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

As the sun gradually moved westward towards the mountain ridge, it cast a warm yellow glow on the earthen walls of the Chen family's courtyard. When the oxcart creaked into the courtyard, only Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing were sitting at the entrance of the main room. One had an embroidery frame on her lap, while the other was mending the hem of a small garment. The four children were crawling or sitting on the floor covered with old mattresses, playing with several smooth wooden toys.

"Xiaoyin, are you the only ones at home? Where are your father and mother?" Chen Dashan asked as he unloaded the ox from the cart.

Su Xiaoyin looked up, her hands still sewing, and replied, "Dad went to the fields to check the soil moisture. We should start preparing for spring planting in the next couple of days. After lunch, Mom took a basket and went to the back mountain. She's been talking about radishes, cabbages, and potatoes all winter. She said she'd try her luck and see if there were any newly sprouted wild vegetables to dig up and bring back for us to change things up and whet our appetites."

Chen Xiaohe helped take the empty basket down and said, "That's great! I've been craving those shepherd's purse dumplings too! Brother, I think the ice in the river has almost melted and the water is clear. Shall we go and put the fish basket in later? The fish in early spring are the freshest and sweetest, with no muddy taste."

"Okay." Chen Dashan nodded. Su Xiaoqing asked, "Were you satisfied with the furniture we delivered to Master Han's house today?"

Before Chen Dashan could answer, Chen Xiaohe interrupted excitedly, "Satisfied! Absolutely satisfied! Master Han touched the wardrobe doors, praising the tight mortise and tenon joints and the smooth paint finish, saying it was no worse than the ones sold in the carpentry shops in town! He even insisted that the steward give him an extra fifty copper coins, saying it was a reward for my elder brother! He also said that if anyone in town needs sturdy furniture, he'll definitely recommend us! Master Qin was also a guest at the Han family's house at the time, and he saw it with his own eyes. He was even more impressed with my elder brother's craftsmanship, and we agreed to have his set of furniture made for him after autumn!"

Hearing this, Su Xiaoyin smiled with relief: "That's good. You all go and set the fish traps, and come back as soon as possible. I'll make pancakes and stir-fry some egg sauce for lunch. If Mother comes back with some wild vegetables, she can dip them in the sauce."

The two sisters said no more, put down their work, one went to the kitchen to knead dough, and the other picked up the children who were playing happily, patted the dirt off their bodies, and took them back into the house.

After drinking a bowl of water, Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe picked up the repaired fish basket and a small bag of roasted wheat bran bait and headed towards the river bend behind the mountain.

---

At this time, on the sunny slopes of the back hill, tiny green shoots had already sprouted among the withered grass and fallen leaves. Chen's mother bent over, her small shovel moving quickly and precisely, picking only the plumpest and tender shepherd's purse and dandelion, shaking off the soil from the roots, and neatly tossing them into the bamboo basket in her arms. A spring breeze swept across the hillside, bringing the moist scent of awakened earth and a faint fragrance of grass; though still somewhat cool, it was no longer biting.

"Aunt Chen! You've come to dig for wild vegetables too?" a clear voice called out.

Chen's mother straightened up and saw that it was the village head's third daughter-in-law, carrying a willow basket, walking over from another path, with the basket half full of greenery.

"Yes," Chen's mother replied with a smile, "After eating cellar-stored vegetables all winter, my stomach is craving something fresh and green! Look at these dandelions, so fresh and tender! Blanch them when we get home, then toss them with some minced garlic and sesame oil—it's the perfect way to cool down."

"That's right!" The village head's daughter-in-law came over to look at Chen's mother's basket. "Wow, you've dug up quite a lot! And they're all picked from the tenderest tips."

"When you get old, all you crave is fresh food," Mrs. Chen said with a smile, glancing at the sky. "I'll go a little further ahead; I heard there are some wild garlic on that shady slope over there. I'll go look for some. You go ahead with your work!"

The two parted ways, and Chen's mother, carrying a heavy basket, walked briskly deeper into the mountains and forests. She didn't head straight for the shady slope, but instead took a detour and came to the edge of the bamboo grove. After a winter of preparation, among the thick layer of fallen leaves on the bamboo grove ground, sure enough, many small, cone-shaped, brownish-yellow heads had broken through the soil, stubbornly pointing towards the sky, topped with a few remaining withered leaves.

"The bamboo shoots are out!" Mother Chen was overjoyed. She put down the basket, took out the small hoe from her waist, selected a few thicker ones with tightly wrapped bamboo shoots, and carefully dug them out from the side, following the direction of the bamboo rhizome, with the bamboo shoots and mud still intact.

---

Su Xiaoyin kneaded the dough in the kitchen and covered it with a basin to let it rest. Stepping out of the kitchen, she saw her younger sister, Su Xiaoqing, sitting in the light by the window of the east wing, intently gazing at the embroidered "Eight Immortals Celebrating Longevity" on the ceiling. On the fine white cloth, only the faint outlines of Tieguai Li's gourd and Zhongli Quan's palm-leaf fan were now clearly visible; large areas remained blank. Yet, even in its early stages, the flowing lines and subtle aura already hinted at its extraordinary nature.

"I've only embroidered this much." Su Xiaoqing sighed softly, her fingertips brushing against the smooth fabric. "Spring is short and there's so much to do. Even though I don't have to go to the fields, there are vegetables on the mountain, work in the garden, the children, and all the odds and ends of embroidery at home... I always feel like there's not enough time."

Su Xiaoyin walked over and sat down next to her, picking up several colored silk threads clipped to the frame to compare them: "We can't rush it. This large embroidery requires patience and steadiness. If we set aside two hours each day to focus on it, we'll eventually finish it. There will be many things to do in the spring, so let's tackle the most important ones first. Embroidery is best done when the mind is calm."

Just then, Chen's mother's cheerful voice came from the courtyard: "I'm back! Look what good things I brought back!"

The two sisters hurried out to greet her, and saw that Chen's mother was all smiles, carrying a full basket of fresh, green wild vegetables still glistening with mountain dew in one hand and a bundle of plump bamboo shoots covered in fresh soil in the other.

"Wow! So much shepherd's purse, dandelion! And bamboo shoots!" Su Xiaoqing happily took the basket. "We'll have a delicious meal tonight!"