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

"Mother, we're ready, we can go!"

In the soft light of dawn, Chen's mother pushed open the courtyard gate and saw her two daughters-in-law already waiting inside. Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing were both wearing clean, starched cotton-padded jackets, their hair neatly combed. Each carried a slightly worn basket on their back, and a small basket covered with a blue cloth slung over their arm, containing handkerchiefs and pillowcases they had carefully embroidered over the past few days, as well as empty cloth bags to hold money and any new purchases they might make. Their faces showed a hint of nervousness, but even more so, an eager anticipation.

Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe quickly emerged from the house. The two brothers were also neatly prepared. Chen Dashan carried a slightly heavy bundle tied with hemp rope on his shoulder, containing newly made woodenware and unsold bamboo items; Chen Xiaohe carried a larger basket on his back, which, besides the goods, also contained a water bag and some dry rations. Their mother carried a basket containing several warm grain cakes, to eat if she got hungry on the journey.

The group of five once again set off on the familiar dirt road leading to the county town. The winter morning was biting cold, but as they walked faster, they gradually warmed up. Occasionally, they encountered fellow villagers on their way to the market, exchanging nods and greetings. Chen Xiaohe, with his sweet tongue, greeted them as "Uncle" and "Aunt" along the way, creating a lively atmosphere.

Upon arriving in the county town, the market was already bustling with people, a cacophony of sounds and smells filling the air. Chen Dashan calmly scanned the area, quickly settling on a spot near the street corner with good foot traffic. Next to that spot was an old man's stall selling rough pottery bowls and plates, the ground piled high with various ceramic pieces.

Chen Dashan stepped forward and politely bowed to the old man who was smoking a pipe: "Sir, excuse me. We'd like to borrow this little space next to you to set up a stall and sell some of our homemade trinkets. It won't take up your space or interfere with your business. Is that alright?"

The old man raised his eyelids, glanced at the group of people following Chen Dashan, and then looked at the bamboo and wooden products sticking out of their bundles and baskets. They certainly didn't match his ceramic bowls, so he nodded and said in a deep voice, "Alright, set it up. Just don't block my stall."

"Oh! Thank you, sir!" Chen Xiaohe quickly thanked him.

The group immediately set to work, sweeping the open space and then taking out a faded old burlap sack from their bundle, which they spread on the ground. Unlike the last time when they had just casually placed the sacks on the ground, Chen Dashan had brought two flat wooden planks to place under the burlap sack, making the "stall" look more organized. Wooden animal carvings, hairpins, combs, small wooden swords, bamboo winnowing baskets, covered baskets, wicker baskets, and bamboo cups were all neatly arranged on the burlap sack, clearly visible at a glance.

The most eye-catching thing was a newly made, simple bamboo frame, about half a person's height, standing next to it. Chen Xiaohe had rushed to finish it a couple of days ago; several thin bamboo poles were crossed and tied into a "well" shape, with several thin strips running horizontally across them, perfect for hanging things. At this moment, the brightly colored and exquisitely designed hair ties made by the Su sisters were carefully hung one by one on the horizontal strips of the bamboo frame, swaying gently in the breeze, like clusters of small flowers blooming in a winter market, particularly eye-catching.

After setting up the stall, Chen's mother looked it over and nodded in satisfaction: "Hmm, this looks much better!"

After Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing saw that everything was settled, they said to Mother Chen, "Mother, we'll go to the embroidery shop first. We'll be back after we sell everything."

"Go ahead, be careful on the way. Just come back when you're done selling," Chen's mother instructed, then stood behind the stall, ready to help serve customers.

The two sisters, carrying small baskets, walked through the bustling crowd towards the "Jinxiu Cloth Shop." The closer they got to the street where the shop was located, the quieter it seemed to become. Stepping back into the clean and tidy shop, the shopkeeper was fiddling with a hand warmer behind the counter. She looked up when she saw someone enter.

"Young ladies, are you here today to look at some embroidery, or...?" The shopkeeper recognized them as the ones who had inquired about prices last time, and her tone softened.

"Shopkeeper, we're here to sell embroidery. Could you please take a look and decide if we'll accept it?" Su Xiaoyin composed herself, stepped forward, and gently placed the small basket from her arms on the counter.

Su Xiaoqing helped lift the blue cloth covering the area, first taking out neatly folded handkerchiefs. The handkerchiefs were made of plain white fine cotton, embroidered with magpies on plum blossoms, orchids and butterflies, small fish playing in the water, and simple intertwined floral patterns. The colors were elegant, and the stitches were even. Finally, she took out a pair of indigo-colored pillowcases, embroidered with a small scene of "Mandarin Ducks Playing in the Water" in colorful silk threads. The mandarin ducks were cute and clumsy, and the water was rippling. Although it was not as intricate and detailed as a large embroidery, the composition was full, the meaning was auspicious, and it revealed a warm and thoughtful touch from home.

