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

Chen Dashan quickly put down his tools and went to greet them: "Dad, Mom, you're back! Why didn't you tell me and Xiaohe to go get it? There's so much stuff!"

Father Chen carefully put down the heavy basket, wiped the sweat from his brow, and laughed, "I only intended to bring the piglets back first; we agreed to pick up the chickens, ducks, and goslings from the village head's house later. Who would have thought we'd run into your Aunt Er Mu on the way!"

Mother Chen put down her basket, her face beaming, and continued, "That's right! Your Aunt Ermu said that the brood of chicks she hatched this year was originally meant for her sister-in-law on her mother's side. But while her sister-in-law readily agreed, she later refused to pay, leaving your Uncle Ermu in a difficult position, unable to refuse. Your Aunt Ermu was furious, but when she saw us, she quickly and secretly called us to her house. While your Uncle Ermu wasn't there, she sold us the remaining chicks at a bargain price! It came out to a penny cheaper than the market price each!"

Chen Dashan was a little worried after hearing this: "Won't Uncle Ermu be angry when he finds out? After all, it was promised to a relative."

Father Chen took out his pipe, tapped it on the steps, and said slowly, "It's nothing. When we came out with the chicks, we ran into your Uncle Ermu at the village entrance. He was scratching his head, saying he regretted agreeing as soon as he did and didn't know how to explain it to his wife. When he saw that we had bought the chicks, he breathed a sigh of relief and said he felt safe selling them to us. As for the ducklings and goslings, we'll still go to the village head's house to exchange them as originally planned. His breeds are better and have a higher survival rate."

Mother Chen had already begun sorting the poultry in the basket with practiced ease: "Take one of these piglets back with you and raise it well in the pigsty in the backyard. Take half of the chicks with you too, and I'll keep the rest here at the old house. Leave the ducklings and goslings here for now, and we'll give them to you when they're a bit bigger and the river water is warmer. The chicken eggs and duck eggs will be divided between the two families then."

As they were talking, Mr. Chen noticed the few lush green watermelon seedlings in the corner and exclaimed, "Oh! You bought these watermelon seedlings too?"

Chen Dashan nodded: "Yes, Xiaoyin saw them for sale at the market today and bought five, thinking of giving them to the kids to enjoy in the summer."

Father Chen laughed: "What a coincidence! I also exchanged five good seedlings at the village chief's house today! Considering our large family, we should plant more, so we'll have enough for the summer! I think we should plant five in the backyard where the sun shines best against the wall. We can also plant a few along the fence in the front yard, wherever there's a gap. They'll climb and won't take up much space."

Chen's mother was also enthusiastic: "Great idea! Let's plant more. When the melons ripen, besides eating them ourselves, we can give some to the village head and our neighbors. It's a nice gesture." She looked at the sun, "While it's still light, I'll go for a walk in the back hills and see if there are any wild vegetables to add to our dishes for dinner. Old man, if you have nothing to do, go check the fields. The weeds need to be pulled."

After resting for a while, the elderly couple couldn't stay still any longer. One grabbed a small hoe and a basket, the other shouldered the hoe, and they went out together. In the yard, Chen Dashan looked at the lively piglets and the chirping chicks and ducklings, then at the watermelon seedlings growing vigorously, and listened to the faint murmurs of his child and his wife from inside the house. He felt a surge of energy. He picked up the plane again, the rhythmic "swish, swish" sound seeming to play a simple yet joyful melody for his increasingly prosperous and vibrant little home. The sunlight stretched his shadow long, casting it steadily on the solid ground.

The pigsty in the backyard was reinforced sturdily by Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe using the leftover stones and mud bricks. The new little black piglet was initially a bit shy, grunting and squealing, but under the lure of wild vegetables mixed with bran that Su Xiaoqing fed it on time every day, it quickly adapted to its new home and became plump and lively. It seemed to know its mission, eating a lot and sleeping soundly, clearly striving to be fat and strong by the end of the year.

Under Chen's father's careful care, the ten watermelon seedlings by the fence and in the corner of the front yard had already sprouted long vines. Chen's father used thin bamboo poles to build a simple trellis to guide the vines to climb, saving space and allowing the leaves to receive ample sunlight. Although the children were still young and didn't understand, every time Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe came back from work, they would hold the children and stand in front of the watermelon seedlings for a while, pointing to the fuzzy leaves and the newly sprouted little melon heads topped with yellow flowers, and say in an exaggerated tone, "Look, Shitou/Aji/Qingqing/Afu, these are our watermelons. When they ripen in the summer, Daddy/Uncle will cut you the biggest and sweetest piece!" The children would giggle, reaching out their little hands to grab them, but the adults would gently stop them.