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

Back home, Chen Xiaohe plopped down on a stool and didn't say a word for a long time.

After settling the children in, Chen's mother asked Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing to take them inside to play. Only Chen's father, mother, and two sons remained in the main room.

Chen Xiaohe finally spoke, his voice still filled with shock: "I didn't expect the village head to be so decisive, sending people away as soon as he said he would, and beating them as soon as he said he would. Those thirty lashes are no joke. I think Brother Ye and the others will be bedridden for half a month."

Chen Dashan was silent for a while, then said, "The village head has no choice. Haven't you noticed that some people in the village have been getting restless lately? If we don't make an example of them, who knows what trouble they might cause in the future?"

Father Chen took a puff of his pipe and nodded: "Dashan is right. After those three girls arrived, some people in the village were practically staring at them. They'd bring them vegetables one day and eggs the next; their minds were already wandering off. If the village head doesn't stop them, most of the men in our village will be running off to them."

Remembering something, Chen Xiaohe lowered his voice and asked, "Dad, how did you know those three girls were acting strangely?"

Father Chen exhaled a puff of smoke and slowly said, "When I was digging traps on the mountain, I saw with my own eyes that wild boy stuffing eggs into that girl's mouth. How can it be normal for a man who is about to become a father to not nourish his own wife but secretly give food to another woman? I felt something was wrong at the time, and later I talked to a few old guys and had someone keep an eye on him for a few days. Sure enough, we found out something was wrong."

Chen's mother sighed, "Luckily we found out early. If it had turned into a big problem, our village's reputation would have been ruined."

Chen Dashan suddenly remembered something and said to Chen Xiaohe, "From now on, let's stay away from those households. Let's avoid contact with both men and women."

Chen Xiaohe nodded: "Don't worry, brother, I know what I'm doing. Even if someone falls into the river in the future, I'll first check if it's a man or a woman. If it's a woman, I'll call for help and have someone else rescue her."

Chen's mother was both amused and exasperated by his words, and slapped him, saying, "What nonsense are you talking about!"

Father Chen put down his pipe and said sternly, "You two remember this: our family is where it is today because we are all of one mind, work hard, and live honestly. We must never get involved in any crooked or dishonest ways."

Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe nodded together: "Understood, Dad."

---

For dinner, we made dumplings and bone broth.

The pork belly was minced and mixed with some cabbage, making it smell delicious. Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing were making dumplings, Chen's mother was boiling water, and Chen's father was playing with the four children in the yard. Shitou was chasing Afu, Qingqing and Aji were squatting on the ground watching ants, and bursts of laughter could be heard.

The dumplings were ready, and the bone broth had turned milky white with a layer of oil floating on top. Chen's mother served each child a large bowl, and then gave each of the four children a few dumplings in a small bowl so they could eat them themselves.

Chen Xiaohe took a bite of the dumpling and squinted his eyes in satisfaction: "So delicious! Mom's dumplings are the best."

Mother Chen smiled and said, "It's your sister-in-law and Xiao Qing who made the best filling."

Chen Dashan took a sip of bone broth and said to Su Xiaoyin, "This broth is really well made, so delicious."

Su Xiaoyin smiled, said nothing, and wiped the oil from the corner of Shi Tou's mouth.

After dinner, it was already dark. The family sat in the courtyard enjoying the cool air; the four children, tired from playing, leaned against the adults and dozed off. A night breeze blew by, carrying the fresh scent of crops from the fields and the distant croaking of frogs.

Mr. Chen, puffing on his pipe, suddenly spoke up: "You all saw what happened today. From now on, remember this in your conduct and actions—Heaven is watching what people do. Those crooked and dishonest ways won't last long."

Chen Dashan nodded: "Dad, we've got it."

Chen Xiaohe also said, "Don't worry, Dad. Our family has worked so hard to get to this point, who would want to waste it?"

Chen's mother patted him on the shoulder: "Alright, alright, stop talking about that. Get some rest, you still have work to do tomorrow."

The family dispersed and went back to their rooms.

Lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), Su Xiaoyin gazed at the moonlight outside the window and suddenly whispered, "Dashan, our family's life is really good."

Chen Dashan hummed in agreement and stretched out his arm for her to rest her head on.

"Things will get better from here," he said.

Moonlight streamed through the paper window, falling on the kang (a heated brick bed), on the two people snuggling together, and on the faces of the four sleeping children.

Outside the courtyard, the night breeze gently blows, carrying the fragrance of the fields and the peaceful, secure, and hopeful atmosphere of this home.

A gentle evening breeze dispelled the daytime heat, bringing coolness to the Chen family courtyard.

Chen Dashan sat on a stool with a large basket in front of him containing seven or eight round melons—some were yellow-skinned white melons, some were green-skinned and netted cantaloupes, and a few smaller, fragrant sweet melons. He took out the melons one by one and showed them to his father.

"Dad, all the other melons in our family have come off the market. I picked some today. You and Mom can take them to the market tomorrow and see if you can sell them."

Mr. Chen took the melon, examined it carefully, and then smelled it. He nodded in satisfaction: "This melon smells wonderful; it'll definitely sell. Watermelons have been selling well this year. Every time we bring them to the market, they're gone in no time. These melons are a new variety; people in the county don't see them often, but everyone who's tried them loves them."

Chen's mother, who was sewing shoe soles nearby, looked up and smiled when she heard this, saying, "Then let's give it a try. Anyway, we have plenty of melons; if we can't sell them all, we'll eat them ourselves."

Su Xiaoyin came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of sliced ​​melons—cantaloupe, honeydew melon, and honeydew melon—each cut into thin crescent-shaped slices, arranged neatly, the flesh translucent and juicy. She placed the plate on the small table and invited everyone, "Come on, try some. Let's see which variety is the sweetest so we can promote it tomorrow."

The children had been eagerly waiting. Shi Tou was the first to reach out, grab a slice of melon, take a big bite, and a satisfied smile immediately spread across his face: "Sweet! This is sweet!"

Qingqing and Aji each took a slice, but Afu, being the smallest, couldn't reach it and stomped his feet in frustration. Su Xiaoqing smiled and picked him up, letting him choose for himself. Afu picked a slice of cantaloupe and nibbled on it, getting cantaloupe juice all over his face.

Chen Dashan picked up a slice of cantaloupe, tasted it, and nodded: "This one is good, thick-fleshed, and sweet enough."

Mr. Chen also tried them and concluded, "They're all delicious. The cantaloupe is sweet and refreshing, the honeydew melon is honey-sweet, and the sweet melon is fragrant. Everyone has their own taste, so let's take some of each to sell."

After finishing her melon, Su Xiaoyin wiped her hands and said to Chen's mother, "Mom, when you go to set up your stall tomorrow, bring a knife and a plate. Cut a few slices of melon so that customers can try them before buying. People in the county don't often see our melons, and I'm afraid they won't be familiar with them and won't dare to buy them. If they taste them and think they're good, they'll naturally pay for them."

Chen's mother's eyes lit up: "That's a great idea! I'll bring a knife and a plate tomorrow, cut the melon up and put it on a plate." She looked at her youngest son, "Xiaohe, make me some bamboo skewers later, the thin kind, so I can stick them on the melon slices and let people eat them, it'll be clean and hygienic."

Chen Xiaohe patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, Mom, I'll make them right away, and I'll make a lot. I'll also make a lid for the plates to put on them, so they look clean and keep the flies away."