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

At the dinner table, Mr. Chen brought up the arrangements for spring plowing: "These past two days I've seen that the soil in the fields is almost ready, it's time to prepare for spring plowing. I'll go and collect the manure, mix it well, and we can start working in the fields in a few days."

Chen's mother chimed in, "Then I'll go to the county town to set up a stall these next couple of days. You all go about your business in the fields. I'll give it a try and see if it works out."

Su Xiaoyin was a little worried: "Mother, can you manage by yourself? You've driven an oxcart before, but you've never driven a mule before."

Mother Chen waved her hand: "It's alright, mules are more intelligent than oxen and they know the way faster. I'll get used to it in a couple of days. Besides, I've walked that road to the county town so many times, I could walk it with my eyes closed."

Chen Xiaohe was still worried: "Mother, how about this, I'll go with you for a day tomorrow. You can drive the mule yourself, and I'll watch over you. If it's alright, you can go by yourself the day after tomorrow. Otherwise, we won't feel at ease in the fields."

After thinking for a moment, Chen's mother nodded: "Okay, then I'll stay with you for one day."

---

Before dawn the next day, Chen's mother got up and hitched up the cart.

The mule was new and a little shy, but Chen's mother wasn't in a hurry. She slowly fed it some bean cakes, stroked its fur, and talked to it for a while. The mule seemed to understand her and gradually calmed down.

Chen Xiaohe loaded the goods, jumped into the car, and the mother and son went out in the morning light.

After seeing their mother-in-law and brother-in-law off, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing immediately got to work.

In the yard, the vegetable seeds they bought a few days ago needed to be planted. The two sisters took out the seedling soil that their father had prepared last autumn, sifted it finely, mixed it with well-rotted manure, and put it into seedling baskets. Peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, cucumbers, and green beans were separated and planted according to different depth requirements. They were watered thoroughly and covered with straw mats to keep warm.

"Sister, will this new variety of tomatoes really be bigger than the ones we grow?" Su Xiaoqing asked as she sowed the seeds.

Su Xiaoyin smiled and said, "Didn't Dad say that Brother De inquired and said that the yield is high and the fruit is big? Let's try it for a year first, and if it's really good, we'll plant more next year."

In the backyard, Chen's father was busy mixing manure, crushing and stirring the pile of farmyard manure that had been composting all winter, and then adding some wood ash. The manure smelled quite strong, but he worked diligently without any disgust. This manure was the lifeblood of the crops; the fertility of the soil depended entirely on it.

Chen Dashan was putting the finishing touches on the furniture in his carpentry workshop. The frame of the study furniture set had been completed long ago, and the carvings had been finished according to the customer's requirements. Now, all that was left was the final sanding, followed by applying tung oil and letting it dry before delivery. He held the sandpaper, carefully sanding each area, not even missing the corners of the drawers. The carving catalog that Su Xiaoyin and the others had drawn had been a great help this time; the customer had been able to choose designs by looking at the catalog, saving them a lot of trouble.

---

When the sun was halfway up the sky, Chen's mother and Chen Xiaohe returned.

"How is it?" Chen Dashan put down what he was doing and went to greet him.

Chen Xiaohe jumped off the cart, his face beaming. "Mom's amazing! The mule was a bit stubborn at first, but it became obedient after walking two miles. There weren't many people at the stall today, but we still made several dozen coins. I packed up the stall and came back with Mom."

Chen's mother got off the cart and patted the mule's neck: "This mule is intelligent and knows the way quickly. We'll keep it from now on, and I'll drive it to the county town every day."

Mr. Chen came out from the backyard and was relieved to hear this: "Alright, then I'll leave the work to you from now on. We'll be busy in the fields, so I'll leave the stall to you."

Chen's mother waved her hand: "What's so hard about it? It's not tiring to watch the stall, and you can talk to people. It's better than being cooped up at home."

At lunchtime, the family sat together. Su Xiaoyin told Chen's mother about the vegetable seedlings she had cultivated that morning. Chen's mother nodded, "You have experience in cultivating seedlings, so I'm at ease. Once the seedlings grow, we'll plant them properly in the vegetable garden, and we won't have to worry about vegetables this summer."

Chen Dashan said, "Once the spring planting is finished, that set of furniture should be delivered. Xiaohe and I will go deliver it then, and we'll also check if they're satisfied."

Mr. Chen took a sip of porridge and said slowly, "Okay, one thing at a time. Spring plowing, setting up stalls, and delivering goods will all be done without delay."

----

"Sister, Dad and the others have gone to do spring plowing. Shall we go check out the bamboo forest?"

After lunch, Su Xiaoqing cleared the dishes while giving her sister a meaningful look. She had been thinking about the bamboo shoots for days. After the spring rains last year, the bamboo shoots that sprouted in the bamboo forest were tender and fresh, and they were absolutely delicious whether stir-fried with cured meat or used in soup.

Su Xiaoyin was wiping Qingqing's mouth when she heard this and looked up at the window. The sun had already risen, and it was warm and sunny. Several chickens were pawing at the ground in the yard. Shitou led his younger brothers to squat in the corner of the wall watching ants move their nest. The three little heads were huddled together, watching intently.

"What about the child?" Su Xiaoyin hesitated. "Is it alright to bring him along?"

Su Xiaoqing laughed: "Take them with us! They're already several years old, they can walk all the time. We can just dig around the bamboo grove and let them play right under our noses, what could possibly happen? Besides, they need to get out and about more, they're cooped up in the yard all day, they're getting restless."

Su Xiaoyin thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay, let's go take a look. If the bamboo shoots are in season, we'll make a stew of pickled bamboo shoots and pork belly tonight, and stir-fry some bamboo shoots and cured pork to add some freshness to the house."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Su Xiaoqing's eyes lit up. "Let's go, let's go early and come back early, we still need to come back to cook dinner."

The two sisters got right to work. Su Xiaoyin went to the storeroom and took out two large baskets, and also found four small hoes—the two large ones for themselves, and the two small ones that Chen Dashan had specially made for the children, light and easy to handle, just in time for Shitou and Qingqing to try. Su Xiaoqing, on the other hand, found a few small bamboo baskets and had Aji and Afu carry them, ostensibly to "help pack bamboo shoots."

The four children erupted in excitement upon hearing they were going out. Shi Tou was the first to rush over, tugging at Su Xiaoqing's clothes: "Auntie, Auntie! Where are we going? Where are we going?"

"Let's go dig bamboo shoots in the bamboo grove!" Su Xiaoqing tapped his nose. "You guys help your aunt and mother get the bamboo shoots, okay?"

"Okay!" Stone shouted the loudest.

"Me too!" Qingqing jumped up and down, raising her little hand.

Aji and Afu didn't know what bamboo shoots were, but seeing their older siblings so happy, they clapped and laughed along.

Su Xiaoyin tidied up the four children's clothes and then put a small straw hat on each of them—it was woven by Chen's mother from wheat straw last summer, with a wide brim to shield them from the sun. Afu's hat was a bit too big, covering half of his face and only revealing his chubby chin.

"Let's go!" Su Xiaoqing slung a large basket over her shoulder, holding one child in each hand. "Shitou, hold your little brother's hand tightly and stay close."

The group of six walked in a grand procession toward the bamboo forest behind the mountain.