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

Ten days after the heavy snow, the sun finally shone warmly on the snow-covered ground, and the icicles on the eaves dripped and melted.

Chen Dashan returned home with a happy expression. As soon as he entered, he said to his father, "Dad, I heard from Brother De today that the road to the county town is open!"

Chen's father was tidying up firewood in the yard when he heard this and looked up: "It really works?"

"It's open." Chen Dashan nodded. "Brother De said the main road in the county town has been cleared, and mule carts can pass through. I'll go to the county town with Xiaohe tomorrow to take a look. I haven't been able to set up my stall for so many days, and I've lost a lot of money."

Just then, Chen Xiaohe returned from outside carrying a basket on his back. He entered the courtyard, put the basket down on the ground, and sighed, "I went to the bamboo forest with Brother De and the others today. With this heavy snow, the winter bamboo shoots haven't grown much. We searched for ages and only dug up this little bit."

Mr. Chen went over to take a look. There were only seven or eight winter bamboo shoots scattered in the basket, and they weren't very big. He nodded: "Then keep them at home for ourselves. This year's snowfall has been unusually heavy, so it's normal that there aren't many winter bamboo shoots."

Chen Dashan said, "By the way, Dad, when you go to the county town tomorrow, bring some winter bamboo shoots for Steward Liu. It's been so long since I set up my stall, I don't know what the county town market is like anymore. I'll have to trouble Steward Liu to look after us again."

Mr. Chen nodded: "Of course. Extend the stall for another month, so no one else can take it."

When Chen's mother came out of the kitchen and heard this, she said, "Also, bring some dried vegetables, dried mushrooms, pickled vegetables, and the like. They're free, just a small token of our appreciation. With the heavy snow blocking the city for so many days, there must be a shortage of vegetables."

Chen Dashan agreed: "Okay, Mother, I'll bring them all tomorrow."

---

The next morning, before dawn, Chen Dashan got up to prepare.

Su Xiaoyin got up as well, took out a sachet from the cabinet containing some loose silver coins. She handed the sachet to Chen Dashan and instructed him, "When you get to the county town, don't forget to buy some more ointment. There's not much left of what Dad bought last time, so take advantage of what Doctor Li has and stock up."

Chen Dashan took it and nodded, "Understood."

Chen Xiaohe had also finished packing, and the two loaded the things they needed to take onto the car—bamboo and wood carvings, embroidered hair ties, and the basket of dried goods they were going to sell at the stall, as well as the basket of dried goods they had prepared for Manager Liu: winter bamboo shoots, dried mushrooms, dried mountain vegetables, two large cabbages, two radishes, a pumpkin, and a large bag of sprouted bean sprouts, covered with a damp cloth to prevent them from freezing.

Chen's mother checked them again before letting them go.

The mule cart creaked and groaned as it left the house and set off on the road to the county town.

---

The streets were much quieter than usual.

At this time of day, the roads would usually be bustling with people going to the market or visiting relatives. But today, not a soul can be seen all day. The snow on both sides of the road hasn't melted completely, piled up to waist height. In some places, the snow has been trampled down and frozen into a layer of ice, making it slippery for mules.

Chen Xiaohe huddled in the carriage, pulling his cotton-padded coat tighter around himself: "Brother, it's so deserted on this road. At this time of year, there should be people here by now, right?"

Chen Dashan drove the cart steadily: "With the heavy snow blocking the road for so many days, who would go out for no reason? Only us business people have no choice but to come out."

After walking for most of the day, we finally entered the county town.

The county town was also very quiet. The once bustling streets had only a few scattered people, and not many shops were open. Some shops still had piles of snow piled up in front of them, indicating that they had only recently opened.

Chen Dashan drove the mule cart to the usual spot and started setting up his stall. As soon as he put the goods on display, some regular customers came in.

An old man strolled over slowly, and when he saw them, his eyes lit up: "Oh, Mr. Chen, you've finally arrived! I've been waiting for you for days!"

Chen Xiaohe quickly greeted, "Sir, what would you like to buy?"

The old man pointed to his basket: "The basket at home is broken, and I want to buy a few more. It's been snowing heavily for so many days, and I've made several trips but haven't seen you."

Chen Xiaohe picked out two sturdy baskets for him. The old man paid for them, muttered a few more words, and then left.

A few customers came sporadically that morning, all of them regulars. Some came to buy bamboo crafts, some to buy wood carvings, and two young women picked out hair ties and handkerchiefs. But there were far fewer people than usual.

Chen Xiaohe counted the money, then said with a bitter face, "Brother, I haven't even earned a hundred coins all morning."

Chen Dashan was optimistic: "This heavy snowfall will probably get better soon, around the time of the Lunar New Year."

---

Around noon, Liu Yilong hurried over.

He was dressed in a constable's uniform, bundled up tightly, his face red from the cold. Seeing Chen Dashan and the others, he hurried over: "Dashan! You're here! How's things at home?"

Chen Dashan quickly stood up: "Manager Liu, thanks to you, everything at home is fine. It's just that the snow was too heavy before, and we couldn't get out. But yesterday we heard that the road was open, so we rushed over today."

Liu Yilong nodded: "It's good that you're alright. I was worried about you all; the snow was falling so heavily."

Chen Dashan took out the prepared basket from behind and handed it to Liu Yilong: "Manager Liu, this is some dried vegetables from home. My parents asked me to bring it for you. They said that with the heavy snow, there probably won't be many vegetables for sale in the county town. Please don't mind, take it and eat it."

Liu Yilong was stunned for a moment, then took the basket and looked inside—two winter bamboo shoots, a bag of dried mushrooms, a bag of dried wild vegetables, two Chinese cabbages, two radishes, a pumpkin, and a large bag of sprouted bean sprouts, covered with a damp cloth, looking fresh and juicy.

His eyes suddenly welled up with tears, and his voice became hoarse: "Dashan, how...how can I thank you all?"

Chen Dashan waved his hand: "Manager Liu, please don't say that. We remember how much you've helped us over the past year. This is nothing, just a small token of our appreciation."

Liu Yilong took a deep breath and patted Chen Dashan on the shoulder: "Good brother, I'll remember this favor." Chen Dashan then took out a small sachet from his pocket, took out some silver and handed it over, "Manager Liu, the stall fee for this month is still one tael of silver, right?"

Liu Yilong nodded, took it, and made a note in his notebook.

"Alright, you guys go ahead with your work. I have something to do, so I'll be going now." Liu Yilong slung his basket over his shoulder and hurried away.

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