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

Old Chen had been traveling all over the country, driving trucks and delivering goods, and had seen all sorts of people and women. Hearing the rough but reasonable words, he immediately laughed and nudged Old Chen with his shoulder.

"Hey bro, you're really putting on a brave face! What's up? Besides my sister-in-law, which other young widows or wives have you been seeing behind the scenes? You seem to know a thing or two about this!"

"Get the hell out of here!"

Old Chen blushed, muttered a curse, but kept his eyes glued to the sack, afraid the person would really freeze.

"I've only ever had one sister-in-law in my life, and I can't even figure her out myself, let alone anyone else? I've only heard about it from other people's gossip!"

"Hurry! Faster! Once we get home, take it off and let it breathe!"

I finally arrived at my doorstep and quickly knocked.

Old Chen didn't have time to catch his breath.

"Shanzi! Gaoshan! Come out and open the door quickly! Hurry!"

Upon hearing his father's shout, Chen Gaoshan, who was idly waiting in the courtyard, rushed out in three steps and yanked open the wooden gate of the courtyard.

As soon as the courtyard gate opened, the first thing he saw was his father carrying a large sack on his shoulder, with Uncle Quan leading a horse and winking at him.

He looked bewildered and quickly stepped aside to make way, while also opening the side door completely.

"Dad, what's this? Didn't you go to town with Uncle Quan on errands? Why are you back in such a hurry before noon? And carrying a sack!"

"Stop asking all that nonsense! Get out of my way!"

Old Chen hurried inside.

"Hurry inside! Grab the scissors! Quickly!"

Chen Gaoshan had never seen his father so anxious. He turned and rushed into the house, grabbed the basket his mother usually used for needlework by the kang (a heated brick bed), and pulled out a pair of scissors.

On the floor of the main room, Chen Liushi was sitting with Chen Guilan, peeling peanuts.

Looking up, I saw Old Chen carrying a huge burlap sack on his shoulder, rushing into the house and putting the sack on the kang (a heated brick bed).

"What are you standing there for! Cut it open already! If you delay any longer, you'll really suffocate inside!"

Chen Gaoshan held a pair of scissors in his hand, looking at the long, bulging burlap sack on the kang (a heated brick bed).

His father wasn't the type to cause trouble, but his behavior today was unusual. He secretly went to town behind his family's back and mysteriously carried back this long sack.

Its long, bulging shape immediately caught the mountain people's attention.

Could it be that Dad got lucky and caught a snow leopard coming down from the mountain?

Chen Gaoshan felt both nervous and excited. He quickly bent down, aimed at the thick hemp rope at the mouth of the sack, and snipped the knot open.

The hemp rope loosened, and the bag opened immediately.

Inside the house, Chen Liushi forgot to peel the peanuts in her hands and hurriedly came over to peek.

"Honey, what's all that fuss about? What did you bring back?"

As she spoke, she reached out and pulled the bag down from the opening.

The moment she pulled and saw what was inside, she and Chen Guilan next to her gasped, their hair standing on end.

A girl lay in the sack, her messy hair stuck to her face, her face covered in black soot and grime, making it impossible to see her features. Her hair was as tangled as withered grass, and she lay motionless in the sack.

It looks exactly like a dead person.

"Oh my goodness!" Chen Liu was so frightened that she took half a step back.

"Honey! Have you lost your mind? Why are you dragging a dead body into the house! It's bad luck! Throw it out right now!"

Chen Guilan, who was standing to the side, was so frightened that she patted her chest and quickly echoed her sentiment.

"Yeah, brother! What are you doing! Even if you're soft-hearted and want to be a good person, you should at least find some desolate place to bury him. Who carries a dead body into their own house? It's so unlucky!"

Still, Chen Liu mustered her courage and, with trembling hands, reached out and touched the girl's dark nose.

"They're not dead! His father and his aunt! They're still breathing! They're alive!"

Everyone in the room was stunned when he said that.

Chen Gaoshan frowned. His father was most afraid of getting into trouble and never meddle in other people's business. Why would he inexplicably save a strange girl today?

"Father, whose woman is this? Where did you get her?"

Old Chen let out a heavy breath, slapped his dog-skin hat, which had frozen stiff, onto the kang table, reached out and pulled open the collar of his cotton-padded coat to let out the chill, and sat down on the edge of the kang.

Just then, Chen Laoquan, who had finished driving the carriage and settling the livestock, lifted the curtain and entered the house, taking over the conversation.

"Shanzi, this wasn't found."

He picked up the ladle next to the stove, scooped a ladleful of cold water from the large water vat, tilted his head back and gulped down several mouthfuls before wiping his mouth.

"You should let your father tell you the specifics."

Old Chen has calmed down a bit by now.

"There's a big reason why I bought her."

"Xu the fortune teller from town once checked the incense offerings for our Chen family and said that it was only a matter of time before our family had an heir. He only said two sentences to me, and I don't remember the rest, but I do remember the last sentence: 'Our son must be born from the bandits.'"

"I had just stepped out of that old woman's fortune-telling stall when I turned around and bumped into the bearded woman from Bear Ridge selling puppies in town! Isn't that a coincidence?! Isn't this God helping our Chen family continue its lineage?! If I missed this opportunity, I would be committing a grave sin!"

Chen Guilan looked at the little dog, whose face was covered in soot and dirt, and felt disgusted from the bottom of her heart. She frowned and pouted.

"Damn it, this dog-like woman is already unlucky! She should be thrown into the wild to be fed to the wolves! No, how could you possibly think of letting Shanzi take in such a dog-like woman?"

Old Chen rolled his eyes at his sister.

"How did I come to this conclusion? I understand it best!"

"Lotus and Apricot Blossom, they both gave birth to two daughters after marrying into the family, but they can't produce a single son! Our Chen family can't end in this generation!"

"From now on, let this little dog we bought, Rizi, give birth to a son for Shanzi and continue the family line!"

After he said that, the room fell completely silent.

Chen Gaoshan's head was buzzing from his father's words.

He looked at the motionless woman on the kang (a heated brick bed).

His father is really something else, actually planning to let him have a baby with this dog-like woman?

But a flame of patriotism has been kindled in my heart.

If I really did have this dog-like woman, wouldn't that be considered a form of resistance against Japan?

If the girl were clean, he wouldn't necessarily be unable to accept her, but the most important thing is that she has to be good-looking, otherwise it would be really hard to bring himself to kiss her.

Chen Liu glanced sideways at her son, who was standing there silently!

These two are really alike, equally stubborn and taciturn. They're probably laughing their heads off inside, but they're still pretending, just being stubborn and not saying a word.

"Shanzi, you're willing too? Your mother doesn't care about this or that."

"If you're happy with it, I won't stop you. We don't care where she comes from or what her background is. As long as she's clean, healthy, can have children, and can reliably give the Chen family a grandson, I'll accept her!"

At this point, she frowned.

"But then again, what about Xinghua and Lianhua? Do you think they'll be happy about it?"