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

By the time I got home, it was already dark.

After tying up the ox, Chen's father said to his two sons, "Dashan, Xiaohe, you two will have to come and set up a stall tomorrow too. The market has been getting more and more crowded these past few days, and your mother and I are really too busy to handle it all."

Chen Dashan nodded: "I understand, Dad. We'll go together tomorrow."

Chen's mother was exhausted after a long day, so Su Xiaoyin quickly helped her sit down: "Mother, please rest. Xiaoqing and I will cook dinner."

Chen's mother was indeed tired, but she didn't refuse and leaned back in her chair to rest with her eyes closed.

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing went into the kitchen, put on aprons, and got busy. They first scrubbed the pig's offal thoroughly with salt and vinegar, then blanched it to remove the unpleasant smell. They then cut it into pieces, put it in a large pot with soy sauce, star anise, cinnamon, and ginger slices, and slowly braised it. They washed the large bones, put them in a pot, brought them to a boil over high heat, skimmed off the foam, then simmered them over low heat, adding radishes later. Two large carp were prepared; one was cleaned, salted, and hung in a well-ventilated place in the kitchen to be kept for the New Year; the other would be eaten tonight, braised.

The aroma from the kitchen gradually intensified, filling the entire yard. The four little ones, drawn by the fragrance, stopped running around the yard and peered into the kitchen. Stone, the biggest of them, sniffed and asked, "Mommy, what are we having for dinner tonight? It smells so good!"

"Braised dishes, and fish too." Su Xiaoyin said with a smile as she stirred the braised dishes in the pot. "Go wash your hands and call Grandpa for dinner."

Dinner was laid out on the table, and the family sat around it. Braised fish, braised pork offal, radish and pork bone soup, and soft multigrain steamed buns filled the air with their aroma. Chen Xiaohe picked up a piece of braised food with his chopsticks, chewed it, and nodded repeatedly: "Delicious! Sister-in-law Xiaoqing's cooking is getting better and better!"

Mr. Chen ate his fill, took a sip of hot soup, and said to his two sons, "Tomorrow you two will go with them to set up the stall. Xiaoyin and Xiaoqing will be left at home to take care of the children. You two sisters shouldn't overwork yourselves. Do the embroidery as much as you can, and don't worry if you can't finish it all."

Su Xiaoyin nodded: "Don't worry, Dad, we know what we're doing."

After finishing their meal and clearing away the dishes, the family gathered again in the main room. Mother Chen recounted the day's expenses, her voice rising as she mentioned the "Pine and Crane Longevity" embroidery: "Xiao Yin and Xiao Qing's large embroidery sold for thirty-eight taels of silver! Thirty-eight taels!"

Chen Xiaohe exclaimed "Wow!", his eyes widening in surprise: "Sister-in-law, Xiaoqing, you guys are amazing!"

Su Xiaoqing smiled, her face flushed. Su Xiaoyin, on the other hand, remained composed and said softly, "It was just luck; we happened to run into Madam Zhao who needed to deliver a gift."

Mother Chen continued, "The sales at the stall today were not bad either, almost a tael of silver. This year, our family has really prospered."

Chen Xiaohe suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, Dad, can we raise fish? The fish today was really delicious. If we could raise them ourselves, we could catch them whenever we wanted. That would be so great."

Mr. Chen glanced at him and said slowly, "Let's focus on the present. Raising fish requires a pond, and we don't have that right now. We'll talk about it later."

Chen Dashan nodded: "Dad is right. Let's finish making the furniture first, cultivate the land, and make our lives stable. We can think about other things later when we have the chance."

The warm glow of the oil lamp illuminated the family as they sat around, chatting, calculating their income, and planning for tomorrow. Outside, the winter night wind blew gently, but inside it was as warm as spring.

The thirty-eight taels of silver weighed heavily on the bottom of the box, and also heavily on everyone's heart—it represented confidence, aspirations, and the promise of ever-improving days.

----

On the evening of the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, the kang (a heated brick bed) in the main room of the Chen family was warm. The four children were rolling around on the kang. Shi Tou was trying to pull off A Fu's socks when Su Xiaoyin stopped him with quick eyes and hands.

Chen's mother sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), still sewing shoe soles in her hands. As she sewed, she said, "Xiaoyin, Xiaoqing, tomorrow is the New Year. Get up early in the morning, and we'll prepare a good meal. You've worked hard all year, so you deserve to eat something good."

Su Xiaoyin freed Afu from Shi Tou's grasp and replied with a smile, "Don't worry, Mother, we'll get up first thing tomorrow morning. I've already mentally reviewed the dishes for the New Year's Eve dinner several times these past two days, so there's no mistake."

Su Xiaoqing chimed in, "Yes, Mom, I've even thought of the side dishes. Oh, right—" She suddenly remembered something, clapped her hands, and stood up, "Sister, what about the new clothes we made for Mom and Dad? Let's take them out and let them try them on!"

Su Xiaoyin also realized what was happening, got up and went back to the east wing. A moment later, she brought out two sets of clothes that were neatly folded. One set was a man's outfit made of dark gray fine cotton, and the other was a woman's outfit with a navy blue background and subtle patterns. The stitching was fine and the cut was perfect. It was clear that they had put a lot of care into making them.

Mrs. Chen took the set, touching the soft fabric, and was speechless for a moment. Mr. Chen also took his set, his rough hands gently stroking the lapel, his eyes shining.

"When...when did you do this?" Chen's mother's voice choked with emotion. "You're busy taking care of the children and doing embroidery every day, how could you have had the time..."

Su Xiaoyin smiled and smoothed the wrinkles on her mother-in-law's collar: "Mother, I made this by lamplight after the children were asleep at night. You and Father work the hardest to take care of this family all year round. What is this little token of our appreciation?"

Chen's mother opened her mouth, but in the end only managed to utter two words: "Okay, okay..."

Chen Xiaohe, who was watching from the side, suddenly put on a pitiful expression and leaned close to Su Xiaoqing: "Sister-in-law, Xiaoqing, you made new clothes for Mom and Dad, but what about me and my brother? Don't we have any?"

He blinked pitifully, and Shi Tou, seeing this on the kang (a heated brick bed), also blinked like him, making Qingqing and Aji giggle.

Su Xiaoqing chuckled and poked Chen Xiaohe's forehead. "Yes, yes, yes, we all get some! For you and your older brother, and for the four little ones, everyone in our family gets some! Nobody's been idle all year; this is a reward for the whole family!"

As she spoke, she and Su Xiaoyin brought out another stack of clothes, indeed one set for each of them, in various sizes. Chen Xiaohe hugged his own set and chuckled to himself for a long time.

Chen Dashan took the clothes without saying anything, but glanced at Su Xiaoyin. The warmth and weight in his eyes were more profound than a thousand words.