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

On the morning of the third day, the sky finally cleared up.

The long-awaited sunlight pierced through the clouds, spilling into the damp courtyard, the puddles reflecting a blinding light. Mr. Chen pushed open the door, stood on the porch, looked up at the sky, and breathed a long sigh of relief—this time it was truly sunny, and it wouldn't rain anymore.

"Get up, everyone, and get to work!" he shouted back into the house.

The Chen family immediately sprang into action.

The carpentry shed was piled high with grain, which had only been hastily covered with a tarpaulin the night before. Today, it all had to be moved out to dry. Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe each carried a sack into the yard. Chen's father spread out a mat in the yard, poured out the sacks of grain, and spread them out to let the sun shine through.

The four children were left at home. Shi Tou played with his younger siblings in the main room and was not allowed to go out. There were many chores to do in the yard, and the adults couldn't take care of them.

Chen's mother tied her headscarf, picked up the hoe, and said to her two daughters-in-law, "Xiaoyin, Xiaoqing, let's go down to the field. Let's see if there's any grain we can pick up; we can't waste a single grain."

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing nodded, picked up their baskets and hampers, and followed their mother-in-law out the door.

---

The field was a complete mess.

The heavy rain the night before last washed away the unharvested corn, leaving it bent and broken, with stalks snapped and others lying on the ground. The fields that had already been harvested but hadn't yet been transported were in even worse shape—beans were scattered everywhere by the rain, turning the field ridges and ditches a golden yellow.

Chen's mother bent down and began picking up the beans one by one. Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing also squatted down and followed her example, picking up the scattered beans and putting them into the basket.

"Mom, how long will it take to clean this up?" Su Xiaoqing looked at the mess on the ground and was a little worried.

Without looking up, Chen's mother said, "Pick as many as you can. Even a single bean is food; we can't waste it."

The three stopped talking and buried themselves in their work. The sun gradually rose higher, making their backs feel hot. Sweat streamed down their faces and dripped into the soil, but none of them stopped to rest.

---

In the courtyard, Chen's father and his two sons continued to dry the grain.

Bags of grain were carried out of the carpentry shed and spread out on the mats. Chen Dashan's legs were getting tired, and he had to rest after carrying each bag. Chen Xiaohe saw this and insisted on carrying a few more bags, wanting to help his older brother.

Chen's father noticed this and said to his eldest son, "Dashan, take a break, don't push yourself too hard."

Chen Dashan shook his head: "It's okay, Dad, I can do it."

Mr. Chen didn't say anything more, but he quickened his pace, wanting to finish as soon as possible so his son could rest.

After a morning's work, all the grain was finally brought out to dry. The yard was covered with mats, and the golden corn and bright yellow beans glistened in the sunlight.

Chen Xiaohe wiped his sweat and asked, "Dad, our village as a whole wasn't severely affected by the disaster, was it?"

Mr. Chen sighed, sat down on the stool, took out his pipe, lit it, took a puff, and said, "Maintaining a normal life for the family is not a problem. But don't think about anything else."

Chen Xiaohe was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

Father Chen exhaled a puff of smoke: "It means we shouldn't even think about selling this year's grain. We'll be lucky if we can keep enough for our own consumption."

He looked at the yard full of grain, his voice low: "Our family harvested early, so the losses weren't too heavy. But in the whole village, only four or five families harvested at the same time as us. The village head's family is one, then your Uncle Ermu's family, Old Li's family, Chen Wufu's family, and the rest..." He shook his head, "They all thought they could wait a little longer and harvest more grain. But this rain has ruined it all."

Chen Dashan walked over and sat down next to his father: "Dad, what do we do next?"

Chen's father took a drag of his cigarette, remained silent for a while, and then said, "Dry the grain as quickly as possible these next two days, and put what needs to be put into the granary. Then, go up the mountain."

"Up the mountain?" Chen Xiaohe asked.

"Yes, let's go up the mountain." Father Chen tapped his pipe. "Let's see if there are any autumn mushrooms, mountain produce, or wild vegetables on the mountain. We'll gather everything we can. This year might be a disaster. We need to bring home as much stuff as possible now so we can feel at ease in the winter."

Chen Dashan nodded: "Dad is right. I've realized it now. These days, you never know when disaster might strike. It doesn't hurt to be prepared."

Chen Xiaohe understood: "Then I'll go up the mountain with Dad tomorrow!"

Just as Chen Dashan was about to speak, his father waved his hand and said, "Dashan, you stay home and dry the grain. Drying grain needs someone to watch it, turn it over, and gather it up. One person can manage it all."

Chen Dashan was stunned for a moment: "Dad, I can go up the mountain too..."

Chen's father looked at him and softened his voice: "Your legs couldn't take it anymore, could they? During this harvest season, you were doing okay at first, but then I noticed your legs were starting to give out."

Chen Dashan fell silent.

Chen Xiaohe grew anxious: "Brother! Why didn't you say your leg was bothering you sooner? Shouldn't you go see a doctor?"

Chen Dashan shook his head and forced a smile: "I'm just too tired, it's an old problem. I'll be fine after this busy period. I can't do heavy physical labor for long periods, my legs can't take it. Your sister-in-law has been giving me moxibustion every day these past few days, and I'm much better now."

Chen's father looked at him, a hint of heartache flashing in his eyes, but he didn't say anything more. He stood up and patted his eldest son's shoulder: "Listen to your father, stay home and dry the grain. Your brother and I can handle the work on the mountain."

Chen Dashan nodded and didn't argue anymore.

---

In the evening, Chen's mother returned from the fields with Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing. Each of their baskets was half full of the beans they had gathered; although not much, it was still food.

Chen's mother put down her basket and stretched her aching back: "I can still pick some more in the field for a few more days. I'll go again tomorrow."

Su Xiaoyin poured a bowl of water and handed it to her, then poured another bowl for Su Xiaoqing. Both of them were exhausted and didn't want to move once they sat down.

Chen Xiaohe told Su Xiaoyin about her father's arrangements for the day. After listening, Su Xiaoyin glanced at Chen Dashan. Chen Dashan shook his head at her, indicating that he was fine.

Su Xiaoyin understood, but said nothing. She knew his personality; he never wanted to cause anyone trouble.

At dinner, Mr. Chen repeated the day's arrangements. Mrs. Chen nodded: "Okay, let's do it this way. Tomorrow I'll continue gathering grain in the fields, and Xiaoyin and Xiaoqing will come with me."

Su Xiaoqing asked, "Mom, how are things in our village? How are the other families doing?"

Chen's mother sighed, "Don't even mention it. This afternoon I was in the fields and saw Old Zhang's wife crying, saying that they still had twenty mu of corn left to harvest, and it was all gone. Old Liu's family also suffered a lot. This winter, I don't know how many people will have to tighten their belts."