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

The next day, before dawn, Mr. and Mrs. Chen got up. Without disturbing the four young people who were still asleep in the new house, the elderly couple quietly carried the items that had been sorted out for the two families—a few bags of food, a basket of autumn vegetables, some handy old household items, and the cloth and cotton that Mrs. Chen had prepared the day before—to the yard of the new house, stacking them neatly.

When the Chen brothers and the Su sisters were awakened by the morning light and pushed open the wooden door of the new house, they saw the "family belongings" waiting quietly in the yard. Meanwhile, in the old house, smoke was already rising from the chimney, and the familiar sounds of Chen's mother making breakfast could be heard, but no one was seen coming over.

The four of them quickly washed up and went to the old house first. Chen's mother was busy at the stove. When she saw them arrive, she just smiled and greeted them, "You're up? Dinner will be ready soon. After you eat, hurry back and tidy up your own places. Your father and I won't go and cause any trouble."

Breakfast was eaten at the old house as usual, but the atmosphere was somewhat different. Mr. and Mrs. Chen didn't say much, only offering the usual advice: "Be careful in managing your finances," and "Brothers and sisters-in-law should get along." After breakfast, Mrs. Chen efficiently cleared the dishes, waving her hand: "Alright, that's all for you here. Go back and tidy up. We'll talk about anything you need when you come over tonight."

Having been "driven" out of the old house and back to his brand-new, still empty courtyard, Chen Xiaohe scratched his head, leaned close to his older brother, and whispered, "Brother, why do I feel like... Mom and Dad were in such a hurry to send us out? They didn't even come to help us pack?"

Chen Dashan was bending down to pick up a bag of grain when he heard this. He paused, his gaze sweeping over the quiet courtyard of the old house not far away. A barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips as he said in a low voice, "Perhaps, Father and Mother want to live a peaceful life. They've always had a good relationship."

These words, spoken so casually, startled Chen Xiaohe for a moment. He then scratched the back of his head and chuckled, as if he understood something. The Su sisters, listening nearby, exchanged a smile. The slight unease they felt about the "family division" was suddenly dispelled by this simple yet heartwarming reason.

"Alright, let's get to work." Chen Dashan hoisted the grain sack onto his shoulder and headed towards the newly dug cellar entrance on the side of the new house. Chen Xiaohe quickly picked up another sack and followed.

The cellar in their new home wasn't large, but it was squarely dug and kept dry and cool, making it a good place to store food and vegetables for the winter. The two brothers carefully carried down the several bags of coarse grains and beans they had been allocated and stacked them neatly.

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing then began tidying up the rest of the things in the yard. Seeing the baskets of cabbages, potatoes, and radishes still smelling of earth, Su Xiaoyin called out to Chen Dashan, who was busy at the cellar entrance, "Husband, are we moving these vegetables into the cellar too?"

Chen Dashan poked his head out of the cellar, a speck of dust on his forehead, and replied, "Yes, move them all in. These are for us to eat in the winter. If we need any fresh vegetables before the snow closes the mountain, we can get them from the garden over at the old house. Mother said she saved some for us. Next spring, we'll open up the yard ourselves and plant whatever we want."

As they were talking, Chen Dashan remembered something, turned around, and took out two large packages wrapped tightly in coarse blue cloth from a pile of miscellaneous items. He patted off the dust and handed them to Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing: "These are what your mother prepared for you in advance. Open them and take a look."

The two sisters took it with a puzzled look; it was quite heavy. Untying the blue cloth revealed several bolts of thick, soft cotton cloth, in the colors of indigo, ochre, and natural color commonly worn by peasant families, as well as two large sacks of snow-white, fluffy new cotton.

"This is..." Su Xiaoyin stroked the soft cotton cloth, somewhat surprised.

"Mother said it's cold here in winter, and it snows. She was worried you wouldn't be used to it coming from the south, so she asked me to make thicker winter clothes for you," Chen Dashan explained, his tone casual but revealing the tender care of a family member. "The cotton and cloth are all here; you can make them as you see fit. Mother should have packed the needles, thread, and scissors in the package as well."

Su Xiaoqing had already turned over the fabric and, sure enough, found a sewing kit, a thimble, and a pair of nearly new scissors underneath. Her eyes welled up slightly, and she whispered, "Mother...you're so thoughtful."

"Mom's always been like this." Chen Xiaohe leaned closer for a look, grinned, and said, "Sister-in-law, Xiaoqing, you two are so skilled, you can definitely make warm and beautiful cotton-padded jackets!"

After each person carried their share of cloth, cotton, and a few old clothes back to their assigned rooms, Chen Dashan looked at the empty new house and pondered for a moment before saying to the others, "The new house is up, but there are still quite a few things missing. I'll slowly make the larger pieces of furniture, like cabinets and chests, over the winter. But there are some things we need urgently every day, so we need to get them quickly."

He looked at Chen Xiaohe and his two younger siblings: "There's a big market in the county town tomorrow, not too far from here. I'm planning for the four of us to go together early tomorrow morning. We'll see what we need to buy at the market and bring it back together."

Upon hearing that they were going to the county market, Chen Xiaohe was the first to get excited: "Great! We should have gone a long time ago! We need to get a few more bowls, chopsticks, and plates now, right? We can't keep using the old ones our parents gave us. We definitely need to buy jars for pickled vegetables and big vats for marinating! Otherwise, what will we eat in the winter? And we need to render some lard to make the stir-fries more flavorful! We also need to stock up on salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and other seasonings!"

He counted on his fingers, and the more he counted, the more he realized he needed to buy.

Su Xiaoyin added softly, "Yes, if you can find cheap needles and thread, you can buy some too. Also... if you see suitable vegetable seeds, even if you can't plant them in winter, it's good to buy some in advance to have on hand." She had already started planning for the vegetable garden in her new home next spring.

"Yes, there's also grain. Although some has been distributed, we should probably also check out things like fine flour and oil," Su Xiaoqing whispered.

Listening to their chatter, Chen Dashan had a general idea of ​​what was going on and nodded, saying, "Okay, it's settled then. Get up early tomorrow and go as soon as possible. The market has everything, and the people are fresh and clean. Go early and come back early."

With the plan set, the four of them went their separate ways to continue their work. The two brothers thoroughly tidied up the cellar and checked the firewalls and chimneys of the new house once again. The two sisters temporarily put away the cloths and cotton and began cleaning the room, wiping the doors and windows, and arranging the existing simple furnishings properly.

Sunlight streamed into the brand-new courtyard. Although it lacked the feel of daily life, it already possessed the framework and warmth of a home. Su Xiaoyin wiped the windowpanes, gazing at the clean sky outside and the faint outline of the old house's roof in the distance, a sense of peace washing over her. Tomorrow, for the first time as a small family, they would participate in the market and purchase items for their new home. This was not just a shopping trip, but more like a ceremony marking the true beginning of their independent new life.

As night fell, the first oil lamp, their own, was lit in the new house. Its dim light illuminated the clear anticipation in their eyes for tomorrow and the future. The faint aroma of food wafted from the old house, but this time, they knew that tomorrow, when the sun rose, their own cooking smoke would rise steadily from the stove in this new house.