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

"Dashan, are you home? Didn't you go to the village entrance? The village head has something to announce!"

As soon as Chen's mother drove the mule cart into the yard, she saw her eldest son working diligently in the carpentry workshop. She tied up the mule and called out to him as she unloaded the goods.

Chen Dashan looked up, still holding the plane in his hand, and paused for a moment. "Mom, I didn't hear the gong. I was probably too focused on my work and didn't notice." He put down the plane, brushed the sawdust off his clothes, and said, "You go and rest for a while, I'll go see what happened."

After saying that, he strode out.

Chen's mother moved the remaining goods from the cart into the storeroom, added some hay for the mule, washed her hands, and headed to the kitchen. Inside the kitchen, Su Xiaoyin was busy; chopped vegetables were laid out on the cutting board, and soup was simmering in a pot.

"Mom, you're back?" Su Xiaoyin turned around and looked at her. "Go inside and rest for a while. You must be tired after selling goods in the county town all day. I'll call you when dinner is ready."

Chen's mother was indeed tired, and nodded: "Okay, then you cook, I'll go check on the children."

She turned and walked towards the main room. As soon as she lifted the curtain, she saw four children sitting around the kang (a heated brick bed), and Su Xiaoqing was playing cat's cradle with them. Shi Tou was the most skillful; he made a pattern and proudly showed it to his younger siblings.

"Grandma's back!" Ah Fu, with his sharp eyes, was the first to spot Chen's mother.

The four children immediately dropped their string ropes and rushed over. Stone was the fastest, grabbing Chen's mother's leg and asking, "Grandma! Are you tired today?"

Qingqing came over and took Chen's mother's hand, saying, "Grandma, I missed you!"

Not to be outdone, Aji and Afu hugged Chen's mother's waist, while the other tugged at her clothes, chattering "Grandma! Grandma!"

Surrounded by them, Chen's mother smiled so broadly her eyes narrowed: "Oh, my dear grandsons and granddaughters, Grandma missed you all so much!"

Suddenly remembering something, Shi Tou pulled Chen's mother towards the kang (a heated brick bed): "Grandma, please sit down, let me massage your shoulders!"

Chen's mother sat down with a smile, and Shi Tou really stood behind her, gently massaging her shoulders with his little fists. Although the force wasn't great, the sentiment was very heartwarming.

When Qingqing saw this, she climbed up and started massaging Chen's mother's arms. Aji and Afu followed suit, one massaging their grandmother's legs and the other patting her back. The four children surrounded Chen's mother, busily helping her.

Mother Chen beamed from ear to ear: "Good, good, good children! Grandma was thinking about you all while she was setting up her stall today. I was wondering if Shitou had practiced his calligraphy well, if Qingqing had helped her aunt look after her little brother, and if Aji and Afu had eaten their meals obediently..."

Stone puffed out his little chest: "Grandma, I practice calligraphy every day! Mom said I'll need it for school later!"

Qingqing added, "I'm watching Aji and Afu; they're so well-behaved!"

Aji and Afu nodded in agreement, and they behaved themselves.

Chen's mother hugged all four children tightly, kissing each one, feeling sweeter than if she had eaten honey.

---

Just then, the courtyard gate rang. Chen Dashan strode in, his expression somewhat grave.

Seeing his expression, Chen's mother's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly asked, "Dashan, what did the village head say?"

Chen Dashan didn't answer at first, but took out a money bag from his pocket and handed it to his mother: "Mother, please take two and a half taels of silver from the public funds for me to do corvée labor. You can pay the silver. I'll take the silver to the village head first. Our family won't contribute any people."

Chen's mother took the money bag and paused for a moment, then asked, "Why is the corvée labor being carried out earlier this year? Wasn't it usually after the Dragon Boat Festival?"

Chen Dashan said, "I'll tell you the details when I get back. I'm going to the village head's house first, so I won't be late." After saying that, he took his money bag and hurriedly went out again.

Su Xiaoyin peeked out from the kitchen and asked Chen's mother, "Mother, what's wrong?"

Chen's mother shook her head: "It's not clear yet. We'll talk about it when Dashan comes back."

---

When Chen Dashan returned, dinner was already prepared. The family sat around the kang (a heated brick bed). Chen's mother first served rice to the four children, then put vegetables on their plates, before sitting down to eat herself.

Chen Dashan ate a few bites before speaking about what happened today.

"It turns out it was because of the heavy snow last winter." He put down his chopsticks. "Several sections of ditches and roads were damaged by the snow and had to be repaired. So this year's corvée labor was brought forward."

Mother Chen sighed, "If it's earlier, then so be it. We can't avoid this anyway. We'll pay the money, as long as the person doesn't go."

Chen Dashan nodded and continued, "There's one more thing. From now on, all farmland will be subject to taxes. Even newly purchased wasteland will have to pay."

Su Xiaoqing was taken aback: "Wasn't wasteland exempt from tax for the first five years? How did it suddenly change?"

Chen Dashan said, "The village head said it was because of the heavy rains during last autumn's harvest that several counties suffered reduced yields. To balance prices in the county towns, the government distributed grain as disaster relief. Now that the national treasury is tight, they've changed the tax exemption policy."

Chen's mother frowned: "Our family's wasteland is still two years away from being five years old..."

Chen Dashan said, "Yes, it's two years short. But there's nothing we can do; it's the government's decision, so we have to accept it. Fortunately, the policy for barren mountains hasn't changed; they're still tax-free."

After thinking for a moment, Chen's mother nodded: "As long as the barren mountain hasn't changed, that's fine. The fruit trees, melon seedlings, and medicinal herbs on the mountain are the main source of income for our family. As for the land, it's okay if it's delayed by two years."

Chen Dashan said, "Once Dad and Xiaohe return from the neighboring county, we need to have a proper discussion. We need to come up with a plan for how to manage things on this mountain from now on."

Chen's mother asked, "What are your thoughts?"

Chen Dashan said, "This is what I think. Fruit trees are our focus, and we need to take good care of them. The melons grow particularly fast, so we need to keep planting seedlings. They've sold well these past two years; people in the county recognize our melons. We can't leave the other parts of the mountain idle either. We can plant some soybeans, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes, whatever the harvest is. We'll leave the area with the medicinal herbs untouched and continue planting them. We'll also plant any new medicinal herb seeds we find."

Chen's mother nodded: "You three can discuss these things when your father gets back. He should be back around tomorrow, so we can hear his opinion then."

Chen Dashan said, "Yes, that's what I think too."