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

On an autumn afternoon, the sunlight, having lost its midday heat, became gentle and mellow, bathing the Chen family courtyard in a golden glow. At the foot of the courtyard wall, freshly dried vegetables emitted a rich aroma, mingling with the fresh scent of wood from the firewood stack.

"Squeak—squeak—"

The heavy wooden wheels rolled over the threshold of the courtyard, making a familiar sound. Father Chen, who was tidying up the foundation of the newly expanded chicken and duck shed in the backyard, straightened up at the sound, wiped his face with the towel draped over his shoulder, and hurried to the front yard. There he saw Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe, brothers, struggling to push a two-wheeled cart into the yard, one in front and one behind. The cart was piled high and tightly with firewood, like a small, moving mountain; thick, withered branches and split logs were stacked haphazardly, almost blocking the view of the people pushing it. Each of them carried a bulging basket on their backs, their backs slightly bent forward, and their foreheads glistened with sweat in the sunlight.

"My goodness!" Chen's father quickly stepped forward to help steady the cart, then reached out to take the basket from Chen Xiaohe's shoulder. It felt heavy in his hand. "You two brothers, did you carry back half a mountain of dead trees? Take it easy, don't overwork yourselves!"

Chen Xiaohe grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and chuckled, "Dad, it's alright! My brother and I were lucky today; we found an old forest that was struck by lightning last year. There are tons of dry, brittle branches and logs—perfect for chopping! Firewood is always a good thing; you can't do without it in winter for heating the kang (heated brick bed), cooking, and smoking meat!" As he spoke, he put down his basket and then, as if showing off a treasure, picked up a delicate bamboo basket hanging on the handle of his cart. "Take a look at this!"

Chen's father peeked inside and saw a bamboo basket lined with damp water plants. Underneath were a dozen or so palm-sized crucian carp and common carp with shimmering silver scales, as well as many lively shrimp, their whiskers twitching. The fishy smell mixed with the fresh scent of the water plants wafted over.

"Wow! This basket of fish has yielded quite a haul!" Mr. Chen's face beamed with joy. He took the basket and weighed it in his hand. "They're all good fish, not many small, unwanted ones. Looks like the fishing is good in that bend of the river."

Chen Dashan then unloaded his basket, and while untying the straps that were digging into his shoulders, he said calmly, "The fish baskets we put in today were all placed in pretty good spots. Dad, I'm thinking that after dinner I'll weave two more larger fish baskets and try setting them in a deeper tributary to see if we can catch grass carp or bighead carp. Those have big heads and thick flesh. We should try to catch them a few more times before the river freezes completely."

"Great idea! That's a good one!" Mr. Chen nodded repeatedly, then looked at the two baskets on his back. "What's inside...?"

"This basket contains the medicinal herbs that Xiaohe and I picked along the way. There are some Bupleurum and Saposhnikovia, as well as some wild chrysanthemums. We'll dry them and steep them in water to drink." Chen Dashan pointed to his own basket and then gestured to Chen Xiaohe's. "His basket has half a basket of hawthorns and a small bag of chestnuts that we picked up. There aren't many, but the chestnuts are quite plump."

"Hawthorns are great! They're appetizing and aid digestion. They're good to eat dried or made into cakes, perfect for winter." Mr. Chen stroked his non-existent beard with satisfaction. "Tomorrow morning, after you've set your fish traps, come with me up the mountain to see if any of the traps I dug have attracted any fish. We can also set a few more snares and see if we can get lucky and catch some pheasants or rabbits to supplement our income."

Chen Xiaohe's eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands together eagerly: "No problem, Dad! I've been wanting to try out my new rope snare for ages! I guarantee it'll be even better than last year's!"

As they were talking, Chen's mother, wearing an apron and holding a spatula, poked her head out of the kitchen: "You're all back? Hurry up, wash your hands and faces, dinner's ready! I've prepared the hot water for you by the well!"