The shopkeeper's wife put down the hand warmer, picked up the handkerchiefs, and carefully examined the front of them in the light from the doorway. She then turned them over to check the finishing of the threads on the back. Her gaze lingered on the stitches and color scheme for a moment, and she nodded slightly. She then picked up the pair of pillowcases, looked at them for a while, her fingers tracing the embroidery, feeling the smoothness of the silk threads and the evenness of the pattern.

"Your craftsmanship is indeed quite good." The shopkeeper put down the embroidery, looked at the two sisters, and spoke with an affirmative tone that also contained guidance. "Your needlework is solid, and your color matching is elegant. It's clear you have a good foundation. It's just that your hands... are a little rusty. Have you not held a needle in a long time? The smoothness of the lines could be better."

Su Xiaoyin's heart tightened, knowing that the shopkeeper was telling the truth, and she quickly nodded: "Shopkeeper has a good eye. We... have indeed neglected our duties for some time."

"It's alright, you'll be able to pick it up again with practice." The shopkeeper waved her hand and began to quote prices. "For this handkerchief, according to our standards, for its quality and size, one square will cost you nineteen coins. Four squares will cost seventy-six coins. This pair of mandarin duck pillowcases is well-embroidered and has a good meaning. Although they are not large, they are complete. I'll give them to you for fifty coins each, one hundred coins for a pair. What do you think?"

Nineteen coins for a handkerchief! One hundred coins for a pair of pillowcases! The price was even better than they had privately estimated! Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.

"The shopkeeper's price is fair, and we are willing to sell," Su Xiaoyin replied respectfully, regaining her composure.

The shopkeeper's wife took out her ledger and made a note of it. Then she counted out copper coins from the money box under the counter: "Seventy-six coins for a square handkerchief, one hundred coins for a pair of pillowcases, a total of one hundred and seventy-six coins. Here, all counted." She paused, then added, "Next time there's work, you can try embroidering some slightly larger patterns, such as small landscapes, flowers, and birds, or children's bibs and bellybands. The price will be higher. You can also be bolder and brighter in the thread and color scheme; they'll be more popular during the New Year holidays."

"Oh! Thank you for your guidance, shopkeeper! We'll remember it!" Su Xiaoqing took the small string of heavy copper coins, her voice filled with joy.

The two sisters carefully counted the money, confirmed it was correct, thanked the shopkeeper again, and carefully put the money into their pockets before leaving the embroidery shop with their much emptier baskets.

Standing at the entrance of the embroidery shop, the winter sun shone warmly on her. Su Xiaoyin quickly calculated in her mind: the last time she bought fabric and embroidery thread, she spent one hundred coins, but with the remaining fabric at home, if she used it sparingly, she should be able to make two more pairs of similar pillowcases, and she even had some fabric left for handkerchiefs. As for the hair ties, they were all made from scraps of fabric given to her by the shopkeeper, costing almost nothing. This trip cost one hundred and seventy-six coins! Although not a huge sum, it was undoubtedly a great encouragement for this small family that was just starting out and needed money everywhere.

"Sis, where are we going now? Are we going straight back to the stall?" Su Xiaoqing asked, her face flushed with excitement.

Su Xiaoyin thought for a moment: "Let's go check out the stalls first and see how Mom, my older brother Xiaohe, and the others are doing. I wonder if anyone's buying the hair ties. After we see how things are, we'll decide whether we need to go to Tao's Cloth Shop to buy some more."

The two walked briskly back, passing through the bustling market, and soon spotted their family's eye-catching "stall" adorned with colorful hair ties. From afar, they could see two or three people gathered around it. Chen's mother was explaining a small bamboo basket to a woman, while Chen Xiaohe chimed in. Chen Dashan stood quietly to the side, his eyes keenly observing the situation at the stall.

The two sisters approached and heard the woman smile and nod, then take out her money to buy the small basket. Chen Xiaohe happily took the money, glanced up and saw them, immediately winked at them, and silently mouthed, "How was it?"

Su Xiaoqing couldn't help but secretly make a success gesture, her face beaming with a bright smile.

Chen's mother also saw them. After seeing the customers off, she quickly came over and asked in a low voice, "Is the embroidery shop... all done?"

Su Xiaoyin nodded, lowering her voice, unable to hide her joy: "Yes, it's done. We sold four handkerchiefs and a pair of pillowcases, for a total of one hundred and seventy-six coins."

Upon hearing this, Chen's mother's eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands, "Good! Excellent! I knew you could do it!" She glanced at the hair ties on the bamboo rack, which were noticeably missing a few, and then smiled, "You've sold seven or eight of those hair ties! They're only three or five coins each, mostly young girls and young wives buying them, and they all say they're beautiful! Your eldest brother's little wooden sheep and wooden fish carvings have also been sold in pairs!"

It seems today is a bountiful day. The sun shines brightly, illuminating everyone's smiling faces, and also shining on the small stall adorned with colorful hair ties and displayed bamboo and wooden trinkets, filling the air with warmth and hope.