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

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Chen's mother slung her basket over her shoulder again. The Su sisters were also up early, full of energy, their faces reflecting on yesterday's harvest and anticipating today's adventure. The generosity of the mountains and the satisfaction of gathering food with their own hands intensified their curiosity and desire to explore the new environment.

"Mom, where are we going today?" Su Xiaoqing asked, her eyes sparkling.

After fastening her leg bindings, Chen's mother smiled and said, "We strolled around the mountainside yesterday, and today we'll go further in. There's a nice spot over there; let me show you the way."

The three of them continued up the mountain along the path behind the house, but this time they turned into a deeper ravine. The forest was denser, the light dimmer, and the fallen leaves underfoot were thicker, rustling softly. The air was filled with the damp scent of humus and a stronger aroma of pine resin. Occasionally, small animals would be startled and dart about in the grass.

After walking for a while, Chen's mother pointed to a particularly lush and verdant grove on a higher slope ahead and said, "See that? Over there, that's a wild bamboo forest. It's quite old; the bamboo has grown tall and dense. In spring, there are bamboo shoots, and in winter, there are winter bamboo shoots. Some upscale restaurants in town specialize in these fresh mountain produce and offer good prices. Not many people in our village know how to do this; they find it too much trouble." She paused, lowered her voice, and smiled mysteriously, "Sometimes you can even find bamboo rat burrows in the bamboo forest. Those things are plump and tender; they sell for a lot of money at restaurants in the county town! It's just that they're not easy to catch."

Bamboo forest! Bamboo shoots! Bamboo rats!

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing exchanged a glance, both seeing the excitement in each other's eyes. Bamboo shoots! That was the taste of their southern hometown! Sun-dried bamboo shoots, pickled bamboo shoots... the taste of their memories seemed to come alive again.

Su Xiaoyin couldn't help but speak, her voice filled with anticipation: "Mom, when it's time to dig bamboo shoots, will you bring us along? After we dig them up, we can dry them and try pickling them. Then... you can try them and see if you like them?" She thought of her mother's cooking skills and felt a little uncertain, but more than that, she had a strong desire to do something for this new home.

Upon hearing this, Chen's mother readily agreed, her smile widening even more: "Great! That's wonderful! I'm eagerly awaiting to taste your cooking! Eating the mountain food in different ways is the way to make a living!"

As they were talking, Su Xiaoqing, who was walking ahead, suddenly let out a short gasp, followed by a low, delighted voice: "Sister! Mother! Come quick! Look here!"

Su Xiaoyin and Chen's mother hurried over. There, on a slightly flatter patch of ground, stood an exceptionally tall and thick tree, its canopy like a canopy. Although it was late autumn and the leaves were beginning to thin and turn yellow, a few spiky fruits still hung from the branches. Scattered among the thick layer of fallen leaves beneath the tree were countless yellowish-brown, spiky "little hedgehogs," as well as some chestnuts whose shells had cracked open, revealing their glossy brown interiors!

It's a wild chestnut tree! And it looks like it's bearing quite a lot of fruit!

"Chestnuts!" Mrs. Chen exclaimed with delight, quickly stepping forward and carefully using her foot to pry open a fruit whose spiky shell was already half-cracked. Inside, two or three plump, large chestnuts rolled out. She picked one up and squeezed it; it was firm and full. "They're still good! Not infested with worms! This tree is in a remote location, and not many people usually come here. I didn't expect it to bear such a bountiful harvest this year!"

She immediately turned around and quickly said to her two daughters-in-law, "Quick, pick them up! Be careful not to prick your hands! This place may be remote, but we can't guarantee that other people don't know about it, so let's hurry!"

As she spoke, Chen's mother took out several empty cloth bags she had brought and distributed them to the two sisters. She herself quickly put on thick, coarse cloth gloves (clearly she had come prepared) and began to rapidly pick up the chestnuts that had already cracked open or whose spiky shells were only partially open. For those still covered with thick spiky balls, she simply stepped on them and crushed them, or tapped them with the small wooden stick she had brought.

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing followed her example, carefully avoiding the sharp thorns and picking only the chestnuts that had already been shelled or were easy to remove. Each shiny, plump fruit felt heavy in their hands, carrying the unique fragrance of the mountains. Their movements went from clumsy to skillful, and soon their bags were piled high with chestnuts.

"Wow, there are so many chestnuts!" Su Xiaoqing exclaimed happily in a low voice as she picked them up. "They're even bigger than the ones we used to buy in town!"

Mother Chen's hands moved swiftly, her face beaming with joy: "Indeed! This tree is so generous this year! We'll have plenty to eat this winter. Simmering it in the ashes of the stove makes it fragrant and sweet; adding a few grains to porridge makes it thicker and more flavorful; and if you're feeling generous, stewing it with chicken... tsk tsk! We can even grind it into powder and mix it into flour to make pancakes—they're filling and delicious!"

Listening to Chen's mother recount her treasured memories, the Su sisters seemed to already see the warm stove and fragrant food in winter, and they picked even more enthusiastically, not even caring that their fingers were occasionally pricked by the remaining thorns.

The three worked quickly and efficiently, and soon the three cloth bags they brought were bulging and heavy. There were also many chestnuts on the ground, especially those still wrapped in their spiky shells.

Su Xiaoyin straightened her aching back, looked at the remaining chestnuts, and said regretfully, "Mom, there are still quite a few left, but unfortunately our baskets are full of mushrooms, and our bags are also full..."

Mother Chen looked at the bag of chestnuts, and though reluctant, she was quite magnanimous: "That's enough, that's enough. We've already harvested more than enough today! Let's leave the rest for the squirrels and birds in the mountains to survive the winter. We can't be too greedy; we must take only what's in the mountains." She tied the bag full of chestnuts tightly, brushed the grass and fallen leaves off her clothes, and said, "Today's harvest is too big; we can't take anything else. I was originally planning to take you to see the bamboo forest, but we can't go now."

She glanced at her two daughters-in-law, especially at the fleeting longing in Su Xiaoyin's eyes for the bamboo forest, and said, "How about this, if the weather is nice tomorrow, I'll have Xiaohe accompany you to the bamboo forest. He has good eyesight and is quick on his feet; I'll feel more at ease with him with you. You two can familiarize yourselves with the route and see how it goes."

"Really? Thank you, Mother!" Su Xiaoqing said happily.

Su Xiaoyin smiled and nodded, "Yes, I'll do as Mother says."

The three of them, carrying baskets laden with mushrooms, wood ear fungus, and wild vegetables, and heavy bags of chestnuts in their hands, set off on their way home. Their steps were heavier on the return journey than on the way there, but their hearts were incredibly light and carefree. The generous bounty of the mountains and forests weighed on their shoulders and hands, a weight that brought them the greatest sense of peace and security.

Sunlight filtered through the treetops, dappling their bodies. Mother Chen walked ahead, humming an unknown tune. Su Xiaoqing couldn't help but whisper to her sister, "Sis, we can go see the bamboo forest tomorrow! If there really are bamboo rats…"

"Shh," Su Xiaoyin gestured for her sister to be quiet, but her eyes also gleamed, "Let's see first. If it really exists, then it's Xiaohe's skill."

They had unconsciously come to see themselves as part of the family, and had begun to plan and look forward to the future together. The sweet aroma of chestnuts seemed to waft through the cloth bag, while the fresh scent of bamboo forest and bamboo shoots seemed to beckon from ahead.

The mountains and forests of late autumn not only provided them with food, but also gave them a hopeful bond to integrate into their new lives. Tomorrow will be another new mountain exploration for this little family.