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

The next day, just as dawn broke, Mr. and Mrs. Chen set off up the mountain with provisions and water. Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing stayed home, unfolding the nearly completed "Eight Immortals Celebrating Longevity" embroidery. On the embroidery, the immortals' robes flowed gracefully, auspicious clouds swirled, and the colors were rich yet elegant; only a few final details and edges remained to be refined. The sisters worked diligently with their needle and thread, but their minds seemed somewhat wandering, frequently glancing up at the verdant mountain shadows outside the window. The mountains seemed to possess an invisible attraction, beckoning them.

Chen Dashan was polishing the mortise and tenon joints of a piece of furniture in the yard when he caught a glimpse of the two sisters' "physically present but mentally absent" expressions. He stopped his work, walked to the woodworking shed, and said to Chen Xiaohe, who was splitting bamboo strips, "Xiaohe, is the furniture almost finished? In another month or so, the ones ordered by Master Qin and his nephew should all be completed. All that's left is fine polishing."

Chen Xiaohe looked up and wiped his sweat: "Yes, brother, the main structure is up and running, it should be ready in a month at most."

Chen Dashan nodded, pondered for a moment, and said, "I think Xiaoyin and Xiaoqing's minds are all on the mountain. The embroidery is important, but we can't keep them on edge all the time. Here's what we'll do: in the morning, you take Xiaoqing up the mountain to see if you can find any stray mushrooms or pick some tender wild vegetables. In the afternoon, I'll take Xiaoyin. We'll take turns watching the children."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaohe's eyes lit up immediately: "Great idea! I'll call Xiaoqing right away!" He was naturally lively and loved to run in the mountains, so he immediately dropped the bamboo strips, washed his hands, and excitedly went to call Su Xiaoqing.

"Xiaoqing," Chen Xiaohe said with a grin, "Since there's nothing urgent to do this morning, my brother said I'd go with you to the mountains for a stroll? Let's see if we can pick up some stray mushrooms or find some newly sprouted wild vegetables. My brother and sister-in-law can go to the mountains this afternoon."

Upon hearing this, Su Xiaoqing's eyes lit up instantly, but she quickly looked at her sister with hesitation.

Chen Dashan also came over and said gently to Su Xiaoyin, "The Eight Immortals Celebrating Longevity is just a little bit left to finish, there's no rush this morning. You stay home and focus on your embroidery, I'll look after the children. Let Xiaohe take Xiaoqing out for a walk to clear her head. This afternoon... I'll go with you."

He spoke those last words softly, yet they made Su Xiaoyin's heart skip a beat. She looked up and met Chen Dashan's calm yet knowing gaze. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she nodded gently.

So, in the morning, Chen Xiaohe accompanied the overjoyed Su Xiaoqing up the mountain. The courtyard quieted down, with only the occasional sound of Chen Dashan coaxing the child and the soft rustling of Su Xiaoyin's needle as she embroidered. She was more focused than usual, but a small, warm expectation lingered in her heart.

In the afternoon, sunlight streamed through the window, casting bright dappled patterns on the floor. Chen Dashan settled the children, who had eaten, drunk their fill, and played until they were tired, onto the kang (a heated brick bed) for a nap. He then walked over to Su Xiaoyin and said, "Let's go, while the sun is still shining."

Su Xiaoyin put down her embroidery frame, her eyes crinkling into a smile. She quickly got up to fetch her basket and small hoe. The two of them said goodbye to Su Xiaoqing and then went out one after the other, heading towards the back mountain.

The mountain forests in early summer offer a different kind of abundance. The trees grow even denser, their foliage spreading out a verdant canopy that blocks most of the scorching sunlight, allowing only a few glimmers of golden light to filter through. The air is moist, mingled with the scents of earth, decaying leaves, and the vibrant growth of various plants. Birdsong weaves through the woods, adding to the tranquility.

Chen Dashan walked ahead, using a sharpened stick to clear away branches and weeds blocking his path, occasionally reminding Su Xiaoyin behind him to watch her step. His steps were steady, but he deliberately slowed down. Su Xiaoyin followed behind him, her eyes like those of a nimble deer, carefully searching for any delicious food that might be hidden under trees, in the grass, or beside rotten wood.

"There's a clump here!" she whispered, crouching down and carefully using a piece of wood to pry up a few thick-capped, brownish-yellow porcini mushrooms. Her movements were practiced and gentle, as if she were handling precious treasures.

Chen Dashan also spotted several clusters of hazel mushrooms nearby. The two tacitly separated a short distance, each searching independently, yet always remaining within each other's line of sight.

The forest was quiet, with only the rustling of footsteps on fallen leaves and the occasional rustling of digging and picking. After a while, both of their baskets were a bit heavier.

While resting in an open area by a stream, Chen Dashan handed Su Xiaoyin a bamboo tube for water. Looking at her cheeks, flushed from work and the heat, he suddenly asked, "You and Xiaoqing... seem to particularly enjoy coming up the mountain. Other women are lucky if they don't have to work in the fields; most would prefer to stay home and do light work. But you two, you take every opportunity to go to the mountains."

Su Xiaoyin took the bamboo tube and drank a small sip of the sweet stream water. She was silent for a moment, her fingers unconsciously stroking the rough edge of the basket, her gaze fixed on the lush, verdant depths of the mountain forest.

"The mountains," she said softly, like a breeze in the forest, "you might find it strange. Actually... sometimes I don't quite understand it myself. It's just that here," she pointed to her heart, "when I feel empty, or when I dream of floods at night, or when I'm so hungry I can't walk, as long as I come up the mountain and look at all these trees, grass, and rocks, and all these edible mushrooms, wild vegetables, and bamboo shoots... I feel much more at ease."

She paused, as if trying to find the right words to express her feelings: "The journey of fleeing famine... was so long, and we were so hungry. We were so hungry our eyes were practically glowing green; we wanted to stuff anything green into our mouths. Back then, I just wished there was a mountain, a mountain full of food. How wonderful that would be!" She chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Maybe it's a bad habit I developed. Now life is better, we have grain at home, livestock in the pen, but whenever I see this basket gradually filling up with mushrooms and wild vegetables, that feeling of panic and uncertainty fades away. I just think... well, even if something else happens, with this mountain, our family won't go hungry. It's silly, isn't it?"