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

The room was warm and cozy. Chen's father, Chen Dashan, and Chen Xiaohe took turns holding the four little babies, their faces beaming with contentment. The children, wrapped in soft blankets, stared curiously at the adults holding them with their big, bright eyes. Occasionally, they would babble or grin with their toothless mouths, which would melt the hearts of the grown men.

"Things sold well at the market today," said Mr. Chen, lifting his eldest grandson in his arms. The little guy was quite heavy, and his smile deepened. "Farm tools sold the best. People who know the craftsmanship of Dashan and Xiaohe still appreciate it."

Chen Dashan, holding his little daughter, said gently, "It's just the right time. With the New Year just past and spring approaching, every household is starting to tidy up their farm tools, repairing what needs repairing and adding what needs adding. The plows, rakes, and hoe handles we make are all made of solid, practical, and high-quality wood, and they're polished smooth and easy to handle, so naturally, people are willing to buy them." He paused, then added, "Including some small wooden and bamboo items, Xiaohe and I sold nearly one tael of silver today."

As Chen's mother was mending the cuffs of an old jacket belonging to Chen's father, she looked up at the words and said with approval in her eyes, "This craft is a long-term source of income. Once spring arrives and things get busy, the work in the fields will be more important, and you'll have to squeeze in these things when you have time. The sales won't be as concentrated as they are now, but it's still a good side business."

At this moment, Mr. Chen cleared his throat, glanced at Mrs. Chen, and then turned his gaze to his two sons and daughters-in-law. His tone carried the air of someone solemnly announcing something important: "Today, besides asking about Xiaoqing's recuperation, I went to the clinic for another matter." He touched the swaddling clothes of the baby in his arms and continued, "A few days ago, I was wandering around Eagle Cliff, and I was lucky enough to find something." He paused deliberately, and seeing that everyone was looking over, he slowly said, "It's a wild ginseng root. It's not the oldest, but the quality is decent. Today, I took it to Doctor Li at Jishetang to have it examined."

"Ginseng?" Chen Xiaohe almost exclaimed, then quickly lowered his voice, his eyes wide. "Dad! Really? That stuff is incredibly precious!"

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing also looked over in surprise. They had heard of ginseng and knew it was a valuable commodity, but they never expected their father-in-law to have acquired it so quietly.

Mr. Chen nodded, his face beaming with undisguised joy: "Doctor Li examined it and said it was genuine wild ginseng, well-preserved, but it wasn't processed in time after being dug up, so some of its medicinal properties have dissipated. He estimated it to be about thirty years old. He offered a good price," he said, holding up two fingers to make a cross, "ten taels of silver."

"Ten taels!" Even Chen Dashan gasped. Ten taels of silver was an enormous sum for a farming family, enough to accomplish great things. After a year of hard work and good weather, a large family was lucky if they could save two or three taels of silver after deducting food, expenses, and taxes. These ten taels were enough to completely change the circumstances of an ordinary farming family.

Mother Chen's face broke into a wide smile as she replied, "With these ten taels, plus what we saved from the coffers, we won't have to worry about buying a cow this spring! Your father and I were originally planning that even if we tightened our belts and used all our winter income, buying a cow would still empty the coffers. Now, with the cow, we'll still have money left over to cover the spring planting expenses. We feel much more at ease!"

Chen Dashan immediately said, "Father, Mother, now that we have enough money, we should buy the ox as soon as possible. I saw some suitable timber before the New Year and have been keeping it, thinking that if we buy the ox, we can use it to make an oxcart. These past few days, since it's not too busy before spring, I've started working on it. I can do all the carpentry work, like the oxcart frame, the cart platform, and the shaft. It's the iron parts, like the axle, the hoops, and the rivets, that you'll have to order from the blacksmith in town beforehand or buy them ready-made."

Mr. Chen nodded: "No rush, let's settle on the cow first. I'll go to Geng the cowherd's house in Xiahegou Village again in the next couple of days. Last time I went there, I thought his cow was well-raised, with a large frame, shiny coat, and a gentle temperament. If I like it, I'll pay the deposit, and then we'll go and bring it back when the roads are clear in the spring."

Chen Xiaohe excitedly interjected, "Dad, buying cattle is a big deal! If the money from the commune isn't enough, my brother and I can contribute some! I've also saved some money from selling bamboo weaving." Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing nodded in agreement.

Mother Chen felt comforted and waved her hand with a smile, saying, "I know you are filial. But with these ten taels, it's really enough. You can keep the money for your own families and buy whatever you need, such as some fine cloth for the children to make summer clothes, or some snacks if you want. As for the affairs of the public treasury, there are the rules for the public treasury."

She paused, looked at Chen's father, and said, "Old man, once we buy the cattle and spring comes and the weather warms up, let Dashan and Xiaohe build a sturdy and bright cattle shed and sheep pen in the backyard next to the pigsty. The place where we raise sheep now is a converted pigsty, and the pigsty also needs to be cleaned up. After we catch piglets in the spring, the place needs to be clean."

"Hmm," Mr. Chen replied, already planning how to build a more ventilated and sunny cowshed, and how to construct a sheep pen for easier cleaning. He looked at his grandson, who was gradually falling asleep in his arms, then at his two energetic daughters-in-law, and finally at his two steady and capable sons. He felt his heart was filled with hope for the future. "Once the cowshed is built, we'll have large livestock to help with spring planting. It will also save a lot of effort to cultivate those fourteen acres of wasteland."

The conversation then turned to the booklet that Dr. Li had given him. Chen Dashan carefully flipped through it; it contained neat, small-script drawings of various herbs, with their names, growth habits, and simple harvesting and drying methods noted next to them. Common herbs such as dandelion, plantain, motherwort, and mugwort were drawn clearly, and their characteristics were accurately captured.

"Dad, Dr. Li really put his heart into giving us this booklet," Chen Dashan said, pointing to a few items. "These are very common along the edges of the fields behind the mountain. We used to just think they were weeds. Turns out, you can sell them for money after drying them. Although the price is definitely not high, just like Mom said, little by little, it adds up. When we're cutting pig feed or digging for wild vegetables in the spring, we can pick some and dry them under the eaves. If we accumulate enough, it'll be a source of income."

Mr. Chen said, "Dr. Li is kind and benevolent. He said that the more valuable medicinal herbs shown on the later pages are complicated to process, and we might end up wasting them if we did it ourselves. He told us that if we came across them, we should just send them to him, and he would buy them at the market price. I think Dr. Li is someone we can do business with for a long time."

As night deepened, the children were all soothed to sleep and put back to their warm beds. The oil lamp was dimmed, and Mr. and Mrs. Chen returned to their old house, while Chen Dashan and his brothers also went back to their respective rooms.