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

Startled by the sudden shout, Chen Liu's heart skipped a beat. She quickly patted her chest and gave her a disapproving look.

"Hey Aunt Li, what are you doing! You're making such a fuss, you almost scared my heart out!"

Chen Gaoshan untied the two quilts tied to the back seat and handed them to Lianhua and Xinghua, who were watching from the side. He then turned to Aunt Li on the wall and smiled as he spoke back.

"Aunt Li, I went to town yesterday and traded a deer I hunted for this. It's called a bicycle; you can pedal it to go."

Aunt Li leaned over the wall, her eyes glued to the view.

"Shanzi, you've really made something of yourself! You're even more capable than your father! When you have some free time tomorrow, you'd better teach your aunt how to ride this iron contraption!"

Chen Liushi had already stepped forward and reached out to take the basket on her son's back.

"You think you can learn to ride a bike? Aren't you afraid of falling flat on your face and getting a big, round butt? Your ass is already big, if you fall, it'll be a flat, round pancake. You won't even be able to squeeze through the door when you get back! Let's see what you're going to do then!"

Aunt Li wasn't angry when she heard this; she leaned over the wall and laughed as she cursed back.

"No wonder Ma Guazi's third son said you were stingy earlier, you old man, you really are stingy! Fine, I won't be annoying anymore, I'm going home now, I still have to go to the field to water the seedlings today, I'm not talking to you anymore!"

After saying that, Aunt Li glanced at the bicycle a couple more times before climbing down the ladder.

"Mom, where's Dad? I haven't seen him anywhere!"

"Your aunt's mother-in-law passed away suddenly, and your father didn't even have time to eat dinner last night. Your aunt's daughter, Sanya, rushed over and begged your father to come and help with the funeral arrangements."

Logically, as relatives, the whole family should go to offer condolences and lend a hand, but your father was worried, so he told me to stay home and obediently lead Xinghua and Lianhua, and not to run around outside, lest I bump into something unclean.

As she spoke, Chen Liu was afraid that others might come in to join the fun, and also worried that someone might covet the bicycle in the yard. She walked to the gate, bolted the door, turned around and went to Gao Shan's side, grabbed his arm, and pulled him into the house.

"Shanzi, you said you were going hunting in the mountains, but you ended up going to town instead? You've been acting strangely lately, and I've been worried sick about you."

Without a word, they pulled Chen Gaoshan into the house and made him sit down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). Lianhua and Xinghua quickly followed them in, standing on either side of him.

Chen Gaoshan, feeling stared at by his mother and the two women, quickly offered an explanation.

"What nonsense, Mother, don't overthink it. I went up the mountain early yesterday morning and got lucky. I caught a lot of valuable game, including a mature male musk deer. You know how it is; the musk pouch on its belly button is a valuable thing."

They're very hard to find on the market, and I was afraid of missing out on a good price, so I didn't dare delay and took Dahuang and Erhuang to town in the middle of the night.

As he spoke, he picked up a basket, placed it by the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and took things out one by one.

First, he took out a roe deer, then six wild rabbits, then a grandfather clock, then a pocket watch, and finally a carved wooden jewelry box, which he placed on the kang (a heated brick bed).

Lotus and Apricot Blossom stared wide-eyed, and Chen Liu's eyes also widened, before she could even ask a question.

He spoke first.

"Mother, all these things you see, including that bicycle outside, were obtained for free. I robbed them all from the wealthy Li family in town, Li Dequan's family in Li Banjie."

Upon hearing this, Madam Chen Liu's body trembled, and her face instantly changed.

She had gone to the town market with her husband before and had heard the villagers talk about Li Dequan's reputation. He was a lackey of Xiao Gou Rizi and had even come to their village with Xiao Gou Rizi to plunder, steal grain, smash things, and do all sorts of disgusting things. Every villager in the surrounding area hated him to the core. How could she not know this person!

"Son, what did you say? So you didn't swap that bicycle, you stole it? What exactly happened? You're incredibly bold, how dare you rob Li Dequan's house? Did no one find out?"

"Mother, don't panic, listen to me. Last night, the Li family's kiln was smashed by the bearded man, and the whole courtyard was in chaos. Li Dequan was slit in the throat and died."

The servants and concubines in the courtyard looted all the valuables. Many people took advantage of the chaos to rush in and grab things. I mingled in the crowd and managed to get these things without much trouble.

Chen Liushi picked up the jewelry box and opened the lid.

The box contained silver hairpins, gold bracelets, silver bracelets, jade bracelets, and gold and silver earrings—oh my god, they were incredibly cool!

Chen Liu couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"Oh my god, this is the kind of jewelry that rich ladies in the city wear. It looks so cool and beautiful!"

She looked at the jewelry over and over, then turned to look at her son.

"Shanzi, have you noticed? Ever since you went into the ice cave, your luck and resourcefulness have been getting better every day. Everything you do is going smoothly. Our family's luck is about to change!"

As she spoke, she picked out a delicate silver hairpin from the jewelry box and put it in Xinghua's hand, then took a pair of small silver earrings and handed them to Lianhua.

"Apricot Blossom, this hairpin is for you, it looks nice on you; Lotus, these earrings are suitable for you."

