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

As the evening heat subsided slightly, the windows of the east wing were open, and a gentle breeze carrying the scent of grass and trees occasionally drifted through. Su Xiaoqing sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), taking advantage of the last rays of sunlight streaming through the window, holding a newly sewn little garment in her hand, which she proudly presented to her sister.

"Sister, look!" Her voice held a hint of pride. "I used those brightly colored scraps of fine cotton fabric to make several baby clothes and bibs. These are 'monk robes,' without buttons, just ties, and they're very soft to wear. For this bib, I pieced together several scraps of fabric in different patterns into the shape of a little fish. You can't tell it's pieced together, can you? I hid the stitches very carefully."

Su Xiaoyin put down the embroidery thread she was separating the colors of and took the little garment her younger sister handed her. It was a small, palm-sized "monk's robe" made of fine cotton fabric with a moon-white background and light blue floral patterns. The collar and cuffs were trimmed with the same color, and the stitches were fine and even, with almost no loose threads. She then picked up the patchwork fish bib. Red, yellow, and blue scraps of fabric were cleverly pieced together to form a chubby fish wagging its tail. The fish's eyes were even embroidered with black thread, making it look adorable. Although the fabric was made up of scraps, the skillful piecing them together gave it a more lively and playful feel than a whole piece of fabric, and it was soft to the touch, perfect for a little baby's delicate skin.

"It's so beautiful!" Su Xiaoyin exclaimed sincerely, her fingers tracing the fine stitches. "The color blocking is clever; it doesn't look messy at all, but rather unique. The fabric is also soft. Next time at the market, we'll have Dashan and Xiaohe put it up for sale. No matter how much we sell, it'll be pure profit, since we didn't spend any money on the scraps of fabric." She thought of the bundle of fabric she had bought last time for only seven coins, and felt even more that this was a good idea.

"I also used the leftover fabric scraps to make some patchwork hair ties," Su Xiaoyin said, turning around and taking out several newly made hair ties from the sewing basket. The patterns were more intricate than the previous ones; some were twisted into braids, and others had small fabric flowers attached to the ends. The colors were also brightly matched. "These, along with the ones we made before, should be enough for Dashan and the others to sell for a while. Next, we need to focus all our efforts on that large embroidery pattern." As she spoke, her gaze fell on the top of the kang cabinet, where a roll of pale white fine cotton cloth with the embroidery pattern drawn on it but not yet stitched was carefully stored.

Su Xiaoqing also became serious and nodded, saying, "Yes! Let's start tomorrow! The sooner we finish embroidering, the more at ease we'll feel. We've been working on the embroidery pattern for so long, it should be fine now." The "Hundred Blessings" pattern that they had been planning for so long was auspicious and had a full composition. If it was finished, it would be a respectable piece, whether sold to an embroidery shop or kept for their own family in the future.

"Your color matching is getting better and better," Su Xiaoyin said, looking at her younger sister with encouragement and expectation in her eyes. "As long as we keep our minds focused while embroidering, and don't make mistakes in our stitches or mix up the colors, I have a feeling that this picture will definitely fetch a high price." This was their attempt to truly take their craft to the next level, and both of them were on edge.

As they were talking, footsteps and Chen's mother's slightly tired voice came from outside the courtyard gate. The two sisters quickly peeked out of the window and saw Chen's parents enter the courtyard one after the other. Both of them looked unwell, their brows slightly furrowed, carrying a sense of gloom from having spent money unnecessarily.

"Father, Mother, you're back!" Su Xiaoyin raised her voice and asked, "Have you handed over the money? Are you sure our family won't have to send anyone out for corvée labor this year?"

Mother Chen walked to the shady spot by the entrance to the main room, picked up a palm-leaf fan, and sighed, "It's been paid, two taels of silver. The village headman collected it and put it on record. Our family doesn't need to send anyone this year." She paused, her voice lowering further, "Five or six other families in the village also took the money. The village headman... actually favors having everyone pay to offset the labor service. He secretly told me that, according to what he heard from above, this time the labor service isn't the usual kind of cleaning official roads or river embankments; it's probably a particularly difficult job. Otherwise, the higher-ups wouldn't have so readily allowed payment in lieu of labor service. But most families in the village... sigh, they can't bear to part with that money, so they gritted their teeth and sent the able-bodied men in their families."

Father Chen squatted silently by the doorstep, took out his pipe, and began to puff away. Smoke swirled around his bronze, deeply wrinkled face, adding to his melancholy. Two taels of silver was no small sum for the Chen family, who had just recovered and were eager to make a big splash. It was equivalent to the price of a whole cartload of bamboo shoots, or the labor cost of several pieces of fine furniture.

Looking at her in-laws' expressions, Su Xiaoyin understood their heartache and helplessness. She thought for a moment and then softly said, "Dad, Mom, don't worry too much. The money's spent, but everyone's safe and sound at home—that's better than anything. While you weren't back, Dashan, Xiaohe, and I discussed it. Those ten watermelon seedlings in our backyard this year are growing exceptionally well. The vines have spread far and wide, and I noticed many flowers have fallen. Quite a few small watermelons have already formed, each one a vibrant green. They'll be ripe in a few days."

Her tone held a hint of anticipation: "It's hot early this year. When the watermelons ripen, we can pick them and sell them at the county market, or... maybe we can try selling them near the construction site where we're doing our corvée labor? The weather's hot, and watermelons are refreshing and thirst-quenching, so they'll definitely sell well! Maybe we can even cover up some of that two taels of silver deficit."

Upon hearing this, Chen's mother raised her eyes, somewhat hesitant: "Selling at the county market would be feasible. But the places where corvée labor is performed... have been strictly managed in previous years, and unauthorized people are not allowed to loiter or trade nearby, for fear of causing trouble."

Mr. Chen tapped his pipe and said in a low voice, "I worked there last year. The rules were strict, but not entirely without exception... I remember that occasionally, some daring and resourceful peddlers would carry their wares and sell fruits and cooked food at a rest stop some distance from the construction site. The foreman and the guards would turn a blind eye, as long as they didn't cause trouble or interfere with work. Sometimes they were too lazy to bother with them, since the men were really thirsty. But there were always risks involved, and it couldn't be done too often."

He thought for a moment and then said, "We can see how things go this year. If it doesn't work out, we can play it safe and only sell them at the county market. Or, we can pick a few of the best-looking ones and send a couple to some familiar restaurants, like Manager Wang's. They need these seasonal fruits to entertain guests in the summer."

Mentioning Manager Wang, Chen's father suddenly remembered something and his spirits lifted slightly: "Oh right, I almost forgot. Didn't we pick a lot of honeysuckle, dandelions, and other things on the back mountain a while ago, and dry them all? Plus some other herbs we had collected before, they're all in good condition. Tomorrow, I'll pack them up and take them to Doctor Li in the county town. He just opened a pharmacy and buys these authentic medicinal herbs year-round. If we pick them carefully, we should be able to get more money than if we sold them to ordinary medicine dealers."

Mother Chen's expression softened, and she nodded, saying, "That makes sense. Selling the herbs is also income. When our watermelons are ripe, we'll pick the biggest and sweetest one and send one to Doctor Li as a thank you for his help."

Outside the courtyard gate, Chen Dashan had entered at some point. After hearing his parents' plans, he calmly replied, "Dad, Mom, I'll go with you to deliver the medicinal herbs tomorrow. Xiaohe and I will keep an eye on the watermelons. You don't need to worry too much about the work in the fields; Xiaohe and I are young and strong, we can manage. Right now, the most important thing is to finish the Fu family's cart on time and with good quality. That wage is considerable and can help supplement our household income."