! What kind of old woman is so careless as to let this older kid come to the riverbank? It's practically asking for trouble!"

Without saying much, Chen Gaoshan lifted the little girl to the bank, grabbed her feet and lifted her upside down, pulling her down forcefully. This method worked; the little girl coughed up several mouthfuls of river water and finally caught her breath.

"Ah!! Mother!"

The little girl plopped down on the ground by the river. Her cotton-padded coat was soaked through. A cold wind blew, and she shivered all over. Her lips turned purple, and she burst into tears.

Chen Gaoshan glanced at the child and saw that he had only choked on water and was frightened, and was otherwise fine. He straightened up and patted the water off his hands.

"I'm fine, so I'll head home now. My wife's still waiting at home for some frog legs. Sister Li, could you please check whose child this is and take him back home?"

"Alright, don't worry! I'm not washing these clothes. I want to see which family's spendthrift kid is this. He's so young, but he's got some nerve, daring to go into the river!"

Widow Li walked over quickly.

"What happened? Who fell into the river?"

"Oh dear, this little girl is soaked to the bone. Is she alright, lest she catch a chill?"

"Thanks to Gao Shan's quick action, otherwise the child would have suffered terribly in that deeper water!"

"Whose child is this? Why weren't the adults watching him/her?"

A large crowd quickly gathered around.

Widow Li squatted down, stared at the little girl's face for a moment, and immediately recognized her. She then called out to the villagers who were watching.

"It's alright, it's alright, don't panic! Isn't this Qiu Yanzi's eldest daughter?"

"You little brat, you're too bold! Daring to lean against such a deep puddle, are you crazy? When we get home, your mother will give you a good spanking and a good beating!"

Upon hearing this, the little girl was so frightened that she cried even harder, her face covered in tears and snot.

Seeing the child shivering from the cold, Widow Li couldn't bear to scold her anymore and reached out to push her little head.

He quickly took off the little girl's soaking wet clothes, then found his own coat that he had left on the shore and hadn't had time to wash yet, and wrapped it around the child, then hugged her to keep warm.

"Xingzi, could you watch the wooden basin and clothes for me? I need to take Qiu Yanzi's eldest daughter home first. I don't know what her mother's up to; she doesn't even care about her child!"

"Okay, Sister Li, you go ahead quickly, I'll keep an eye on things here!"

Xingzi on the shore quickly agreed.

"Tell Qiu Yanzi to keep a close eye on the child; the riverbank is too dangerous!"

After Chen Gaoshan returned home, he still made braised frogs in soy sauce as usual, but today Lianhua seemed to have had enough of it and didn't eat more than a few.

It happened so fast.

Lotus and Apricot Blossom are three months pregnant.

However, the two sisters had completely opposite pregnancy symptoms.

For the past month or so, Xinghua has been feeling mostly fine, with a great appetite, enjoying everything she eats, and her face is glowing.

Lotus, on the other hand, is usually a feisty little firecracker, fearless and bold, but now she's being tormented by morning sickness. She feels nauseous and vomits all day long, vomiting whatever she eats, and even drinking water makes her feel dizzy and disoriented, almost bringing up bile. She looks like she's lost a lot of weight.

The family tried all sorts of ways to feed her, including specially prepared sour apricots and hawthorns, but she still couldn't suppress her nausea after eating them. She kept vomiting up whatever she ate. As her belly slowly swelled up, her little face lost its former energy, which was heartbreaking to see.

That day, it was Chen Gaoshan's turn to rest at Xinghua House again.

Xinghua carried a basin of water for washing feet into the house and placed it by the kang (a heated brick bed).

She made Chen Gaoshan sit down, took off his shoes, and put his feet into the basin of water.

He moved a small stool over, sat opposite Chen Gaoshan, and put his feet into the basin as well.

Xinghua, who was three months pregnant, already had a slightly protruding belly.

Chen Gaoshan looked at her, reached out and brushed the stray hairs in front of her eyes, tucking them behind her ear.

In those days, pregnancy was not a big deal for women. Pregnant women still had to work in the fields and do housework. They had to take care of their husbands and manage the household chores without any delay. This was how women in the village had always lived, and no one thought anything was wrong.

But Chen Gaoshan didn't think so. He should have followed local customs, but he still felt sorry for his wife.

Giving birth is already a life-or-death ordeal for women, and the suffering they endure is immense. If they also have to do heavy work while pregnant, it's just too much of a hardship.

So whenever he was home, he never let Xinghua and Lianhua do any of the physical labor, such as chopping wood, carrying water, or moving things; he took care of it all himself.

The apricot blossoms and lotus flowers saw it all and remembered it in their hearts, and they wore happy smiles all day long.

The two sisters felt from the bottom of their hearts that following Chen Gaoshan was the best thing they had ever done in their lives.

Not to mention that the two sisters were content, which woman in the entire Nangou village didn't envy Xinghua and Lianhua?

People used to say that Chen Gaoshan was incredibly lucky, having two wives and two sisters serving him, and both of them were so beautiful and energetic. Some even gossiped that the sisters' future was definitely going to be tough.

But when the two sisters were three months pregnant, the Chen family spread the good news of their daughters-in-law's pregnancy. The women in the village, looking at the sisters' complexions and their slightly chubby faces, knew what kind of life they were living.

When the old women in the village have nothing to do, they always like to get together and chat. What do they talk about? Their husbands and children, of course.

Now, when these two sisters are mentioned again, everyone is incredibly envious.

Everyone says that Xinghua and Lianhua are incredibly lucky to have married the Chen brothers and met such capable and caring men like Gaoshan!

When they're pregnant, they don't have to do any heavy work. They don't get that kind of treatment. It's common for babies to be born in the ridges.

"Didn't Mom say before that the nausea would subside after three months? Why is Lianhua's reaction still so strong? Her belly is growing bigger, but her face has gotten thinner. It looks so painful for her."

·····