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

Before dawn the next day, Mr. Chen got up. Mrs. Chen got up even earlier, and the aroma of pancakes wafted from the kitchen.

"Dad, I'll pack some dry rations." Chen Xiaohe came out of the house carrying a cloth bag. Last night, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing had specially made a few extra pancakes and boiled ten eggs for them to eat on the road.

Mr. Chen took the cloth bag and weighed it in his hand: "That's enough, that's enough. We'll be gone for three days. How can we eat so much?"

Chen's mother poked her head out from the kitchen: "It won't hurt to bring more. You can't go hungry when you're traveling."

Just then, the sound of cart wheels came from outside the courtyard gate. Chen De stopped the oxcart at the gate and called inside, "Uncle Chen, Xiao He, are you ready? It's time to go!"

"They're here!" Chen Xiaohe slung a cloth bag over his shoulder and helped his father into the car. Chen Dashan saw them to the door and instructed, "Xiaohe, take good care of your father on the way."

"Don't worry, big brother!" Chen Xiaohe jumped onto the carriage shaft and waved to Chen Dashan.

The oxcart creaked and groaned as it drove away. Chen Dashan stood at the gate for a while, then turned back to continue his work.

---

Three oxcarts lined up in a row, heading towards the neighboring county along the official road. The early spring wind still carried a chill, stinging the face, but once the sun came out, the body warmed up.

Chen Xiaohe wrapped his cotton-padded coat tighter around himself and leaned closer to Chen De, asking, "Brother De, where should we go first?"

Chen De, clearly having planned ahead, said confidently, "I've already inquired. We'll go to the county government office in the neighboring county first. They have the latest crop seeds this year, and I heard the yield is much higher than what we're growing now. Especially sweet potatoes and corn. If we can buy some, we'll try them out when we get back."

"The county government sells seeds?" Chen Xiaohe asked, somewhat surprised.

"It's not about selling, it's about promoting," Chen De explained. "My dad said that the magistrate of the neighboring county is particularly encouraging land reclamation for grain cultivation. He specially brought in a batch of new seeds from the south for the people to take home and try planting for free. All they have to do is register. Let's go and try our luck. If we can get some, great; if not, we'll just buy some other seeds ourselves."

Listening from the side, Mr. Chen nodded: "That's good news. If the new seeds are really high-yielding, our dozen or so acres of wasteland will yield a lot more grain."

Chen De added, "After we get the seeds, let's go to the seed market to buy some vegetable seeds. My dad and I have discussed it, and the fruit trees on our barren mountain won't yield a harvest for another two or three years, so we can't just wait around. This year, we plan to plant more vegetables and sell them fresh in town and county. The seeds aren't expensive, and even if we don't sell them all, we can dry them and sell dried vegetables in the winter."

Mr. Chen listened attentively, silently considering his options. He had planted some fruit trees on his own barren hillside last year, but not many, leaving a considerable amount of empty space. Planting more vegetables seemed like a good idea; it wouldn't take up valuable land and wouldn't require too much effort.

"Brother De's idea is good," praised Mr. Chen. "I'll also buy some new vegetable seeds, and if there are any good melon seedlings, I'll buy some to grow my own. Our watermelons grew quite well last year, and we want to plant some more this year. If we can get some other melon seedlings, we'll give that a try too."

Chen De laughed and said, "Your family really grew good watermelons last year. They were all big and sweet. My mother has been talking about it several times, saying that she has to learn from you this year."

Chen Xiaohe raised his eyebrows proudly: "That's right! My sister-in-law and her family take meticulous care of it. They not only water and fertilize it, but they also specifically consulted experienced farmers. Brother De, if your family wants to grow it, I'll have my sister-in-law tell you the tricks later."

"That's great!" Chen De nodded repeatedly.

Mr. Chen then asked, "Brother De, are you buying saplings again this year?"

Chen De thought for a moment and said, "We'll see. If there are new varieties, we'll buy a few if they're suitable. Our mountain is huge, and the ones we bought last year aren't even enough to fill it. But we don't dare buy too many at once, in case the fruit doesn't grow well, it'll be a waste of our efforts."

Mr. Chen wholeheartedly agreed: "That makes sense. Taking it easy is always the right approach. That's what we do at home too. We look at new varieties first, and if they're suitable, we buy a few to try."

Chen De nodded: "Uncle Chen is right. We farmers can't afford to be overworked."

---

While Chen's father and his group were on their way to a neighboring county, Chen Dashan was also busy.

The basic frames for the study furniture were all finished; all that remained was carving the details and applying tung oil. Chen Dashan checked each component again, making sure the mortise and tenon joints fit perfectly and the panels were smooth and flat, before he began to prepare for carving.

He first found the book of carved patterns that Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing had helped draw. The two sisters had drawn it in their spare time before the New Year. It contained various common auspicious patterns, such as cloud patterns, meander patterns, intertwined branches, and ruyi patterns, as well as flowers, plants, insects, and fish. The pages were bound together neatly and clearly.

"That's a great idea." Chen Dashan flipped through the booklet, his admiration for his wife's thoughtfulness growing even stronger. Before, when he got jobs, he could only describe them verbally, and if people didn't understand, he would get anxious. Now, with this booklet, he could understand everything at a glance, saving him so much breath.

Chen Dashan tucked the booklet into his pocket and drove the oxcart to pick up the customer who had ordered the furniture.