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

When they arrived in town, the blacksmith shop had just opened, and the fire in the furnace was not yet burning brightly. Wang the blacksmith, a dark-skinned, burly man in his fifties, was tidying up his tools and was somewhat surprised to see Chen Dashan arrive so early.

"Dashan? So early? Something wrong?" Wang the blacksmith asked in a loud voice.

"Uncle Wang, excuse me. I'd like to order a batch of iron parts." Chen Dashan took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. On it were simple drawings and dimensions he had made with charred wooden strips. "We bought a cow and want to have a new cart and a new plowshare made. These are the dimensions for the axle, rims, and chaff, and this is what the plowshare looks like. Could you take a look and see if you can make them? How long would it take?"

Wang the blacksmith took the paper and peered closely into the light by the doorway. Though he wasn't very literate, he'd spent his life forging iron and could understand the drawings. The dimensions were clearly marked, and although the design was simple, it covered all the crucial points. "Well done, Dashan, this drawing is quite interesting, very clear!" He nodded. "The axle needs to be made of good iron, strong enough to bear the weight. The plowshare needs steel edges for durability. These things can't be taken lightly. Hmm... quite a lot. I'll hurry, I estimate... five or six days, I can get it done for you."

"That's great! Thank you, Uncle Wang!" Chen Dashan was overjoyed and took out the deposit. "Please take care of everything. Just go for the market price."

"Alright! We're old acquaintances, I guarantee I'll forge it solid and easy to handle!" Blacksmith Wang readily agreed and accepted the deposit.

With a major matter settled, Chen Dashan felt much more at ease. He didn't go home immediately, but instead wandered around the town, checking the prices of grain seeds and rapeseed, and inquiring about the prices of salt, sugar, and other items at the general store. He had a better understanding of his expenses after the spring. As the sun rose higher, he set off back, his steps lighter than when he came.

Meanwhile, the Chen family's backyard was also bustling with activity.

Father Chen had already chosen a location, right next to the sheepfold, a slightly elevated, sunny, and sheltered corner. He and Chen Xiaohe used lime powder to mark the foundation for the cowshed and the expanded sheepfold. Chen Xiaohe, being strong, was in charge of digging the foundation trenches, while Father Chen carried over the adobe bricks stored from last year, checking their quality one by one.

"Dad, these adobe bricks are really sturdy!" Chen Xiaohe wiped his sweat, looking at the square and heavy adobe bricks.

"Of course! The mud was made last summer when it was at its hottest. It was mixed with chopped wheat straw, sun-dried for a while, and then air-dried in the fall and winter. It's very sturdy." Father Chen picked up a piece of mud, tapped it hard, and it made a dull, solid sound. "To build a cowshed, the foundation must be solid. Come on, let's tamp down this foundation first."

The father and son worked together, one filling the hole with soil, the other tamping it down with a stone rammer. The dull thuds echoed rhythmically in the backyard. The yellow ox under the old jujube tree occasionally looked up, then leisurely lowered its head again. In the sheepfold, the ewes and their lambs curiously peered out.

In the east wing, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing were also busy. Although their mother had strictly forbidden them from touching cold water or doing heavy work, they could still do some light tasks. The two sisters settled the four children on the kang (a heated brick bed), letting them play with rattles or cloth tigers, and then began to organize the medicinal diet recipes prescribed by Doctor Li.

"Sister, look at this 'Astragalus and Red Date Stewed Chicken'. Mom said she caught some chicks in the spring, and we can make it when they're grown up. This is the best for replenishing qi and blood." Su Xiaoqing pointed to a line of words on the booklet.

Su Xiaoyin leaned closer to look and nodded, "There's also this 'Longan and Lotus Seed Porridge,' which we can cook regularly. Mom and Dad are getting old, and they work hard in the mountains and rivers, so they need some nourishment. The children can eat it too when they're older." She looked at her younger sister's increasingly rosy complexion and felt relieved. "Dr. Li's prescription is excellent. If you follow it, your body will surely become as strong as before."

"Yes!" Su Xiaoqing nodded vigorously. "I feel much better now, and I have energy again. When spring comes, I must do more work so that my parents and you can't work too hard."

"You should focus on getting better first," Su Xiaoyin said with a smile, tapping her sister's forehead.

At noon, Chen's mother prepared lunch and called everyone to take a break from work. The food was placed on the kang table in the main room, and the family sat around it. Chen Dashan talked about ordering ironware in town, and Chen's father also mentioned the progress of the cowshed foundation. The conversation naturally turned to the next arrangements.

"The ironwork will take a few more days. This afternoon I'll finely plan the wood for the frame, and we can assemble it as soon as the ironwork arrives," Chen Dashan said while eating.

"Xiaohe and your dad will continue building the wall this afternoon. Take advantage of the good sunshine and do more." Chen's mother put a piece of food on Chen's father's plate.

Su Xiaoyin hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Father, Mother, Xiaoqing and I... were thinking that when the child is a little older and can sleep through the night during the day, could we... take on some embroidery work during the day? We don't need anything big, just some handkerchiefs or small items. We can do a little while the child is asleep during the day, so it won't strain our eyes. It'll help supplement our income a bit."

Upon hearing this, Chen's mother did not immediately object. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Taking on some light work during the day is not a bad idea. But you must promise me that you won't sit for long periods, you won't rush the work, and you must rest when your eyes get tired. Your skills are something that can be sustained over time; you can't ruin them for a few dollars in the short term."

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing quickly assured them, "We'll be careful! We'll embroider slowly and won't tire ourselves out!"

Chen Xiaohe exclaimed excitedly, "That's wonderful! Once my sister-in-law and Xiaoqing finish their new embroidery, we'll have plenty of new designs for our stall at the next market!"

Father Chen smiled and nodded, "With surplus grain at home, there's no need to panic. You each have your own skills, and you each do your best, so that this family can be like a tree in spring, with every branch and leaf flourishing."

After lunch and a short rest, the sounds of work filled the yard again. Under the open shed, Chen Dashan planed wood, sending up fragrant wood shavings. In the backyard, Chen's father guided Chen Xiaohe, applying mud mixed with wheat straw to adobe bricks and steadily building the foundation. The smell of earth and sweat mingled together, exuding an unparalleled sense of peace and security.

After putting the child to sleep, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing sat by the window, bathed in the bright spring sunlight, and began discussing how to choose fabrics and threads, whispering about what patterns to embroider that would be both festive and seasonal. Meanwhile, Chen's mother sat at the entrance to the main room, watching over the three busy men in the yard and her grandchildren inside, while her hands worked on thick shoe soles, each stitch dense and even.

As the sun set, it bathed the courtyard in a warm golden light. The low wall of the cowshed had already been built up to a height of over a foot, its outline beginning to take shape. Newly planed timber was neatly piled up beside the shed. Inside, a faint aroma of medicinal cuisine began to fill the air.

Night fell, and the family gathered again in the warm house. The children, having drunk goat's milk, were fast asleep. The adults spoke in hushed tones, planning for tomorrow, for the arrival of spring, and for the distant future. Chen Dashan took out the herbal medicine book, and the three of them, by the light of the lamp, identified the herbs that would soon sway and grow in the spring breeze.