The steaming hot food was quickly placed on the square table in the main room. A large bowl of milky white radish and bone soup, with bright green scallions floating on top of the noodles; a plate of golden and fragrant wild garlic scrambled eggs, the unique spiciness of the wild garlic whetting the appetite; there were also stir-fried bean sprouts, cold radish salad, and plenty of soft and hot multigrain buns.

The family sat around the table, exhausted from a long day's work, and the food tasted especially delicious. Father Chen took a bite of his cornbread, enjoying it with some crisp shredded radish, and said, "Tomorrow, the three of us will go up the mountain again. While the weather's good, we'll gather as much firewood and mountain produce as possible."

Chen's mother served soup to everyone and said, "Alright, then I'll get up early tomorrow and soak the beans. Tonight we'll grind some soy milk and make a pot of tofu pudding. Autumn is dry, so some soy milk will help moisturize us."

"Soy milk!" Chen Xiaohe cheered immediately, his eyes sparkling as he looked at his mother. "Mom, you have to add more sugar! Sweet and smooth, that's what makes it delicious!"

Chen's mother was amused by him and scolded, "You're such a glutton! Don't worry, the candy jar is still full, plenty to go around!"

"Oh, right," Chen's mother said to Chen's father and two sons, "If you see any wild garlic when you go up the mountain tomorrow, dig some up and bring it back. It's great for pickling vegetables, or just stir-frying with eggs or making cold dishes; it's very appetizing. Store as much as you can before the frost comes."

Mr. Chen nodded and noted it down: "Hmm, I remember there seems to be another area on the north slope."

The conversation naturally turned to livestock. Mrs. Chen pondered, "It's getting cold soon. Starting tonight, I'll add more soybean cake or wheat bran to the pig trough so those two pigs can fatten up a bit more. Pigs grow slowly in winter, so feeding them more now will ensure they're heavy enough to fetch a good price when they're ready for market. Pork prices have gone up this year, and our pigs are so well-fed; we definitely won't lose money."

Su Xiaoyin sipped her soup, looked up at the words, and said softly, "Mother is right. I heard from Dashan that pork at the market is more than two coins more expensive than it was this time last year. We've been working hard feeding them all year, and we've been looking forward to this time." She paused, looked at Chen's mother, and said in a consultative tone, "Mother, I was thinking, next year... if our backyard is expanded and we have enough space, should we raise another pig? We'll raise two, we'll raise three, we'll have more to live on."

Su Xiaoqing was wiping her third brother Aji's mouth when she heard her sister's words, but she had a different idea: "Sister, raising another pig will cost a lot more in feed, and piglets are expensive too. I think it would be better to use the expanded area to raise more chickens and ducks. This year, our twenty or so chickens and ducks have laid more eggs than we can eat, and we can use them to buy oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, so we've had a steady stream of pocket money. Chicken and ducklings are cheap, easy to raise, and don't require as much feed as pigs. Chicken and duck manure also makes good fertilizer."

Listening to her two daughters-in-law's seemingly reasonable arguments, Chen's mother smiled with satisfaction. She didn't immediately express her opinion, but instead looked at Chen's father and two sons: "Listen to this, Xiaoyin thinks raising more pigs is more profitable, while Xiaoqing thinks raising more chickens and ducks is more worthwhile. They both make sense."

Chen Dashan pondered for a moment and said, "Although pork prices are high, the costs are high and the risks are also slightly greater. What if it gets sick...? Chickens and ducks have lower costs and faster turnover. Both the eggs and meat can be sold for money. However, if there is enough space, it's safer to raise more pigs, chickens, and ducks, and to raise them separately."

Father Chen tapped his pipe; though he wasn't lighting a cigarette, it was his habit when he was thinking. "Xiao Yin and Xiao Qing both make sense. Da Shan's thinking is even more comprehensive. But it's too early to talk about that now. The important thing is to clear out the space for the backyard expansion. Once we have the space, next spring we can decide whether to get another piglet, hatch two more broods of chickens and ducks, or, as Da Shan suggested, add a little of both. We'll calculate it carefully then. With extra money in hand and space in mind, we can arrange things however we want."

That's a very true statement, and the whole family nodded in agreement.