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

The 30th day of the twelfth lunar month is the Lunar New Year.

As dawn broke, Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe got up. The courtyard was still quiet; even the chickens, who were usually early risers, were still curled up in their coops. The two brothers, their breath steaming in the air, took out the red paper couplets and the character "福" (fortune) they had bought from the market a few days earlier from the cupboard in the main room.

"Brother, how about we put this couplet, 'May Heaven add years to your life and may spring fill the universe and may blessings fill your door,' on the main hall door, and this one, 'May the five grains be plentiful and the six domestic animals thrive, may the family be harmonious and all things prosper,' on the courtyard gate?" Chen Xiaohe unfolded the bright red couplets, the ink characters on them full and powerful, exuding joy.

Chen Dashan nodded, mixing a small bowl of paste made from wheat flour in his hand: "Okay. Paste the 'Fu' character upside down, and also put one on the Kitchen God's side." He skillfully spread the paste evenly on the door frame with a brush, while Chen Xiaohe tiptoed, carefully aligning the couplets and gently smoothing them from top to bottom. The red paper against the old earthen wall instantly added a strong festive atmosphere. The 'Fu' character, pasted upside down on the lintel in the center of the main room, was round and full, symbolizing "good fortune arriving."

After putting up the Spring Festival couplets and the character "福" (good fortune), the two brothers rubbed their hands, which were a little stiff from the cold, and returned to the main room. The room was already warm, and the firelight from the stove shone through the crack in the door. Their mother, wearing a clean apron, was busy at the stove. Seeing them come in, she said, "Dashan and Xiaohe, you two keep an eye on the children. Let them play on the kang (heated brick bed) so they don't get hurt. Xiaoyin, Xiaoqing, come and give your mother a hand. We have to prepare a proper New Year's Eve dinner tonight!"

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing had already washed up and greeted the call with smiles. They rolled up their sleeves and went into the kitchen. Soon, the sounds of washing vegetables, chopping vegetables, and Chen's mother's soft instructions, along with the sisters' gentle responses, filled the air. A rich aroma began to waft out from under the door: the salty fragrance of steaming cured pork, the fresh scent of blanched winter bamboo shoots, and the unique umami flavor of stewed chicken mixed with dried mushrooms.

Inside the main room, Father Chen sat cross-legged on the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed), while four chubby little ones crawled around him. Shitou and Aji were fascinated by the small wooden swords their father had just carved for them that morning, babbling and pointing at them. Qingqing and Afu, on the other hand, were interested in a box of colorful scraps of cloth, picking one up with their chubby little hands to examine it, then grabbing another to touch it. Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe took off their shoes and sat on the kang, watching the children to keep them from falling off while playing with them.

Looking at the scene before him, Mr. Chen's wrinkled face broke into a contented smile. He reached out and patted the head of the stone leaning against his leg: "My four grandsons and granddaughters are so well-behaved and easy to take care of."

Chen Dashan straightened Aji's hat, which was about to fall askew, and said, "He's quite well-behaved. He eats well, sleeps well, and doesn't cause any trouble. The four of them can even play together."

Father Chen's gaze drifted further away, tinged with reminiscence: "They take after their mother in that respect, so quiet. Unlike you and Xiaohe when you were little, those were real troublemakers." He chuckled, pointing to his two sons, "They slept like madmen during the day, and at night they were like night owls, crying and wailing, needing to be carried around the house. Back then, your mother and I were exhausted from working in the fields all day, and when we got home at night, our arms were so sore we could barely lift them. We still had to take turns soothing you two little devils, it was truly..."

Chen Xiaohe made a face and exclaimed dramatically, "Dad, this is such an old, trivial matter, and you still remember it!"

Chen Dashan smiled, a rare occurrence for him, but said nothing, only looking tenderly at his children playing beside their father.

Father Chen smiled and shook his head, then said, "By the way, Dashan, we need to remember to send some New Year's gifts to the village head's family after the New Year. The village head helped us a lot by speaking up and running errands when we bought the wasteland. After the New Year, we'll need him to deal with the government offices even more when we buy that piece of wasteland."

