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

It was nearly noon, and the busiest time at the market had passed, with the crowds starting to thin out. Chen Xiaohe said, "Sister-in-law, Xiaoqing, there are fewer people now, why don't you go to the market and take a look around, see if you need anything for the family? My brother and I will watch the stall."

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing really wanted to take advantage of their trip to the county town to buy what they needed. The two sisters nodded, slung their empty baskets over their shoulders, slung their small baskets over their shoulders, gave a few instructions, and then joined the still bustling crowd.

They first went to the snack stall and saw sesame candy. The golden candy was covered with fragrant roasted sesame seeds and looked very tempting. Thinking of the elderly and children at home, Su Xiaoyin bought a pound, carefully wrapped it in oil paper, and put it in her basket.

Then she went to the meat stall. The fresh meat on the cutting board was almost sold out, but there were still a few cleaned large bones in the wooden basin next to it. Thinking that the large bones that her family had bought last time had long been eaten up, and would be perfect for making bamboo shoot soup, Su Xiaoyin spent a few coins to buy two bones.

Passing by an old farmer's stall selling vegetable seedlings, the two sisters saw some lush, green watermelon seedlings tied in small bunches with straw rope. They remembered they had a patch of empty land in their backyard, and how happy the children would be if they could grow a few watermelons in the summer. So they spent a few coins to buy five seedlings, and the old farmer kindly taught them how to plant them.

Having bought almost everything, the two sisters returned their baskets and carrying baskets to their stall. Chen Dashan and his brother were tending their stall while chatting with an old man selling ceramic bowls next to them.

"Let's go check out the embroidery shop and the cloth shop," Su Xiaoyin said to her husband.

"Okay, go and come back quickly, be careful on the road." Chen Dashan nodded.

---

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing, carrying empty baskets, crossed half the street again and arrived at "Jinxia Cloth Shop". There were no other customers in the shop at this time. The shopkeeper was sitting behind the counter checking the accounts. When she saw them come in, she looked up and smiled: "Young ladies, are you here to buy embroidery?"

"Shopkeeper, we'd like to ask if you still accept embroidery? We sisters would like to take on some more work," Su Xiaoyin stepped forward and asked politely.

The shopkeeper's wife put down the account book and said gently, "We accept whatever is accepted as long as the craftsmanship is good. The customers were all satisfied with the embroidery you sent before. What, are you done with your work at home?"

"Yes, the spring planting season is over, and the children are a bit older, so I have more free time," Su Xiaoqing replied.

"That's good. At this time of year, people will want to embroider some refreshing summer clothing patterns or auspicious little designs. If you're interested, you can give it a try," the shopkeeper's wife suggested.

Having received confirmation, the two sisters felt reassured. They thanked the shopkeeper and took their leave, walking briskly towards "Tao Family Cloth Shop" at the end of the street.

Inside the fabric shop, the plump shopkeeper was directing his assistants to arrange the newly arrived bolts of cloth. Seeing them enter, he immediately plastered on a familiar smile: "Oh, ladies, it's been a while! What would you like to buy today?"

"Boss, we'd like to buy some embroidery thread and a few feet of fine cotton fabric suitable for embroidery," Su Xiaoyin said, her gaze already fixed on the rows of colorful embroidery threads behind the counter.

"Of course, of course!" The shopkeeper asked the shop assistant to bring out the commonly used embroidery threads, and then brought out several bolts of plain-colored, fine-textured cotton cloth. "These materials are perfect for embroidery bases; they don't bleed color or pill. Take a look."

The two sisters carefully selected their embroidery threads. They gathered all the commonly used red, yellow, blue, green, black, gold, and silver threads, and also measured out several feet of fine cotton fabric in moon white and light mauve. It added up to a considerable expense, but considering the wages they would earn from the embroidery, they both felt the investment was worthwhile.

While paying, Su Xiaoqing remembered the scraps of fabric she needed to make hair ties and children's clothes, so she asked, "Boss, do you have any scraps of fabric left? We'd like to buy some."

The shopkeeper thought for a moment, then pulled out two large bundles of cloth tied with hemp rope from under the counter. One bundle was dark in color, mostly scraps of coarse linen and thick cotton, while the other bundle was more colorful, containing scraps of fine cotton and even silk.

"This thick bundle isn't worth much. If you buy a lot, I'll give it to you as a bonus," the shopkeeper said, pointing to the bundle of dark-colored cloth. He then weighed the brightly colored bundle in his hand. "This bundle, however, contains a lot of fine material. Although it's not in large pieces, it's good for making small things. I'll charge you seven coins, how about that?"

"Seven coins for such a large bundle of patterned scraps is such a bargain!" The two sisters nodded quickly. Su Xiaoyin paid for the cloth and embroidery thread and was about to put away the scraps when her eyes were drawn to a corner peeking out from the bundle of fine fabric—it was a piece of fine cotton cloth about two feet square, with a bright pale yellow base and tiny light purple flowers printed on it. The flowers were elegant and lively, making it stand out among the scraps.

"Shopkeeper, how much is this piece of cloth?" Su Xiaoyin couldn't help but ask, pointing to the cloth.

The shopkeeper pulled it out and looked at it: "Oh, this piece? It's from a batch of new designs before the New Year. This is the last little piece left. It's not enough for adults, but there's enough for children. If you like it, you can take it for fifty coins."

Fifty coins! The two sisters both gasped. That price was enough to buy several yards of ordinary fine cloth.

Su Xiaoqing picked up the fabric and examined it carefully. The fabric was indeed of good quality, and the pattern was rare. She thought to herself that she would make a summer jacket for each of her four children. The fabric was both bright and comfortable. She looked up and gave a charming smile: "Shopkeeper, this is just a small change, fifty coins is too expensive. You see, we bought so much embroidery thread and fabric this time, and we'll come often in the future. How about twenty-five coins for this piece of fabric? We can take it back and make two little outfits for the children at home."

The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, glancing at the remaining cash in his hand, then at the eager eyes of his two regular customers, before finally waving his hand: "Alright, twenty-five coins it is! Take it! Make more embroidery items in the future, and come back to patronize our business often!"

"Oh! Thank you, shopkeeper!" Su Xiaoqing happily paid, carefully folded the precious floral fabric, and put it into the basket along with other items.

The two sisters were overjoyed as they left the fabric shop. They had gathered all the embroidery thread and scraps of cloth, and had even unexpectedly acquired a fine piece of fabric. They could go back and pick up their embroidery needles again, and make new clothes for their children.

By the time they hurried back to their stall at the market, the sun was already setting. Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe had already packed up the few unsold items and rehooked the oxcart.

"You're back? Get in the car quickly, let's go home right away," Chen Dashan called out.

The four men boarded the oxcart, and Chen Dashan drove the ox, embarking on their journey home.