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

Chen's father glanced at him, feeling sorry for him but saying nothing. At that moment, time was of the essence.

The oxcart carried loads home one trip after another. Chen Dashan drove the cart, Chen Xiaohe loaded the loads, and Chen's father continued harvesting in the field. The three worked together seamlessly and managed to harvest more than half of the thirty mu of land.

At noon, Su Xiaoyin brought lunch. She carried a basket and walked quickly, calling out as she reached the edge of the field, "Dad, Dashan, Xiaohe, eat first!"

Father Chen straightened up, glanced at the sky, and shook his head: "No need to eat anymore, let's keep working. Xiaoyin, put the food here, we'll eat a bite if we get hungry."

Knowing she couldn't persuade her otherwise, Su Xiaoyin put down the basket and herbal tea, turned around and ran home again—she still had to go back to help her mother-in-law and Su Xiaoqing.

---

In the afternoon, the sky grew darker and darker, and the wind picked up.

Mr. Chen looked up at the sky and shouted, "Speed ​​up! Collect as much as you can before tonight!"

Chen Dashan's legs were in excruciating pain, but he didn't utter a sound and gritted his teeth to keep working. Chen Xiaohe was also exhausted, but seeing his father and older brother working so hard, he didn't dare to rest either.

The oxcart was loaded again, and Chen Dashan drove it home. Halfway there, large raindrops began to pelt down.

Oops!

He lashed the ox with his whip, and the ox bolted. By the time he got home, his clothes were soaked through. Chen's mother and the Su sisters were waiting in the yard. When they saw him return, they rushed over to help unload the cart.

"Dashan, where are your father and Xiaohe?" Chen's mother asked.

"Still in the fields!" Chen Dashan wiped the rain from his face. "There are still four mu of land to harvest!"

Chen's mother's expression changed: "It's starting to rain, they..."

"I'll go get them!" Chen Dashan said, and was about to rush out.

Su Xiaoyin grabbed him: "Change into some dry clothes first! Do you still care about your legs?"

Chen Dashan struggled, but couldn't break free.

Just then, the courtyard gate was pushed open. Chen's father and Chen Xiaohe, covered in mud, walked in one after the other. Their raincoats were soaked through, and it was impossible to tell whether the water on their faces was rain or sweat.

"Dad!" Chen Dashan rushed over.

Father Chen waved his hand, his voice hoarse: "It's alright, all the grain has been harvested. This last cartload, we brought it back with mules." He pointed to the gate of the yard, "It's all over there, hurry up and move it into the carpentry shed, cover it with a tarpaulin."

The whole family pitched in to move the last cartload of grain into the shed and covered it tightly with a tarpaulin. After finishing all that, everyone was so exhausted that they collapsed onto the ground.

Outside, the rain was pouring down.

Panting, Chen's mother looked at the rain outside and murmured, "Thank God, we finally got it back..."

---

The four children, who had been locked inside all day, heard the noise and peered out the window. Shi Tou saw his grandparents and parents return and excitedly called out, "Mommy! Mommy!"

Su Xiaoyin stood up and walked into the house. Pushing open the door, she saw the four children sitting neatly on the kang (heated brick bed), with more than half of the pastries and candies still in front of them. Shitou was the first to rush over: "Mom, you're back! I was good and didn't go out!"

Su Xiaoyin hugged him, her nose tingled, and her eyes reddened.

Qingqing ran over too: "Mom, I'm afraid of the rain..."

Su Xiaoyin picked her up and gently comforted her, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. It's raining, the grain has all been harvested, everything's alright now."

Aji and Afu also came over, and the family huddled together.

Su Xiaoyin released the child and said to her younger sister, "Xiaoqing, go to the kitchen and make ginger soup. Make a lot, one bowl for each of them. I'll boil water so they can take a hot bath."

Su Xiaoqing nodded and turned to go to the kitchen.

---

Inside the kitchen, the fire quickly caught fire. Ginger soup simmered in a large pot, while leftover bone broth from the evening stewed on another stove. Su Xiaoqing deftly kneaded the dough, preparing to make dumpling soup. In this kind of weather, a warm bowl of dumpling soup was the most comforting thing.

The ginger soup was ready. Su Xiaoqing ladled out several bowls and carried them to the main room: "Dad, Mom, Dashan, Xiaohe, come and drink the ginger soup!"

Several people took it and gulped it down. The spiciness of the ginger warmed them from their throats all the way to their stomachs, dispelling the chill from their bodies.

After finishing the ginger soup, Mr. Chen breathed a long sigh of relief: "Today was really close. If it had been an hour later, those four acres of land would have been completely ruined."

Chen Dashan sat on a stool, rubbing his leg. Su Xiaoyin walked over, squatted down, and gently massaged it for him: "Does it hurt a lot?"

Chen Dashan shook his head: "It's nothing, I feel much better after drinking the ginger soup."

Chen Xiaohe was also exhausted, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. Su Xiaoqing brought over a bowl of ginger soup and handed it to him: "Drink it quickly."

He opened his eyes, took the bowl, drank it all in one gulp, and grinned: "Xiao Qing, you've worked hard today."

Su Xiaoqing rolled her eyes at him: "It's good that you know it's hard. Do less work in the future, don't push yourself so hard."

The dumpling soup was ready quickly. The steaming soup contained chopped green onions, bok choy, and the broth made from leftover pork bones from the previous night—it smelled incredibly delicious. Each person ate a large bowl, accompanied by a salted duck egg, until they were sweating profusely.

The four children also received a small half-bowl. Shi Tou ate it with gusto, muttering, "Delicious! So delicious!"

Looking at her family, Chen's mother felt a mix of emotions. They were truly exhausted, but as a family, supporting each other, they could get through any hardship.

After finishing his meal, Mr. Chen stood up and said, "Go to bed early, everyone. You're all exhausted today. We can talk about it tomorrow."

Everyone went back to their houses. The rain was still falling outside, the pattering sound like the sigh of the heavens. But inside the Chen family's house, everyone slept soundly—the grain had been salvaged, and their families were safe; that was enough.

That night, Chen Dashan's legs ached terribly, and he tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Su Xiaoyin stayed up too, massaging his legs until the rain subsided in the early hours of the morning, finally allowing him to drift off to sleep.

----

In the middle of the night, the rain intensified.

The sound of the rain was like a waterfall, pounding on the roof tiles, on the stone slabs of the courtyard, and on one's heart. Chen Dashan was half asleep, the pain in his leg causing him to wince occasionally. Su Xiaoyin lay on her side beside him, one hand still resting on his leg, gently massaging it.

"Hmm..." Chen Dashan moved slightly and opened his eyes.

"Does it hurt a lot?" Su Xiaoyin asked softly.

Chen Dashan shook his head, then nodded: "I'm fine. Go to sleep, don't worry about me."

Su Xiaoyin didn't speak, but her hands didn't stop moving. She knew his personality; he never complained of pain or wanted to cause trouble for others. But she felt sorry for him. His leg injury, a result of his military service, had been healing well over the years, but it would always flare up like this when the weather changed.

Amidst the sound of rain outside the window, a few muffled claps of thunder suddenly rang out. Chen Dashan struggled to sit up and listened intently.

"What's wrong?" Su Xiaoyin sat up as well.

"I'm going to check on the grain in the shed," Chen Dashan said, getting off the kang (a heated brick bed).

Su Xiaoyin grabbed him: "With your leg like this, you still want to go out? I'll go instead."

Chen Dashan looked at her, remained silent for a moment, and nodded: "Okay, put on the raincoat and take the lamp. If the tarpaulin in the shed gets blown open by the wind, quickly cover it up again."