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

Hearing this, Chen's mother's face showed a mixture of understanding and helplessness: "Sigh, I've heard that before. Many families in the village are so eager for a grandson after a new daughter-in-law enters the family. But they don't consider that seven or eight out of ten of the women we've married in recent years are girls who fled famine or disasters from the north or south. They endured countless hardships, lacking food and water, living in constant fear, and their bodies were already ruined, severely depleted. Once they arrive at their husband's family, except for a brief respite in winter, from spring to autumn harvest, they're constantly working in the fields with their husbands, and when they come back, they still have to take care of the entire family's needs. How many husbands-in-law are truly willing to provide their daughters-in-law with good things to nourish their bodies? If their bodies aren't healthy, if their foundation isn't stable, how can they expect to bear fruit?"

As she spoke, her gaze softened as she looked at Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing, gently patting the backs of their hands: "Not all in-laws are like this. Although our family isn't wealthy, I know you've suffered a lot since you two married into this family. Whenever you can rest, we let you rest as much as possible; when there's good food, we make sure you get the first dose to nourish your bodies. You need to rebuild your health little by little. Having a child is a matter of fate; you can't rush it or force it. The important thing is to build up your health as a mother first."

Listening to her mother-in-law's words, Su Xiaoyin recalled how, when she first married into the family, her mother-in-law would go to great lengths to prepare food for them, forbid them from touching cold water in winter, and always urge them to rest after working late into the night… These small acts, though not earth-shattering, were like spring rain, silently nourishing their once wounded bodies and minds. A lump formed in her throat, and she whispered, "Mother, we are so fortunate to have met a mother-in-law like you and to have married into the Chen family."

Su Xiaoqing's eyes also reddened, and she nodded vigorously.

Mother Chen smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes smoothing out, revealing a heartfelt satisfaction and love: "Silly children, what are you talking about blessings? It's our Chen family that's blessed to have welcomed you sisters into our home. Since you came, how much more laughter and joy has filled our house! Dashan and Xiaohe are more attentive to the family than before, and our lives are visibly getting better and better every day, with more and more hope for the future. This blessing is brought by you, and it's something our whole family has cultivated together."

Just then, the footsteps of Chen's father and two sons returning home could be heard outside, along with Chen Xiaohe's cheerful shouts of "I'm starving!" In the kitchen, the aroma of the bone broth that had been simmering earlier wafted out.

Chen's mother stood up and smiled, "Look, your father and Dashan are back. We should get ready to cook dinner. Just let those upsetting people and things go and don't take them to heart. Living our own lives well is more important than anything else."

The sunlight shifted, making the main room even brighter and warmer. The children seemed to sense it was time to eat, dropping their toys and peering towards the door. Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing exchanged a smile; the chill they had felt from hearing of others' misfortunes had long since been dispelled by the simple, everyday warmth and comfort of their own family life. They got up; one went to help serve the dishes, while the other picked up the children, who were sweating from playing, and wiped their little hands.

After lunch, the dishes were cleared away, but the family didn't rush to leave. The afternoon sun was just right, warmly shining on the clean courtyard, neither too hot nor too dry. Father Chen moved a low stool and sat under the eaves by the entrance to the main room, taking out his pipe and slowly filling it with tobacco. Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe squatted by the well, sharpening the blades of their hoes for loosening the soil in the wheat field the next day, using the cool well water. Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing, having finished cleaning the kitchen, wiped their hands and came out, sitting on two small stools that Mother Chen had brought out, holding unfinished needlework—mending the children's summer jackets.

Chen Xiaohe sharpened his hoe in his hands, but his mouth wasn't idle either. Recalling the gossip he'd overheard on his way home that morning, he looked up at his mother and said, "Mother, did you really run into Li Dazui this morning? When I led the ox back at noon, Li Dazui was sitting under the old locust tree at the village entrance, chatting animatedly with a few idle old women! As soon as he saw me pass by, he immediately shut up, and his eyes darted around. He was definitely talking about our family!"

Chen's mother was wiping the children's dirty rocking horse with a soft cloth when she heard this. She didn't stop wiping it and just said lightly, "Isn't that what happened?" Then, she briefly told her family how she had been stopped by Li Dazui when she went down the mountain that morning, how he had shamelessly asked about the "secret to having a child," and how she had refused.

Father Chen took a puff of his pipe, exhaling pale blue smoke that slowly rose and dissipated in the sunlight. His voice was low, yet carried the calm, world-weary composure characteristic of a farmer: "Just stay away from these kinds of people from now on. They brought this upon themselves. Who in the village doesn't know about the wicked things they did years ago? How many families still associate with them? Only uninformed outsiders, or those who love to gossip, hang around with them."

Chen Dashan sharpened his hoe, straightened up, leaned it against the wall, and pondered, "Father is right. However, lately, it's not just Li Dazui; I've run into quite a few people in the village who are subtly trying to find out if our family has any 'secret recipe.' And some of them keep glancing at Xiaoyin and Xiaoqing's bellies..." He frowned slightly as he spoke. His wife had just given birth to quadruplets, a joyous occasion, but these rumors made it seem like a rare occurrence, which made him uneasy.