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

The oxcart creaked and groaned along the dirt road back to the village. Although it was the dead of winter, the sun shone brightly, illuminating the piles of New Year's goods on the cart and the undisguised joy on the faces of the four people. Su Xiaoqing held the newly bought fine cotton cloth and the two bundles of cloth scraps given to her by the shopkeeper in her arms, her eyes still sparkling as she savored the hustle and bustle of the market and her harvest.

"Sister, look at that fish, it's so fat! Let Mom braise it when we get back, we'll have it for the New Year!" She leaned closer to Su Xiaoyin and whispered, her voice full of anticipation for the New Year.

Su Xiaoyin carefully protected the package of persimmons wrapped in several layers of oil paper in her hands. Hearing this, she nodded and smiled, "Yes, that fishmonger was really honest; he picked out this lively one for me. I also bought some glutinous rice, dates, and bamboo leaves. Didn't Mother say we're going to make zongzi this year? Eating zongzi in the twelfth lunar month means rising higher every year." She then weighed the cloth bag in her other hand, "These bean sprouts look so fresh; we'll try sprouting some when we get back, to add a refreshing dish for the New Year."

The two carefully counted the things they had bought: two auspicious couplets, several bright red "福" (fortune) characters, a packet of newly added stewing spices, and a thick piece of pork offal. The pig they slaughtered before the New Year had long since run out of offal, so this time, braised offal would be another main dish on the New Year's dinner table.

When they returned to the stall, Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe had already neatly packed up the last few odds and ends, and the oxcart was also put away in order, just waiting for the two of them.

"Have you bought everything?" Chen Dashan took the heavy items from Su Xiaoyin's hands and asked softly.

"All done," Su Xiaoyin replied, then suddenly remembered something. "Wait, Dashan, we still need to go to the cloth shop. The embroidery pattern sold for a good price, so we need to quickly buy the silk fabric and embroidery thread we'll need next time, and stock up before the New Year." The twenty-five taels of silver were burning hot in her pocket; she needed to turn them into real materials as soon as possible before she could feel at ease.

Chen Dashan understood and nodded: "Okay, go and come back quickly, we'll wait here."

The two sisters returned to the fabric shop, this time with more money in hand, and felt more confident in their selection. They chose two bolts of light-colored silk fabric, fine and even in texture, suitable for embroidering large designs, and bought plenty of various colored embroidery threads, spending three and a half taels of silver. Su Xiaoqing, with her sharp eyes, spotted a bolt of fine cotton fabric with a light red background and small gold flowers. The bright and festive colors were perfect for making baby jackets or swaddle blankets to sell during the New Year. Although only half a bolt was left, she gritted her teeth and bought it. The shopkeeper, seeing that they were big customers, smiled broadly and, as usual, bundled up two large bundles of scrap fabric as a bonus.

The four men reunited, their loads plentiful, and returned home. As the oxcart entered the Chen family courtyard, the sun was already beginning to set. After unloading the cart and quickly washing away the chill, the family gathered in the warm, cozy main room of the old house. The charcoal brazier burned brightly, casting a rosy glow on their faces.

Chen's mother, unable to contain herself any longer, spoke first once everyone was seated: "Tell me quickly, how was the market today? Did everything sell well?"

Chen Xiaohe, unable to hold back his words, immediately replied excitedly, "Mother! The market was packed with people today! It was like a temple fair! The bamboo baskets, wooden horses, and hair ties we brought, as well as the baby clothes and tiger-head hats that my sister-in-law and Xiao Qingxin made, sold incredibly fast! Even the lightweight baby stroller that my brother just designed was snapped up at first sight! In the end, our stall was almost empty! My brother and I did the math, and all in all, we made two and a half taels of silver today!"

"Two and a half ounces!" Mother Chen's eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands. "Good! Really good! This year's pre-New Year market is indeed different from usual." Every wrinkle on her face smoothed out, a look of satisfaction at seeing a real harvest after a year of hard work.

All eyes turned to Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing. Although Chen Dashan already knew the amount, he quietly watched his wife. Su Xiaoyin took a deep breath, took out the heavy, carefully wrapped money bag from her bosom, placed it on the table, and slowly opened it.

Instead of the expected loose silver coins or copper coins, there were two shiny ten-tael official silver ingots, along with several pieces of silver of varying sizes, which looked to be about five taels each.

"The embroidery shop manager... accepted our 'Guanyin painting'," Su Xiaoyin's voice was relatively calm, but her slightly trembling fingertips betrayed her inner excitement, "and gave us twenty-five taels of silver."

"Twenty-five taels?!" Mrs. Chen gasped, abruptly standing up, her eyes wide with shock. Mr. Chen, who was drinking water from his bowl, nearly spilled it when he heard this. Chen Xiaohe jumped up with a "whoosh," his mouth agape wide enough to fit an egg.

"Twenty-five taels?! My goodness!" Chen Xiaohe walked half a circle around the table, both shocked and excited. "Sister-in-law! Xiaoqing! You two are amazing! Twenty-five taels! That's enough for my brother and me to go to the market and make so much furniture!"

Su Xiaoqing's face flushed red, both happy and embarrassed. She quickly waved her hand and said, "You can't compare them like that! Xiaohe, your business is a steady stream, you can go to the market several times a month, and you earn a lot each time. Our embroidery, it takes half a year to finish just one piece. The effort and energy it takes is incalculable. After deducting the cost of the silk fabric and embroidery thread, and spreading it out over each month, it's not much." What she said was true. The effort and time spent on a finely crafted embroidery, when carefully calculated, might not even match the profit margin of diligently setting up a stall.

Mother Chen had regained her composure. She carefully picked up a silver ingot, weighing it in her hand; its cool, heavy texture reassured her. Looking at her two daughters-in-law, her eyes were full of praise and pride: "You can't say that. This skill, this patience, is priceless! To be able to produce twenty-five taels of silver in one go—that's real ability! We farmers toil in the fields, carpenters create, embroiderers make money—each has their own way, and they're all excellent!"

She placed the silver back on the table, looked at Chen's father, and said with a resolute glint in her eyes, "Old man, now you see, when spring comes we'll have more confidence in buying that small valley behind the village and the wasteland at its foot. I was always worried that if we bought the mountain land, the public funds wouldn't have enough money to withstand the risks. Now, with this income, plus the profits from our stalls by the mountains and rivers, our carpentry work, and the income from our land and the mountains, we can take this step more steadily!"

Father Chen gave a heavy "hmm," his dark face displaying the composure and determination honed by years of experience: "Buy it! Go to the yamen to get the deed done in the spring. I've seen that valley; if we manage it well, it can become a great foundation. Plant fruit trees and medicinal herbs on the mountainside, and let the land at the foot of the mountain slowly fertilize; these will be a reliable asset for our descendants."