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

Wang Changfa glanced at Gao Shan, who was about to step forward, and reached out to stop him.

"You stay right there. With me here, it's not your place, a junior, to say such things."

"Qiuyan, listen to your uncle, stay strong, don't panic. Sanpangzi is gone."

Qiu Yanzi swayed, almost losing her balance, and her expression froze.

Looking at her, Wang Changfa continued.

"Last night, we encountered a group of thugs in the mountains. That kid Sanpangzi was disobedient and ran away. He was surrounded, his neck was ripped open, and he died on the spot."

"We've brought the person back for you. As for the game, we've discussed it and decided to share some from our own portions. We'll leave three green deer and two roe deer for your family. No matter what, these things can be exchanged for money and food, which should at least help you three get through the winter and survive until the spring thaw."

After saying that, he turned around and gave instructions to those behind him.

"Shanzi, Chunlei, don't just stand there, carry him down and into the house."

Chen Gaoshan and Liu Chunlei immediately stepped forward, lifted Sanpangzi, and carried him into the house.

Qiu Yanzi stood there, her mind blank, as if she had completely lost the ability to think. Her eyes were glazed over as she stared blankly at the crowd carrying the blood-soaked, unrecognizable person into her house.

Throughout the entire process, she seemed to have lost her soul, and she even forgot how she ended up standing there. She didn't cry or waile.

But this daze only lasted a moment. When she heard her two daughters screaming in terror, she quickly grabbed Da Ni and Er Ni's heads.

I felt an uncontrollable sense of joy.

He's dead. Fatty San is really dead.

She clenched her fists.

From now on, I will no longer be forced by this lazy and good-for-nothing man to accompany the men in the village.

With this spendthrift son gone, the family can save on the crops from the fields, and the three of them can manage to survive by living frugally.

If all else fails, she can wait a year or two and then remarry with her two daughters, finding someone to settle down with. That would be better than following Sanpangzi with no hope at all!

Good riddance! That bastard is finally dead!

She had a lot on her mind, but she didn't dare show it on her face.

She quickly pinched her thigh hard, her eyes reddened, and her nose tingled.

She's a widow now, raising two children alone. Life is already tough in this village, and if people find out what she's thinking, how will she ever be able to stay here again?

Seeing that Wang Changfa and the others had finished explaining their tasks and were about to leave, Qiu Yanzi came to her senses.

Having so many wolf pelts and roe deer meat in the house is too conspicuous!

Now that Sanpangzi is dead, there's no man to hold the household together. As a widow, she can't possibly protect these things. It will attract the attention of the villagers, and then there will only be more trouble.

She quickly wiped her eyes, strode forward, and reached out to stop the person who was about to leave.

"Uncle Long Hair, wait a minute, can I ask you for a favor?"

"These meats and hides are useless to us three. Please, please help me exchange them all for grain, coarse grain. Grain can be stored longer and will allow us three to eat for a while longer and get through this winter. Uncle Long Hair, please, do me a favor and help us three!"

Wang Changfa stared at Qiu Yanzi, pondered for a moment, and then immediately realized what she meant.

Qiu Yanzi, a widow with two children, is indeed prone to attracting trouble by guarding so much wolf meat and pelts. Exchanging them for grain is the safest way, but the grain should not be stored in excess.

"Alright, I'll handle this perfectly for you! I'll take these meats and hides to my house first, and once we've exchanged them for grain, I'll have my eldest daughter-in-law bring them to you."

"As for Sanpangzi's funeral arrangements, don't worry about it. We all live in the same village, and we won't abandon you. You three are having a hard time, so just have a simple send-off and let him rest in peace. We'll take care of the expenses, so you don't need to worry about it."

Qiu Yanzi quickly chimed in, "We can't let Uncle Changfa put money in there; let's deduct it from there."

Chen Gaoshan and his father, Chen Laonian, stood silently to the side without saying a word.

For these kinds of weddings, funerals, and neighborhood clean-up events in the village, it's most appropriate for Wang Changfa to take the lead. He has prestige in the village and is more suitable to step forward than them.

Chen Gaoshan breathed a sigh of relief. That scoundrel Sanpangzi was finally gone, and he could finally sleep soundly. Before, Sanpangzi had been idle all day, with shifty eyes, always eyeing the young women and wives in the village.

He used to climb over the wall and into Xinghua's window in the middle of the night, and he couldn't sleep soundly. Now, this worry is finally gone.

As soon as they came out of Sanpangzi's yard, the young men and villagers who had been watching outside immediately swarmed around them, their eyes fixed on the wolf and roe deer meat on the sled, and they all chimed in with questions.

"Uncle Long Hair, are you selling this wolf meat? My family will trade it for grain!"

"Uncle Long Hair, I want to change too!"

"Sell! Sell it all! Anyone who wants to trade for meat later, come to my yard!"

Another young man squeezed in front of him.

"Uncle Long Hair, do you sell those wolf pelts? My dad has chronic rheumatism, and he's in so much pain in winter that he can't get out of bed. I'd like to get a couple of wolf pelts to make knee pads for him to keep him warm!"

Immediately, someone knowledgeable chimed in, saying that wolf pelts were far more valuable than wolf meat, and that the rendered wolf oil, when mixed with eggs, was an excellent remedy for coughs—a highly effective folk remedy in the village.

Qian Zhuizi, with a pipe in his mouth, squeezed into the crowd to join in the fun.

In his heart, Sanpangzi was a complete scoundrel. Whether that kind of person lived or died was none of his business. At most, he would mutter to himself, "Poor Qiu Yanzi, she's had such a hard life, marrying such a lazy, good-for-nothing old man. She's suffered her whole life."

He spotted Chen Gaoshan at a glance, immediately moved closer, and started winking at him.

"Shanzi, make sure you eat plenty of wolf meat when you get home tonight! It's incredibly nutritious, much stronger than dog meat! You're young and full of energy; if you eat this much wolf meat, your two younger siblings will be driven under the kang (heated brick bed) by you, and you might even break the kang!"

Hearing this shameless nonsense, Chen Gaoshan reached out and nudged Qian Zhuizi's arm.

"Even if I don't eat this wolf meat, my 'firepower' will still be just as strong! What's wrong, Brother Zhuizi? Are you eavesdropping through my door every day? How do you know everything about my family?!"

"No, not at all!" Qian Zhuizi chuckled.

"Brother, I don't need to eavesdrop; I can figure it out with a snap of my fingers! If you two are having trouble managing at night, just let me know. I may not be good at much else, but I can lend a hand and help you out from behind—no problem!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Gaoshan was both amused and exasperated. This Qian Zhuizi was truly a scoundrel, spouting nonsense and never speaking properly.

"Brother Zhuizi, you're so experienced, you must have done this a lot, right? Tell me honestly, did you and Qiu Yanzi have any procedures done before?"

Upon hearing this, Qian Zhuizi immediately glanced around in a flustered manner.

His wife is known for her fiery temper. If she heard that, he wouldn't be able to get into bed that night. Her temper is harder to control than an old sow in the village.

"No, no, no! Don't try to pin this on me! I have several mouths to feed at home, they're all starving, I don't have the spare money or the inclination to do that kind of thing!"

Qian Zhuizi smiled, touched her head, smoothed her sparse hair, and chuckled to change the subject.

"Thinking is one thing, doing is another; these two things shouldn't be mixed up! Hey, look at your dad, he's calling you, hurry up and go over!"