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

"Mom, the tea eggs are ready. Let them soak for now, and we'll taste them at noon. If they're bland or the spices aren't right, we'll adjust them this afternoon." Su Xiaoyin lifted the lid of the large pot, and a rich, savory aroma of tea, spices, and soy sauce wafted out. Inside the pot, dozens of eggs were gently rolling in the dark brown broth, their shells already stained with beautiful brown patterns.

Chen's mother was sitting at the entrance of the main room, mending a small jacket in the bright morning light. Hearing this, she looked up and smiled, "Okay, no problem. Let them absorb the flavors well. It's so hot today, how about we have cold noodles for lunch? It'll be refreshing and appetizing, and it'll save us from the smoke and heat of the stove."

"Oh, this is great!" Su Xiaoqing picked a few bright red tomatoes and some glossy purple eggplants from the vegetable garden and chimed in, "Sister, let's make a sweet and sour sauce with the tomatoes, and I'll fry some chili oil to make a hot sauce. We can make whichever flavor we like." She put the eggplants into a bowl. "These eggplants are tender. After steaming them, we can mash some fresh garlic and mix it in, and it'll be a delicious dish. Mom, is it ready to harvest the garlic in our garden? Let's pick a few tender heads and pickle some sweet garlic or salted garlic. It'll be perfect with porridge in the morning."

Upon hearing this, Chen's mother's eyes were full of approval, and her hands continued to sew: "Your ideas keep coming one after another, and your skills are getting better and better! Okay, let's do it this way. I'll go to the yard and pick and wash all the vegetables we need, so you can free up your hands to cook." With that, she put down her needlework, stood up briskly, picked up a bamboo basket, and walked towards the vegetable garden in the backyard.

On a summer morning, the sun was already warm, but the morning breeze was still cool. Chen's mother skillfully picked tomatoes, cucumbers, and scallions, and also pulled a few heads of tender garlic, washing them vigorously by the well. Su Xiaoyin was kneading dough in the kitchen, preparing to roll out noodles. Su Xiaoqing, on the other hand, was processing tomatoes, preparing to make sauce.

"Mother," Su Xiaoyin said to Chen's mother by the well through the window while kneading smooth dough, "We have more cattle and sheep now, and the weather is good right now, so we've piled up a lot of dried hay. Xiaoqing and I are thinking that when Dad and my older brother Xiaohe have some free time, should we build a sturdier hay shed in the open space at the west end of the yard? It would be a special place to store the hay for the winter, to prevent it from getting wet and moldy. Summer is already halfway over, and we're afraid we won't be able to take care of it when autumn gets busy."

Mother Chen shook the water droplets off her hands, straightened up, thought for a moment, and replied loudly, "That makes sense. Cattle and sheep are important assets for our family, so we need to prepare enough fodder for the winter. I'll ask your father when he comes back from the fields today. If we're going to build..." She glanced around the backyard of the old house, where the chicken, duck, and goose pens, pigsties, and sheds for storing farm tools were already packed full. "There's no space left here at the old house, so we'll have to build over there where your new house is. Isn't there a patch of land to your west? If we level it, it should be enough."

Su Xiaoqing was heating oil to fry chili peppers when she heard this and interjected, "Hmm, the west side of the new house is quite spacious, building a shed won't be a problem. We'll discuss it when Dad and the others come back. By the way, Mom," she lowered her voice, her tone slightly like sharing something new, "Yesterday when I went to the well to fetch water, I overheard Aunt Guihua and the others chatting. They said that the sons of Old Qiu's family at the end of the village, Wang Shitou's family on the front street, and Zhao Mutou's family in the back ditch are all getting married, and their wedding dates are quite close together."

Chen's mother was taken aback. She carried the washed vegetables into the kitchen, her face showing surprise: "They're getting married at this time? I didn't hear about them looking for a spouse. The autumn harvest is still a long way off, and it's not a typical time for weddings."

Su Xiaoyin covered the kneaded dough with a damp cloth to let it rest, wiped her hands, and took over the conversation in a calm voice: "Mother, I overheard the village head's family talking about it a few days ago. They said that among the last batch of refugees resettled here, some of the girls were arranged by the government. All eligible bachelors from nearby villages, as long as their families were decent and they were honest, could go and be introduced to potential partners. I guess Aunt Qiu and her family have already found someone they like. The village head's wife also said that this is probably the last batch of refugee girls resettled by the government. From now on, if they want to get married, they'll have to rely entirely on their own abilities or have a matchmaker find someone from the surrounding villages."

Mother Chen suddenly understood, then sighed softly. As she placed the washed vegetables on the cutting board, she remarked, "So that's how it is... No wonder your Aunt Qiu was so anxious. Her eldest son is already twenty-five or twenty-six. In recent years, the family's circumstances haven't been good, and she hasn't been able to find him a wife. If she misses this last opportunity from the government, in our poor, remote area, there will be far fewer girls than boys, making it even harder to find a spouse, and the prices will be much higher. Wouldn't that cause a delay?" As she spoke, she glanced at her two daughters-in-law, her eyes filled with an indescribable sense of relief and gentleness. "Speaking of which, it's a blessing that our family, Da Shan Xiao He, was able to marry you sisters."

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing felt a warmth in their hearts upon hearing this. Su Xiaoqing, quick-witted and outspoken, said, "Mother, look at what you're saying. It's our blessing to be able to enter the Chen family."

The three women, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, chatted idly, but their hands were busy. Su Xiaoqing's tomato sauce gradually thickened, releasing a sweet and sour aroma. The chili oil was also ready, its pungent fragrance filling the air. Tender eggplants were placed in the steamer, and Su Xiaoyin began rolling out noodles. With even pressure, the dough gradually became a large, thin, and even sheet under her hands. She folded it up, and with each swift cut, the thin noodles unfolded.

Chen's mother peeled the tender garlic cloves, preparing to pickle them. Thinking about Aunt Qiu's family and other potential marriage prospects in the village, she muttered to herself, "That's good, the village will have a few more mouths to feed, adding to the lively atmosphere. But the wedding expenses… these days, bride prices rise every year, and the banquet, new clothes, furniture—everything costs money! It seems our Dashan's carpentry skills will be even more plentiful from now on."

Before long, Chen's father returned from the fields, covered in summer heat and dust, with Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe following behind in their oxcart. As soon as they entered the courtyard, the complex aroma wafting from the kitchen whetted their appetites.

"Wow! What a wonderful day! It smells so good!" Chen Xiaohe sniffed and headed into the kitchen.

"Go away, you're all sweaty, go wash your face first! Your sister-in-law and Xiaoqing made tea eggs and cold noodles, they taste great!" Chen's mother said with a smile as she shooed him away, while bringing the cold noodles, various sauces and mixed vegetables to the table in the main room.

The family sat around the table, eating refreshing and appetizing cold noodles, along with garlic eggplant and freshly pickled crisp and tender salted garlic. They talked about building a hay shed and listened to Chen's mother recount several happy events that were about to happen in the village.