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

Upon arriving in the county town, Chen's mother first went to Wang's Restaurant.

Manager Wang was checking the day's ingredients in the back kitchen when he saw Mrs. Chen arrive. He quickly came out to greet her, saying, "Sister-in-law Chen, you're here? Please have a seat."

Mother Chen took the bamboo shoots from the car, and then took out the toon and water celery: "Manager Wang, these are bamboo shoots that were just picked this morning, along with toon and water celery. Please take a look and see if they are fresh."

Shopkeeper Wang took the vegetables and examined them carefully. The bamboo shoots were white and tender, the toon sprouts were a glossy purplish-red, and the water celery was a vibrant green—all top-quality produce. He nodded repeatedly, "Fresh! Really fresh! This toon sprout is so tender it could be eaten raw. Sister Chen, are you delivering again tomorrow? If so, please bring plenty of this toon sprout and shepherd's purse, as much as you can get!"

Mother Chen smiled and said, "Alright, I'll send more tomorrow. Manager Wang, what's the price of these wild vegetables...?"

Shopkeeper Wang waved his hand: "Don't worry, the price is the same as last year, only higher. We've been cooperating for so long, how could I possibly lose money on you?"

Chen's mother smiled and agreed, took the money, and then drove the mule cart to the market.

---

By the time they arrived at the market, the sun had already risen. Chen's mother drove the mule cart to her stall and began to display her goods one by one. Several other stall owners greeted her as they saw her.

"Sister Chen is here? You're here quite early today."

"Sister-in-law has a lot of goods today, business must be good."

Mother Chen responded with a smile, her hands still busy. Just as she finished setting up her stall, she saw Liu Yilong, dressed in his official uniform, patrolling the market. She quickly waved, "Manager Liu! Busy, huh?"

Hearing someone call out, Liu Yilong turned around and saw it was Chen's mother. He smiled and walked over, saying, "Sister-in-law Chen, you're here early today."

Mother Chen took the small bamboo basket covered with leaves from the car and handed it over: "Manager Liu, these are fresh wild vegetables that my family, Da Shan and Xiao He, specially went up the mountain to pick this morning. Please take them back and try them. They're not worth much money, they just grew on the mountain, so it's nice to eat them fresh."

Liu Yilong paused for a moment, then took the basket and lifted the leaves to look inside—tender toon sprouts, water celery, wild garlic, shepherd's purse, and a few white bamboo shoots, all neatly arranged in the basket. A smile immediately spread across his face, a smile far more genuine than when he had collected the two hundred coins for tea.

"Oh, Sister Chen, thank you so much!" Liu Yilong carefully held the basket in his arms. "To tell you the truth, my mother has been craving those wild vegetables we used to eat in the village. I've searched all over the county town, but I couldn't find any. This is truly... just what I needed!"

Mother Chen smiled and said, "That's good, that's good. These were all picked from the mountain, so they didn't cost any money. If you run out, just tell me and I'll bring you more. The old lady is just nostalgic for these things."

Liu Yilong nodded repeatedly, then lowered his voice and said, "Sister Chen, if you ever need anything from your family, just let me know. I'll definitely help if I can."

Chen's mother smiled and agreed, watching Liu Yilong walk away with the basket before continuing to greet the customers at her stall.

---

Meanwhile, in the Chen family's new courtyard, Su Xiaoqing was extremely busy.

In the morning, her older sister, Su Xiaoyin, went up the mountain, leaving all the chores at home to her. First, she processed the bamboo shoots she had dug up yesterday—selecting those to dry, slicing them thinly, blanching them, and then arranging them on a bamboo rack to dry in the sun. Next, she took out the wild vegetables she had gathered yesterday: she rubbed the toon leaves with salt and pickled them in a small jar; she cleaned and washed the water celery and pickled it as well; and she chopped the wild garlic, mixed it with salt and chili powder to make pickled vegetables.

After finishing these tasks, she glanced at the sun and went to the backyard to clean the livestock shed.

These past few days have been busy with spring plowing, and the livestock sheds haven't been cleaned for days. Pushing open the gate, the stench almost knocked her over. Su Xiaoqing pinched her nose, rolled up her sleeves, and shoveled out manure, then added a layer of fresh soil. She cleaned the pigsty, chicken coop, and duck shed one by one, until she was covered in all sorts of smells.

When she came out of the backyard, all four children covered their noses and backed away.

Stone pinched his nose and exclaimed, "Auntie! Why do you smell so bad!"

Qingqing and Aji joined in the commotion, shouting, "Stinky! Stinky!"

The youngest, Afu, followed suit, covering his nose with his chubby little hand and saying in a childish voice, "Mommy, stinky!"

Su Xiaoqing was both annoyed and amused. She walked over and pretended to hug them, saying, "You stink, huh? Then let your aunt hug you and you won't stink anymore!"

The four children screamed and scattered, filling the yard with laughter. Su Xiaoqing chased after them for a couple of steps, then laughed herself, waving her hand and saying, "Alright, alright, I won't bother you anymore. Auntie's going to change my clothes and take a shower. You can play in the yard, but don't run outside!"

She went inside, boiled water, washed herself from head to toe, and changed into clean clothes. Only then did she feel alive again. Looking out the window, she saw four children squatting in the yard watching ants move their nest, their heads huddled together, quietly.

Su Xiaoqing's lips curved into a smile, her heart softening.

---

In the evening, when Chen's mother drove the mule cart home, she ran into Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe returning from the fields. The three of them unloaded the mule cart together, put the mule back in the shed, and added more fodder.

Su Xiaoyin also returned from the mountain, her basket filled with freshly picked wild vegetables and mushrooms. Su Xiaoqing was already busy in the kitchen, the fire in the stove was burning brightly, and the pot was bubbling and emitting a fragrant aroma.

"Mother, how was today?" Chen Dashan asked.

Chen's mother took the water Su Xiaoyin handed her, took a sip, and then told her about what had happened that day: "Manager Wang said that he'll buy as many wild vegetables as there are, and the price will be the same as last year. Manager Liu's basket of wild vegetables arrived just in time; his mother was really craving some. I saw how happy he was; it was more effective than giving him money."

Chen Xiaohe chuckled: "That's good. Let's gather more tomorrow and make some extra money while the wild vegetables are still tender."

Su Xiaoqing poked her head out from the kitchen: "Mom, wash your hands and eat! Tonight I steamed pork and bamboo shoot buns with vermicelli inside, and also made a wild vegetable soup!"

Mother Chen smiled and agreed, and the family sat down around the table. Outside the window, the sunset was in full bloom, painting half the courtyard red. The four children ran around on the veranda, their laughter ringing out.