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

On a winter morning, breath turns to frost. A thin layer of ice has formed on the water vat in the courtyard; tapping it with a gourd ladle produces a crisp sound. Inside the main room, a brazier burns, the crackling embers offering some respite from the chill.

Chen Xiaohe rubbed his hands as he came in from outside, bringing in a blast of cold air, but his face was all smiles: "Dad! Another business opportunity! It's from Aunt Li's hometown village, introduced by that Aunt Wang from last time. They want my older brother to make furniture. They say their son is getting married in the spring and they want a decent set made. My older brother and I will go over to take the measurements first thing tomorrow morning."

Mr. Chen was mending an old basket by the firelight when he heard this. He looked up, his gray eyebrows twitching slightly. "Oh? Aunt Li recommended you? We have to go. They trust us. You should take the oxcart tomorrow and come back as soon as possible. The roads are difficult to travel in this weather."

Chen Dashan put down the wooden horse he was polishing and nodded steadily: "Okay. Don't worry, Dad. Xiaohe, tomorrow we'll bring those new wooden carvings we've been making recently, as well as that improved, lighter baby stroller. After taking the measurements, we'll go to the county town. It's market day tomorrow, so we can set up a stall and see what the market is like."

"Great!" Chen Xiaohe's eyes lit up, and he immediately started planning. "I'll shout it out at the market, saying, 'Chen the carpenter from Nanshan Village, excellent craftsmanship, fair prices, for weddings and furniture making, look for Chen Dashan!' Maybe I can get a few more orders!"

Hearing his youngest son mimicking the peddler's tune at the market, Mr. Chen couldn't help but laugh and scold, "You clever little devil! Stop just shouting and get the important business done." He remembered something and asked, "By the way, those herbs we dried the other day look completely dry. Shouldn't we take them to Doctor Li to sell? With the end of the year approaching, we should buy some new things for the family."

"It's time to go," Chen Dashan interjected. "Dad, Xiaohe and I will go to Doctor Li's place tomorrow after we come back from the county town. It's getting cold, and it's not easy to go out. We can also see if we need anything else at home and buy it all at once. We need to stock up on salt, sugar, and lamp oil."

As he spoke, he picked up a frozen persimmon from the table, its skin covered in a white frost, broke it in half, handed it to Chen Xiaohe, and took a bite of the other half himself. The frozen persimmon flesh became smooth and sweet, with a unique flavor. "This frozen persimmon is really sweet. Dad, Mom, next spring, let's go to the mountains and look for wild persimmon saplings, dig up one or two to plant in the yard. Every autumn we can pick persimmons, and freeze or dry them into persimmon cakes if we can't finish them. We can eat them ourselves or give them away."

Chen's mother was sewing shoe soles when she heard this and smiled, "If we can really find them, that would be wonderful. Homegrown persimmons are even sweeter after a frost, and they're easy to make into dried persimmons. I'll make you some dried persimmons then, and I guarantee they'll taste even better than the ones sold at the market."

At this moment, as if he had made up his mind, Chen's father put down his work, cleared his throat, and said with a more serious expression, "There's something I want to discuss with you. A few days ago, I went to the village head to ask if there was any nearby wasteland. But the village head said that all the good wasteland close to home had already been cleared away."

He paused, and seeing that his family was looking over, he continued, "However, the village head gave me another idea and asked me to come back and think about it with you. He said, isn't there a small valley next to the front mountain? The one we sometimes go to pick wild grapes in the summer. Below the valley, there's a gentle slope, which is kind of wasteland. The village head's idea is that we could consider buying that small valley, along with that gentle slope at the foot of the mountain."

"Buy a barren mountain?" Chen Dashan frowned slightly, put down the frozen persimmon in his hand, and said, "Dad, the output of a barren mountain is limited. Apart from some firewood and wild fruits, you can't grow many proper crops. You'll also have to work hard to clear away the rocks and miscellaneous trees. I'm afraid it's not worth it, is it?"

Mr. Chen had clearly considered this issue, explaining, "I know that small valley well. It's not small, sunny and sheltered from the wind, and the soil isn't bad, just a bit rocky. We could clear it out and plant some drought-resistant fruit trees or medicinal herbs, that should do the trick. The gentle slope below the valley has good soil, it's just a bit far from the water source, but it's larger than all our current land combined. The key is, once we buy it, it'll be our permanent property. The road is a bit far, but we can build a simple path on the hillside and manage it gradually."

Chen Xiaohe also became interested and asked, "Dad, that whole area must be expensive, right?"

"It's not low," Mr. Chen admitted. "It's much more expensive than buying wasteland alone. That's what I've been hesitating about. Our family has just recovered from financial difficulties, and suddenly having to come up with such a large sum of money..." He sighed. "Why did the village head bring this up? Because his own family is also planning to buy a mountain this year. He's interested in the small back mountain area, which is larger, and the government's price... I heard that because they encourage the reclamation of wasteland, the price is even lower than that of good wasteland. He thinks it's an opportunity."

The main room quieted down, with only the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire. Buying a mountain is not as simple as buying a few acres of wasteland. It means more investment, a longer payback period, and it also means that this family is truly beginning to acquire "permanent property" that can be passed down through generations.

After a moment of silence, Chen's mother put down her needlework, her gaze sweeping over her husband and two sons before finally settling on her two daughters-in-law who were listening quietly. She spoke slowly, her voice low but carrying the decisiveness of a matriarch: "Since you have this intention, and the village head thinks it's a good path, then let's plan it out carefully. This winter, let's work harder on embroidery, carpentry, and mountain produce, saving as many copper coins as possible. Before spring, let's see how much we can gather. If… if it really works out, we'll buy that valley and slope. The distance isn't a problem; we have a large family, we can build it slowly. The poor soil isn't a problem either; we have fertilizer, we can raise livestock year after year. With the mountain, we won't have to worry about firewood, and we'll have another source of wild game and mountain produce. Even if we don't grow gold nuggets right away, leaving them for Shitou and Aji will still be an asset."

Looking into the familiar, resolute light in his parents' eyes, a light that spoke of their deep concern for their children and grandchildren, Chen Dashan's doubts gradually dissipated, replaced by a heavy sense of responsibility and a surge of eager anticipation. He nodded emphatically, "Mother is right. It's settled then. This winter, we'll give it our all!"

Chen Xiaohe was even more eager to get started: "Yes! Make more money! Buy the valley! Then I'll design the most magnificent mountain gate for our family!"

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing exchanged a glance, both seeing the same determination in each other's eyes. Their skills might also contribute to this "family business."