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

That afternoon, the winter sun shone lazily. Chen's mother, carrying a small bamboo basket covered with a clean coarse linen cloth, arrived at the courtyard shared by her two sons. The basket contained freshly baked chestnuts, still warm from the oven.

The courtyard gate was ajar. She pushed it open and stepped inside, a familiar scene unfolding before her. Under the open shed, her eldest son, Chen Dashan, sat on his special low stool. On the small wooden table in front of him were several pieces of wood and a few simple tools. He lowered his head slightly, his expression focused, holding a fine carving knife, carefully outlining a simple intertwined branch pattern on a jujube wood strip that was already beginning to take the shape of a hairpin. Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the shed roof, illuminating his hands—rough and strong, yet remarkably steady and precise at that moment.

At the entrance to the main room, the youngest son, Chen Xiaohe, sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, a small bundle of fine bamboo strips piled beside him. Two small, exquisite bamboo baskets with lids, already woven, were placed at his feet, along with a slightly rounder small wicker basket that was being finished. His fingers flew as the bamboo strips spun, and he seemed to be humming a tuneless little tune, looking quite content.

Hearing the sound of the courtyard gate, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing, who were in the east wing, lifted the cotton curtain and came out. When they saw that it was Chen's mother, they quickly greeted her with smiles: "Mother, you've come! Please come in and sit down, it's cold outside."

Chen's mother waved her hand with a smile: "It's not cold, it's sunny today. Your father had nothing to do, so he roasted a pot of chestnuts that he had saved before. They smell delicious! We old folks can't eat that many, so we thought we'd bring some over for you to try." As she spoke, she handed the bamboo basket to Su Xiaoyin.

Su Xiaoyin lifted the burlap lining, and a fragrant aroma of caramel and the sweet scent of chestnuts immediately wafted out. Inside the basket, perfectly roasted chestnuts were split open, revealing golden, glistening flesh inside, making one's mouth water just looking at them.

"Oh, Mom, we've been craving these past few days! We've been so busy that we haven't had a chance to make them ourselves, this is such a lifesaver!" Su Xiaoqing said happily, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the chestnuts.

Su Xiaoyin smiled and said, "That's right, thank you for thinking of us, Mother and Father. Come inside and have some hot water."

The group entered the main room, and Su Xiaoqing quickly poured several bowls of hot water. Chen's mother sat down, glanced around the simple yet meticulously tidied room, and her gaze fell on the bamboo basket containing needles, thread, and fabric in the corner. She asked with concern, "How's your embroidery practice going? Is it going smoothly?"

Upon hearing this, Su Xiaoqing immediately got up and fetched their sewing basket. She took out several handkerchiefs that had already been embroidered and handed them to Chen's mother. The handkerchiefs were made of ordinary white fine cotton cloth, but the butterflies embroidered on them with colorful silk threads were vivid, some fluttering their wings, others perched among the flowers, their forms lively, the colors elegant, and the stitches fine and even. Although there were no complicated patterns, the dexterity and vitality were already leaping off the cloth.

Mother Chen took it and examined it closely in the bright light of the window. Her face revealed undisguised surprise and admiration: "Oh! It's so beautiful! These butterflies look so real! Your craftsmanship is truly superb!" She carefully stroked the smooth embroidery and then cautioned, "However, this kind of work is very hard on the eyes. You must remember to rest after embroidering for a while, get up and walk around, look into the distance, and don't ruin your eyes by trying to finish too quickly."

"Mother, we remember," Su Xiaoyin replied gently. "Xiaoqing and I agreed that we would get up and move around or do some other housework after about an hour of embroidery. We would never watch over her for too long."

"That's good." Chen's mother nodded in relief, then asked, "How's the hair tie coming along?"

Su Xiaoyin then took out a small cloth bag from the basket, opened it, and inside were dozens of finished hair ties. They were made from brightly colored or small printed scraps of fabric, cut into thin strips, and cleverly braided into various patterns. Some were even adorned with two small wooden beads at the end (made by Chen Dashan from scraps), or tied into simple bows. Although the materials were ordinary, their vibrant colors and unique styles made them much prettier than ordinary single-colored strips of fabric.

"Mother, look, these are the hair ties we made." Su Xiaoyin picked up a peach-pink hair tie with small floral patterns and handed it to Chen's mother. "We thought that since the New Year is coming soon, the young women and wives at the market might be willing to spend a few coins to buy something new and dress up. So we ordered them for three coins each, or two for five coins. Do you think that's okay?"

Mother Chen took the hair ties, twirled them in her hands, and looked at the other styles. The more she looked, the more exquisite they seemed. She nodded and said, "I think this will work! It's much prettier than bare strips of cloth, and it's festive! It's the New Year, who doesn't want to add some good luck to their hair? The price is reasonable too." She paused, then, as if remembering something, clapped her hands and said, "Here's what we'll do. Next time at the market, aren't you going to the embroidery shop to deliver embroidered handkerchiefs? Leave the hair ties to me, I'll go sell them with Dashan and Xiaohe! Perfect timing, I need to have Xiaohe quickly make a lightweight little rack to hang things on, so we can hang all these hair ties in neat rows, clean and tidy, so people can see them from afar, much better than just leaving them on the ground!"

Su Xiaoyin's eyes lit up: "Mom, that's a great idea! Hanging it on the shelf makes everything easy to see and makes the things look more valuable! Xiaohe is skillful; he'll definitely be quick to make a small shelf."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Su Xiaoqing nodded repeatedly. "We feel much more at ease knowing that you're helping us sell them, Mom!"

Feeling warmed by her daughters-in-law's trusting gaze, Chen's mother smiled and said, "Alright, it's settled then! We'll go to the market together next time! We're just killing time in the winter anyway, so let's try more options and have more choices."

She glanced at the direction her sons were working and said to Su Xiaoyin, "Dashan's hairpin-making skills are getting better and better, and Xiaohe's basket weaving is exquisite. Your little family each has its own strengths, and you all think alike and work together towards the same goal. Your life is sure to be good!"

Outside, Chen Dashan stopped carving, picked up a finished wooden hairpin, examined it against the light, and continued polishing. Chen Xiaohe finished weaving the last edge of the small basket in her hand, held it up to look at it with satisfaction, and then began to ponder how to make the hair tie holder her mother had mentioned.

The aroma of roasted chestnuts filled the main room, mingling with the steam from the hot water, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere. Mother Chen chatted with her daughters-in-law for a while, giving them some instructions on what to do during the winter. Seeing that it was getting late, she got up to go home.

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing escorted her to the courtyard gate. Chen's mother turned back and added, "Eat the chestnuts while they're hot! They won't smell as good when they're cold! Take your time making the handkerchiefs and hair ties, don't tire yourself out!"

Watching their mother walk briskly away with her empty basket, the two sisters exchanged a warm smile. Back inside, they invited Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe in to share the still-warm roasted chestnuts. Peeling back the crispy shells, the golden chestnut meat was fragrant and sweet, soothing their stomachs and warming their hearts.

The plan for the next big market day became clearer and more anticipated amidst the aroma of roasted chestnuts and warm conversation. This winter, thanks to the mutual support of family members and these small, hopeful endeavors, seemed less long and cold.