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

Xinghua carried a bowl of freshly cooked soup into the courtyard.

The water in the bowl was pale green; wild chives and ginger were cooked together.

This was something Shanzi went through a lot of trouble to get up the mountain; it would be a waste not to drink it.

She walked over to Lotus and handed her the bowl.

"Lotus, drink it while it's hot. Try this folk remedy and see if it works. If it makes you feel better, I'll make you another one tomorrow."

Lotus was sitting on a small stool in the yard, washing clothes. As soon as she heard about the folk remedy, she reflexively wanted to vomit.

"Sis, it's too hot. Let it cool down first, and I'll drink it after I rest for a bit."

"Why is it still hot? It's warm now, drink it quickly!"

Xinghua handed the bowl forward again, frowning.

"If you can't eat anything every day, how will the baby in your belly get any nutrition? What if it's born skinny and emaciated with hardly any hair? For the sake of the baby, you have to grit your teeth and drink it!"

Lianhua knew that her sister meant well and understood that it was Shanzi's intention. She took a deep breath, braced herself, took the bowl, closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and gulped it down.

It was spicy and bitter, with a hint of wild chives in the stew.

She quickly covered her mouth. "Sister, quick, get me a bowl of water to help me digest!"

Before Xinghua could turn around and go into the kitchen, a series of clattering sounds came from outside the courtyard gate.

Lotus's eyes lit up, and she instantly forgot the bitterness in her mouth.

"It's Shanzi! Shanzi's back!"

Just as they reached the entrance, they bumped into Chen Gaoshan leading a carriage through the side gate.

"Shanzi, you're finally back! Dinner's been ready for ages, we've been waiting for you!"

"Call Father out first, and let's move the things from the carriage into the house together."

The whole family pitched in, making several trips back and forth, and carried everything from the carriage into the main room.

After moving everything, Chen Gaoshan didn't rush to show off his belongings. Instead, he pulled his family to sit down on the kang (a heated brick bed) and told them in detail what Liu Yinzi had told him in town.

The room fell silent instantly. Except for Chen Gaoshan, who remained calm, everyone else's faces darkened.

Chen Liushi pouted and couldn't help but sigh.

"What kind of world is this?! Can't we ordinary people just have a few days of peace? Today this one comes, tomorrow that one comes, and the day after tomorrow some 'Eighth Master's Ash' will appear. How come our area has become such a hot commodity, with everyone wanting a piece of it?!"

Lotus and Apricot Blossom exchanged a glance. The two pregnant women felt even more panicked. They clasped their hands together and turned to look at Chen Laonian, the head of the family, waiting for him to make a decision.

Old Chen held his pipe in his hand, took two puffs, frowned, and didn't say anything.

About a minute later.

"Shanzi, what do you think about this?"

Chen Gaoshan didn't stand on ceremony and spoke directly.

"No matter who comes, we ordinary people still have to keep going. The most important thing right now is to stock up on food at home and hide all the valuables. We must never flaunt our wealth. As the old saying goes, you can only make a fortune by keeping a low profile."

"You three, Mother, don't go out of the village unless absolutely necessary. Just stay here. Especially Xinghua and Lianhua, you're both pregnant, so you absolutely mustn't go out wandering around. Resting and taking care of your babies is more important than anything else."

After listening, Chen Laonian tapped his tobacco pipe on the sole of his shoe.

"Okay, we'll do it your way. Shanzi, you'll have to take charge of things at home from now on."

Changing the subject, he looked at the pile of things. "Did you use all the money from selling the wild boar to buy this stuff?"

Chen Gaoshan nodded without explaining.

He watched his daughter-in-law nod, and had no objections; on the contrary, his face showed an expression of approval.

These days, gold and silver jewelry are not as reliable as food. You need to stockpile enough food to survive. My son's approach is quite prudent.

He asked another question.

"The money from selling the wild boar is enough to buy all this stuff?"

Chen Gaoshan's face remained expressionless, and he pursed his lips. "It's not enough. I found some money on the street."

