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

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, but the Chen family's courtyard was already bustling with activity.

"Dashan, you and Xiaohe stay home and focus on making furniture today. I'm going to the county town to set up a stall." Father Chen loaded several full baskets onto the oxcart, dusted off his hands, and said, "I won't take the mountain produce. Today I'll focus on selling bamboo and wooden ware and embroidery. The items are light and easy to handle by myself."

Chen's mother came out of the kitchen, took off her apron, patted it off, and continued, "I'll go with you. The two of you can help each other out, and selling the goods will be faster. It's the off-season for farming now, so there's not much to do at home."

Su Xiaoyin, carrying Afu, came out of the east wing. Hearing this, she quickly said, "Yes, Father, with Mother accompanying you, we can rest assured. Leave the things at home and the children to me and Xiaoqing."

Su Xiaoqing nodded, "Don't worry, Mom and Dad, we can take good care of the house."

Mr. and Mrs. Chen exchanged a glance and nodded. Chen Dashan put down his plane and came over to help stack the baskets on the cart, carefully checking the ropes to make sure they were secure. Chen Xiaohe wrapped a few warm grain cakes in coarse cloth and stuffed them into Mrs. Chen's basket: "Mom, have some if you get hungry on the road."

The oxcart creaked and groaned as it drove out of the courtyard gate. Mother Chen turned back and waved to the yard, "Watch the children, we'll be back this evening!"

"Don't worry, Mother!"

Once the oxcart disappeared at the end of the village road, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing returned to the courtyard. The four little ones had been released from their cages. Shitou led his younger siblings in chasing each other around the yard, while Qingqing stumbled and staggered along. Aji and Afu followed behind, joining in the fun, their laughter so clear it could lift the roof off.

"Play in the yard, don't run out!" Su Xiaoyin instructed, and received a childish "Okay" in response from Shi Tou. Then she and Su Xiaoqing went into the east wing, sat down by the window, and picked up the embroidery hoop.

Looking out the window, you can see the entire yard. Four little figures are running around in the yard, sometimes squatting down to watch ants, sometimes chasing chickens, and sometimes arguing over a stick. When they can't win, they run to Chen Dashan to complain. Chen Dashan puts down his plane, picks them up one by one, and spanks each of them a few times. Then the four of them go back to playing happily together.

Su Xiaoyin watched this scene, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve into a smile. Her needle never stopped, and the fine silk thread pierced through the silk fabric, embroidering another feather on the crane's wing.

Chen Xiaohe was splitting bamboo in the yard, the chopped strips piled up all over the ground. He played with the children as he worked, occasionally making a funny face that made the four little ones giggle. Chen Dashan sat in his carpentry shed, intently polishing the first leg of the study furniture set—he had accepted the customer's order and received the deposit, a full two and a half taels of silver, and he couldn't afford to be careless.

Wood shavings flew everywhere in the yard, the scents of bamboo and wood mingled together, and the laughter of children intertwined to create the most ordinary yet most touching day.

---

The sun gradually rises higher and then slowly sets in the west.

Su Xiaoyin lifted her head from the embroidery frame, stretched her stiff neck, and looked out the window. The four little ones had somehow been made to sit in a row on small stools in the yard by Chen Dashan, each holding a steamed sweet potato, their faces covered in it. She couldn't help but laugh, nudging her younger sister beside her: "Xiaoqing, I'll go make lunch. You rest your eyes for a bit."

Su Xiaoqing put down her embroidery needle and rubbed her wrists: "Okay, I'll go out and bring those four mud monkeys in to wash them. They've been playing all morning, look at their faces, they're almost unrecognizable."

As she spoke, she pushed open the door and went out. Sure enough, the four little ones were covered in mud on their faces and hands, Qingqing's braids were undone, Shitou's sleeve was torn, and Afu had lost one of his little shoes. Su Xiaoqing was both annoyed and amused. She carried them one by one to the well to fetch water to wash their faces and hands, changed them into clean clothes, and then put them into the main room.

Lunch was simple yet satisfying. Su Xiaoqing steamed a pot of soft and fragrant white steamed buns; she also simmered a large pot of winter melon soup with dried shrimp that had been sun-dried in the summer, the soup was milky white and had a wonderfully fresh aroma. She also chopped a dish of pickled vegetables and drizzled sesame oil on it. Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe washed their hands and came in, each carrying a child, and sat around the table.

"What do you want to eat this afternoon?" Su Xiaoyin put a piece of steamed bun into Shi Tou's bowl and asked casually. "Let's soak some soybeans tonight and make tofu pudding and soy milk for breakfast tomorrow."

Chen Dashan was wiping Afu's mouth when he heard this and nodded: "Soak it if you want to eat it. I'll grind the beans with Xiaohe in a bit."

Chen Xiaohe's eyes lit up: "Tofu pudding! That's great! Add more gravy, the shiitake mushroom and minced meat gravy from last time was especially fragrant."

Su Xiaoqing rolled her eyes at him: "All you know is eating. Finish your work first."

The family chatted and laughed, enjoying a hearty lunch.

---

As evening approached, the familiar sound of an oxcart could be heard outside the courtyard gate.

"We're back!" Chen's mother's voice came first, followed by Chen's father driving the oxcart into the yard.

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing went out to help unload the cart. The baskets were mostly empty, with only a few small, unsold items remaining. Mother Chen had a smile on her face; business had clearly been good today.

"Mom, how was today?" Su Xiaoqing asked.

Mother Chen patted the dust off her hands and smiled, "Not bad, we made a few hundred coins. The county town's long-term market is getting more and more lively now, with all sorts of things for sale and people coming and going. Your father and I even ran into Liu Yilong. He came over to say hello and told us that our stall's goods were good, which made him proud."

After tying up the ox, Chen's father continued, "He also said that if this market continues to thrive, the county government might expand its area next year, resulting in more stalls and even more people coming. This would be a good thing for us small business owners."

The family entered the main room, where Su Xiaoyin served them some jujube soup. Chen's mother took a sip and praised, "These jujubes are really sweet this year, they're dried so well. After the New Year, when our jujube trees bear fruit, we'll dry more and take them to the county town to sell. These dried goods keep well, we won't have to worry about selling them."

Chen Dashan asked, "Mother, did you and Father encounter any trouble when you went to the county town today?"

"What could possibly happen?" Chen's mother waved her hand. "Don't worry, although this is the first time your father and I have set up a stall on our own, we've been with you so many times before, we know what we need to know. Besides, Liu Yilong is looking after things, no one will cause trouble."

Remembering something, Chen's father put down his bowl and said, "Oh, right, I overheard people chatting at the market saying that the government is quite good to those who went to do corvée labor this year. They provide them with warm soup every day to keep them from getting cold. The work is tiring, but it's more humane than in previous years."

"Really?" Chen Xiaohe became interested. "Then it seems the new magistrate is alright, not the kind who just knows how to cause trouble."