I am not Ximen Qing.

He and Gui Lan had no children of their own. His sister's words echoed in his ears. Recently, Gui Lan seemed to have developed some feelings for him, and he had his doubts. Yet, he couldn't resist Gui Lan's ghostly body, a body brimming with vitality and life force. He felt that Gui Lan's body was more alluring than before, more radiant and captivating. Ah! Women are such wondrous beings. He loved and then forgot, just like the joy of their physical entanglement. He even thought of the beautiful actresses of the past, so vivid and lifelike, who mocked him. That night, Gui Lan and he made love, full of teasing and variety. Huang Yumin was awakened again by the cawing of black crows in the sky. Isn't life painful? And after life ends, there is more pain. He also wanted to become a progressive youth, but he really couldn't work. He had spent his whole life eating, drinking, and having fun, never exerting any physical strength.

“I’ve been cuckolded, just like Ximen Qing. This is karma, isn’t it? Gui Lan cuckolded me because I said he was a barren hen. This is his revenge on me.”

Thinking about it, parents are still the best. But Huang Yumin is the most unfilial son. He is a freak who always takes pleasure in making his parents suffer. Father, Huang Jinshan is probably secretly laughing in his coffin, "Son, if you really can't make a living, dig up your father's grave, dig up your mother's grave, here are his gold ingots and silver coins."

Huang Yumin knew he had broken Gui Lan's heart. When a woman gets angry, it's like a landslide. For some reason, Huang Yumin longed for the Black Widows to drop giant bombs and destroy everything, so he would no longer suffer. Can a person live without pain? He had enjoyed over twenty years of carefree life, and now he felt oppressed and helpless. His eldest and second eldest sisters hoped that Yumin would never let the children play by the river again; it was dangerous, there were American planes there. But the children didn't care about American planes; they thought they were just big birds flying in the sky. The children were fearless, something Huang Yumin couldn't understand. The children's spirit was never afraid; on the contrary, he grew more and more timid. He was an anomaly in the new society.

Thanks to my brother-in-law Zhang Sirui's orchard, which is a paradise for my eldest and second sisters' children. Although they are not rich, my brother-in-law's family has taste and taste. "A mountain is not high if it has no immortals, and water is not deep if it has no dragons." Huang Yumin's mindset is always in the same vein as those actors of the past. He even hates the author of "Jin Ping Mei" for making them live such a miserable life!

This is all due to Huang Yumin's refusal to read. If he had read books like Balzac, Flaubert, Maupassant, and Hugo, he would have had a sudden epiphany. Perhaps if Huang Yumin had gone to Japan to study, he might have become an unconventional Yu Dafu! In this respect, he should learn from the twelve emperors of the Qing Dynasty. Even though Emperor Guangxu was misled by the reformers and did some absurd things, he could still easily lecture on the Thirteen Classics at Peking University's Changchun Garden. The Qing Dynasty didn't have any wise rulers, but it also didn't have any absurd emperors like the Ming Dynasty, such as the "carpenter emperor."

Emperor Qianlong, with his enlightened mind, was the most cultured emperor in history, using the Thirteen Classics as his aesthetic standard. I only want to advise those who, like Huang Yumin, believe that education is useless: education is the only path to self-renewal and enlightenment!

Just like the cycle of reincarnation, watching Gui Lan's belly grow bigger every day, Huang Yumin could only sigh and lament. He now wanted to know who the father of the baby in Gui Lan's belly was. Gui Lan's belly had aroused the enthusiasm of her older sisters.

"Son-in-law, if you dare to bully Guilan again, I'll break your legs!" Huang Yumin was furious. He just hoped that Black Crow would drop bombs and destroy everything. War isn't without its benefits, is it?

Now Huang Yumin has also fallen in love with the Yalu River, the lifeblood of the people on both banks, the ever-flowing mother river! He believes that the Buddha's 84,000 Dharma gates truly exist, and that the Buddha's teachings on cause and effect are absolutely true! Guilan is his present-day retribution! Did she destroy him, or did Huang Yumin destroy Guilan? What exactly is this mad love like? His mother once said that there is a river god in the Yalu River, and a female river god at that. If you are feeling down, you can jump into the Yalu River to swim and bathe, and the female river god will wash away your sins and give you a new life.

