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

The afternoon sun shone through the old locust tree by the courtyard wall, casting dappled shadows on the ground. Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing were sitting by the window in the east wing, doing embroidery. The newly drawn "Koi Carp Welcoming Fortune" pattern was just getting started. The needle and thread moved across the fine white fabric. The room was so quiet that only the occasional chirping of cicadas and the faint laughter of children in the courtyard of the old house next door could be heard.

A hesitant woman's voice suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate: "Is Dashan home? Dashan's wife?"

Hearing the sound, Su Xiaoyin looked up and peered through the window paper. She could vaguely see the figure of a middle-aged woman wearing a dark blue cloth shirt. She put down her embroidery frame, gave her sister a wink, stood up, straightened her clothes, and went out through the curtain.

The newcomer was indeed Old Li's wife from the west end of the village, whom everyone in the village called Aunt Li. She was about forty years old, with a somewhat haggard face and a hint of urgency and unease in her eyes. She was clutching a worn-out handkerchief in her hand, twisting it incessantly.

"Aunt Li? What brings you here today? Please come in and have a seat." Su Xiaoyin greeted her with a polite smile, ushering her into the main room. She then turned and went to the stove to pour a bowl of warm water, handing it to her. "It's hot, have some water."

Aunt Li took the bowl but didn't drink from it. She simply held it in her hand, her eyes scanning the room. Not seeing Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe, a flash of disappointment crossed her face. She hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Dashan's wife, I... I have something I'd like to ask Dashan for help with."

Su Xiaoyin sat down opposite her and said gently, "Please go ahead."

"It's like this," Aunt Li leaned forward and lowered her voice, "My daughter is engaged and will be getting married this winter. I was thinking... to give her two decent camphor wood chests as part of her dowry. I heard that the carpenter in Dashan is very skilled and makes sturdy and well-made chests, so I wanted to ask if he has any free time right now? Could he take on this job?"

Camphor wood chest? Su Xiaoyin's heart skipped a beat. Camphor wood is insect-resistant and a good material for dowry chests, but it is also much more expensive than ordinary pine or poplar. She vaguely knew about Aunt Li's family situation; both of her sons were married and had grandchildren, and they were not well-off. Why would she suddenly prepare such an expensive dowry for her daughter?

After a few thoughts raced through her mind, Su Xiaoyin kept a straight face, only showing a hint of difficulty: "Aunt Li, I understand your good intentions. It's just... Dashan does have work to catch up on right now, it was ordered by a customer in town a while ago, and they're pressing him hard. I'm not sure exactly when he'll be free; I'll have to ask him when he gets back tonight. Why don't you go back first, and I'll get back to you after I find out? Is that alright?"

She neither refused outright nor readily agreed, leaving room for maneuver in her words.

Aunt Li opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but seeing Su Xiaoyin's gentle yet firm attitude, she finally just sighed and nodded: "Okay... then you can ask Dashan for me. If... if he can take it, the price is negotiable. I'll come back in a couple of days." After saying that, she put down the untouched bowl of water and left somewhat absentmindedly.

After seeing Aunt Li off, Su Xiaoyin returned to the east wing. Su Xiaoqing had already stopped her needlework and asked curiously, "Sister, what did Aunt Li come for? Why didn't you just agree? Didn't Big Brother just finish delivering that batch of furniture and have some free time?"

Su Xiaoyin picked up the embroidery frame again, but didn't immediately start sewing. She explained softly to her sister, "Firstly, I'm worried that Dashan and Xiaohe are too tired. Since the beginning of spring, they haven't had a proper rest for more than a few days. They're either busy in the fields or rushing to finish carpentry work, and the autumn harvest is coming soon. I want them to catch their breath. Secondly..." She paused, "I'm not very familiar with Aunt Li's family. I've only heard Mother mention them a couple of times. They haven't separated their households yet, and their two sons and daughters-in-law all eat from the same pot. Suddenly, they're preparing such an expensive camphor wood chest as a dowry for their daughter. I'm afraid there might be something going on. If their family has a dispute over it, and we take this job, we'll be caught in the middle and cause trouble for nothing. We all live in the same village; it wouldn't be good if things got tense."

