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

The family sat around the table, enjoying fish soup and steamed buns, listening to him tell his story in detail.

"I chatted with Old Chen Liu from the village entrance for a long time; he went this time too," Chen Xiaohe said, picking up a piece of fish and eating as he spoke. "He said that although the work was tiring this time, it was much better than in the summer. It's cold, and although you sweat a lot while working, you won't get heatstroke. The key is that you can eat hot meals! Two dry meals and one liquid meal a day, and the dry rations are unlimited! You tell me, this is so much better than in the summer!"

Mr. Chen nodded, slowly chewing on his steamed bun: "If you can eat well, you'll have energy."

"And that's not all!" Chen Xiaohe took another sip of soup. "They also built shacks for us to live in. They're simple, but they keep out the wind. Most importantly, the government provides ginger soup to keep us warm. We each get a bowl after work every day, and it warms us up nicely. The supervisors aren't like they used to be, whipping us all the time. They're very polite now."

Su Xiaoqing listened intently: "That's so good?"

"That's right!" Chen Xiaohe put down his chopsticks. "I asked several people, and they all said no one was seriously injured. Minor bumps and scrapes are inevitable; who doesn't bump and scrape when doing heavy work? But they're all superficial injuries, and they'll be fine in a couple of days. It's much better than that batch in the summer! Didn't several people from our village come back and stay in bed for half a month after that?"

Chen Dashan said thoughtfully, "It seems this new magistrate is indeed a bit different."

Mr. Chen nodded, a look of relief on his face: "No matter what, if the officials treat the people well, the people's lives will be better. Maybe our family business can be expanded again next year."

Su Xiaoyin wiped the mouth of the stone beside her and continued, "Dad, Mom, Xiaoqing and I should be able to finish embroidering the 'Pine and Crane Longevity' painting before the New Year. If we can sell it for a good price, we can have a prosperous New Year."

"Okay!" Chen's mother replied with a smile.

"Oh, right, Mom," Su Xiaoyin remembered something else, "When you and Dad go to set up your stall tomorrow, could you help us buy a few more bundles of fabric scraps from the cloth shop? Once this large embroidery is finished, we need to focus on preparing what we'll be selling at the year-end market and the Lantern Festival. Hair ties, little cloth tigers, sachets—all of these need to be made in advance."

Chen's mother readily agreed: "Okay, we'll go buy it tomorrow. It's good that you two know what to do. It's always better to be prepared in advance than to be scrambling around at the last minute."

Su Xiaoqing, biting the end of her chopsticks, was already planning: "During the lantern festival, we can make more festive and vibrant items; they'll definitely sell well!"

Outside the window, night had completely fallen. Inside, the dim light of the oil lamp illuminated the steaming food on the table and the eight people sitting around it. The children, having eaten their fill, began to doze off, nestled in their parents' laps. Occasionally, a dog barked once or twice outside, then gradually fell silent again.

----

Before the morning mist had even dissipated, Mr. and Mrs. Chen had already hitched up the oxcart and headed towards the county town.

Before leaving, Su Xiaoyin chased after her to the courtyard gate and stuffed a small bundle into Chen's mother's hands: "Mother, inside are some new embroidery samples we made, and sachets made from the scraps of that large embroidery. If anyone at the stall asks about them, please help promote them. We finished that large embroidery, 'Pine and Crane Longevity,' yesterday. We'll rush to make some smaller pieces in the next few days, and we'll go ask Madam Zhao about it in a couple of days."

Mother Chen took the bundle and nodded with a smile: "Don't worry, these past few days while we've been setting up our stall, your father and I have been praising your and your sister's skills to everyone we meet. If someone takes a liking to them, that'll be a big income."

Mr. Chen took a puff of his pipe and looked at his eldest son, "Dashan, how's the study furniture coming along?"

Chen Dashan poked his head out of the carpentry shed, still holding a plane in his hand: "It will take another month or so to finish the main frame, and then we can start doing the finer work. That customer isn't in a hurry, so we need to do the work meticulously and not ruin our reputation."

Father Chen nodded: "Alright, take your time, the work is the priority. When the big market day comes around the New Year, all of you can come with us. There will be a lot of people then, let's try to sell as much as possible."

Chen Xiaohe chimed in, "Don't worry, Dad! These past few days, besides helping my older brother, I've been weaving bamboo ware by lamplight every night. I've accumulated quite a bit, just waiting for the New Year's market!"

Chen's mother smiled and tapped his forehead: "You talk too much. Alright, we're leaving. You two stay home and do your jobs well."

The oxcart creaked and groaned as it drove away, and soon the sounds of busy activity filled the Chen family's courtyard again.

---

As the sun rose higher, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing did embroidery inside the house, while Chen Dashan, with Xiaohe's help, continued working on the study furniture. The four children ran around in the yard, with Shitou leading his younger siblings in a game of cops and robbers, causing chaos in the yard.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the courtyard gate.

Is anyone home?

Chen Xiaohe put down the timber he was carrying and ran to open the door. Standing outside was the village head's eldest son, whom everyone in the village called Brother De.

"Brother De? What brings you here?" Chen Xiaohe quickly ushered him into the courtyard. "Come in and sit down!"

Brother De waved his hand and stood in the courtyard without moving: "I'm not going in to sit down. I need to talk to your older brother about something."

Chen Xiaohe understood and turned to shout towards the carpentry shed, "Big Brother! Brother De is here!"

Chen Dashan wiped his hands and came out, greeting him with a smile: "Brother De, what brings you here today? Come in and have some tea."

Brother De waved his hand again: "I'm not drinking anymore, Dashan. I came to find you because I wanted to have a few fights."

"Pressure?" Chen Dashan gestured for him to continue.

De Ge moved to a shady spot in the yard and said, "Well, the county town has opened a long-term market now. Our family bought a piece of barren mountain this year, and we harvested a lot of mountain products in the fall—mushrooms, dried vegetables, and wild fruits. My mother wants to take them to the county town to sell, but we need a few stands to set up the stall."

After listening, Chen Dashan didn't reply immediately. Instead, he thought for a moment and then said, "Brother De, come with me."

He led Dege to the storeroom and pushed open the worn wooden door. Although the storeroom was dimly lit, it was neatly organized. On the shelves against the wall, various finished wooden items were neatly stacked—stools, small tables, wooden basin stands, and some other objects whose names he couldn't recall.

Chen Dashan pointed to several wooden frames stacked in the corner: "I made these in my spare time. The wood is all good timber I picked up from the mountain, and it's been dried before use, so it's very sturdy. Brother De, take a look, do you think they're suitable?"

Brother De walked over and carefully examined the shelves. The shelves were simple and unpretentious, but every mortise and tenon joint was perfectly fitted, and the four legs were sturdy and unyielding. He pushed them with his hand, but they didn't budge.

"Great!" Brother De's eyes lit up. "Dashan, your cooking skills are truly amazing! I'll take all of these. How much?"