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

Chen Gaoshan followed behind the seed drill, holding the drill handle with both hands. He used the swaying of the drill to propel himself from side to side, constantly adjusting the force with his wrists to ensure that the wheat seeds in the drill bucket fell evenly into the prepared furrows.

His mother followed at the back, holding a long, smooth piece of wood, and walked forward to cover the newly sown wheat ridges with soil.

Seeders are only suitable for planting high-density crops such as wheat and grains.

Corn planting requires a lot of skill. The spacing between plants must be carefully controlled, and only two or three seeds can be placed in each hole. This delicate work cannot be done with a seed drill. Instead, after the wheat seeds are sown, his mother and Lianhua bend over and plant the seeds in the field. After planting the seeds, they use their feet to dig up the soil around the seeds and tamp it down.

In Nangou Village, people made their living by working the land, planting in spring and harvesting in autumn. Those who had guns would wait until the heavy snow blocked the mountains and there was no work to be done in the fields. At this time, the wild animals in the mountains had the thickest fur and were the fattest. At this time, the hunters in the village would go hunting in the mountains together.

"Dad, Mom, Shanzi, take a break and it's time to eat!"

The sun climbed to noon.

Xinghua stayed home today to cook.

Chen Gaoshan wiped the sweat from his forehead, shielded his eyes from the glaring light, and saw Xinghua walking towards him.

She carried a willow basket on her arm and walked slowly. Her belly was already protruding, showing her pregnancy. She was walking step by step along the ridge of the field towards the field where they were planting crops.

Old Chen held the plow horse by the hand. "Xinghua, you stay here and don't come any closer. Finish planting all the furrows, then we'll take a break for lunch."

Xinghua walked to the edge of the field, sat under the roots of an old tree, and lifted the cloth covering the basket.

She handed three large pancakes to her father and Gaoshan, then took out four more and gave them to her mother-in-law and Lianhua. When it was her turn, she only had one pancake left.

"I stuffed some meat filling into the flatbread I made today. It's very juicy. Dad, Shanzi, you're doing heavy work in the fields, so you need to eat more to keep up with the hunger."

Chen Gaoshan was starving. He had been working in the fields all morning under the scorching sun and was exhausted. His throat was so dry that it felt like it was on fire. He didn't stand on ceremony with her.

He tilted his head back and gulped down two bowls of cold water in one go, then sat down on the dirt and started eating the flatbread in big bites.

This white flour flatbread is much more fragrant than the mixed flour cornbread we usually eat. Xinghua used a lot of lard when making the flatbread, and the flatbread is as big as a person's head.

Seeing that Xinghua had finished a pancake in small bites and was clearly not full, he broke off half of the pancake he was holding and handed it to her.

"You're still hungry, aren't you? Here, eat this half."

Xinghua quickly reached out and pushed him back, shaking her head.

"I only cooked and tended the fire at home today, I didn't do any chores, so I'm not hungry at all. You should eat, stop tearing it apart. You're working hard and sweating a lot in the fields, if you don't eat your fill, you won't have the energy to work in the fields this afternoon."

As she spoke, she subconsciously lowered her head, touched her slightly protruding belly, then raised her hand to tidy her wind-blown hair, watched Gao Shan finish the pancake, and finally licked her fingers with a lingering sense of satisfaction.

Then Xinghua picked up a water bowl and poured a bowl of water for her parents-in-law and Lianhua, handing it to them one by one.

Old Chen picked up the bowl of water, drank it, let out a burp, stood up, patted the dirt off his bottom, and looked up at the sun overhead.

"Once you've eaten, get up and get to work. Hurry up and finish the work in the fields as soon as possible so we can go home and rest earlier."

In the afternoon, they went back to work in the fields. Before long, Xiao Kouzi from next door had finished tending to his own plot of land. After he finished, he brought his sister over and offered to lend a hand.

Chen Gaoshan didn't stand on ceremony with him and immediately told his mother and Lianhua to go home and rest. The young man was strong and energetic, and could keep up with his mother and Lianhua.

These days, you need a son to make a living. That's why they say saving people is saving money; people are the foundation.

"His family is too small," Chen Gaoshan thought to himself. "I'll make sure Lianhua and Xinghua have seven or eight sons to work for me in the future."

After a busy period, today's work was almost finished.

"Little Kouzi, bring your sister home with me for dinner. I can't let you help with the chores and go back on an empty stomach."

Xiao Kouzi smiled shyly and shook her head.

"Uncle, I won't go. We've already prepared some food at home, so don't bother."

Old Chen's face darkened, and he became stern.

"Zhou Shuanghe, you're always spouting nonsense! How much can you two possibly eat? If others see this, they'll say that the Chen family only cares about filling their own asses, and when others come to help with the work, they don't even give them a bite to eat. How stingy! Just go back with them."

Xiao Kouzi scratched the back of his head and smiled in agreement.

"Oh, Uncle Chen, what are you saying? I'll go then."

Xiao Kouzi pulled the cart, followed by his sister and Chen Laonian, and the three of them headed home along the village road.

Chen Gaoshan removed the shoulder bag from the big red horse at home.

After a day's work, even an animal needs a break and a walk.

He led the horse along the riverbank, letting it graze on the grass, then guided it to the river to drink some water and fill its stomach. When they got home, he would give it some fine feed and soybean cakes to replenish its nutrients.

After walking about a mile along the riverbank, I could see in the distance that Big Fool Qiang was taking a bath in the deep pool with his big buttocks exposed.

Chen Gaoshan shouted from a distance.

"Qiangzi! You dare to dive into the pond in this weather? The water's still cold, aren't you afraid of getting burned?"

Hearing the noise, Sha Qiangzi looked up and saw that it was Brother Shanzi. He was overjoyed. He had almost finished washing, so he grinned and waded through the river, trotting happily towards the bank.

He was very tall and sturdy, with chunks of flesh on his body, and his clothes were thick and bony.

Chen Gaoshan looked him up and down. Goodness, this kid is really ugly, almost as good-looking as himself.

Silly Qiangzi had a simple, honest smile on his face.

"Brother Shanzi! My mom said she's going to get me a wife! I'm going to have a wife! I'm strong, and I'm obedient! My mom said that as long as I behave, she'll get me a wife! I want to be all clean and smelling nice before I get married!"

Chen Gaoshan walked to the riverbank, bent down to pick up the clothes that Sha Qiangzi had thrown aside, and casually tossed them to him.

"You're so shrewd, aren't you? Qiangzi, tell me the truth, do you even know what a wife is for? Do you even know how to use her?"

Sha Qiangzi took the clothes and haphazardly put them on, clumsily tying his belt with both hands while earnestly answering questions.

"I know how! Of course I know how! My mother taught me. We'll both be naked and lying on the same bed. I'll hold my wife's legs, and that'll be it..."

Chen Gaoshan was both amused and exasperated.

"Well, Second Auntie has some good ideas, and she taught me quite well."

Big Fool Qiangzi got dressed and excitedly came over.

"Brother Shanzi, you're the best to me. I'm closest to you. From now on, we'll sleep together, and my wife will be your wife!"

·····