Su Xiaoqing listened and nodded thoughtfully, "You're so thoughtful, sister. I only thought about making money if I had work, I didn't consider these things." She secretly made a mental note of it, and decided that she should learn to think more carefully in the future.

In the evening, the Chen family members returned one after another. At the dinner table, Su Xiaoyin told them about Aunt Li's visit.

Chen's mother was feeding her youngest son, Afu, rice cereal when she heard this and paused. She looked up and asked, "Aunt Li? Why does she suddenly want to order two camphor wood chests? That's no small amount. Her family..." She didn't finish her sentence, her brows furrowing slightly.

Chen Xiaohe shoveled rice into his bowl and casually remarked, "Maybe Aunt Li feels sorry for her daughter and wants to support her."

Mother Chen shook her head and put down her bowl. "Her family hasn't separated yet. The eldest and second wives are both married with children, and the whole family lives together. Suddenly they want to give their daughter two large camphor wood chests as a dowry, which will cost at least a tael of silver. Do you think her two sons and daughters-in-law will be happy about that? What if the family makes a fuss about it, and they can't even pay for the chests, or they might even blame the chest maker, saying we shouldn't have taken the job? What then?" She looked at Chen Dashan. "Don't rush into agreeing to this job. Tomorrow I'll go out and find out what their family situation is like."

Chen Dashan nodded: "Mother is right. When taking a job, we should not only look at the skill and the wages, but also at the employer. We should not do jobs that are troublesome."

The next morning, Chen's mother carried a basket, saying she was going to the village entrance to exchange eggs, but in reality she sat with several familiar women and chatted with them, finding out most of what was going on with Aunt Li's family.

When she returned at noon, her face was somewhat gloomy. She said to Chen Dashan, who was waiting for a reply, "Dashan, go and refuse Aunt Li. Just say that you are too busy with work to accept the job."

Chen Xiaohe asked curiously, "Mom, what did you find out? Is it really as you guessed?"

Mother Chen sat down on a small stool by the door of the main room and sighed, "That's right. Her daughter is betrothed to the son of the owner of a small general store in town. The groom's family seems well-off, but I heard they're asking for a low dowry, subtly hinting at a large sum. Aunt Li is worried her daughter will suffer after marriage, so besides having two camphor wood chests made, she also wants new clothes for all four seasons, several thick quilts, and I heard she's even planning to secretly slip her daughter some silver for the dowry. All in all, it'll cost at least three or four taels of silver!"

She paused, then lowered her voice: "Her two daughters-in-law have been arguing about this. The elder daughter-in-law says that when she married into the family, her dowry consisted of an old wooden chest, two quilts, and half an ounce of silver; the younger daughter-in-law also says that she didn't receive that much either. They all say that the mother-in-law is biased, giving all the family's money to her younger sister-in-law, and that they will suffer when the family property is divided. The house has been in complete chaos these past few days. If we take this job, wouldn't that be openly siding with Aunt Li and making enemies of her two sons and daughters-in-law? We'd be embarrassed to even walk around the village in the future."

After listening, Chen Dashan nodded calmly: "I understand the desire to give their daughter a dowry so she can have confidence in her husband's family. But it's true that they have to be realistic about what they can afford. Her family isn't exactly well-off to begin with, and it's normal for her two sons to feel resentful about giving out so much money all at once. We really can't take on this job."

Mother Chen made the decision: "Yes, that's right. Social relationships are more important than a few taels of wages. Go and tell her that there's no time to make it, and that she should find someone else."

Chen Dashan agreed, wiped his hands, and walked towards the west end of the village. He found Aunt Li and sincerely explained the situation, saying that he was in urgent need of several furniture orders from the town and neighboring villages, and he really couldn't schedule the work. He was afraid of delaying her daughter's important wedding, so he politely declined.

Upon hearing this, Aunt Li's disappointment deepened. Her lips moved as if she wanted to plead, but in the end she only sighed sadly and said nothing more.

Back in his own courtyard, Chen Dashan saw his father leading his four grandchildren to identify wild vegetables under the shade of a tree, while his mother and sisters, Su Xiaoyin and Chen Xiaohe, were picking vegetables and talking quietly by the kitchen door, and Chen Xiaohe was washing the small fish he had just caught from the river by the well.