Among the children, Zhang Liang, like his mother Yu Huan, looked down on his absurd uncle. However, Zhang Honglin's ardent affection for his uncle when he was just learning to speak made Huang Yumin feel the deep love in the world.

At some point, the banks of the Yalu River became more bustling than before. Cars, artillery pieces, and all sorts of armored vehicles were covered in camouflage. Hongyu, Hongying, Honglin, and Honghua constantly hovered around the soldiers, for these were the troops protecting their homeland. The Volunteer Army stayed in the homes of ordinary people, and some young soldiers even cried because they would soon be crossing the Yalu River to the battlefield at nightfall. One soldier especially liked Honglin and gave him a precious piece of chocolate, as valuable as a ginseng fruit. Every household was busy making fried noodles and military rations. Honglin, Hongying, Hongyu, and Honghua hoped that the soldiers would always be in their homes, because the soldiers gave the siblings all sorts of cookies and other delicious treats. Hongyu said to her father, "I don't want them to leave, they shouldn't go."

“My daughter, they must fight the invaders.”

Zhang Sirui understood that the children were growing up and had to make choices. Although the climate in Xiaojiangnan was pleasant, with various fruits and vegetables to eat and land to cultivate, they had to make choices about their future. The soldiers sacrificed themselves for the future of their country; the little soldier who cried was only 16 years old, yet his thin shoulders still crossed the Yalu River with high spirits.

Men can flit among women, so why can't women? The rumors started circulating in the factory because Gui Lan was too eye-catching. A woman's intuition is always the most insightful. Gui Lan became the model factory beauty, a model worker, and an advanced worker. If he could keep his belly flat and remain a barren hen, everything would be peaceful. Issues of conduct between men and women are always of paramount importance. Problems with one's moral character are never trivial. If there are issues with relationships, if someone engages in infidelity, it can lead to death.

Gui Lan noticed the strange looks and hostility around her. If she were educated, she could read Tolstoy's *Resurrection* and understand that a woman's defilement and self-destruction are a desire for rebirth; to be resurrected, she would have to endure the harsh winter of the Siberian wilderness. Novels are always about literary redemption, but reality is cruel and merciless. She actually hoped Huang Yumin would act like a man and expose her infidelity; that way, she could endure everything and shamelessly live on. It would prove that she, Gui Lan, could have children, and that's all she wanted to prove. But love is always against human nature. The workshop director's pregnant wife came to make trouble every day, and the organization had spoken to the director several times, but there was no evidence or leverage. As long as Huang Yumin didn't cause trouble, everything remained just suspicion, without any proof.

The workshop foreman's pregnant wife stopped causing trouble at the factory; it's good for the family that husbands' wives are so tolerant. However, the workshop foreman was still relegated to the workshop, working alongside the laborers. If he made a mistake, he was required to undergo "re-education," even though this was based solely on a lifestyle issue without any evidence.

The women, especially the older women, began viciously attacking Gui Lan, making things difficult for her at work in every way. Her fall from factory beauty to a criminal started with her pregnancy. What are women pursuing? Is it just about having countless children? Is it just about her belly growing bigger and bigger? Now, her growing belly has become a sin. If Huang Yumin hadn't done anything wrong, if he had gotten Gui Lan pregnant, ah! None of this would have happened. Gui Lan, like her older sisters, would have at least three, four, or five children by now. What need would she have for impulsive love? Her mother also knew about her daughter's scandal and went to the factory to make a scene, saying Gui Lan was innocent, that the child was Huang Yumin's. She even dragged Huang Yumin along to the factory to protest to the leaders, saying that the child in Gui Lan's belly was his. Huang Yumin had come to terms with it; the child in Gui Lan's belly was his. This was a matter of male pride, and the situation had exceeded what Gui Lan could tolerate. Since ancient times, adultery has been the easiest way to kill.

Huang Yumin seemed to have realized that Gui Lan was the most precious love he had ever experienced. Gui Lan loved him; their love was genuine. Gui Lan, who had become pregnant by another man, did so only to prove the existence of their love.

The workshop foreman hanged himself right there in the factory. The philandering man was the true victim of Gui Lan and Huang Yumin's love affair.