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

The winter sky was thick with leaden-gray clouds, weighing heavily on the mountains and villages. The wind had almost stopped, and a strange, sticky silence filled the air. Even the usually noisy sparrows huddled under the eaves, rarely making a sound. The old locust tree in the courtyard stretched its bare branches stiffly toward the sky, as if silently bearing this heavy pressure.

Chen Xiaohe carried firewood in from outside the courtyard, looked up at the sky, and said to his father, who was tidying up the last few bundles of dry corn stalks under the eaves, "Dad, look at the sky, it's terribly overcast. It looks like it's going to snow soon. It's as dark as lead, and there's not a breath of wind."

Father Chen straightened up, squinted at the sky, and a knowing look flashed in his eyes, etched deep by time and the elements: "Hmm, judging by this, it's almost certainly going to snow. Probably a heavy snowfall." He brushed the grass clippings off his hands and pondered, "We should go check those traps on the back mountain one last time. If a heavy snowfall blocks the mountain, we might not be able to get up for ten days or half a month. Even if there's any cargo in the traps, it'll be frozen solid by now, or it'll end up in the hands of other creatures."

"Dad, shall we go now?" Chen Xiaohe's eyes lit up. Although he was married, the passion for the mountains and forests and hunting that he had as a young man had never diminished.

Father Chen nodded and called into the house, "Dashan! Grab the rope and sack, and come up the mountain with Dad and Xiaohe to clear out the traps."

Chen Dashan was inside the house sanding a wooden board with a plane. Upon hearing this, he responded, quickly packed up his tools, picked up a rope and a few old burlap sacks from the corner, and came out.

Chen's mother was sitting on a small stool at the entrance of the main room, mending a cotton-padded coat. Hearing the noise, she looked up and instructed, "Go and come back soon! It looks like it's going to snow soon. The mountain roads are slippery and cold, so be very careful. If you feel anything is wrong, retreat immediately. Losing things doesn't matter; the most important thing is that you come back safely."

"We understand, Mother. We know what we're doing," Chen Dashan replied calmly.

The father and his two sons put on thick old cotton-padded coats, tightened their trouser legs, wore earmuff hats made from old fur by Chen's mother, carried baskets on their backs, took the necessary tools, and soon disappeared at the end of the path leading to the back of the mountain.

The room quieted down considerably, with only the soft crackling of firewood in the stove and the occasional babbling of children or the clanging of toys coming from the east wing. Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing settled the four chubby children, who were playing with dolls on the kang (heated brick bed), and took out several sheets of red paper they had specially obtained from Chen Xiucai's house at the village entrance the day before. Several sets of names were written neatly in regular script on the paper; the ink was dry and emitted a faint fragrance.

"Mother, come and take a look!" Su Xiaoyin called to Chen's mother. "Scholar Chen has come up with so many names, we're overwhelmed! Can you help us decide which one is the best?"

Mother Chen put down her needlework, wiped her hands, took the few sheets of red paper, and leaned close to the bright window to examine them closely. Chen Xiucai was a rare scholar in the village. Although his academic achievements stopped at the county-level, he was upright, knowledgeable, and the names he chose reflected elegance and high expectations. The papers listed names for his four children, with three or four choices for each child.

Mother Chen looked at the names carefully, her finger gently tracing the auspicious meanings of each character. After a while, she looked up, a gentle smile in her eyes: "If you ask me, these are quite good. Our Shitou, let's call him Chen Ji'an. 'Ji' means grain, the foundation of the nation, and 'an' means peace, implying that he will be the foundation of our Chen family, living a peaceful and safe life. As for Aji, let's call him Chen Ji'ning. 'Ning' means peace and well-being, hoping he will have a peaceful and smooth life. Afu, let's call him Chen Ji'kang. 'Kang' means health and well-being, as good fortune should be accompanied by health. Qingqing is a girl, so we don't need the 'Ji' generation name. Chen Qinghe is perfect. 'Qinghe' means newly sprouted rice seedlings, fresh and full of vitality, just right for our Qingqing."

After listening, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing exchanged a glance, both seeing approval and joy in each other's eyes. Su Xiaoqing smiled and said, "Mother, these names you chose are really good! Every single one of the names Chen Xiucai suggested is wonderful; we were overwhelmed with choices. Now that you mention it, they are both fitting and pleasant to hear. Ji'an, Ji'ning, Ji'kang, Qinghe... I hope our four precious children can truly grow up peacefully and healthily, just as their names suggest."

"It will definitely happen," Chen's mother said firmly, looking at her innocent yet lively grandchildren on the kang (a heated brick bed), every wrinkle on her face smoothing out.

After finishing their business, Su Xiaoyin looked at the gloomy sky outside the window and remembered that there were still many chestnuts stored in the cellar that they had picked in the fall. She said, "Mom, it's so cold and gloomy today. We're just killing time anyway. Why don't we grind some chestnut flour and make some chestnut cakes? They can be a treat for the children and make them sweet."

Upon hearing this, Chen's mother also thought it was a good idea: "Okay! There are still some hawthorns in the cellar, so why not make some hawthorn cake? It'll be sweet and sour, and it'll whet the appetites of these little ones and help them cut through the greasiness."

Without further ado, Chen's mother went to the cellar to fetch chestnuts and hawthorns, while Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing prepared a stone mill, a fine sieve, and a steamer. The chestnuts were first soaked in hot water to make peeling easier, revealing the golden kernels. After steaming, they were ground into a fine powder while still hot using a stone mill, then sifted through a fine sieve to obtain extremely fine chestnut powder. The hawthorns needed to be carefully pitted and washed, then slowly simmered in a pot with a small amount of water until they became a thick puree. The puree was then filtered through cheesecloth to remove the coarse residue, resulting in clear hawthorn juice. This juice was then returned to the pot with a little sugar (the Chen family was now better off and willing to use sugar), and simmered until it reached a consistency that could be clumped on a spoon.

The three worked together seamlessly, and in no time, they had mixed chestnut flour with a little boiling water and honey to form a dough. They divided the dough into small portions, pressed them into cute little shapes using patterned molds, and steamed them briefly to set. The hawthorn juice was poured into a shallow dish lightly oiled and left to cool naturally.

As the chestnut cake was steamed and taken out of the pot, a warm and simple sweet aroma instantly filled the entire kitchen. Su Xiaoyin cut the still-warm chestnut cake into small pieces, first handing one to Chen's mother, and then giving a small piece to each of the four little ones who were eagerly watching. Chen's mother tasted it and nodded in praise, "Mmm, this tastes really good! The natural sweetness of the chestnuts is enough, it's soft and delicate, and there's no need to add too much sugar, making it perfect for children."

Su Xiaoqing also took a bite, her eyes squinting with satisfaction: "Yes, Mother, it's even tastier than I expected. Next autumn, we should go up the mountain to pick more chestnuts. They keep well and are great for making pastries, stewing chicken, or cooking porridge. When we visit relatives and friends, we can bring some homemade chestnut cakes—it'll be both presentable and practical."

Chen's mother smiled and agreed, "That makes sense."

While waiting for the hawthorn cake to set, the room was warm and cozy. The children, having eaten their sweet chestnut cake, contentedly continued playing with their toys. Su Xiaoqing sat down next to Chen's mother, a little bored. "Mom, it's really hard to get used to having so much free time. I can't embroider all day either, it's too much for my eyes. Do you know anything interesting happening in our village lately? Tell me about it."