After fleeing the famine, my older sister and I married the brother next door.

Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe were busy most of the day. Chen Dashan continued his carpentry work, adding small pieces of furniture for the house, or polishing the next batch of bamboo and wood items to sell at the market in the spring. Chen Xiaohe focused on taking care of the two sheep, cleaning the sheepfold, chopping hay, and milking them regularly. He also picked out some particularly soft hay from the hay given by the cowherd Geng to make a thicker shed for the sheep. The lambs were lively and active, always wanting to run outside, so Chen Xiaohe used bamboo strips to create a small play area so they could frolic in the warm pen.

Father Chen wasn't idle either. He found some hemp rope and wire he had stored away, and sat at the entrance of the main room, continuing to work on his hunting snares by the daylight. Though his fingers were rough, they were exceptionally nimble; the knots he tied were both strong and skillful, ensuring they wouldn't hurt the prey too badly. He planned to go down to the trails frequented by wild animals in the back mountains once the snow had melted a bit more. If he could catch pheasants or rabbits, he could provide nourishment for his wives who were in postpartum confinement; if he was lucky enough to encounter a roe deer or something similar, the pelts could be sold for money.

The days slipped by in this orderly mix of busyness and tranquility. The children grew at a visible pace, their newborn wrinkles fading, becoming chubby and fair, and their interactions increased. Su Xiaoqing's complexion grew rosier day by day, and her hands gradually gained strength, enabling her to help her older sister with simple needlework or watch the soup pot on the fire.

Regarding the full moon celebration, Mr. and Mrs. Chen discussed it carefully once again. Seeing that Su Xiaoqing was in good health and the children were healthy and lively, they decided to hold it on the 20th day of the first lunar month, which would be considered a double celebration. They didn't plan to have a big celebration, only inviting the village head, a few close neighbors, and the midwife who helped with the delivery. The feast didn't need to be too complicated; there would be chicken, fish (Mr. Chen planned to try his luck in the river), meat (smoked game and cured meat), a large pot of bone and bamboo shoot soup, and several steamers of white flour mixed with cornmeal buns—that would be quite decent.

This news brought even more joy to the Chen family. Su Xiaoyin began making new bibs for the children to wear. Although they were just simple red ones, embroidered with the characters "福" (fortune) and "安" (peace), they were a token of her affection. Su Xiaoqing also tried her best to help, so Chen's mother had her learn to cut simple paper-cut window decorations. The red paper gradually transformed in her hands into adorable little pigs and carp (symbolizing abundance year after year). Although not exquisite, they were full of rustic charm.

On the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, the sky was overcast, and it looked like it was going to snow again. Chen's father had checked the snares he had set early in the morning and returned empty-handed, but he was not discouraged. In the afternoon, he picked up his machete and rope and said to Chen's mother, "I'm going to take another walk in the back mountain to chop some firewood and see if there are any winter bamboo shoots or late-blooming mushrooms that I might have missed. We're having a feast on the twentieth, so we need to make sure we have enough firewood."

Chen's mother told him to come back early. Chen's father agreed and walked out of the courtyard gate.

As dusk settled, Mr. Chen still hadn't returned. Mrs. Chen grew uneasy and peered out from the courtyard gate several times. Winter nights fall early in the mountains, and it was a cloudy day.

Finally, as darkness fell almost completely, Chen's father appeared on the path at the village entrance. He carried a heavy bundle of firewood on his back and seemed to be carrying something else in his hand.

"Why are you only just getting back?" Chen's mother went up to him and took the wood-chopping knife from his hand.

With a strange, suppressed excitement on his face, Chen's father put down the bundle of firewood on his shoulder and carefully took out something wrapped in layers of old clothes from his pocket.

"Look what I found." He lowered his voice and, in the dim twilight, unwrapped the package layer by layer.

When Chen's mother took a closer look, she gasped. The root was spindle-shaped, with 2-3 branch roots growing out from the main root, and many thin, long fibrous roots growing from the branch roots. The fibrous roots often had small, bumpy protrusions.

"This is...?" Chen's mother was unsure.

"I found it in a collapsed ditch over at Eagle Cliff," Chen's father said, his voice hoarse with excitement. "I found it while gathering firewood. The color... the shape... I think it looks a bit like... ginseng."

Ginseng? Chen's mother's heart skipped a beat. There used to be ginseng in the mountains around here, but no one had ever actually found it. If it really was…

"Don't make a sound!" Father Chen immediately rewrapped the items and clutched them tightly in his hands. "I'm not sure either. Tomorrow, I'll secretly go to the village head; he's knowledgeable. If it's true... then we can at least get some money from it..."

He didn't say anything more, but in the dim light, an unprecedented, burning light ignited in the eyes of the couple as they looked at each other. It wasn't just a desire for unexpected wealth, but also an expectation of potentially improving their family's situation.

Snowflakes fell silently at that moment, quickly covering the footprints of the father and son as they returned. In the courtyard, warm lamplight shone through the paper windows, casting blurry halos of light. The faint cry of an infant could be heard, quickly silenced by gentle soothing words. In the sheepfold, the ewes made peaceful chewing sounds.