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

Xinghua caught a chill these past two days; her nose is stuffy and she has trouble breathing.

She was puzzled. The two little girls' diapers had just been changed to clean ones not long ago, so how could they have soiled themselves again?

They didn't believe Gaoshan's words at all.

She put down the rabbit fur fabric in her hand, bent down, and brought her nose close to Da Mao's little bottom, taking a deep sniff.

Oh my God!

The stench hit her right in the head, almost making Xinghua faint; the stench went straight into her lungs!

She immediately retched several times.

Quickly find a clean diaper, clean up Da Mao, and have Gao Shan spray warm water to wash his little bottom clean.

The old saying goes, "A petty person is shrewd," and that's absolutely true.

A newborn baby in the postpartum period may seem to understand nothing, but they clearly distinguish between discomfort and comfort.

They were covered in a diaper, feeling uncomfortable all over, their little faces all scrunched up. But after I changed their diapers, the two little rascals immediately felt better. They made a couple of soft, sweet whimpers, curled up, and their eyelids drooped. In no time at all, they were asleep.

The child had just fallen asleep when there was a commotion at the gate of the courtyard.

Old Chen, wearing a fur coat and a dog-faced hat, stood at the doorway and called into the house in a low voice.

"Shanzi, come out for a bit, I need to talk to you about something."

Hearing his father's call, Chen Gaoshan casually pulled his cotton-padded coat tighter, tucked his hands into the sleeves, and got up to leave the house.

"Dad, what's wrong? What's the matter?"

Old Chen glanced into the room and asked softly.

"Are Da Mao and Er Mao asleep?"

"Sleeping soundly, like a log!"

Seeing his father's reaction, who had previously refused to hold him but now dared not even speak loudly, he replied with a smile.

"That's the best thing about these two little girls. They're easy to take care of. No matter how much noise you make, they won't wake up. They're easy to manage and don't cause any trouble."

Only after confirming that his two granddaughters were fast asleep did Old Chen feel relieved, but he still deliberately kept his voice down.

"I'm going to town with your Uncle Quan later. Keep a close eye on things at home, make sure nothing goes wrong with them."

Chen Gaoshan frowned.

"Dad! Things are chaotic outside, and bearded men are running around everywhere. Why are you running off at a time like this? Didn't you hear what Uncle Long Hair was saying? Eighth Master Hui's men have already come to the county, and it won't be long before they come from our town too! Why don't I go with you, so we can look out for each other!"

"You don't need to worry about it."

Old Man Chen waved his hand. "Your Uncle Quan and I will only take the main roads and make sure we're back before dark. I'm going to town for you."

He was dumbfounded. What the hell? How did this get dragged into him?

Old Chen glared at his son, who was pretending to be confused.

"Don't play dumb with me! This is your problem!"

At this point, he sighed with a frustrated expression.

"Look at you, your wife is pregnant with two boys, and you haven't even gotten a grandson! I've lived most of my life, and when I chat with my old folks in the village, everyone else has a grandson, while I only have two granddaughters. I can't even hold my head up high!"

"Your Uncle Quan said there's a fortune teller named Xu in town who's incredibly accurate at divination and face reading. I specially went to ask him to do a reading for you and predict your offspring! I'll make sure you give birth to a healthy baby next time, to continue the Chen family line! Alright, I'm done arguing with you, I'm leaving!"

Old Chen, with his hands behind his back, headed straight for the stable.

He quickly prepared the sled, led out the family horse, and went out through the side gate of the yard. He planned to drive the cart to pick up that old rascal Chen Laoquan. Laoquan was his cousin, a member of the same family, and they shared the same grandfather. Laoquan usually traveled around selling goods and only returned in the winter.

One aspect is helping his son with his affairs.

He and Lao Quan had agreed to go back to town every year after the autumn harvest, listen to Errenzhuan (a traditional Chinese folk art form), drink some wine, and take a bath to relax. After a busy year, this is the kind of fun that men enjoy, so they had to make arrangements for it.

