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

"You're back! Everything's packed, let's go!"

Chen Dashan saw Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing walking briskly from the street corner, baskets slung over their shoulders, their faces glistening with sweat and barely concealed joy. Relieved, he gathered the last few loose wooden items into his baskets and called out to them. Chen Xiaohe had already neatly stacked his mostly empty baskets and bamboo crates on the oxcart and was now sweeping the ground in front of his stall with an old broom.

The two sisters hurried over. Su Xiaoqing helped Chen Xiaohe put the broom away, while Su Xiaoyin carefully placed the basket she was carrying towards the back of the carriage. Chen Dashan reached out to help them both up, and once they were settled on the straw-covered platform, he nimbly jumped onto the carriage shaft and gently flicked the reins: "Hold on tight, we're going home!"

The old ox strode forward, and the oxcart creaked away from the still bustling market. The afternoon sun shone warmly, carrying the heat of early summer. Once outside the county town gates and onto the dirt road back to the village, the surroundings gradually quieted down, leaving only the sound of wheels rolling over the road and the occasional chirping of birds.

Unable to contain himself any longer, Chen Xiaohe turned around, his face flushed with excitement, and said in a low voice to the two women in the car, "Sisters-in-law, Xiaoqing, guess how much money our stall made today?"

Seeing his smug look, Su Xiaoqing smiled and asked, "How much? You seem so happy."

Chen Xiaohe held up two fingers, then bent down one and a half: "A full tael and a half of silver! And that's not even counting the change!" His tone was full of pride. "Especially the hair ties, sachets, tiger-head shoes and hats, and those little cloth dolls you made, sister-in-law and Xiaoqing, they sold the fastest! Many young wives with children and old ladies couldn't resist them. We gave away most of the mugwort we brought; many people bought other things because we were willing to give it away!"

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing exchanged a smile, their eyes sparkling. The recognition of their hard work, exchanged for real money, brought them a sense of accomplishment far greater than anything else.

Su Xiaoyin also took out the money bag containing the proceeds from the embroidery from her bosom, her voice trembling slightly with excitement: "The shopkeeper really liked the two small embroidered pieces we made, saying they had auspicious meanings, so she raised the price of each by half a tael of silver. The two pieces sold for a total of four taels."

"Four ounces?!" Chen Xiaohe gasped, and even Chen Dashan, who was driving the carriage, turned his head slightly, his eyes flashing with surprise and approval.

"Yes," Su Xiaoqing replied, her face beaming. "The shopkeeper said our skills have improved and encouraged us to try making larger embroidery pieces, saying the wages could be several times, even ten times, higher! So..." Her voice trailed off, a little embarrassed. "So we went to the fabric shop again and bought some fine silk fabric and embroidery thread to try it out. Including the fabric for the children and some other odds and ends, it cost us about two taels of silver." She quickly added, "But the two bolts of discounted fine cotton fabric we bought before were a great deal—sky blue and ginger yellow, perfect for making summer clothes for the children. The shopkeeper also gave us two large bundles of fabric scraps as usual, enough to make quite a few small items."

After listening, Chen Dashan remained silent for a moment, not because he was unhappy, but because he felt that the burden on his shoulders seemed to have lightened, yet also that something else had gained weight. He turned to look at his wife and sister-in-law, and said earnestly, "You two are really capable, earning more than Xiaohe and I do with these bamboo and wood scraps. However," his tone turned to concern, "embroidering large pieces is more taxing on the eyes and mind. When you get back, you must remember to get up and walk around every now and then, look into the distance, and never push yourself too hard. If you ruin your health and eyesight, no amount of money can make up for it."

Su Xiaoyin felt a warm glow in her heart and nodded in agreement: "Yes, we've got it, Dashan, don't worry."

Chen Xiaohe nodded repeatedly, "Big brother is right! Sisters-in-law, you are our family's 'Goddess of Wealth,' we must protect you well!" This amused Su Xiaoqing, who lightly punched him.

Amidst the laughter and chatter, Chen Xiaohe suddenly slapped his thigh: "Oh dear! I was so happy that I forgot to buy the bamboo leaves, glutinous rice, and red dates for making zongzi! The Dragon Boat Festival is the day after tomorrow!"

Chen Dashan then remembered: "That's right. It's alright, the day after tomorrow is the last day of the market, and my parents and children will all be there. We can go shopping together then and buy all the things we need for the holiday at once, so we don't forget anything."

Amidst laughter and chatter, the outline of the village came into view. As soon as the oxcart entered the yard, Chen's mother came out of the kitchen, a spatula in her hand: "You're back? Hurry up and wash up, lunch will be ready soon! How was today?"

Chen Xiaohe was the first to jump out of the car, proudly handing over the bag of money: "Mom! Guess how much we made today?"

As the family sat around the dining table in the main room of the old house, listening to Chen Xiaohe's animated report and seeing the money Su Xiaoyin had earned from selling embroidery, Chen's mother's smile never faded. Her wrinkles at the corners of her eyes blossomed into chrysanthemums as she laughed: "Good! Good! This is wonderful! Our family's life is getting better and better!" She served food to her son and daughter-in-law one by one, saying, "You've all worked hard, eat more! Especially Xiaoyin and Xiaoqing, eye strain work is the most tiring. Don't do anything this afternoon, just relax and enjoy the afternoon with the children!"

Lunch was spent in this joyful atmosphere. After lunch, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing returned to the new house as instructed. Sure enough, the four little ones were already awake and being played with by their father. The two sisters carried the children to the kang (a heated brick bed) and played with them for a while until the little ones started rubbing their eyes and yawning again. They gently patted and coaxed them, and the mother and children all took a sweet nap together.

Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe were not idle. They were in the courtyard of their new house taking stock of the goods that had not been sold today and the goods that they planned to make next, and discussing what to bring to the market the day after tomorrow, and which styles would sell well and could be made in more quantities.

After resting for a while, Mr. and Mrs. Chen picked up their baskets and small hoes, preparing to take advantage of the good weather in the afternoon to go for a walk in the back mountain to see if there were any newly sprouted wild vegetables or usable herbs.

On the way, he met Chen the Cripple from the same village. Chen the Cripple had injured his leg many years ago, and his wife had passed away early. He had raised his only son alone with great difficulty. When he saw Mr. and Mrs. Chen, a smile appeared on his dark, simple face. He hurried over and pulled a simple invitation from his pocket: "Dad, Mom, we were just looking for you! My son, Dazhu, is engaged. The wedding is three days after the Dragon Boat Festival. You must come and have a drink at the wedding!"

Mr. Chen quickly accepted the gift with both hands, nodding in agreement: "Yes! I'll definitely go! This is wonderful news! Congratulations!"

After saying a few more words, Chen the Cripple hurried off to inform the other families. Watching his limping but noticeably lighter figure, Chen's mother sighed softly and whispered to Chen's father, "Chen the Cripple has finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel. He raised his son all by himself, and he's about to start his own family. Let's go there early that day and lend a hand if we can."

"Yes, that's how it should be." Mr. Chen nodded.