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

"Mom! We're back!"

Before Chen Xiaohe even entered the courtyard, his cheerful voice rang out. Several hens pecking at the base of the wall were startled by his shout and scattered, clucking in protest.

Chen's mother was busy preparing dinner in the kitchen when she heard the noise. She quickly wiped her hands on her apron and hurried out to greet them. She glanced out of the gate and saw the oxcart heading towards the courtyard wall with four adults on it. Only then did she feel relieved, as she had been worried all afternoon.

"Why are you back so late today?" Chen's mother stepped forward and helped Su Xiaoyin unload the basket from the car, her tone carrying a hint of reproach and worry. "Your father and I have been talking about it at home for ages, we thought something had happened to you on the way."

Chen Dashan parked the oxcart steadily, jumped off, and replied while untying the rope, "Mother, we are a little late. Let's unload everything and then we'll go inside and tell you everything."

Mother Chen nodded, her gaze sweeping over her two daughters-in-law's faces. Although they looked tired, there was no worry in their eyes; instead, there was an indescribable sense of peace. She understood then—it seemed that although they had returned late today, it shouldn't be a bad thing.

In the kitchen, the food was ready, kept warm by covering it with a large bowl. Mother Chen deftly placed the food on the table, then took a steaming bowl of multigrain buns from the steamer. Hearing the commotion, Father Chen led his four grandsons out of the main room. As soon as Shitou saw his mother, he broke free from his grandfather's hand and stumbled over to her with his short legs, calling out "Mother, Mother" incoherently. Qingqing, Aji, and Afu followed behind, the four little ones like a string of tiny tails.

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing quickly squatted down, each hugging one of them and kissing their cheeks. Shitou giggled as his mother kissed him, while Qingqing shyly nestled her face into Su Xiaoyin's arms.

"Alright, alright, sit down and eat," Chen's mother said. "I'll hold the baby. You all have something warm to eat first and calm down."

The family sat around the table, the sound of bowls and chopsticks clattering. They first ate a few mouthfuls of hot rice, then drank a few sips of porridge. Once they had something to eat, the fatigue on their faces gradually faded.

Chen Dashan put down his chopsticks and spoke first about what happened today: "Mom, Dad, we encountered some new situations in the county town today."

Chen's father swallowed the mouthful of steamed bun in his mouth and looked up at him.

Chen Dashan then recounted the whole story of the officials collecting stall fees that morning, adding at the end, "I thought about it. One tael of silver a month seems like a lot, but if you calculate it carefully, it's only about thirty coins a day. If we can set up a stall every day, we'll definitely earn more in a month than we did just by going to the market. Besides, the official in charge of the market is surnamed Liu, named Liu Yilong. I gave him an extra two hundred coins, and he was quite happy. He should be able to do us some favors and not cause us any trouble in the future."

After listening, Chen's father nodded, gently patting the table with his rough hand: "Dashan did the right thing. This kind of bribery is essential. If you have good relations with the officials, things will go smoothly in the future. One tael of silver a month is indeed appropriate during the off-season for farming."

Chen Xiaohe chimed in from the side, "Dad, you didn't see it. My eldest brother pulled out the money so quickly, that Officer Liu was all smiles! He even introduced himself and said that we could come to him if we needed anything."

Hearing this, Chen's mother breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "That's good, that's good. In officialdom, it's always better to greet people with a smile than a stern face."

Chen Xiaohe continued his report on today's business: "There weren't many people in the county town today, not as lively as the usual market. But our things sold pretty well; we sold quite a few bamboo woven items and wood carvings." He paused, then added, "My older brother and I have discussed it, and tomorrow we'll bring the sign for custom-made furniture to see if anyone wants to make furniture. Since we can set up a stall every day for the past month, we can't waste it; we have to bring everything we can."

Chen Dashan nodded: "Yes, bring Xiaohe's bamboo weaving, my carpentry, and Xiaoyin and Xiaoqing's embroidery, hair ties, and little clothes. Let's bring more items to increase our income."

Su Xiaoyin then chimed in, "Mom, Dad, today we went to the embroidery shop and showed the shopkeeper some samples of the new cushions. The shopkeeper liked them very much and bought the designs."

"Buy patterns?" Chen's mother asked curiously. "How do you buy them?"

Su Xiaoqing quickly said, "Four patterns, a total of four taels of silver. From now on, only their embroidery workshop can sell this style of cushion; we can't sell the same ones to others. However, if we embroider the same ones again, we can sell them to the embroidery workshop for five hundred coins each."

"Four taels of silver!" Madam Chen gasped. "Just those few varieties?"

Su Xiaoyin explained with a smile, "Mother, the shopkeeper of the embroidery shop took a liking to this new style and thought it would sell well, which is why he was willing to pay this price to buy it out. From now on, if we make cushions with this pattern again, we can only sell them to them, for five hundred coins each. Although it's not as profitable as selling them ourselves, it's more stable, and we don't have to worry about sales."

Mr. Chen took a puff of his pipe and said slowly, "This is also a way. Large embroidery patterns are time-consuming and laborious, and you can only make a few a year. These small cushions and small patterns are not tiring. You can embroider a few whenever you have free time, and once you have enough, you can send them to the embroidery shop and make a living."

Su Xiaoyin nodded: "Father is right. Xiaoqing and I have discussed it, and we will continue to make large embroidery patterns, as they can fetch a high price. But we can't give up these small patterns either. We'll embroider them whenever we have free time, so that we can make a living from scratch."

Chen Dashan added, "Dad, Mom, I had another idea in town today—we'll set up a stall there every day, not just to sell things. There are lots of people in town, and we're well-informed. The new magistrate has just arrived, so we'll be the first to hear about any new policies or changes, and we can make plans accordingly."

Chen Xiaohe, quick to speak, couldn't help but interject, "I think this new magistrate is quite greedy. With stall fees and a long-term market, he's clearly trying to make money. But for us small business owners, it's an opportunity; at least we'll have a fixed place to set up our stalls in the future."

Father Chen's expression turned serious, and he glared at his youngest son: "Don't talk nonsense! You must never say such things when you're out in the world. The county magistrate's affairs are not for you or me to discuss."

Chen Xiaohe shrank his neck and chuckled twice: "Dad, I know, I'll just say it at home."

Chen's mother finished the last sip of soup, put down her bowl, and looked at everyone at the table with eyes full of satisfaction: "Alright, everyone's had a long day, hurry up and eat. Get some rest after you eat, you still have to set up your stall tomorrow, don't you?"

Su Xiaoyin wiped the rice grains from the corner of Shitou's mouth and said softly, "Mother is right. We should take things one step at a time. The money we earn today and the money we earn tomorrow will be our family's financial foundation."

Su Xiaoqing also laughed and said, "That's right, once you've saved enough money, you'll have the confidence to do whatever you want."

The family chatted and laughed, finishing off the remaining food in no time. The cool autumn breeze blew in through the window, taking away the daytime heat and bringing the unique, comforting sweetness of a bountiful harvest.

After dinner, Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe packed up the oxcart and the goods to be taken tomorrow. Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing put the four children to sleep, then huddled under the oil lamp to sort out the accounts from the day's embroidery sales. Father Chen sat in the courtyard, smoking his last pipe, gazing at the starry sky, silently planning for the coming months. Mother Chen washed dishes in the kitchen, a smile playing on her lips as she listened to the faint sounds of conversation coming from the main room.