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

"Sister-in-law! Xiaoqing! We have to go!"

Just as dawn was breaking, Chen Xiaohe's voice rang out in the yard, startling the hens in the coop into flapping their wings and clucking. He was particularly excited today—this was his first time setting up a stall in the county town after the autumn harvest, and also the first time he'd been going every day for real.

"They're here!" Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing emerged from the east wing, each carrying a bulging basket on their backs. The baskets were filled with the supplies they had accumulated over the past few days: various hair ties, patchwork clothes, tiger-head shoes, and several newly made embroidered cushions. Su Xiaoqing was also carrying a bundle containing several new patterns they had been rushing to make these past few days.

Standing at the gate of the courtyard, Chen's mother handed two bamboo tubes filled with hot water to her daughter-in-law, and then gave Chen Dashan an oil paper package: "I've made some pancakes for you to eat on the way if you get hungry. Go early and come back early, don't stay out too late."

"Okay, Mother, you can go back inside now." Chen Dashan took the things and helped Su Xiaoyin onto the oxcart.

The old ox slowly strode forward, and the oxcart creaked and groaned as it drove out of the courtyard. The morning breeze carried the chill of late autumn, invigorating everyone. The four little ones were held by Chen's mother at the courtyard gate, with Shitou waving his little hands at the departing oxcart and babbling softly.

---

The county town was quieter than usual.

Chen Dashan drove his oxcart to the market street entrance and found that the stalls were sparsely populated, and many familiar faces were missing. As they were wondering what was going on, a middle-aged official in a dark blue uniform with a sword at his waist walked towards them.

"Are you new to setting up your stalls?" The official looked them up and down, his gaze lingering on the exquisite bamboo weaving and wood carvings. "New regulations: stalls in the county market must pay a stall fee."

Chen Dashan's heart tightened, but he didn't show it on his face. He quickly cupped his hands in greeting and asked, "Brother officer, may I ask how the stall fee is collected?"

The official didn't make things difficult and said in a businesslike manner, "For those of you who come temporarily to sell goods, it's fifty coins a day. If you want to rent long-term, it's one tael of silver a month, payable monthly."

Fifty coins a day! Chen Xiaohe, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but gasp. That wasn't cheap.

Chen Dashan didn't rush to answer. He looked around, then at the official, and said sincerely, "Officer, this is just a small business. We make these little things during our off-season. We can't come every day. Could you please make an exception? We only come a few times a month..."

The official waved his hand: "This isn't a rule I set. However—" He changed his tone, softening his words, "From now on, stalls won't just be allowed on market days anymore. The county has a new regulation to open a permanent market, so people will come every day. If you can come regularly, you can pay one tael of silver a month, which works out to just over thirty coins a day, much cheaper than paying on an ad-hoc basis."

Chen Dashan quickly calculated the costs in his mind. Thirty-odd coins a day, if he could come every day, would indeed be cheaper than paying on an ad-hoc basis over a month. Moreover... he remembered what they had discussed a few days ago—the county town was well-informed, and by setting up a stall every day, they could find out about the new magistrate's activities and make plans for their family in advance.

He made up his mind, took out his money pouch from his pocket, counted out one tael of silver, thought for a moment, then added two hundred coins, and handed it all to the constable: "Brother constable, thank you for your guidance. Here is one tael of silver, we'll rent for a month first. As for the extra..." He lowered his voice, "Could you please have a cup of tea, brother?"

The official glanced down and saw that he had an extra two hundred coins. His face immediately lit up with a smile, and his attitude became much warmer: "Oh, you're too kind, brother! My surname is Liu, and my name is Liu Yilong. From now on, I'll be in charge of this market. Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything!" He pulled a bamboo token with a red seal from his pocket and handed it to Chen Dashan. "This is your proof of identity. Keep it safe. The government only recognizes this; don't lose it."

Chen Dashan accepted the gift with both hands and solemnly put it into his pocket: "Thank you very much, Brother Liu. I will definitely need to trouble you in the future."

