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

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The bearded man in the lead reined in his horse, slammed his big boots into the stirrups, and repeatedly shouted commands.

"Fellow villagers! Fellow villagers! Don't be afraid! Stay calm!"

"Come and see the show! Our leader of Bear Ridge is doing a good deed today! A fantastic deal is right in front of you; don't miss out!"

Following closely behind were a dozen or so bearded men, each with a Mauser pistol at their waist and a gun on their shoulder, riding tall horses, each horse carrying a rough burlap sack. The sacks were bulging and occasionally twitched or wriggled.

Someone was specifically there to clear the way and beat a gong.

"Buying wives! Buying little dogs from the south, looking for wifely companions! Incredibly cheap! Anyone interested, hurry up!"

The group of bearded men headed towards the town's stage.

People buying things on the street didn't dare to go over.

In these chaotic times, everyone is afraid of a beard, but people are naturally curious. The more exciting something is, the more they can't resist the urge to watch the excitement.

At first, only a few daring young men stood on tiptoe and watched from afar. Seeing that the group of bearded men did not intend to harm or rob anyone, they gradually became bolder.

One person moves, and a hundred follow; the crowd grows larger and larger, with men, women, young and old, forming a large, densely packed area, whispering amongst themselves.

The area in front of the stage quickly became packed with people, a dense, dark mass of faces.

"Fellow villagers, look this way! Don't push or panic!"

At the back of the crowd, Chen Laoquan craned his neck and peered forward, staring at Gu Yong's sacks. He turned his head and whispered in Chen Laonian's ear.

"Oh my god, Brother Nian, this sack is wrapped so tightly, and the person inside is still struggling. They might suffocate!"

Old Chen squinted and stared ahead.

"Don't worry, these burlap sacks are breathable, no one will die anytime soon."

The people below were making a ruckus and creating chaos.

The bearded man at the head of the group on the stage raised his hand, pulled out the satchel from his waist, and flicked his wrist.

A gunshot rang out.

The onlookers were all terrified, trembling all over, instinctively holding their breath, and shrinking their necks, afraid to move any further.

The bearded leader, gun in hand, looked down at the dense crowd below.

"Listen up! These women were all kidnapped by our boss from the southern region! Every bag contains living people!"

As he spoke, he kicked a sack beside him, and the person inside the sack was hit hard and shuddered violently.

"These ones that can still struggle are full of energy and have strong bodies; they're guaranteed to be lively and energetic! One price, five dollars each!"

He then pointed to several burlap sacks that were barely moving nearby.

"These ones over here are quieter, still breathing and alive! Even cheaper, only three cents to take them! There are only eight women in total, first come, first served, once they're gone, they're gone!"

The crowd fell completely silent.

Feeling uneasy, Chen Laoquan quickly reached out and tugged at the sleeve of Chen Laonian's cotton-padded jacket.

"Old Nian, are you really planning to marry a dog-like woman from the south for our Shanzi? Have you thought it through? If she's a dog-like woman, won't the kids she produces be mixed-breed bastards?"

"This will sound terrible if word gets out, maybe we should just forget about it! I've only ever heard of selling wives, never of selling those damn women from the south!"

Old Chen stared at the crowd scrambling ahead.

"What do you know! These damn women have been living here for years, they've already mastered our local dialect."

"If you don't tell, and I don't tell, who in the village will know that this is a scumbag woman? Everyone has one nose and two eyes, and we still live our lives and have kids! Are you planning to go around spreading rumors, arguing about your nephew's marriage, and ruining the reputation of the Chen family?"

Old Chen quickly waved his hand.

"No way! I'm not that kind of person! We're really family, how could I do something to sabotage things!"

"That settles it! If you're going to pick one, pick one that's breathing and alive! Look at those motionless ones, who knows if they've fainted from fright or suffocated? If you buy one that's sickly or dead, that would be a huge loss!"

While the two were quietly tugging and plotting, most of the items in the arena had already been looted.

The old bachelors and poor men in the village who had never been able to get married were already green with envy.

These days, nobody wants to miss the chance to spend a few dollars to find a wife to warm their bed and carry on the family line.

When Chen Laonian finally managed to push his way through the crowd and reach the front row, there was only one sack left on the field.

The burlap sack moved so quietly that you couldn't detect any life unless you looked closely.

Seeing that there was only one left, the bearded leader shouted out a rock-bottom price, loudly hawking his last business.

"The last one to snag a great deal! Still alive and breathing! One price, just one cent! Take it or leave it, or you're out of luck!"

Seeing that the last person in front of him, still breathing, was about to be snatched away, Chen Laonian cursed himself for being slow-witted.

Oh my god!

If I had known, I wouldn't have dawdled and chatted so much; I would have just pushed forward one step!

Old Chen wasn't afraid of such empty talk. He had lived most of his life, and the only thing he was most worried about was the Chen family line ending.

Once the incense was extinguished, there was no one left to burn paper money and kowtow at the ancestral graves of the Chen family!

Who cares if she's dead or alive, living a life of luxury, ugly or handsome, old or young!

He must win over any woman who can breathe and give birth today!

If they miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, what will happen to the Chen family line if they die out?

"I want it!"

The man with the beard on the stage immediately grinned and waved his hand.

"Alright! This guy's a generous fellow. This panting woman is yours!"

Old Chen took out a silver dollar from his pocket and handed it over.

Two bearded men with guns on their shoulders immediately stepped forward, one of them lifting one end of the burlap sack and placing it on Old Chen's shoulder.

I could tell that the person inside the sack wasn't making any noise.

Could he really be frozen solid?

In the dead of winter in Northeast China, even a dog can freeze solid. This woman, trapped in a sack and struggling all the way, was then exposed to the cold wind; she might very well have died.

But he dared not think too much about it, much less let go.

For the Chen family, continuing the family line is of paramount importance!

He immediately turned around and hurriedly greeted the stunned Chen Laoquan.

"Stop watching the show! Hurry up and catch the bus home! Go inside and warm up! What's the point of watching this folk performance or taking a bath? It's all useless!"

Chen Laoquan was jolted back to his senses by his urging. He quickly climbed onto the sled, gave it a shake of the reins, and headed back to the village.

Sitting on the sled, Chen Laoquan was still worried, so he reached out and tentatively pushed the sack.

There was no response.

I pushed again, but there was still no response.

A chill ran down his spine. "Old Nian... this... this can't really be dead, can it? It's completely lifeless! What if we spent a whole dollar to buy a dead thing?"

"Bullshit!"

Old Chen immediately shouted, then quickly spat twice to suppress his bad luck, staring at the sack.

"Shut your mouth! Say something auspicious! The Chen family has been hoping for a grandson for years! We're counting on this woman to give the Chen family a son!"

Old Chen shrank back in anger at his fierce words.

"Pah, pah! I'm only doing this for your own good, brother. But then again, do you think Shanzi would want a woman who's a pushover? What if she's old and looks tough?"

Chen Laonian flicked his long whip, striking the horse's back. The horse, in pain, ran even faster.

"Whether he's willing or not? We've run out of options, so as long as he can have children, that's fine! Does he have a choice?"

"At night, it's pitch black, and the kang (heated brick bed) is completely dark. Who cares about appearance or age? Once we're under the covers, it's all the same! That'll get our motivation going."

"Women are like dishes, each one has its own flavor. He hasn't even tasted them, so why is he unhappy about it first?"