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

Old Chen was pleased, but he still frowned.

"I can just smoke the tobacco leaves we grow ourselves. It satisfies my craving and doesn't cost any money. Why waste money on this stuff? You don't know how to manage money at all!"

The two daughters-in-law turned around and went back into the house, leaving only the old couple and Chen Gaoshan in the main room. Chen Liushi stopped pretending and sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Shanzi, don't be fooled by your dad. These two packs of cigarettes you gave him have really won him over. I bet he'll be snuggling them in bed tonight."

He's such a hypocrite. He's secretly thrilled; his son bought it out of filial piety, he should just happily accept it and be happy, but he's so stubborn and incapable of saying a single kind word; all he does is find fault.

Old Chen's thoughts were exposed by Shanzi's mother, and he couldn't save face. So he simply put aside his pride and kept chuckling, his wrinkles piling up.

Now he's putting on airs, acting like a landlord, raising his chin and ordering Chen Liu around.

"Damn it, bring me some matches, light one up and let me try it."

Despite her apparent disdain, Chen Liu quickly fetched a match and lit his cigarette.

Old Chen, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, tilted his head back and took a few deep drags. In no time, he had finished the cigarette in a few puffs.

"It's good to smoke, more than ten times better than our old dry tobacco, but it's too precious and too wasteful."

He smacked his lips, pondering.

"I won't smoke this at home anymore. I'll save it! I'll take it out to smoke when I go to the village for a wedding or when I go out to visit neighbors, just to annoy those old bastards. Last time, that long-haired kid in the village somehow got hold of a pack of Hademen cigarettes."

He's always showing off by sticking his cigarette to his ears, and he can keep a cigarette all day long, just to save face. Now I have one too. When I see him, I'll smoke it right in front of him and see how cocky he is then!

When Chen Liu saw his dishonorable behavior...

"Did you forget what Shanzi just said? You see someone pooping and you're acting all cocky, aren't you? Didn't I tell you to do everything secretly? What are you showing off for?"

"Have you forgotten how our village's landlord, Li Yaozu, got kidnapped by that bearded guy last year? It was because he was always too boastful that he got into trouble! These days, keeping your wealth hidden and staying alive is the most important thing. And you still dare to show off like that!"

Old Chen was indeed getting a little carried away, his desire to show off had reached its peak. What a son he had!

Now, after being thoroughly doused with a bucket of water by Shanzi's mother, he finally realized what had happened.

Damn it, how could I forget my roots?

"Mother, you're right, that makes sense, I was confused."

Speaking of the club they dug up earlier, the family discussed it back and forth, and finally decided to keep it for themselves.

This thing is a lifesaver; it can really save your life in a critical moment. It's more reliable than anything else, so you absolutely mustn't use it.

Ginseng is a delicate plant, susceptible to moisture and insect infestation. So, Chen Liu specially found a clean piece of fine cloth and wrapped the ginseng tightly in layers, then put it in a small bamboo basket. She also sprinkled a lot of spices and peppercorns into the basket to repel insects. Finally, she had Shanzi put it on the table and hang the small basket on the beam of the main room.

Dinner was the usual farmhouse meal: flatbread made from a mixture of wheat and vegetables, a large plate of fresh vegetables with dipping sauce, including blanched tender shoots of wild aralia, dandelion, and small root vegetables, and a large pot of stewed cabbage with a few large slices of fatty pork, the oil floating on top.

A simple meal, eaten in complete silence.

After finishing the meal, Lianhua took a shower first, and he used the remaining hot water from Lianhua to wash his body. Wearing only a pair of shorts, he had Lianhua use a cloth to wipe his back.

Lianhua carefully added some hot water to the basin, and he sat on the small stool, comfortably soaking his feet.

His wife was sitting in front of the old bronze mirror, by the light of a kerosene lamp.

She opened the clam oil, not wanting to scoop out too much, only using her fingertips to pick out a little and smear it on her face and the back of her hands.

Chen Gaoshan picked up the towel beside his feet, dried his feet, casually draped the towel over the edge of the basin, and shuffled towards the lotus flower in front of the bronze mirror.

He embraced Lotus from behind.

Looking at his wife's somewhat blurry reflection in the bronze mirror, he lowered his head and could see her vague outline beneath the loose lotus-patterned bodice.

"My wife is amazing. Not only is she beautiful, but she also smells wonderful."

He lowered his head and kissed Lianhua on the shoulder. The stubble pricked Lianhua, making her tremble, and she subconsciously leaned closer to him.

Her husband was not only capable and wealthy, but also considerate and able to support the whole family. If it weren't for Xinghua's help, she really wouldn't have been able to handle him on her own.

It's a bit strenuous for both of them to be messed with like this.

Lotus turned around, looked up at the man in front of her, and with a little clam oil still in her palm, she raised her hand and rubbed it on Chen Gaoshan's face twice.

"I'll give you some too, don't always say you're a grown man and don't need to be so particular."

Chen Gaoshan looked down at her face; her willow-leaf eyebrows and cherry lips were captivating. He couldn't get enough of looking at her.

A smile played on his lips as he let her wipe his face.

"You wash and wipe my face every day in bed, so even without this clam oil, my skin is still very moisturized."

Lianhua blushed even more at his words, glaring at him fiercely. Before she could speak, Chen Gaoshan bent down, picked her up horizontally, and carried her to the edge of the kang (heated brick bed).

"Be careful not to bump into the children."

The two got onto the kang (a heated brick bed), and Lianhua was stripped down to only her shorts.

He swears that the hand was on the drawstring of Lotus's underwear, and without him even pulling, he heard a tearing sound, and the underwear was ripped open with a large hole.

"You spendthrift! I only had two pairs of spare underwear, and you tore them up! My mother made these for me using the backing fabric, you wasteful old man!"

These days, having underwear to wear means you're from a wealthy family. For ordinary families, having trousers that don't expose their buttocks is considered a sign of good fortune.

Chen Gaoshan reached out to take off her underwear. Looking at Lianhua's figure, which seemed to defy gravity even when she was lying flat, he realized that both his Xinghua and Lianhua were quite talented.

Wearing only a loose-fitting bellyband, he didn't seem to have developed any downward curves. With his large hand, which could easily hold a basketball, he could easily grasp it with one hand.

Women are just like men, they come in all shapes and sizes, from round plates and big apples to small pears, from cloth bags to big papayas, he has seen them all.

"I just bought some fabric. Tomorrow, you can get a scrap of fabric and make two more pairs. These underpants of yours are too old; the fabric is rotten. They'll tear at the slightest touch. They're only good for wiping. Forget about them and just blow out the candles."

"Waaaaah, Chen Gaoshan, I curse your ancestors for eight generations! Keep tearing it! You can still wear it by sewing it up, waaaaah~~"

An hour later, Chen Gaoshan, covered in sweat, came down the mountain.

Lianhua was no longer angry. The two hugged each other to cool off, and she reached out to cover Gaoshan with the blanket.

"Cover your back a bit, Mother said men's backs can't get cold."

During his post-coital meditation, Chen Gaoshan closed his eyes, not wanting to do anything, and gently patted Lianhua's large buttocks.

"That's why I have to have a wife, Lotus, you're so good to me."

Lianhua reached out and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "It's enough that you know I'm good to you. Go to sleep."

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