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

"Mom, look, these are all wild vegetables and mountain greens we picked from the valley. Aren't they especially tender? We plan to go again this afternoon and pick more. We'll dry them while the sun is shining and save them for winter." Su Xiaoyin poured the harvest from her basket onto the clean stone slab at the entrance of the main room. The fresh dandelions, shepherd's purse, and clumps of dark green bracken tips all exuded the unique freshness of the spring mountains.

Mrs. Chen put down the little bib she was sewing for her grandson, walked over, squatted down, and carefully examined it. A satisfied smile appeared on her face: "It's so tender! This valley is sheltered from the wind and faces the sun, the soil is fertile, so everything that grows here is incredibly fresh. The more you sun-dry it, the better. Adding a little to stews or dumplings in winter will make them so delicious." She looked up and asked Mr. Chen, who had just put down his hoe and was drawing water from the well to wash his face, "Old man, have you decided what to plant on that plot of land in the valley?"

Before Chen's father could answer, Chen Xiaohe, who was gulping down water beside him, put down his ladle and whispered mysteriously, "Mom, we found more than just wild vegetables in the valley!"

"Oh? What other treasures did you find?" Chen's mother asked with a smile.

Chen Xiaohe leaned closer, his eyes sparkling: "We found three ginseng roots! Right next to a shady crevice in the rocks! Dad looked at them and said they're still young, so let them grow there slowly, and don't dig them up."

"Ginseng?" Chen's mother was slightly taken aback, then a look of surprise flashed in her eyes, but she quickly turned to caution. "Is it really ginseng? That's incredible... But your father is right, we don't need a lot of money right now. Let it grow there properly; the longer it grows, the more valuable it will become. If it can produce seeds on its own and scatter them around, that would truly be leaving a treasure mountain for our descendants."

Chen Dashan had just returned from feeding the livestock in the backyard when he heard this and chimed in, "Mother, your idea is exactly what Xiaoyin was thinking. Xiaoyin also said that we should wait until autumn to see if the ginseng can produce seeds. If it can, we'll try sowing some seeds around here ourselves."

As the family chatted, Su Xiaoqing had already efficiently set the table for lunch. It consisted of simple mixed grain rice, a plate of stir-fried cured pork with fresh bamboo shoots, a bowl of wild vegetable and egg drop soup, and a dish of cold wild vegetables drizzled with sesame oil. Though not lavish, everything was from their own fields and mountains, making it a satisfying meal.

Sitting around the table, Chen's father ate a few mouthfuls of rice, put down his chopsticks, and said, "This morning on the mountain, I ran into the eldest son of the village head. He said that the village head is planning to go to a nursery in the neighboring county in a couple of days to buy some fruit tree saplings. I'm thinking that we should go with him and buy some suitable saplings to plant on the barren hillside."

Chen Dashan picked up a bamboo shoot from the stone beside him and asked, "Dad, do you have a plan? What kind of fruit trees do you want to buy?"

Father Chen pondered for a moment and said, "I'm thinking that we should plant fruit trees, firstly for our own consumption, and secondly to earn money to supplement our household income. So we need to choose those that are easy to grow and whose fruit can fetch a good price. After we finish eating, let's all think about it and come up with some ideas."

After finishing their meal and clearing away the dishes, the family didn't rush to leave. The early summer afternoon sun was warm and gentle, carrying the scent of growing plants. They moved small stools and sat under the shade of the old locust tree in the yard, enjoying the breeze as they talked about planting trees.

While sewing shoe soles, Chen's mother spoke first: "If you ask me, hard persimmons are good. Persimmons are sweet, and adults and children alike love them. If you can't finish them, you can make dried persimmons, which can be stored for a long time. They're a good snack in winter or a presentable gift during festivals. People in town and county also buy dried persimmons."

Su Xiaoqing was gently fanning Qingqing in her arms with a palm-leaf fan when she heard this, her eyes lit up: "Jujubes are good too! Fresh jujubes are sweet and crisp, and dried ones can be stored for a year. They can be used to cook porridge, stew soup, and make desserts. There seem to be quite a few jujube trees here, so they should be easy to grow."

Chen Dashan pondered for a moment and said, "In our area, pear and apple trees are quite common, and they bear a lot of fruit. If citrus trees can be grown, having oranges to eat in winter would be a rare treat. Walnut trees bear fruit after many years, but walnuts are good for the brain, so the price has always been high. Oh, and there are olive trees too. Olive oil is precious, but I don't know if our climate is suitable for it."

While mending Chen Dashan's torn cuffs, Su Xiaoyin said softly, "I think we could try citrus trees. I've heard that not only the fruit of citrus trees is edible, but the peel and pith can also be used in medicine. Let's buy a few trees first and plant them in a sunny, sheltered spot. If they survive, it'll be a source of income later." She paused, then added, "And watermelons. Didn't Xiaohe and his family sell them quite well last year? If we have any flat, fertile land in our valley, we could plant some watermelons there too. We could take them to the county town in the summer, and they'd definitely sell faster than vegetables."

Listening to everyone's suggestions, Mr. Chen silently considered his options. Finally, he stroked his beard and said, "Xiao Yin is right, we can't put all our eggs in one basket. Our family isn't well-off and can't afford to take big risks. I think we should do as everyone says and buy a little of everything to try. We'll set aside a flat area in the valley to plant watermelons. On the hillside, we'll buy a few persimmon and jujube trees, two pear trees, two apple trees, and two citrus trees to plant as well. As for walnuts and olives... let's ask the village head first to see if anyone here has successfully grown them before deciding."

He looked at his two daughters-in-law: "Xiaoyin, Xiaoqing, if you go up the mountain these next few days, make sure you pick some wild vegetables. We'll dry a lot this year, so we can eat them ourselves in the winter, and we can also sell some of the better ones at the market before the New Year. City people love fresh mountain vegetables."

Su Xiaoqing nodded in agreement, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "Mother, by the way, what happened to Xiuya in the village...? What happened to her family and the family she was engaged to?"

Mentioning this, Chen's mother's smile faded slightly, and she sighed, her needlework slowing down. "What could we say? Her parents were so angry they almost fainted. In front of the village head and several elders, they said they would pretend they never had this daughter and sever all ties. Whether she's good or bad, it has nothing to do with the Zhang family anymore. Her original fiancé's family was initially holding back their anger, but after hearing that Xiu'er had only been a concubine in the county town and that her real wife was someone else, they felt ashamed and didn't want to get involved anymore. So they formally broke off the engagement and I heard they've found another girl and plan to get married this winter."

The courtyard was quiet for a moment, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind and the faint crowing of roosters in the distance.

"What's the point..." Su Xiaoyin murmured softly, it was unclear whether she was asking Xiu Yatou or sighing.

Mother Chen shook her head, picked up the shoe sole again, and sewed a stitch with all her might: "People's hearts, sometimes they are blinded by the fleeting wealth in front of them, unable to see the long term, and forgetting their roots. Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. We make our own lives, so we should focus on planning our future, on this mountain and this land, and move forward steadily."