The journey to the town went smoothly, and we headed straight for Xu Banxian's house.

Just as they were about to reach Xu Banxian's house, Old Chen decided he didn't want to go any further.

Throughout his life, Chen Laonian has never been afraid of going up mountains and down fields, enduring cold and hardship, or arguing with others. However, it is things like fortune telling and divination that concern the continuation of his lineage that make him feel most uneasy.

I'm afraid of hearing bad things.

"Old Quan, is this Xu Bansian really as accurate as you say? Or is he a fraud? I'm getting a little uneasy. Let's go back."

Old Chen immediately stopped Old Nian, who was about to leave.

"Don't you want your grandson anymore? I've seen you squatting in the yard smoking and sighing in the dead of winter!"

"Whether it's accurate or not, you have to come! If you don't come, this hurdle will never be overcome! It's just a small amount of money, is it really worth being so stingy? Where's your drive when you were young? You were always decisive and never hesitated. Now that you're old, you've become more and more stingy. What's wrong, are you scared?"

Old Chen cleared his throat. For the sake of the Chen family line, no matter how risky, he had to try.

"Fine, I'll go."

As he spoke, he went straight into the half-open door of Master Xu's house, and to his surprise, there were quite a few people there to see what was going on.

After waiting for quite a while, it was finally their turn, and they told them their son's birth date and time.

After hearing the eight characters, she placed her hands on the table, her withered fingers gently tapping the surface, and her head began to sway back and forth.

As if possessed by a ghost, he pulled a talisman from his pocket and handed it to Old Chen.

"Go back and burn this talisman for your son to drink. I'll give you another piece of advice: good fortune is just around the corner. Why ask so many questions? May our ancestors bless you with the birth of a noble son. Your son will be among the bandits."

Old Chen was completely bewildered by what he heard. He finally understood that having a grandson was inevitable, and Lin'er was his grandson.

But the last sentence, something about bandits, somehow means his grandson will be a bearded man someday!

"What the hell are you talking about? I'd rather not have a grandson than have my descendants become bearded men! You call yourself a fortune teller? Give me back my last penny!"

Xu Banxian remained expressionless, just watching him shout and waiting for him to finish.

"Why are you so impatient? You should listen carefully to what is being said. Why do you get angry after only hearing half of it?"

"Among the bandits, I'm not saying your descendants will have beards, but that you'll meet a benefactor the moment you step out the door. This is a great opportunity, it just depends on whether you can seize it. If it doesn't work out in a year, come back to me."

"Dog, show the guest out."

After they were seen out, Old Chen walked on the snow, his feet crunching as he led the carriage.

His mind was still foggy, unable to get over that. He shrank his neck, twitched his face, and looked at Chen Laoquan.

"No, Lao Quan, did you understand? What exactly does this old woman mean?"

"I'm completely confused. If what she said is true, then my grandson doesn't have a beard, but he must have a bearded mother. Where am I supposed to find a beard for Shanzi to marry? This is going to kill me!"

Old Chen was an illiterate salesman who only knew how to make money, and he was completely bewildered by these mysterious words.

He then put his hand inside the dog-faced hat and scratched it.

"Hey, don't rush me. Didn't she add at the end, 'You'll meet a benefactor as soon as you step out the door'? You'll just bump into them as you walk by."

As soon as the two got into the carriage, they heard several gunshots in the distance, followed by several people riding horses carrying several sacks.

"We're from the neighboring Bear Ridge. Our boss is kind-hearted and has given you wives. They're three coins each. Hurry up and come buy a wife for your little dog's life. Anyone who wants to start a family and continue the family line, come forward quickly."

Chen Laonian and Chen Laoquan looked at each other and exclaimed, "Oh my god, we've locked eyes!"

The two spoke in unison.

"When Lin'er met the bandits, oh my god, it all matched! It all matched!"

"Old Nian, wouldn't you say this is like running into a benefactor the moment you step out the door?"

"Let's go take a look."