Chen Dashan nodded: "Dad, I remember. Mom mentioned before that I should prepare a piece of cured pork, some homemade chestnut cakes, and a bag of good dried dates. It's not a big gift, it's the thought that counts."

The father and his two sons chatted idly, the children babbling on the kang (a heated brick bed), and the clatter of pots and pans in the kitchen mingled with the occasional soft whispers and laughter of the women. Winter sunlight streamed through the clean paper windows, warmly covering half the kang, and the air was filled with the increasingly enticing aroma of food. Everything was imbued with a simple and comforting happiness.

As the sun approached noon, the noise in the kitchen reached its peak. Finally, Chen's mother's loud shout, "Dinner's ready!" broke the busy rhythm.

The square table in the main room was polished to a gleaming shine and was now piled high with food. In the very center sat a braised carp, drizzled with a thick sauce, its body intact, symbolizing "abundance year after year." Next to it was a large platter of glistening, neatly sliced ​​braised pork offal—heart, liver, stomach, and intestines—braised to perfection, their aroma irresistible. Beside it was a steaming pot of chicken stew with mushrooms; golden pieces of chicken soaked in the milky-white broth, contrasting beautifully with the dark brown mushrooms, making it look incredibly appetizing. There was also tender minced meat with tofu, stir-fried bean sprouts, and cured pork stir-fried with bamboo shoots… Though all common farm ingredients, each dish was prepared with care, a feast for the eyes and the palate, creating the impression of a lavish banquet.

The family sat down around the table, and the four children were placed on specially made high-legged wooden chairs, with small bowls and wooden spoons in front of them. As the head of the family, Mr. Chen was the first to raise the rough earthenware bowl filled with his homemade, low-alcohol rice wine. He looked around at his son, daughter-in-law, grandson, and granddaughter at the table, his gaze deep and warm.

"Over the past year," Chen's father's voice wasn't loud, but it carried the genuine strength unique to farmers, "everyone has worked hard. Xiaoyin and Xiaoqing, you married into the family, took care of the household, raised the children, and did embroidery to supplement the family income. You worked day and night, it wasn't easy. You didn't miss any of the heavy work in the mountains, by the river, or in the fields. You went to the market to set up stalls, did carpentry and bamboo weaving, and endured a lot of hardship in the wind and rain. Our whole family worked together with one mind and one goal, and that's how we gradually made our lives better and had this prosperous year."

He paused, his face beaming with undisguised satisfaction: "Your mother and I have watched you build this family up and make it more and more prosperous. It makes us feel sweeter than if we had eaten honey."

Mother Chen also picked up her bowl, her eyes a little red, but her smile was genuine: "Your father is right. Everything else is secondary. What I really hope for is that in the new year, our whole family will be safe and healthy! As long as we're all together, united, hardworking, and resourceful, there's no reason why life can't be good! Come on, let's have a toast and wish for next year to be even better than this year!"

"Wishing for an even better next year!" the adults echoed in unison, the rough earthenware bowls clinking together softly. Even the four little ones seemed to sense the festive atmosphere, waving their little hands and giggling.

Chen Xiaohe couldn't contain himself any longer. He picked up a large piece of tenderly stewed chicken and put it in his mouth, squinting his eyes in satisfaction: "Dad, Mom, this year's New Year's Eve dinner is so sumptuous! It smells so good!"

Chen Dashan placed a piece of winter bamboo shoot on Su Xiaoyin's plate, and Chen Xiaohe quickly scooped a spoonful of tofu for Su Xiaoqing, saying, "We're a bit busy, but it's good to be busy. Being busy means we have work to do, something to look forward to, and money to earn. After spring arrives, furniture making, wasteland reclamation, mountain produce harvesting, embroidery... all sorts of things are waiting for us. As long as we're willing to work hard, next year's New Year's Eve dinner will definitely be more sumptuous than this year's."