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

The two stopped chatting and spent the afternoon exploring the river bend.

They searched every crevice between rocks, the roots of aquatic plants, and any place they could turn over.

The harvest was really good, a whole basket full of crayfish.

Larger willow roots, frilly clams, and whitebait are strung together with straw rope to save space and make them easy to carry.

After they had finished their work, the two waved goodbye at the crossroads and went their separate ways home.

As soon as Chen Gaoshan entered his yard, he casually took the fish basket off his shoulder.

Lotus was squatting by the basin in the yard, washing clothes.

Chen Liu was carrying a bucket to pour water into a basin when she turned around and saw her son coming back. She immediately put down the bucket, came over, and lifted the lid of the basket to take a look.

"Wow, so many crayfish! We'll keep the big ones for steaming, but the small ones have too little meat and are hard to pry open. Perfect for making crayfish tofu."

Chen Gaoshan went over, washed his hands, and helped Lianhua wash her clothes.

"It's still my mom! I was just thinking about this, and you arranged it for me right away."

"The moment you bend over, I know you're going to poop a few sheep droppings. Just wait and see."

After saying that, he immediately called Xiaxia and Hongying over to help him.

The larger crayfish are picked out and soaked in water to clean out their droppings, while the smaller crayfish with little meat are poured directly into the stone mortar.

Chen Liushi took the stone pestle and vigorously poked and pounded it, crushing the shell and flesh into a pulp.

After pounding it until it's soft and mushy, scrape it all into a large basin, add well water, and stir vigorously to rinse out the meat paste.

Then find a clean cloth and filter the murky soup several times.

Discard all the broken shells and scraps; the remaining bloody liquid in the basin is pure crayfish meat essence.

Light the stove, heat the pan with cold oil, and sprinkle in some chopped green onions to sauté until fragrant.

As soon as the aroma wafts out, pour the filtered red broth directly into the pot.

No need to stir it with a spatula, no need to do anything, just let it simmer and boil on its own.

After boiling for a while, the fat in the soup naturally clumps together and solidifies, and tender pieces float to the surface, just like boiled blood foam, fine and delicate.

Finally, sprinkle some fine salt to enhance the flavor, and casually pick a couple of handfuls of fresh bok choy and chives from the yard and toss them in.

In the time it takes to smoke a pipe.

A large bowl of steamed crayfish.

Add a pot of crayfish and tofu soup, and the flavor is so intense it'll hit you right in the head; it's so delicious it'll make your eyebrows fall off.

This is the first time I've ever eaten sunflowers.

She was a free spirit who loved to eat fish, shrimp, and freshwater delicacies. She picked up the bowl and took a sip of crayfish and tofu soup.

His eyes widened instantly, and he blurted out the answer instinctively.

"Yoshi!"

As soon as she said that, Chen Liushi glared at her.

"Speak properly, you forgot again."

Sunflower blushed, quickly raised her hand to slap her mouth, and changed her words.

"It's delicious."

·····

In the blink of an eye, the day to marry Shuanghong arrived.

The doors and windows of Old Chen's house were covered with the character for "happiness".

These "double happiness" characters were cut by Lianhua and Xinghua.

Even though there's no banquet, the whole family still needs to have a meal together.

Chen Laonian had given advance notice and specially invited several close and reliable old friends, including the village head, Uncle Er, Liu Chunlei, and Ma Wanzhong, to his home for a lively gathering.

Early in the morning, Chen Gaoshan changed into a new set of clothes.

He took Kexin with him, and the two of them drove the family's horse-drawn carriage, which was draped in red cloth, to Xiao Kouzi's house to pick up the bride.

The boys and girls in the village squatted by the roadside waiting to watch the excitement. As soon as they saw the wedding carriage start moving, they ran after it, chasing after it all the way.

Soon we arrived at Xiao Kouzi's house; the gate was open.

"Shuanghong, I've come to take you into my family."

Then Zhou Shuanghong, dressed in a red floral dress, rushed out of the house.

Shuanghong dressed up especially well today, with her hair tied up at the back of her head and a small red flower pinned to the side, making her look particularly bright and eye-catching.

She even dabbed some red paper on her lips, making them rosy and her eyes and brows incredibly charming.

An eighteen-year-old girl is at the best age; standing there, she looks like a budding flower.

Especially now, with her shyly lowered eyes, she looks so delicate and pretty.

Her face was flushed as she looked at the man she had been waiting for for so long.

"Brother Shanzi, let's go."

Xiao Kouzi followed behind the girl, watching how eager she was to get married.

Oh no, my sister is completely under Shanzi's thumb.

According to the village rules, the older brother should carry the younger sister out, but this girl ran out on her own, and was more anxious than anyone else.

He took two steps forward and looked at Brother Shanzi.

"Brother Shanzi, my sister is now in your hands. If she misbehaves or makes mistakes, you can scold or beat her however you want, but please don't dislike her or treat her coldly."

Shuanghong, who had just been happy and eager to leave, felt a lump in her throat when she heard her brother's words.

My eyes welled up with tears instantly, so I quickly lowered my head and secretly rubbed them with my hands.

She's just a young girl who turned eighteen; her emotions come on suddenly, one second she's laughing and the next she's about to cry.

Seeing her like this, Chen Gaoshan stepped forward, reached out and picked Shuang Hong up in his arms.

"Don't worry, Xiao Kouzi. I've watched Shuanghong grow up. Our whole family knows her personality. I'll definitely treat her well from now on."

"Brother Shanzi, I believe you. Hurry up and get in the car. Wait, wait a minute, girl, you're wearing a veil."

Upon hearing this, Shuanghong realized that she had been so excited that she had forgotten about the veil.

"Brother, the veil has fallen onto the kang (heated brick bed) inside the house."

Xiao Kouzi quickly turned around and ran back into the house, took out the red veil, put it on the girl's head, and called Kexin and the others to help carry the quilt, Shuanghong's clothes and other things onto the carriage.

Watching Chen Gaoshan carry his younger sister onto the carriage, Xiao Kouzi stood there, suddenly stunned.

I felt strange, like a donkey that had been carrying a heavy load for years, suddenly having its heavy workload lifted off its heels. It felt great, but a big piece of its heart was missing.

With red eyes, he looked towards the desolate graveyard outside the village, the place where his parents were buried.

His lips were trembling.

"Father, Mother, don't worry. I've finally raised my sister to adulthood and she's gone out into the world. Your son has kept his word."

Chen Gaoshan carried the person onto the carriage.

He turned around and called out to Xiao Kouzi, who was standing in a daze at the door.

"Kouzi, come over to our house for a wedding banquet and dinner later."

"Okay, I got it."

······