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

Upon hearing this, Mr. Chen quickly expressed his gratitude: "Oh, Manager Liu, this is truly... thank you so much! Whether the job goes through or not, thank you for thinking of us!"

Liu Yilong waved his hand: "No need to be so polite. We've known each other for so long, it's only right that we look out for each other. Okay, Uncle, you're busy, I still have to go and look around somewhere else."

After Liu Yilong left, Chen's father was still feeling quite pleased. This Steward Liu was truly a kind man; he had taken good care of them these past few days. From now on, whenever they had any fresh mountain vegetables, they would think of sending them to him first.

Just then, Chen's mother returned, carrying two large bundles of cloth in her hands, a smile on her face: "Old man, look, the cloth you bought this time is better than last time! Two bundles are fine cotton, enough to make a lot of things. The other bundle is coarse hemp, perfect for pasting shoe soles. The shopkeeper said to come back often, and he'll save the good stuff for us."

Mr. Chen took the piece of cloth, put it in his basket, and said in a low voice, "Manager Liu just came by."

Chen's mother was taken aback: "What's he doing here? Did he come to buy anything from us?"

Mr. Chen repeated Liu Yilong's words, and Mrs. Chen's eyes lit up after hearing them: "This is great news! We must thank him properly. From now on, if there are any fresh mountain vegetables or wild fruits, we should send them to him first. His mother likes mountain food, so we should think of her more often."

Mr. Chen nodded: "That's what I was thinking too. By the way, while there aren't many people around, I'll go buy some watermelon seedlings. You watch the stall."

Chen's mother put the scraps of cloth down and took the stall: "Okay, go ahead. Come back soon."

---

In the afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Chen packed up their stall and drove their mule cart home.

In the courtyard, four children were playing. When they saw their grandparents return, they swarmed around them. Chen's mother took out a piece of cloth from the basket, and the four little ones immediately gathered around to look at it.

"Grandma, what's this?"

"These are scraps of cloth. I'll have your mother and aunt make you new clothes later," Chen's mother said with a smile, patting their heads.

Chen Dashan came out of the carpentry workshop and helped unload the truck. Chen's father moved the watermelon seedlings to a shady spot and then said to Chen Dashan, "Dashan, there's something I want to tell you."

Chen Dashan stopped what he was doing: "Dad, what's wrong?"

Chen's father repeated Liu Yilong's words, and finally said, "Tomorrow you and your mother go to the county town, take the drawings of your furniture, and go with Manager Liu to see the owner. If you can get the job, it will be another source of income."

Chen Dashan nodded, a hint of anticipation in his heart: "Okay, I'll bring the necessary things tomorrow. Thank you, Manager Liu, for thinking of us."

Mr. Chen added, "I've bought the watermelon seedlings. I won't go to the county town tomorrow. Xiaohe and I will go to the field to plant the seedlings in the morning, and Xiaohe will stay home in the afternoon to work on the table and chair orders. You can go and take care of your business."

Hearing this from the side, Chen Xiaohe chimed in, "Brother, don't worry, I'll take care of things at home. Tomorrow morning I'll help Dad plant melon seedlings, and in the afternoon I'll make tables and chairs. My skills are improving quickly, so it definitely won't be a problem."

Chen Dashan patted his younger brother on the shoulder: "Alright, then the family is in your hands now."

---

After dinner, the family sat in the yard talking.

Su Xiaoyin took out the two bundles of fabric scraps and sorted them with Su Xiaoqing. Just as Chen's mother had said, the quality of the fabric scraps they bought this time was better than last time. There were several pieces of brightly colored fine cotton fabric, which would be suitable for making hair ties and small clothes.

"Mom, we bought a good amount of fabric this time," Su Xiaoyin said with a smile. "We can make a lot of things."

Chen's mother was sewing shoe soles when she heard this and looked up: "That's good. Take your time, no rush. Tomorrow, Dashan is coming to the county town with me. You two stay home and take good care of the children, do what you need to do."

Su Xiaoqing asked from the side, "Big brother, are you confident about meeting the master tomorrow?"

Chen Dashan thought for a moment and said, "I'm about 70-80% sure. I've recently inquired about the market rates in the county and towns, so I know how much everyone charges. Plus, with Manager Liu speaking on my behalf, it should be about right."

Mr. Chen, puffing on his pipe, said slowly, "Don't worry too much about whether it works out or not. Our family is doing just fine now, we don't need this one order. The key is to build a good relationship with Manager Liu; there will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

Chen Dashan nodded: "Dad is right, I'll remember that."

----

The next morning, before dawn, Chen Dashan got up.

He quietly dressed, without disturbing Su Xiaoyin and the two children who were still fast asleep. On the kang (a heated brick bed), Shi Tou lay sprawled out, one leg draped over Qingqing; Qingqing lay on her side, her little hands clutching the corner of the blanket; her small chest rose and fell with each breath. Su Xiaoyin slept soundly beside the children, her brow relaxed.

Chen Dashan stood by the kang (a heated brick bed) for a while, a smile unconsciously curving his lips. He gently tucked the quilt into Shi Tou's bed, then turned and left.

In the courtyard, Chen's mother was already harnessing the cart. The mule was led out and was eating hay by the trough. Chen's mother was loading the cart with the goods she would sell that day—embroidery, hair ties, little cloth tigers, and a few bamboo baskets that Chen Xiaohe had recently woven.

"Mom, let me do it." Chen Dashan walked over quickly, took the basket from his mother's hands, and placed it steadily on the car.

Chen's mother wiped her hands and glanced at him: "Have you eaten?"

"No, no rush." ​​Chen Dashan finished loading the goods and checked the wheels again.

Chen's mother brought out two grain cakes from the kitchen, gave him one, and took one for herself: "Eat as you go, it won't take up much time. Your father and Xiaohe will be going up the mountain soon, let's leave early so we don't keep Steward Liu waiting."

The mother and son boarded the mule cart, and Chen Dashan flicked the reins, causing the mule to steadily move forward, creaking and groaning as it drove out of the courtyard gate.

---

At the same time, Chen's father and Chen Xiaohe also got up.

Mr. Chen went to the backyard to check on the livestock, and then went to look at the watermelon seedlings he had bought yesterday. The seedlings were soaking in a basin of water, their roots were white and tender, and they looked quite healthy.

"Dad, can we plant the rest of the seedlings today?" Chen Xiaohe asked, bringing over a bowl of porridge.

Mr. Chen estimated, "About right. That open space isn't big; it can be finished in a morning. This afternoon, you go back and help Dashan with his twenty sets of tables and chairs; the project is on a tight schedule and can't be delayed."

Chen Xiaohe nodded and finished the porridge in a few gulps: "Okay, I'll eat more then, so I'll have more energy for work later."

After finishing their meal, the two hitched up the oxcart, loaded the watermelon seedlings and tools, and set off for the mountain.

At home, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing also got up.

The four children were still asleep. The two sisters quietly washed up and went to the backyard to feed the livestock. The two piglets in the pigpen grunted and came over. Su Xiaoyin poured two buckets of pig feed into the trough, and they immediately buried their heads and ate heartily. The chickens, ducks, and geese also gathered around, and Su Xiaoqing scattered a few handfuls of grain, watching them scramble for it.

After tending to the livestock, the two sisters returned to the house. The four children were already awake, rolling around on the kang (a heated brick bed). Shi Tou was tickling A Fu on the mattress, and A Fu was laughing so hard he could hardly breathe, repeatedly crying out, "Brother, have mercy!" Qing Qing and A Ji sat beside them, clapping and laughing.

"Get up, wash your faces and eat!" Su Xiaoyin shouted.