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

Sister-in-law Qiuyan sighed.

"It's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright. Everyone has their difficulties, it's only right to help each other out. Let's not talk about gratitude or anything like that anymore, I don't want to hear it."

He was still focused on his business; he had gone up the mountain to find wild chives that could relieve Lianhua's morning sickness. He didn't have time for idle chatter and immediately set off into the depths of the forest.

As Qiu Yan watched his retreating figure turn away, she stood there, clutching the hem of her clothes tightly. Her heart was in turmoil. She bit her lower lip, as if she had finally made up her mind. She quickly chased after him, grabbed Chen Gaoshan's sleeve, and wouldn't let go.

"Brother Gaoshan, wait a minute!"

"You are one of the few good people in the village. I am poor and have nothing of value to repay you. I know everything that Sanpangzi promised you when you took him up the mountain before."

That heartless bastard, he actually committed suicide after just one trip up the mountain! But as his wife, I'll keep his promise to you!

"Sister-in-law, I'm not the kind of person who forgets kindness or acts shamelessly. You saved my daughter Dani's life, and I could never repay that kindness, even if I risked my life. Your daughters Xinghua and Lianhua are both pregnant and heavy, so they definitely won't be able to take good care of you."

As she spoke, her face turned red, her eyes darting around, but she still forced herself to speak in a low voice.

"Let your sister-in-law accompany you twice, as a way of repaying your life-saving grace. Right now, everyone in the village has gone to work in the fields, and the mountain is deserted; there's not a soul in sight, and no one is coming."

She took another half step forward.

"Brother Gaoshan, you can rest assured. This is a secret between you and me, and we will never let a third person know. Your wife will not ruin your reputation."

It's been over a month since Sanpangzi was buried in the ground.

The little grain he had risked his life to obtain was mostly used to buy bitter medicine for Da Ni. Bowl after bowl of medicine dregs were poured out, and the family's grain reserves were almost gone, with the bottom of the jar nearly scraped clean.

If she weren't so desperate for food, she wouldn't have gone up the mountain before dawn just to dig up some wild vegetables to fill her stomach. She couldn't bear to see her two girls go hungry with her.

Qiu Yan tugged at his sleeve, her eyes stinging, and tears she had been holding back for so long finally streamed down her face.

"That damned bastard Sanpangzi never gave me a single good day while he was alive. He tormented me every day and never treated me like a human being."

Now that he's dead, to be honest, I don't feel sad at all; in fact, I feel relieved! But he's so good to me; he died cleanly, leaving us three without a single valuable thing, just abandoning us to suffer in this world.

"Then, with Da Ni's serious illness, the family's already meager savings were completely depleted, and we've been struggling to make ends meet."

"Sister-in-law, what I'm struggling with isn't just the lack of food and clothing, but also the fear of the night!"

"Those shameless old bachelors in the village, seeing that there were no men in my family, would come to my door every few days, break down my door in the middle of the night, smash my windows, and keep spouting nonsense. I chased them all away with a fire stick."

"But I'm a widow with two teenage daughters, and I don't even have a man to back me up. Anyone can come and bully me."

"Every day as soon as it gets dark, my heart jumps into my throat. I can't sleep all night. It feels like the night is endless and I can't get through until dawn."

Sometimes, when I feel so suffocated, I don't dare to cry out loud. So I hide under the covers and secretly wipe away my tears, biting the blanket so as not to make a sound, for fear of scaring the child.

If I really couldn't sleep, I'd grab a handful of soybeans, put them in a bowl, and count them one by one, then count them back one by one, just to get through the night like that.

"Lying on the kang (heated brick bed), I thought, why is my life so miserable? Why didn't I marry a reliable and good man like you, Brother Gaoshan, who cares for us and protects us. Brother Gaoshan, my heart is aching, so aching that I have nowhere to tell, nowhere to confide in..."

Looking at her like this, Chen Gaoshan thought about it and realized it made sense. She had never been without men before, and now that she suddenly had some free time, it was no surprise that she was itching for something.

"Sister-in-law, are you trying to get a man to sleep with you?"

Qiu Yan wiped away her tears and nodded.

"I won't hide it from you anymore, the other day Aunt Wang came to my place and talked to me about coal, for her son Da Shaqiang. I don't want to be with a fool. Brother Gaoshan, since you can't get involved with your family now, why don't I just be with you? As long as you can help me with the work in the fields, I'll take good care of you."

Chen Gaoshan never expected that the widows in this village were so shameless, saying such things so readily and then so openly admitting it.

No wonder the old women from Northeast China are so fierce. She probably doesn't know about her affair with Widow Liu. These three are enough to keep him busy. Why not another one?

"Sister-in-law, if you want a man once or twice, I can help you with this. But you should forget about me. My husband is pregnant, so it won't interfere."

Besides, Da Shaqiang is strong and obedient. If you really go with him, you and your two children would be much better off than if you secretly followed me. Aunt Wang is quite capable; if you give Da Shaqiang another daughter, Aunt Wang won't be a pushover either.

Qiu Yanzi moved directly towards him and grabbed his collar.

"It won't delay anything. Do you think they can do that? I've always heard how capable and energetic you are in the village. Since I'm not destined for that, let me have my turn and enjoy myself. It won't be a waste of my time asking."

"Sister-in-law Qiuyan, take your clothes off, quickly..."

"Isn't this fast enough?"

"Sister Qiuyan, put this on quickly, it's still chilly in early spring, it's quite cold today."

"If it's not cold, how can I put out the fire in my heart? Brother Gaoshan, stop pretending. The more you pretend, the more your wife will want it."

Chen Gaoshan felt her breathing on his neck. Where was his Italian cannon? Where was his broadsword?

Seeing her like this, he couldn't believe it. No man could resist a woman's initiative to show weakness and seek comfort; her tenderness was like a burning flame.

How could he possibly keep people at arm's length without even having a drop of water on his hands?

My whole life is filled with suffering; please let me bear this pain.

In the end, he couldn't resist and carried the person up the tree.

Qiu Yanzi was panting heavily, constantly adding fuel to the fire in his ear.

"When my sister-in-law first married into Nangou Village, she immediately spotted Gaoshan, the groom, following behind to greet her. He was tall and looked like a very hardworking man. My sister-in-law had been secretly admiring him for so many years, but now she finally knows what Gaoshan is like. My sister-in-law is content."

In Chen Gaoshan's memory, he and a bunch of his buddies went to climb down the wall on the day Sanpangzi and Qiuyanzi got married. Sanpangzi was a good-for-nothing; he kicked the wall and was done for.

No man in the village was indifferent to Qiu Yanzi. However, Sanpangzi had conditions for bringing people to Qiu Yanzi: five catties of cornmeal per person. What kind of family could afford such extravagance? So not many people came to her door.

Although Xinghua and Lianhua are not as good-looking as Qiuyanzi, they are much more attractive.

So he didn't lose out at all.