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

Spring planting is finally over.

Early that morning, before dawn, Chen's father, along with Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe, carried baskets on their backs and went up the mountain. The season for wild spring vegetables waits for no one; these days are the peak season, and the more they gather, the more income the family will have. Chen's mother also got up early, driving the mule to the county town—first to deliver vegetables to Wang's restaurant, and then to set up her stall.

In the old house and the new courtyard, only Su Xiaoyin, Su Xiaoqing and the four children remain.

Su Xiaoyin pushed open the door and took a deep breath of the fresh spring morning air. In the yard, the newly caught chicks, ducklings, and goslings were already chirping and twittering in the makeshift fence, waiting to be fed. Two piglets were grunting and purring in their pen, rooting around their trough.

"Sister, you feed the pigs first, I'll feed these little guys." Su Xiaoqing rolled up her sleeves, picked up a small bucket of mixed chicken feed, and walked towards the fence.

Su Xiaoyin nodded, picked up the pig feed bucket, and went into the pigpen. Seeing someone arrive, the two piglets crowded to the trough, grunting even more enthusiastically. She poured the feed in, watching them bury their heads in the food, and couldn't help but smile: "Eat up, eat up, eat more, so you can grow strong."

After feeding the pigs, she went to check on the sheepfold. A few days ago, Chen's father had sold several sheep, saying the market was good and he'd made several taels of silver. The sheepfold was empty, but Chen's mother said she'd wait a while and then buy some more to raise.

After feeding the chickens, ducks, and geese, Su Xiaoqing filled several water troughs with water. The little creatures, having eaten and drunk their fill, ran around in the enclosure, chattering noisily.

"Sis, let's go water the plants in the garden." Su Xiaoqing wiped the sweat from her forehead. "The sun's been strong these past few days, so we need to water the seedlings more often."

The two sisters picked up their buckets again and headed towards the vegetable garden. The four children followed. Shitou, holding a small water ladle, watered the nearest row of vegetables with great seriousness, getting himself soaked in the process. Qingqing, along with Aji and Afu, squatted at the edge of the field watching ants move their nest. The three little heads huddled together, chattering away, their words unintelligible.

After working for more than an hour, the livestock were fed, the vegetable garden was watered, and all the chores were done. Su Xiaoyin straightened up, looking at the neatly tidied yard, and felt at ease.

"Xiaoqing," she said, patting the dirt off her hands, "we need to get ready to start the embroidery. We've been so busy with spring planting and growing wild vegetables that we've fallen behind on the embroidery; we can't put it off any longer."

Su Xiaoqing nodded: "Okay, anyway, the embroidery pattern is already drawn and the color scheme is decided. Spring planting is over, so I can finally settle down and start working."

The two sisters washed their hands and went inside to sit down. Su Xiaoyin unrolled the embroidery pattern she had drawn—it was a design called "Wealth and Longevity," featuring peonies paired with periwinkles, a symbol of good fortune and a festive color scheme; it would surely look beautiful when embroidered. This design would use gold thread, making it more expensive than the previous ones, but precisely because of the gold thread, it would definitely fetch a higher price.

"Sister, shall we make three large embroidery designs this year?" Su Xiaoqing said while arranging the embroidery thread. "Three designs a year, no more, no less. We can use the rest of our time to make some smaller embroidery items for our stall and take care of these household chores."

Su Xiaoyin nodded: "That's what I think too. If we do too much, we won't be able to do anything, and we'll just leave all the housework to Mother. That's not right." She paused, then lowered her voice, "Besides, three large embroidery designs a year, if they sell well, should bring in nearly a hundred taels of silver. Add to that what Dashan and Xiaohe earn from their furniture stall, and over a few years, we can save quite a bit."

Su Xiaoqing stopped arranging the threads and looked up at her sister: "Sis, do you have something in mind?"

Su Xiaoyin paused for a moment before speaking, "I was thinking of... Afu."

Su Xiaoqing was taken aback for a moment, then understood. Afu was the youngest of the four children, and he was thinner and weaker than the others from birth. He ate less milk and grew slowly. Although Dr. Li said that he could be raised slowly, it was still worrying.

"Afu looks much better this year than last year," Su Xiaoqing comforted herself. "He's not sick much, and he's in good spirits."

"He is a bit stronger." Su Xiaoyin nodded, her gaze gentle. "But as you can see, he's still not as good as Shi Tou and the others when he's running and jumping. I was thinking that when he's a few years older, if he's still good at studying, I'll let him study for a few more years. Even if he doesn't pass the imperial examinations, being literate and able to find a shop in town to work as an accountant or shop assistant is better than doing manual labor."

Su Xiaoqing's eyes lit up: "Sister, you mean...you want to buy a shop in town?"

Su Xiaoyin smiled and said, "We can save up slowly. Three large embroidery designs a year, at Madam Zhao's price, should cost at least a hundred taels of silver. Plus, with the income from Dashan and Xiaohe, and some from the public fund, we can save up for a few years and buy a small shop. Then we can have Afu learn to do business, or rent it out to collect rent, both are viable options."

Su Xiaoqing felt a warmth in her heart, but also a little uneasy: "A shop in town... how much silver would that cost?"

"I don't know either." Su Xiaoyin shook her head. "When we have time tomorrow, let's go to the brokerage firm to ask around, so we can have a general idea. There's no rush, we can take our time."

Su Xiaoqing nodded emphatically: "Okay! Sister, thank you for thinking so much about Afu. Let's save together! As a mother, I haven't thought that much. I've only been thinking about how to get his health back in good shape."

The two sisters smiled at each other and then continued tidying up their threads. Sunlight streamed in through the window, bathing them in its warmth.

"Sister, this 'Wealth and Longevity' piece is made with gold thread, how much do you think it can sell for?" Su Xiaoqing asked.

Su Xiaoyin thought for a moment: "It must be more expensive than Pine and Crane Longevity, right? If Madam Zhao takes a liking to it, forty taels or more shouldn't be a problem."

"Forty taels!" Su Xiaoqing gasped. "That's one hundred and twenty taels for three paintings a year!"

"Look at you, so immature." Su Xiaoyin smiled and tapped her. "You haven't even finished embroidering it yet, and you're already calculating the money."

Su Xiaoqing chuckled and lowered her head to thread the needle: "I'm just thinking about it, it makes me more interested."

Outside, four children were having a great time playing in the yard. The sounds of Shitou shouting, Qingqing laughing, and Aji and Afu babbling together created a lively nursery rhyme.

Inside, the two sisters were engrossed in their needlework. The gold thread shimmered in the sunlight, taking shape little by little on the silk fabric with their fingers.

That's life—busy with the tasks at hand while also planning for the long term. When working, work diligently; when thinking, think carefully, and move forward step by step.

Su Xiaoqing occasionally looked up and glanced at the children in the yard through the window. Afu ran a little slower, falling behind Shitou and the others, but his smile was just as bright as his older brothers and sisters. She silently murmured to herself: Take your time, no rush, Mom will save it for you.

As the sun rose higher, the sounds of chickens, ducks, and geese in the yard, the laughter of children, and the soft rustling of needle and thread inside blended into a tranquil atmosphere unique to spring. On the first day after the spring planting season ended, this family began a new round of busy work. But this time, the busyness carried a greater sense of anticipation for the future.