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

Chen Dashan did a quick calculation: "Brother De, if you want to take it all, just give me three hundred coins."

"Three hundred coins?" Brother De was taken aback. "Dashan, your price is too reasonable. I asked in town, and a similar frame would cost more than one hundred coins."

Chen Dashan smiled and said, "We're all from the same village. Brother De is helping my business, how could I ask for more? Besides, I made these in my spare time. I cut the wood myself from the mountain, so I only paid for the labor."

Brother De patted Chen Dashan on the shoulder and laughed, "Alright, Dashan, you're so honest, I won't stand on ceremony with you. I'm willing to pay these three hundred coins."

Chen Dashan then picked up a few rolled-up bamboo mats from the side: "These are bamboo mats that Xiaohe wove in his spare time. You can put them on the shelf to keep the goods clean and look nice. I'm giving these to you as a little something extra for your aunt."

De Ge was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly. He counted out the money to Chen Dashan, then seemed to remember something and said, "By the way, Dashan, next spring we plan to go to the neighboring county to buy a batch of new seeds. I heard the seeds there are good and have high yields. Would your family like to come along?"

Chen Dashan's eyes lit up: "Let's go! Brother De, please let us know in advance when we're leaving. We can go together and look out for each other on the way."

Brother De nodded: "Okay, I'll come and tell you in advance."

After seeing Brother De off, Chen Xiaohe came over and looked at the three hundred coins in his brother's hand, marveling, "Brother, how many treasures do you have stored in this warehouse? Brother De's trip is worth more than several days of our stall business."

Chen Dashan put the money away, then chuckled and scolded, "Stop talking nonsense and get to work. We'll have to buy new seeds after the New Year; the harvest will depend on these."

The sun was shining brightly in the courtyard. Su Xiaoyin poked her head out of the window and called out, "Dashan, Xiaohe, what do you want to eat for lunch?"

Chen Xiaohe eagerly exclaimed, "Sister-in-law, I want to eat your oil-splashed noodles!"

Su Xiaoyin smiled and pulled her head back. The sound of the two sisters chatting and laughing came from inside the window. The fresh scent of wood shavings wafted through the carpentry shed, mingling with the laughter of children in the yard, creating the warmest melody of this winter day.

----

As dinnertime approached, the aroma of food wafted through the Chen family's main room. Today, Su Xiaoyin had stewed a pot of cured pork and radish, and also baked a ring of cornbread. The golden-brown cornbread stuck to the side of the pot, with a layer of crispy crumbs forming underneath. The four little ones had been eagerly waiting at the table for a long time.

"Dad, Mom, Brother De came by today." Chen Dashan recounted the afternoon's events in detail. "I paid three hundred coins for those frames and also put together a few bamboo mats. Brother De was quite happy and said that next spring they will go to the neighboring county to buy new seeds, and they will invite us along."

Father Chen nodded, picked up a piece of radish and chewed slowly: "Dashan did the right thing. The village head's family has many connections and is well-informed. It's never a bad thing to be on good terms with them. We should go and see about the new seeds. If they're good, we'll buy some and plant them on the barren mountains and wastelands."

Chen Xiaohe chimed in, "Dad, De-ge's family also sells mountain products. Won't they steal our business?"

Father Chen waved his hand: "How much of our mountain produce, dried mushrooms and dried vegetables, is there? Besides what we send to Manager Wang, we don't sell much at the market anyway. Besides, there are plenty of people who want to buy barren mountains. Anyone can set up a stall; it's not like it's just our business. We mainly rely on woodworking, bamboo weaving, and embroidery. Mountain produce is just a side dish; it won't affect anything."

Chen Xiaohe nodded, feeling relieved.

Chen's mother chimed in, "The closer it gets to the end of the year, the more crowded the market becomes. There are even more people today than yesterday, and your father and I are almost overwhelmed."

Chen Dashan put down his chopsticks: "Xiaohe and I will stay home and work for a few more days to finish the basic frame of this set of furniture, then we'll go to the market to help you. That way you won't be too busy."

Su Xiaoyin also spoke up: "Tomorrow, Xiaoqing and I will go to the county town first to see if we can sell that painting 'Pine and Crane Longevity'. After that, we'll focus on making hair ties and little cloth tigers at home to prepare for the year-end market and the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth of the lunar month."

Mother Chen nodded: "Alright, I'll listen to you. You've put so much effort into that embroidery, the sooner you sell it, the sooner you'll feel at ease."

---

The next day, before dawn, the whole family got up.

Father Chen hitched up the oxcart, Mother Chen loaded the goods prepared yesterday onto the cart, and Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing also sat on it, carrying the large embroidery picture wrapped tightly in old cloth. The oxcart creaked and groaned as it headed towards the county town, leaving the four little ones at home to be looked after by Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe—the two brothers weren't going to set up their stall today; they were working at home and taking care of the children at the same time.

"Mom, if there are a lot of people today, don't tire yourselves out too much." Su Xiaoyin sat in the car, wrapping her cotton-padded coat tighter.

Chen's mother laughed: "What's there to be tired about? I'm just happy to see so many people buying things."

Upon arriving in the county town, the market was already bustling with activity. With only a few days left until the Lunar New Year, every household was busy preparing for the occasion. Stalls selling couplets, candies, fabrics, chickens, and ducks were packed full. The Chen family's stall had a good location; as soon as they set up their goods, a crowd gathered around.

Mr. and Mrs. Chen quickly and efficiently attended to the customers, while Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing helped with carrying goods, collecting money, and giving change. Small wooden carvings sold the fastest; the adorable little horses and dogs were so popular that children tugged at their parents' clothes, wanting to buy them. Hair ties were even more sought after; young women and married women lined up around, picking and choosing, buying two for five coins and three coins for one, and in the blink of an eye, half a basket was sold.

They were busy until midday when the crowds gradually thinned out. Su Xiaoyin wiped the sweat from her brow: "Mom, there were so many people! It was much more lively than last year."

Chen's mother beamed, "That's right. We'll have Dashan and Xiaohe come to help tomorrow. If it's just your father and me, we won't be able to handle it."

Mr. Chen nodded in agreement: "These few days are the busiest; it's the last wave before the New Year. After the New Year, let Dashan and the others go back to continue making furniture."

Seeing that there weren't many people at the stall, Su Xiaoyin said to Chen's mother, "Mother, shall we go to Madam Zhao's residence to ask now, while there are fewer people around?"

Mother Chen waved her hand: "Go on, go on, the sooner you sell the embroidery, the sooner you'll feel at ease."

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing picked up the embroidery and walked through the bustling crowd toward Madam Zhao's residence. They had walked this road many times before and knew it well.

Upon arriving at the gate, Su Xiaoyin stepped forward and knocked. The old gatekeeper recognized them and greeted them with a smile. Soon after, a well-dressed maidservant came out to greet them; she was none other than Madam Zhao's head maid.

"Madam Chen is here. Madam was just thinking about you." The maid smiled and led them inside.

Passing through the hanging flower gate and around the screen wall, they arrived at the flower hall where Madam Zhao usually received guests. Madam Zhao was sitting on the couch drinking tea. When she saw them enter, she put down her teacup and smiled.