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

The next day, as dawn broke and the rooster crowed three times, activity began to stir in both the old and new courtyards of the Chen family.

Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe were the first to finish packing. The two loaded the goods they had arranged the day before—several newly made exquisite bamboo baskets, a box of polished wooden hairpins and combs, colorful hair ties and several pairs of tiger-head shoes and hats made by the Su sisters, and a few festive carp lanterns—onto the oxcart. Chen Dashan then took out a slightly worn wooden board from the house, on which the words "Chen Family Bamboo and Wood Crafts" were neatly written in charcoal—this was written by an old scholar from the village, which he had asked to do a couple of days ago, and he planned to display it at the stall today.

"Brother, once you put up this sign, our stall looks much more impressive!" Chen Xiaohe grinned as he helped tie the wooden plank to a conspicuous spot on the cart shaft.

Chen Dashan dusted off his hands, his expression calm: "Let's try it first. After a while, once we've really settled on the name 'Chen Family Furniture Workshop,' we'll make a proper piece." He checked the oxcart again, making sure everything was in order, and nodded to Su Xiaoyin who was seeing him off. "We're leaving now, we'll be back before noon."

The oxcart creaked its way out of the village and into the gradually brightening morning light. It was market day, and many villagers were already on their way, greeting each other and chatting and laughing. The morning air was filled with the bustling vitality of life.

Father Chen, carrying a hoe, strolled slowly towards his field. Spring sowing was over, and the corn and sorghum in the field had already sprouted a foot tall, a lush green expanse, growing vigorously. He walked along the field ridges, occasionally squatting down to carefully examine the leaves of the seedlings, feel the moisture of the soil, and pull out a few weeds that had secretly sprouted. When he encountered fellow farmers who had also gotten up early for the fields, they stopped, exchanged a bag of tobacco, chatted about this year's rains and pests, and lamented the hardships and hopes of farmers.

"Brother Danian, have all the saplings you planted on that barren mountain survived?" Old Zhao from the neighboring village asked.

"They're alive and looking quite energetic. We just need to keep a close eye on them to prevent them from being eaten by wild rabbits or anything like that." A relieved smile appeared on Mr. Chen's face. That patch of new green was his long-term vision for his descendants.

Meanwhile, Chen's mother and Su Xiaoyin, carrying baskets on their backs and small hoes, also headed up the back mountain. The morning dew was still fresh, making the mountain path a bit slippery, but the two supported each other, walking steadily. The air in the forest was fresh, the fragrance of grass and trees mingling with the scent of earth.

"Mom, look over here, the thorny shoots have grown so tall!" Su Xiaoyin pointed to a shady bush.

"That's right, they're at their tenderest!" Chen's mother walked over quickly, skillfully plucked the tenderest buds, and carefully placed them into her basket. "These things are precious; they can only be eaten these few days. After that, they'll be too old. Pick more, blanch them tonight, and make a cold salad. Your father, Dashan, and Xiaohe all love it."

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law chatted quietly as they picked wild vegetables. Chen's mother pointed out the names and ways to eat various mountain vegetables, which ones could be dried and which ones had to be eaten fresh; Su Xiaoyin carefully identified the medicinal herbs that occasionally appeared in the grass, such as Bupleurum, Plantain, and Dandelion. When she saw a good-looking one, she carefully dug it out, shook off the dirt, and put it in a small cloth bag.

"These mountains are full of treasures." Chen's mother straightened up, wiped the fine sweat from her forehead, "It just depends on whether we have the will, whether we recognize them, and whether we are willing to put in the effort to get them."

Su Xiaoyin nodded, deeply agreeing. If she hadn't married into the Chen family and learned to recognize these wild plants, how would she have known that those weeds she once disdained on her journey of fleeing famine could become vegetables in her bowl, medicine for treating illnesses, or even goods that could be exchanged for money?

At home, Su Xiaoqing dressed the four little ones who had just woken up and fed them goat milk. She handed them toys and let the four children play on the kang (a heated brick bed).

After settling the children in, she began preparing lunch. She lit a fire in the stove and started cooking rice porridge. Then she took a small piece of cured meat from the rafters, finely diced it, and prepared to stir-fry it with the wild garlic sprouts she had gathered yesterday to make a fragrant topping. The tender bok choy from the garden was fresh and tender; she picked a handful and stir-fried it. The tofu, which Chen Dashan had pointed out from the tofu shop at the village entrance that morning, still had a beany smell; she cut it into cubes and set it aside. The crucian carp, lively and jumping in a basin of clear water, awaited the men's return to be killed and used to make a milky white tofu soup.

She worked swiftly, tending to the stove and children while tidying up the house inside and out. Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the gleaming floor and reflecting the children's rosy cheeks; everything seemed peaceful and full of hope.

At the market, the Chen brothers' stall gradually became more lively. The simple wooden sign indeed attracted a lot of attention. Some women picked up hair ties and compared their colors to the sunlight, some old men stroked the woven patterns of bamboo baskets and nodded in approval, and young parents with children stopped to ask about the prices, attracted by the adorable tiger-head shoes, hats and little wooden horses.

"How much is this basket?"

"Auntie, this basket is woven very tightly. It's only five coins. You can use it to store needles, thread, and vegetables for eight to ten years without it breaking!"

"Can you make the hair ties cheaper? I'd like to buy two more."

"Young lady, these hair ties are made from the finest fabric. Look how carefully the flowers are braided! Three coins each, five coins for two, I can't go any lower!"

……

Chen Xiaohe was sweet-talking and enthusiastic, while Chen Dashan was calm and reliable; the two brothers worked together seamlessly. The bamboo and wooden trinkets and hair ties sold quickly, and the exquisite tiger-head shoes were also bought at a good price by two women who appeared to be well-off.

As the sun rose higher, Chen Dashan, estimating that it was about time, asked his younger brother to watch the stall. He then put away the bag of dried mushrooms he had prepared for Master Qin, along with a small jar of freshly pickled garlic, and headed towards the Qin Family Restaurant in town. He kept his father's instructions in mind and carried with him his heavy hopes for "Chen Family Furniture Shop."

As Chen's mother and Su Xiaoyin's baskets filled up on the mountain, they began their descent, satisfied. Back home, Su Xiaoqing had almost finished preparing the meal, filling the house with a delicious aroma. Chen's father, having finished inspecting the crops, was carrying his hoe along the path home, planning to check on the newly planted saplings on the barren mountain that afternoon.

Under the bright sunshine, all things grow. This ordinary yet fulfilling day for the Chen family flowed gently by in a rhythm of busy work and mutual concern. Everyone was striving in their own role, for the present of this family, and for its flourishing future.