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

He carefully placed his son on the wooden sled by the river, laid out a blanket, and then distributed the fish he had been given this time.

Move it upstairs.

Ten plump, fathead fish, and a whole wooden basin full of small miscellaneous fish—this was what they deserved.

This winter fishing trip yielded a better catch than any previous year. The first half of the net was a bit empty, but in the last ten meters, fish appeared in droves, most of them big and fat. Every household received a wooden basin full of fish.

Old Chen drove his horse and sat on the sled, hurrying home. Finally, he arrived at his doorstep.

He immediately opened his mouth wide and shouted into the yard.

"Shanzi's mother, Xinghua, Lianhua, come out and lend a hand!"

Hearing the old man's shout, Chen Liushi, who was inside the house, immediately led her two daughters-in-law out happily to greet him, all of them eager to share the fish.

But as soon as she saw her son lying on the sled, and then being picked up by the old man, the smile on her face froze, and she was so frightened that her legs went weak and she almost fell. Fortunately, Xinghua and Lianhua were quick-witted and caught her mother-in-law tightly on both sides.

"Honey, Shanzi, what happened to Shanzi? He went out for winter fishing all fine, how did he end up like this?"

"They're in the water, digging through ice holes to pick up the fish traps! Don't just stand there, get out of the way and bring the kids inside! They're freezing this time, we can't afford to delay any longer!"

Old Chen carried Gao Shan into the house.

Apricot Blossom and Lotus were anxious and flustered. They had long forgotten about the fish on the sled and followed their father-in-law into the house.

Xinghua stared intently at the mountain, feeling both fear and anxiety. She felt dizzy and her vision went black. She fell headfirst to the ground and lost consciousness instantly.

Just as Old Chen carried his son onto the heated kang and tucked him in with the quilt, he turned around and saw his eldest daughter-in-law faint on the ground.

Chen Liu was so frightened that she almost lost her soul, and she slapped her thigh and cried out.

"Honey, what's wrong with Xinghua again?! Why did she suddenly faint?"

"What else could it be? He's so angry he's about to explode!"

"Quickly carry her onto the kang! Lianhua, stay inside and watch over your sister, make sure she's covered with a blanket! Shanzi's mother, go to the kitchen right now and boil a pot of hot ginger soup to warm Shanzi up! I'll run to the village right now and fetch a doctor!"

He rushed out in a hurry, but he wasn't paying attention and tripped on the threshold, falling flat on his face. He grimaced in pain and couldn't help but swear.

"Damn it! What kind of bad luck has the Chen family committed? Why are they so unlucky! Their son just came back from the brink of death, and now their daughter-in-law has fainted!"

He got up from the ground.

Once Shanzi and Xinghua wake up, they insist on going to their parents' graves to burn some paper money and pay their respects.

If all else fails, find someone knowledgeable to come to your home and see if you've offended any spirits. If you keep causing trouble like this, the family will fall apart.

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Chen Laonian drove the sled, and the horse ran and lurched all the way. In no time, they arrived at the door of Zhou Wanshui's house, the only doctor in the village.

"Brother Zhou, Brother Zhou, are you home?"

He shouted and raised his hand to knock on the door, but before he could knock, the door was pushed open.

"Brother Zhou! Sister-in-law, where is Brother Zhou? Something happened at home, we need him to go there."

There, Old Zhou's wife was tending to the dried herbs in the yard. "Old Nianba's got some trouble, Old Zhou's inside."

Chen Laonian didn't stand on ceremony with Old Zhou's wife and went straight into the main room. He lifted the curtain and saw Old Zhou Langzhong grinding medicine powder in a stone mortar with his bare feet.

"Brother Zhou, hurry up, grab the medicine box and come with me."

Seeing his anxious state, Zhou Wanshui, forgetting to brush the grass dust off his feet, looked up and asked, "What happened to your younger siblings?"

"What? She's not my wife, she's my second son and Xinghua. Hurry up, let's talk as we go, it's too complicated to explain in just a few words."

"Okay, let's go now."

As he spoke, he got up to put on his clothes and shoes and get his first-aid kit.

Seeing him dawdling, Chen Laonian got impatient and slung the medicine box over his neck, hoisted him up with one hand, and carried a pair of felt shoes that Zhou Wanshui hadn't had time to put on yet with the other.

"Hey, you old codger, you're going to shake my corn porridge out of my bowl this morning! Slow down, slow down!"

"If you're going to throw up, so be it. I'll make you some steamed buns with two kinds of flour when we get to my house. You're already passed out, and you're still putting on makeup. If it were a serious illness, you'd be too stiff to stand by the time you get there."

Old Chen put the man on the sled, whipped him onto the horse, and hurried home.

I'm finally back.

Zhou Wanshui followed Chen Laonian, who was carrying a medicine box, into the house, panting heavily.

Along the way, Chen Laonian told him about the two children's condition, and he roughly knew some of their illnesses.

He first went to Chen Gaoshan's bedside, reached out to check his pulse, and then examined his eyelids.

"He went into the water to remove his hat, and the cold air got into his body. He was tired and also got cold. It's nothing serious. He's a strong young man. He can drink some ginger soup to dispel the cold, sweat it out and rest well, and he'll recover. But he has to be careful in the future and never jump into ice water like that again."

Upon hearing that their son was alright, Chen Laonian and Chen Liushi finally breathed a sigh of relief, and then pulled him to the edge of the apricot-flower kang (a heated brick bed).

"Old Zhou, come and take a look at my wife. She was fine just now, but suddenly she became confused! She lay on the kang (heated brick bed) for a while, and woke up before you came. I gave her some sugar water, and she looks much better now."

Dr. Zhou nodded, sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), held Xinghua's wrist, and gently pressed her wrist with his fingers from time to time. After a full cup of tea's time, he let go.

"Besides dizziness, have you been feeling sleepy lately? Have you experienced chest tightness or pain? How's your appetite?"

Xinghua was really confused just now. She saw stars, felt dizzy, nauseous, and broke out in a cold sweat. She felt much better after drinking some sugar water.

She was afraid that she had contracted some serious illness when she heard the doctor ask her questions.

"I haven't been getting enough sleep lately. There's nothing wrong with my chest, but does my increased appetite count?"

"Did you have your period last month?"

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