Xinghua held the silver hairpin in her hand, looked up at the high mountain, and frowned.

"Shanzi, you really can't let this get you into trouble, can you? And that bicycle outside is so conspicuous, what if someone notices it?"

"Don't worry, everything will be fine. When I went in to steal the things, I covered my face with a cloth, so no one could see what I looked like. Besides, the Li family was robbed clean by the bearded man, and several concubines ran away with their valuables. Some people in the courtyard are dead, and others have fled. No one will be looking for these things, let alone trace them back to me."

He pointed to the objects on the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Mother, you, Lianhua, and Xinghua can divide the remaining jewelry in this jewelry box among yourselves. You can keep it for yourselves or exchange it for money later. This pocket watch was specially chosen for Father."

From now on, it will be convenient for him to keep track of time when he goes out on errands or hunting in the mountains. This clock, I went to great lengths to snatch it from the room of one of Li Banjie's concubines. From now on, our family won't have to guess the time by staring at the sun anymore; just remember to wind it regularly, and it will keep running forever.

"Mother, there are also these two satin quilts. The two quilts that you and Father used to use were made when you and Father got married. After so many years, the cotton inside has long been pressed stiff and is no longer warm. They should have been replaced a long time ago. Now is the perfect time to replace them with new ones."

Chen Liu reached out and stroked the smooth satin quilt cover, her eyes filled with admiration, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up, but she was still muttering to herself.

"These mandarin ducks are embroidered so beautifully; the material is clearly of the finest quality. I'm an old man, practically half-buried in the ground, and to use such a fine quilt would be a waste."

"Why would we need to change them? My dad and I had our cotton-fluffed clothes fluffed two years ago, they're still usable."

She touched it again and again reluctantly, then turned around and folded the quilt further into the kang (heated brick bed).

"We'll keep this new quilt for my grandson later; that way, it won't go to waste!"

Lotus, who was standing to the side, had just heard him explain the whole story and knew that everything was alright. Her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was finally at ease. She held the pair of silver earrings, looked at the silver hairpin in her hand, and went to the small mirror by the kang (a heated brick bed). She inserted the silver hairpin into her hair and tilted her head left and right to examine herself.

"Sister, look at me! Does this hairpin look good on me?"

"It looks good. Lotus looks good in anything."

Hearing Shanzi say that he went to town in the middle of the night, and that he must have been busy for most of the day and must be very hungry, she immediately stood up.

"Shanzi, you've been busy for so long, you must be starving. I'll go to the kitchen and cook for you right away."

Chen Gaoshan didn't stand on ceremony with her.

"I'm really hungry. I don't need to cook anything else, I just want to eat your noodles. Add more chopped green onions, they'll smell delicious."

"Okay, you wait here, I'll go knead the dough and roll it out right away, I promise I'll be quick!"

Xinghua turned around and went to the kitchen, tied on her apron and got busy.

The wild rabbit and roe deer by the kang (a heated brick bed) hadn't been skinned yet. While Xinghua was in the kitchen, Chen Gaoshan carried the game to the yard, moved a small stool, sat down, took out his hunting knife, and began skinning it quickly.

In no time, they had completely skinned the six rabbits and roe deer.

As for the subsequent tanning of the leather, that was handled by the women in the family, so he didn't have to worry about it much.

Time flies, and by noon, Chen Gaoshan had scooped out the entire large bowl of hand-pulled noodles that Xinghua had made.

Just as I was about to drink the soup, I heard my father, Chen Laonian's, loud voice coming from outside the courtyard gate.

"Open the door! What are you doing with the door locked in broad daylight! Shanzi's mother, what are you dawdling about? Hurry up and open the door!"

Upon hearing her husband's loud wailing, Chen Liu knew he must have encountered something unpleasant outside and was venting his anger at home. She rolled her eyes at him.

"You sit and keep eating. I'll go open the door. Look at his grumpy face. He must have been upset outside again. He only dares to talk back to his family."

Chen Gaoshan nodded, swallowed the last mouthful of noodle soup, and just as he walked out of the main room with the empty large bowl, he saw Chen Laonian lead the horse pulling the cart into the yard through the side gate, tie the horse to the wooden stake, and then pat his hands, his face dark and gloomy.

"Dad, what's wrong? Who made you so angry?"

Old Chen glanced at his son, then his gaze fell on the bicycle in the corner of the yard.

"You went to town? This thing doesn't look cheap; you must have spent a lot of money on it, right?"

"We'll talk about whether it's expensive or not later."

Chen Gaoshan handed the empty bowl in his hand to Lianhua, who came over to take it. He looked at his father's long face, which was as ugly as the rocks on Lazi Mountain.

"Dad, you came in with a long face. Who upset you?"

The moment this matter was mentioned, Old Chen's temper flared up immediately. He put his hands behind his back and started cursing.

"Who else could it be! It's your uncle's family, they're all a bunch of good-for-nothings, not one of them is easy to deal with, they're all bad people! Your uncle is a soft-hearted man, he's never had any opinions of his own, he's always been manipulated by his two lazy and good-for-nothing brothers."

When the old lady was alive, she pushed everything onto him. Even after she died, she still wouldn't stop. What a miserable man he is! It's infuriating just watching him!

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