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

After breakfast, Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe went into the woodworking workshop again. The study furniture was in its final stages; the main frame was complete, and all that remained were the finer details like sanding and painting.

Chen Dashan squatted on the ground, carefully sanding the edges of the desk with sandpaper, applying even pressure with each stroke. Wood shavings fell softly, filling the air with a faint scent of pine. Chen Xiaohe was installing handles on a bookcase drawer nearby. After installing one, he would pull it open to test its smoothness, then push it back in, repeating this process several times until he was satisfied.

"Big brother, we're pretty fast, aren't we?" Chen Xiaohe wiped his sweat, his tone tinged with pride. "It hasn't been long, and the whole frame is already out."

Chen Dashan didn't even look up, his hands still busy: "It's alright. But I can't let my guard down, the rest of the work is more detailed and requires more effort."

Chen Xiaohe nodded, then lowered his head and continued working.

Footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate. Chen's father carried in two buckets of water, poured the water into the vat, put down the carrying pole, and walked to the door of the carpentry workshop to peek inside.

"Big mountains, little rivers, how's it going?"

Chen Dashan stood up, brushing the sawdust off his clothes: "Dad, it'll be almost done. In another three to five days, it will all be finished. Then we'll have the owner come and inspect it. If there are no problems, we'll paint it and deliver it."

Mr. Chen nodded, a satisfied look on his face: "Good, you got things done quickly. It'll put my mind at ease if we get this sorted out before spring planting."

He paused, then said, "Once the land is thawed, we'll have to get busy with spring planting. What are your thoughts on the county town market?"

Chen Dashan put down the sandpaper in his hand and said seriously, "Dad, Xiaohe and I have discussed it, and we can't abandon the stall. There are no vacant stalls left in the county market. We finally managed to get this spot, and if we leave it abandoned, it will be difficult to find such a good place again."

Mr. Chen nodded: "Your mother and I think so too. During the spring plowing and sowing season, let your mother set up a stall. She can drive an oxcart, so she can carry less stuff. We don't expect to make a lot of money, we just want her to keep the stall going."

Chen Dashan frowned slightly: "Just Mother alone? Can she manage?"

Mr. Chen waved his hand: "I reckon the market in the county town won't be too crowded then, so it'll be fine for your mother to bring less goods. Besides, don't you know your mother's personality? She's very efficient."

Su Xiaoyin appeared at the doorway at some point and replied, "Father is right. Mother is going to the county town alone, but Father and the rest of us will take care of things here. It'll be fine. Xiaoqing and I will be in charge of the livestock, the vegetable garden, and the cooking. Everything will be arranged perfectly."

Su Xiaoqing peeked out from behind her sister: "That's right! We'll turn all the scraps of cloth we have into ornaments, baby clothes, and little tiger-head hats, to stock up on things for Mom so she won't run out of things to sell later."

Chen Dashan nodded: "Then Xiaohe and I will make more bamboo weaving, wooden hairpins and small wooden horses during this time to stock up on inventory."

Chen's mother had also come over at some point. Hearing this, her face lit up with a smile: "Alright, alright, it's good that you all have plans. Leave the stall in the county town to me, don't worry."

Father Chen cleared his throat and brought up another matter: "In a few days, when things open up, we need to clean up the livestock shed properly. We need to get some more chickens, ducks, and geese, and we'll keep two piglets. As for sheep, we have three now. Hu Niuguan wanted to borrow the adult ram for breeding, and I agreed."

He paused, his tone becoming somewhat solemn: "There's one more thing. I've ordered another mule from Hu Niuguan."

"A mule?" Chen Xiaohe's eyes lit up.

Mr. Chen nodded: "That's right. Although mules aren't as good as oxen for farm work, they're more suitable for our family if we're going to set up a stall in the county town year-round. They're strong, walk steadily, and are durable. We need to decide before spring plowing. When your mother goes to the county town to set up her stall, she'll take the mule. We'll leave the old ox at home; we'll still need it for spring plowing."

After listening, Chen Dashan thought about it carefully for a moment, then nodded and said, "Father's consideration is very thorough. It's really too much to manage with only one ox at home if we go to set up a stall every day. Adding a mule would be just right."

Chen Xiaohe was already excited: "Mule is great! I'll drive a mule to the county town, how impressive that will be!"

Chen's mother rolled her eyes at him: "What's so impressive about that? Get the job done first."

Everyone laughed.

After laughing, Chen Xiaohe remembered his business: "Oh right, Dad, this afternoon, De-ge from the village head's family came to see me. He said he's going to the neighboring county to buy seeds tomorrow and asked if we wanted to go. They want to shop around and buy a few new varieties to plant. It'll probably take three days."

After a moment's thought, Mr. Chen looked at his two sons and said, "Here's what we'll do: Xiaohe will come with me tomorrow. Dashan will stay home to finish up the furniture and paint it. That way, we won't have to worry about either of them."

Chen Dashan nodded: "Okay, Father has made the right arrangements."

Chen's mother, standing nearby, instructed, "When you go to the neighboring county, look for any new and interesting vegetable seeds. Buy a few and bring them back so we can plant them in the garden and give our family a change of pace. The children are getting tired of eating the same things all the time."

Su Xiaoqing immediately chimed in, "Yes, yes, yes! Mother is right! If we could buy some rare vegetables, growing them and cooking them would definitely be delicious!"

Chen Xiaohe patted his chest and assured her, "Mother, don't worry, I'll definitely look around and bring back any fresh seeds I find!"

Mr. Chen smiled and shook his head: "Alright, enough with the talk. Pack your things this afternoon, and we'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."

The family members were busy again. The sound of sanding filled the carpentry workshop once more, the aroma of preparing lunch wafted from the kitchen, and the children chased after the chickens and ducks happily in the yard. The warm sunlight shone on the farmhouse courtyard, illuminating the contented and satisfied smiles on everyone's faces.

A new year, new busyness, new hopes.