These days, if you don't steal, rob, cheat, or swindle, you're considered a good person. Why pretend to be a great philanthropist if you find money and return it?

"Was anyone seen when you picked up the money?"

Chen Gaoshan couldn't help but smile when he saw his father's nervous expression.

"Dad, isn't that a pointless question? If someone had seen me, would I have been able to bring these things back? I would have been watched long ago!"

"You're a smart kid, you knew to run away. All the grain and stuff you traded for are things the family urgently needs. Shanzi, I've seen through you now. You can really handle things. After your mother and I are gone, I can rest assured that we'll entrust the whole family and our business to you."

These words were heartfelt approval. Old Chen felt more and more at ease as he spoke. His son had finally grown into a man capable of supporting the family, and his daughters-in-law were all pregnant. The Chen family was about to welcome new members and have a new generation. He was overjoyed at that moment.

"What, Dad? You and Mom have connections down there? You can even pick and choose your own dates?"

Old Chen's lips twitched, and he was so angry that he raised his hand to teach his good-for-nothing son a lesson.

Before he could even make a move, Chen Liushi, who was standing to the side, couldn't stand it anymore and reached out to slap her son hard on the back.

"How dare you talk to your father like that! He was just giving a metaphor, expressing his concern for your future! Look at you, you're about to become a father yourself, and you still have no manners, no respect for elders!"

Chen Gaoshan shrank back when he was slapped, but he wasn't annoyed. He just chuckled. "So, Dad, don't say things like that. You and Mom will definitely live to see the fifth generation of our family be born."

"What, are your father and I ancient turtles? Are we so old that we're annoying? We're just content to see our great-grandchildren."

After he had had enough of the commotion, he remembered what was in his arms and reached into his clothes to pull out eight clam oils.

"Look what this is! It's called clam oil, a rare find!"

"Mom, two; Xinghua, two; Lianhua, two; Dad, the rest are one for each of us. This stuff really works! In winter, when our hands and feet crack and our faces are dry and peeling, just a little bit makes them moisturized. The landlord's wife in town uses this every day!"

As he spoke, Chen Laonian picked one up, brought it to his nose, frowned, sniffed it, and put it on the table with a look of disgust.

"I won't use this woman's stuff. Men's skin is a bit rough, so what? We don't need to be so picky. You three can use it. Give each of you three pieces of Xinghua and Lianhua. What's a landlady compared to this? Our Chen family can afford this stuff!"

Chen Liu, who was listening nearby, kept pursing her lips and muttering to herself.

You're really good at bragging. When we weren't struggling financially, you never thought of buying me anything.

She rolled her eyes at her husband, then turned and took Chen Gaoshan's hand.

"My son still cares about his mother and knows how to cherish her; he's better than your father!"

Next, when it came time to distribute the items, Chen Liushi was impartial. Apart from the grains, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and other condiments, which she was asked to put into the grain bins and cabinets in the house, everything else was fairly distributed to Xinghua and Lianhua.

Apricot Blossom and Lotus Flower held the clam oil, toothbrush, tooth powder, and scented soap in their hands, their eyes sparkling.

They worked in perfect unison, grabbed their things, got up, and went to their respective rooms to put them away.

After his two daughters-in-law left, Chen Gaoshan reached into the hidden pocket inside his clothes, pulled out two packs of Lao Dao brand cigarettes, and slammed them directly onto the table in front of Chen Laonian.

He looked down at the cigarettes on the table, completely stunned, his eyes wide with disbelief.

He had lived most of his life smoking tobacco leaves grown by himself, and he never dared to imagine that he would be able to smoke packaged cigarettes. He never expected that his son would bring him this rare treat when he went out.

"Yamako, this...this is for me?"

"Yes, I bought it especially for you!"

After saying that, he tore open the pack of cigarettes, took out a pack, unwrapped the cigarette paper, pulled out a cigarette, and handed it to his father.

Old Chen took the cigarette, held it to his nose, and took a deep sniff. His old face showed great satisfaction.

"Mmm, smells good!!"