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

As the sun rose, Xinghua, who hadn't stayed up all night for over a year, slept in for the first time ever. In her hazy dream, she felt someone grab her.

She instantly realized that this wasn't her room. She opened her eyes and suddenly remembered that the person lying next to her was none other than Gao Shan.

Wang Xinghua looked out the window and saw that it was already daylight. Her face immediately turned red. She blamed him for his endless nagging.

He removed the extra, cumbersome hands and feet from his body.

She picked up the bellyband next to her and put it around her neck. At this moment, Chen Gaoshan also woke up. When he saw Xinghua's white back, he had some thoughts again.

Why are you pulling me? Why don't you go back to sleep?

"What do you want me to do?" Then she slapped his hand.

She turned around, put on her clothes, and casually tossed her underwear to Gao Shan.

"Hurry up and put it on, and get ready to wear it."

Chen Gaoshan watched her leave in a hurry and laughed. She was even embarrassed, wondering who had crawled into his bed at night.

"Well, I'm used to it. I can't sleep without grabbing something."

When Wang Xinghua carried the basin into the kitchen to fetch water for washing her face, she saw that her mother-in-law and Lianhua were both yawning.

When Wang Lianhua saw her sister get up, she yawned, reached out and hugged her sister's arm, resting her head on her shoulder. She had listened to war songs all night and finally fell asleep, but it was dawn soon after.

"Sis, why don't you sleep a little longer? Aren't you sleepy?"

Of course she was sleepy. She got up because she was afraid you would laugh at her. She tossed and turned until the early hours of the morning last night. She bit the blanket and dared not make a sound, but she couldn't help but let out a few shouts.

You're such a spoiled brat, you don't know what hunger is like! I've been single for a year, I need to make up for it.

She reached out and pinched her sister's cheek.

"If you're sleepy, sleep a little longer. I'll cook for myself."

Wang Lianhua didn't know why, but she felt closer to her sister. Without saying a word, she pushed open the door and walked towards the chicken coop.

She reached into the chicken coop and felt around, but there was nothing there. It was too cold in winter, and the chicks didn't want to lay eggs anymore.

"Lotus, stop touching it, I've already picked up the eggs."

"Yes, Mother."

Chen Gaoshan watched as Sister Xinghua brought in a basin of water. He washed his face, took the cotton towel and wiped it. After what happened last night, the two of them got along more naturally. It's true that you can't build something new without breaking the old one. Breaking through this barrier has been so refreshing.

For the next week, he slept until the sun was high in the sky. After getting up and eating, he would either practice his memory skills in the yard, using the martial arts his father had taught him, or play with the dogs and birds in the house.

He takes one day off for the first wife and one day off for the second wife, and he gets one day off a week. He eats all the eggs that the family has saved up for a month in those few days. He's practically living the life of a breeding pig.

The way she addressed him also changed. Xinghua didn't like being called "sister-in-law," especially inside the house, so he just called her Xinghua.

The document between the first and second wives was finalized by Chen Liu the very next day. At daybreak, she went to find the most respected man in the village, the second uncle, who had the best handwriting.

Uncle Erda, wearing his crystal reading glasses, wrote out the document clearly, stating that Chen Gaoshan was in charge of both households. After they finished writing, they each dipped their fingers in red ink and pressed their fingerprints on it, thus making the document effective in the village.

With a written certificate, Chen Gaoshan was now officially authorized to work, which made his position legitimate.

His father was worried about the family's food supply. Four days ago, he packed up early in the morning and led his two hunting dogs, Dahuang and Erhuang, along with two familiar old hunters from the village and three strong young men, to go hunting in the mountains.

In the deep mountains of Northeast China, the winter snow is deep and wild animals are hard to find. The group had been traveling in the mountains for several days. Fortunately, they were lucky and finally met two yesterday evening. They had a roe deer on their shoulders and two wild rabbits in their hands.

There is certainly no shortage of meat at home; we never worry about not having meat to cook.

Don't think that the wild game from these deep mountains is particularly delicious or rare.

These wild animals roam the mountains year-round, and their meat is much tougher than that of domesticated pigs and sheep, making it difficult to chew and carrying a fishy or pungent smell.

It's so pungent that if you don't add a handful of Sichuan peppercorns and star anise when cooking, and also slice some ginger and scallions to mask the smell, the odor won't be able to be suppressed. Even if you add enough seasonings, it still doesn't taste as good as pork from home.

With no worries about food and clothing and living a stable life, Chen Gaoshan had been idle for a few days. He couldn't just waste his days like this; he had to find something serious to do.

Firstly, it's good for getting some exercise, and secondly, it allows me to do some chores around the house.

Early that morning, after finishing a hot breakfast, Chen Gaoshan took the axe from home and planned to go to the back mountain to chop some firewood.

In the freezing winter, one must bundle up tightly before going out. He wore a sheepskin coat with the fur side facing inwards, matching sheepskin trousers, and sturdy felt boots.

He wore a thick dog-skin hat on his head and fur gloves on his hands, and was dressed in a full set of warm clothes from head to toe.

You should know that in the freezing weather of Northeast China, if you don't wear such thick clothes, your hands and feet will freeze and lose feeling in no time after going out, and in severe cases, you may even freeze to death.

Walking is fine when you go out to work, as your body can move and warm up. The problem is when you stand still. It doesn't take long, just half an hour, before the cold wind seeps into your clothes, chilling you to the bone. Your whole body shivers from the cold, and your feet become numb and stiff, making it difficult to even take a step.

He had just finished packing his things, picked up his axe, and was about to step out of the courtyard when Lianhua came out from the kitchen, lifting the curtain. Seeing that he was about to leave, she quickly called out to stop him.

"Takayama, are you coming back for dinner?"

"Come back, there's food at home. Where else am I supposed to eat if I don't come back?"

Lotus was still worried and gave her further instructions.

"Then come back early, but don't go deep into the mountains. Just go to the back of the mountain and collect some dry firewood. In winter, the wild boars and weasels in the mountains have nothing to eat, and they might come down the mountain and go berserk."

"Fried dough sticks or steamed buns made with a mixture of wheat and water?"

Chen Gaoshan didn't even think about it.

"Eat big steamed buns!"

He said no more and strode towards the gate.

It's not a short walk from their house to the back of the village mountain; it takes about twenty minutes.

The road was deserted and quiet, with hardly any pedestrians in sight. It makes sense, considering the weather; most villagers stay indoors and keep warm by heating their kang (heated brick bed). Who would bother going out in this freezing weather and suffering like this?

The wind whipped up snowflakes from the ground, which then crawled into my face and neck, stinging my skin.

Chen Gaoshan tucked his head into his dog-skin hat and quickened his pace.

In the old forests of Northeast China, there's plenty of timber, dead branches, and dry twigs. He found some easy-to-cut branches, swung his axe, and chopped them nimbly. In no time, he had chopped down a large pile.

He took out the thick hemp rope he always carried, tied the firewood tightly into a bundle, slung it on his back, and prepared to head home.

When he left home, he had already made plans in mind. He didn't bring any hunting rifles or anything like that, just an axe, so he didn't dare to go deep into the mountains at all.

There are many wild animals hiding in the deep mountains, especially wild boars. Those things come in packs and are very strong. If you really encounter one, and get gored by that beast's tusks, you will suffer a great loss. Even if you have a spatial ability to protect yourself, there will always be times when you can't react in time. If you are gored by a wild boar, your body will suffer. It's not worth taking such a big risk.