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

When I got home, it wasn't dark yet.

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing were collecting the hay that was drying in the yard, and the four children were helping them—or rather, making a mess. Shitou was making a mess of the hay, Qingqing was chasing the puppy all over the yard, and Aji and Afu were squatting on the ground playing in the mud, getting themselves covered in mud.

When Su Xiaoyin saw Chen Dashan return, she quickly went to greet him: "Why are you here so early today?"

Chen Dashan tied up the mule and recounted the day's events in detail. Upon hearing that Manager Sun wanted to order embroidery, Su Xiaoqing's eyes lit up: "Really? Relatives in the prefectural city?"

Su Xiaoyin was also excited, but she was more composed than her sister. She thought for a moment and said, "Tomorrow I'll go to the bookstore and ask Manager Sun what kind he wants. If we can accept it, we'll have another source of income this year."

Chen's mother poked her head out from the kitchen: "Don't just stand there, come inside and eat! We can talk while we eat!"

The family entered the house and sat around the kang (a heated brick bed). Chen's mother brought out the food: steaming hot multigrain porridge, flatbread, and a large pot of stew.

During dinner, Chen Dashan recounted the day's events again. After listening, Chen's father nodded: "Good, all honest work. Do it well, don't let them down."

Chen Dashan nodded: "Dad, I know."

Chen Xiaohe said from the side, "Dad, I'll definitely work hard this year! I'll sell all those bamboo weaving products!"

Mr. Chen smiled and patted his shoulder: "Good, do your best. This year is a good year, and our family will definitely get better and better."

After dinner, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing cleared the dishes. Chen Dashan sat on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed) and went over the day's accounts again. The carpentry work was worth two and a half ounces, and the embroidery work was still unknown, but it certainly wouldn't be short. Adding the shop rent and the income from the stall, this year was indeed a good year.

He looked up at the people in the room. Father Chen was smoking a pipe, Mother Chen was sewing shoe soles, Chen Xiaohe was playing with the four children, and Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing were busy in the kitchen. The room was warm and cozy, the aroma of food still lingering, and the children's laughter filled the air.

----

The next morning, before dawn, Chen Dashan drove his mule, leading Chen Xiaohe and Su Xiaoyin, to the county town.

On the way, Su Xiaoqing leaned on her sister's shoulder and whispered, "Sis, I'm a little nervous. Manager Sun was so satisfied last time, what if we don't do as well this time?"

Su Xiaoyin patted her hand: "Don't be nervous. We'll embroider with our hearts, there won't be any problems. Besides, since Manager Sun came to us, it means she trusts our skills."

Su Xiaoqing nodded, feeling somewhat at ease.

Upon arriving in the county town, the two brothers set up their stall. Su Xiaoyin glanced at the sky and said to Chen Dashan, "It's almost time. Xiaoqing and I will go to the bookstore."

Chen Dashan nodded: "Go ahead, don't rush, let's talk slowly."

---

Inside the Sun family bookstore, Manager Sun was arranging books behind the counter. Seeing the two sisters enter, he quickly put down his work and greeted them with a smile.

"The two ladies have arrived! Please come in, please come in!" He ushered them into the back room and had the waiter serve them hot tea.

Su Xiaoyin sat down and asked directly, "Manager Sun, what kind of embroidery does your relative want?"

Shopkeeper Sun said, "It's from one of my cousins, who runs a silk shop in the prefectural city. She wants to order a painting of the Five Relationships as a gift for one of her big clients. The price is still forty-five taels. What do you think?"

Su Xiaoyin understood and nodded, "That's fine. It's still a three-month construction period. Do you think that's enough time?"

Shopkeeper Sun said, "There's still time. My cousin said that as long as the embroidery is good, it doesn't matter if it's slow." He took out some silver from his pocket. "This is a deposit of twenty taels. Keep it safe. The rest will be settled when the goods are delivered."

Su Xiaoyin took the silver, carefully put it away, and wrote a receipt for Manager Sun. The two chatted for a few more minutes about the embroidery before taking their leave.

---

Stepping out of the bookstore, Su Xiaoqing grabbed her sister's hand, jumping for joy: "Sister! We made it again! Forty-five taels!"

Su Xiaoyin smiled, but didn't forget the important matter: "Let's go, first send the silver back to Dashan and the others, then go to the cloth shop to buy things. We need a lot of gold thread this time, and we don't have much left at home."

The two hurried back to the stall and handed the deposit to Chen Dashan. Chen Dashan took it, carefully put it away, and instructed, "Go on, don't stay too long, come back early."

Su Xiaoyin nodded and pulled her younger sister toward the fabric shop.

---

The shopkeeper, recognizing them as regular customers, greeted them warmly: "Ladies, you've arrived! What would you like to order this time?"

Su Xiaoyin listed what she wanted—fine silk fabric, a quantity of gold thread, and various colored silk threads. The shopkeeper brought out each item for them to choose from, praising them as he did so: "Ladies, you've taken on another big job, haven't you? You want so many good things."

Su Xiaoqing, quick to speak, couldn't help but say, "That's right, they've taken on another large embroidery piece worth forty-five taels!"

Su Xiaoyin glanced at her, and Su Xiaoqing quickly covered her mouth.

The shopkeeper smiled, not asking any further questions, but simply praising, "You two ladies have excellent skills, so naturally you have plenty of work. Please come often, and don't hesitate to let me know if you need anything."

After selecting the items and calculating the bill, they had spent a little over five taels of silver. As usual, the shopkeeper gave them two large bundles of fabric scraps, and even specially selected some brightly colored ones, saying they were for making small items.

---

Back at the stall, Chen Dashan and the others had already packed up. Chen Xiaohe asked, "Sister-in-law, have you finished shopping?"

Su Xiaoyin nodded and handed the remaining silver to Chen Dashan. Chen Dashan took it, didn't count it, and put it directly into his pocket.

"Let's go home," he said.

---

When they got home, it was still early. Chen's mother was feeding the chickens, ducks, and geese in the yard, while the four children chased after the little dog nearby. Seeing them return, Shitou was the first to run over: "Mom! You're back!"

Su Xiaoyin patted his head and smiled, "You're back. Were you a good boy today?"

Stone puffed out his little chest: "Good boy! I watched over my younger siblings and didn't let them run away!"

Su Xiaoyin smiled and praised him a few times. Shi Tou became even more smug and pulled his younger siblings to continue chasing the dog.

---

During dinner that evening, Su Xiaoyin recounted what had happened that day. The whole family was delighted to hear that they had received another forty-five taels for the embroidery design.

Mr. Chen nodded: "That's right. You two sisters have excellent skills, and your reputation has spread. You won't have to worry about finding work in the future."

Mother Chen also said, "Yes, forty-five taels, that's more than our family has saved up for a long time."

Chen Dashan said from the side, "Dad, Brother De came to see me today."

Mr. Chen asked, "What is it?"

Chen Dashan said, "Brother De said that in a couple of days they are going to a neighboring county to buy seeds, and they will also take Xiaohe to visit the old man who teaches fruit trees in advance. He told us to get ready."

Mr. Chen nodded: "This is important. Xiaohe, prepare well, and don't embarrass yourself when you go."

Chen Xiaohe patted his chest: "Dad, don't worry, I'll definitely do my best!"

Chen Dashan said, "Then we must prepare the gifts; we can't visit empty-handed. We must be courteous."