"Sure thing, sure thing!" Liu Yilong patted him on the shoulder, then glanced at the goods on the stall. "These things of yours all look pretty good, well-made. Sell them well, you won't lose money! I'm leaving now, just call me if you need anything."

Once the officials were out of sight, Chen Xiaohe approached and whispered, "Brother, one tael of silver a month isn't cheap. Can we earn it back?"

Chen Dashan carefully put the bamboo plaque away and said calmly, "It's a little over thirty coins a day. As long as we can sell a few things each day, we won't lose money. Besides—" He looked at the gradually bustling street, "we can come every day from now on. There's a lot of news in the county town. We can hear about the new county magistrate's policies as soon as they come out, and our families can make arrangements in advance. This money is well spent."

Chen Xiaohe thought for a moment and nodded, "Big brother is right. Let's sell them well then!"

The stalls were set up, and the goods were laid out. Although there weren't as many people as at the main market today, there were still a few customers here and there. There were young wives eyeing hair ties, women buying clothes for their babies, and older people admiring the small wooden carvings, praising, "The craftsmanship is truly excellent."

By the end of the morning, we had managed to sell a few items.

---

Seeing that the stall was settled, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing told Chen Dashan and carried their bundles toward the embroidery shop.

Upon seeing them, the shopkeeper's face immediately lit up with a smile: "Oh, it's been quite a while since you two ladies have visited! Please, have a seat!"

Su Xiaoyin placed the bundle on the counter, opened it, and revealed several newly made embroidered cushions inside. The patterns included twin lotus flowers, magpies on plum blossoms, and the auspicious symbol of good fortune. The colors were bright, and the stitches were fine, making them even more exquisite than the handkerchiefs and pillowcases she had used before.

The shopkeeper picked up a pillow with twin lotus blossoms, examined it carefully against the light, then turned it over to look at the stitching on the back. He put it down after a long while, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration: "Your craftsmanship has improved again! The embroidery on this pillow is even more delicate than before. The color scheme is also elegant, and the transition between light and dark shades of the twin lotus blossoms is handled exceptionally well."

Su Xiaoqing smiled and said, "You flatter me, shopkeeper. My sister and I practice whenever we have free time, and we're figuring it out little by little."

The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, then said something that surprised the two sisters: "I like all your patterns. Here's what we'll do: I'll pay four taels of silver to buy these four patterns outright. From now on, you can only use these styles of cushions for your own use; you can't sell them. However—" She paused, "if you're willing to take on work from our embroidery shop, the fee for embroidering one of these cushions is five hundred cash."

I bought the pattern for four taels of silver, and I'll embroider it for five hundred coins later!

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.

Su Xiaoyin steadied herself and nodded to the shopkeeper: "We sisters are more than happy to accept your kindness, shopkeeper. We will do as you say."

The shopkeeper smiled, counted out four taels of silver and handed it to them. He then took out paper and pen, wrote a simple contract, and both parties signed it. The two sisters carefully put away the contract and left the four cushions at the embroidery shop.

As they left the embroidery shop, Su Xiaoqing couldn't help but whisper, "Sister, four taels of silver! That's more than we earned selling small embroidery items before!"

Su Xiaoyin carefully put the silver away and said softly, "This is just the beginning. The shopkeeper said it would cost five hundred coins to embroider one piece later. If we don't have time to make large embroidery patterns, making small cushions like these is also a good option."

---

By the time they returned to their stall, the sun was already setting. Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe were packing up when they saw them and quickly asked, "How did it go?"

Su Xiaoyin nodded: "It's done. We'll talk about it when we get back."

Chen Dashan didn't ask any more questions and quickly packed the remaining items into his basket. The family got on the oxcart and headed home.

The setting sun cast long shadows of them onto the dirt road on their way home.

As Chen Xiaohe drove the cart, he glanced back at the receding town gate and suddenly said, "Brother, let's come every day from now on. I also need to practice my skills and make more good things to sell."

Chen Dashan hummed in agreement and said nothing more.