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

Remembering something, Chen Dashan got up and went inside to fetch two small baskets. The baskets were small but exquisitely woven, and each contained several of the best-looking melons—a cantaloupe, a honeydew melon, and a honeydew melon—he picked one of each.

"Mother, please take these two baskets with you tomorrow." He handed the baskets to Chen's mother. "This one is for Manager Wang, so he can try our other melon varieties. If he likes them, maybe we can sell them at his restaurant. This one is for Manager Liu. He's always been a patron of our stall, so sending him some melons to try is just a token of his appreciation."

Mother Chen took the basket, examined the melons carefully, and nodded with satisfaction: "You're so thoughtful. If Manager Wang will take them, we won't have to worry about selling these melons."

---

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Mr. and Mrs. Chen hitched up their mule cart and set off for the county town, pulling a cart full of melons.

Besides watermelons, the cart also carried cantaloupes, honeydew melons, and honeydew melons, all neatly arranged. On top were two exquisite little baskets, for Manager Wang and Steward Liu. There was also a plate covered with a bamboo lid, containing sliced ​​melon pieces skewered with bamboo sticks, ready for people to sample.

Sitting in the car, Chen's mother turned back and called out to the yard, "Dashan, Xiaoyin, we're leaving! Take good care of yourselves at home!"

Su Xiaoyin carried Afu to the courtyard gate, saying, "Mom, drive carefully! Come back early if you don't sell them all!"

The mule cart creaked and groaned as it drove away.

---

In the courtyard, Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe saw their parents off and then went into the carpentry workshop. The set of camphor wood furniture for Master Li was almost finished; the rest was fine work, requiring careful polishing. One brother was responsible for polishing the cabinet doors, and the other for carving the details. They worked together seamlessly, neither speaking, only the sounds of the plane and sandpaper rubbing against the wood.

In the east wing, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing sat by the window doing needlework.

Su Xiaoqing held a half-finished summer garment in her hand. It was made of light gray cotton fabric, a simple color suitable for a man. As she sewed, she said, "Sister, our large embroidery hasn't sold yet, and we can't make any more large ones for a while. How about we take these scraps of fabric and make some small ornaments to sell at the stall?"

Su Xiaoyin was cutting another piece of fabric when she heard this and looked up: "That's what I was thinking too. But," she paused, pointing to the garment she had just finished cutting, "let's make some summer clothes for the family first. We've been so busy this year that we haven't had time. This morning I saw that Mother's summer clothes were made the year we got married, and they're all faded from washing."

Su Xiaoqing was stunned for a moment, and after thinking about it carefully, it was true. Her mother-in-law had been wearing that blue cloth jacket for several years, and the collar and cuffs were worn and frayed, but she still couldn't bear to replace it with a new one.

"Sister is right, let's make some for Mom and Dad first." Su Xiaoqing put down the half-finished product in her hand and picked out another piece of fabric. "Dad's clothes need to be changed too. His gray one has faded in the sun."

The two sisters got right to work. The summer clothes were simple in design, requiring no complicated cutting, and quick to sew. They first took their measurements—their parents' measurements were already memorized, so there was no need to measure them again. After cutting the fabric, they began to sew.

Inside the main room, the four children were placed in a shady spot to play. Shi Tou sat on the floor with his younger siblings, in front of them were several small wooden horses and bamboo animals, which Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe had made for them. Shi Tou held a small wooden horse, making "clattering" sounds like horses' hooves, and led his younger siblings in a game of horseback riding and fighting. Qingqing and Aji followed suit, while Afu, the youngest, held a small bamboo bird, having a great time.

Su Xiaoyin glanced out the window and, seeing that the children were having fun, she felt relieved and continued working.

"Sister, do you think we can sell that painting, 'Wealth and Longevity'?" Su Xiaoqing asked while sewing, her voice tinged with worry.

Su Xiaoyin's hands kept moving, but her voice remained steady: "Definitely. We put our hearts into it; the color matching and stitching are just as good as those from the embroidery workshop. It's just that there aren't many people who can afford such large embroidery patterns; we'll have to wait for the right person."

"That's true." Su Xiaoqing nodded. "Mother is right. Thirty-odd taels of silver is a sum most people can't afford, and even if they could, they might not have a place to hang it. Let's not rush, we can sell it slowly."

"Okay, we'll sell them slowly." Su Xiaoyin smiled. "During this time, we'll make more small items, like hair ties, sachets, and tiger-head shoes, and sell them at the stall. These little things don't earn much, but they'll provide a steady stream of income."

Su Xiaoqing's eyes lit up: "By the way, sister, it's almost July, and there will definitely be a market in the county town on the fifteenth of July, the Ghost Festival. How about we make some sachets for praying for blessings? We can use those plain-colored scraps of cloth and embroider lotus flowers and leaves on them, which would have a good meaning."

"Okay," Su Xiaoyin nodded. "Let's sort the scraps of cloth. We can keep the plain ones to make sachets and the bright ones to make hair ties. We can also dry the leftover mugwort from the Dragon Boat Festival and use it to make sachets."

The two sisters worked and discussed as they went, their needle and thread never stopping, while the sun outside the window gradually rose higher.

In the main room, Stone, tired from playing, ran over and leaned on the windowsill: "Mom, I'm thirsty."

Su Xiaoyin put down her work, got up and went to the kitchen to pour a bowl of cold tea. She then took out a few pieces of chestnut cake she had made that morning from the cupboard and handed them to Shitou: "Take these and share them with your younger siblings. Don't fight over them, understand?"

Stone nodded, took the bowl and pastries and ran back to the main room to call his younger siblings over to eat. The four little heads huddled together, taking turns eating and enjoying the meal immensely.

Looking at the scene outside the window, Su Xiaoqing smiled and said, "Sister, look how well-behaved they are."

Su Xiaoyin smiled too: "Yes. Life goes on like this, it's fine."

---

As the sun began to set, Mr. and Mrs. Chen returned.

More than half of the melons on the mule cart had been sold; the rest were small or of average quality, perfect for keeping for themselves. As soon as Chen's mother got off the cart, she beamed, "Sales were great today! After people tasted the new melons, quite a few bought them. Manager Wang also said he'd send us some more whenever we have any."

Father Chen took the mule back to the shed, added some hay, and then sat down. "Manager Liu is also happy. He said the melon is sweet. Take it back for his mother to try; she'll definitely like it."

Su Xiaoyin served the chilled tea and said with a smile, "That's good. Take your time, and we won't have to worry about selling our melons anymore."

Chen's mother took a sip of tea, then suddenly remembered something: "Oh right, Xiaoyin and Xiaoqing, several people asked about your large embroidery today, but no one bought it. Don't worry, just wait patiently."

Su Xiaoqing shook her head: "Mother, we're not in a hurry. We can use this time to make some summer clothes for the family. Your and Father's clothes are all worn out and need to be replaced."

Chen's mother paused, looked down at the faded blue cotton jacket she was wearing, and her eyes suddenly welled up with tears. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but felt that nothing she said would be appropriate, and finally only managed to say, "Good children...you are so thoughtful."

A cool evening breeze swept through the courtyard. The distant mountains were bathed in the golden light of the setting sun, and wisps of smoke rose from the rooftops of every house, enveloping the entire village in peace and tranquility.

In the Chen family courtyard, the family sat together, eating melons and chatting. Life, like the evening breeze, moved forward steadily, neither hurried nor slow.