Reborn in the 60s, I hunt to support my family and even seduce the village beauty.

I stopped in front of an old man sitting in the sun at his door, parked my car, and asked him with a smile.

"Sir, could you tell me about someone? Aunt Zhou, Old Mrs. Zhou, which house does she live in?"

The old man raised his head, squinted at him for a while without saying a word, then looked at the things in his car, took the pipe out of his mouth, tapped it on the sole of his shoe, and slowly stood up.

"Who are you to her?"

"A relative, just passing by to drop by."

"Relatives? Old Zhou has relatives? Come with me."

The old man tucked the pipe handle behind his waist, waved to him, and turned to walk into the village.

Chang Kun pushed the cart behind the old man. The dirt road was full of potholes, and the wheels made a crunching sound as they rolled over it.

I didn't see any young people along the way; the only people I occasionally encountered were elderly people, leaning on canes, hunched over, basking in the sun against the walls.

Chang Kun asked casually.

"Grandpa, where are all the young people in the village? Have they all gone to work in the fields?"

The old man didn't stop walking. He turned his back to him, remained silent for a few steps, and then spoke.

"Going to the fields? Those who go to the fields are doing well." He tapped his pipe on the sole of his shoe. "Of the young people in the village who went to fight the Japanese back then, not many came back."

"There are only a few left, and they're all injured. Old Zhou's son is one of them."

Chang Kun pushed the cart behind him, his heart sinking.

Zhao Jia Gou is not big; it only takes a few minutes to walk from the entrance to the end of the village.

The old man stopped in front of a dilapidated wooden door and knocked on it.

"Old Zhou, someone's come to see you."

The door didn't open, but a few coughs came from inside. The old man called out twice more, and this time the door creaked open.

An old woman opened the door. It was hard to tell how old she was; her hair was completely white, her eyes were cloudy, and her gaze was somewhat vacant.

He glanced at Lao Guantou, then at Chang Kun, his gaze lingering on the bicycle behind him.

"Your relative."

The old man pointed at Chang Kun, then turned and left.

The old lady squinted at Chang Kun for a while, but couldn't recognize which relative he was.

"Child, whose child are you? I don't recognize you!"

"Auntie, I'm a relative of Uncle Hong. He asked me to come and see you!"

As he spoke, Chang Kun pushed the cart into the yard.

The courtyard was small, with mud walls and several bundles of firewood piled in the corner.

The door to the main room was open, and light shone in from the entrance, revealing an eight-immortal table, four long benches, and a long table against the wall with three memorial tablets on it.

Chang Kun unloaded the items from the car and carried them into the house one by one.

The old lady followed behind, watching him move things, muttering to herself.

"He sent something again. Why so much this time? Old Hong sends things every year, every month. How can this old woman possibly accept this..."

His voice trembled, and he wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

After all the things were moved, Chang Kun turned around and saw a little child standing behind the door.

He was a little over ten years old, with a shaved head, wearing a faded blue cotton jacket with sleeves that were rolled up twice, revealing his thin, dark wrists.

He wore straw sandals, with his toes sticking out.

He stood behind the door frame, half his body hidden behind the door panel, only half his face showing, staring at Chang Kun with a mixture of timidity and curiosity.

Following Chang Kun's gaze, Grandma Zhou beckoned to the child: "Come here and call him Uncle."

The child came out from behind the door, stood beside the old lady, lowered his head, and whispered, "Uncle."

Chang Kun smiled and asked, "What's your name?"

"Iron Egg".

Grandma Zhou said from the side, "His father is gone, and his mother... is gone too."

Chang Kun felt uneasy.

On the way here, the old man who led the way mentioned that the old lady's two sons were both gone.

My eldest son was only 21 when he sacrificed his life; he wasn't married yet.

The second son left behind a child, but his wife couldn't bear it and ran away, never to return.

The remaining grandmother and grandson, an old woman and a little child, how they lived their lives is obvious without even thinking about it.

Grandma Zhou moved a stool for Chang Kun to sit on, and then sat down opposite him, putting her arms around Tie Dan and stroking his bald head with her rough hands.

Chang Kun looked reluctant, but the old lady remained calm, speaking in a flat tone.

"Many families in this village are like that. They were wiped out fighting the Japanese."

She paused, then looked down at Tie Dan.

"It's not easy to be alive. This old woman can still move around and farm a little land, so she won't starve."

Chang Kun sat on the stool, looking at the grandfather and grandson, wanting to say something, but feeling that anything he said would be too weak.

While the old lady turned around to pour water, he took out fifty yuan from his pocket and put it under the bowl.

Tie Dan quietly raised his head and glanced at Chang Kun, who shushed him, so he pursed his lips and didn't dare to say a word.

While Chang Kun was drinking water, the old lady went to the base of the wall to look at the things, her hands constantly touching them, as if trying to confirm that they were real.

When she touched the bag of flour, her hand paused, she looked up, and a glimmer of light appeared in her cloudy eyes.

"How many kilograms is this? What's Old Hong doing? Usually when he brings something, it's just a few kilograms of grain coupons or a few yuan. Why is he bringing so much this time?"

Chang Kun put down the enamel mug, neither responding to the remark nor knowing how to respond.

If I say too much, the old lady will ask questions; if I say too little, I won't be able to explain myself.

He stood up and said he still had to go to Sister-in-law Li's house, as Old Hong had instructed, and both families would receive a share.

The old lady nodded, didn't stop him, and saw Chang Kun to the door, saying something.

"Then hurry back and come back for dinner. We've brought so much food; we can't let you leave hungry."

Chang Kun didn't respond, as he couldn't trouble the old lady. He pushed his bicycle and went to Sister-in-law Li's house. To be precise, he should be called Aunt Li.

Aunt Li's house is at the end of the village, and it's even more dilapidated than Old Mrs. Zhou's house.

Half of the courtyard wall had collapsed, and branches and corn stalks were haphazardly stuck in the ground to block the wind. The door was made of a few pieces of wood pieced together.

Chang Kun pushed open the courtyard gate and called out, "Is anyone home?"

Footsteps could be heard coming from the main room; they were dragging their feet on the floor.

A woman emerged, in her thirties or forties, with a sallow and thin face, high cheekbones, sunken eyes, and dry, yellow hair that covered half her face.

The clothes were made of blue cloth, washed until they were faded, and the cuffs, elbows, and shoulders were covered with patches upon patches.

Chang Kun explained his purpose and began unloading the items from the back seat one by one.

After hearing the name "Old Hong," Aunt Li paused for a moment, her eyes began to redden, and she kept repeating, "Why are you bringing things again?"

As Chang Kun was bending down to put the oil jug into the main room, the curtain in the inner room moved slightly.

A little girl poked half her head out. She was about ten years old and so thin that only her eyes were visible. Her hair was as dry and yellow as her mother's, and it was tied up in a messy old yarn.

He was wearing an old, grayish-brown adult jacket with the sleeves rolled up several times and the hem almost reaching his knees.

She was on the kang (a heated brick bed) when Chang Kun entered the courtyard, and only hurriedly put on the jacket when she heard the noise.

The only decent set of clothes the family owns is what they usually wear, but they only bring them out to "show off" when guests come over.

Barefoot on the ground, the little girl saw Chang Kun looking over and scurried back, the curtain falling down to cover her.