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

The next morning, sunlight streamed warmly into the room through the paper windows. Chen Xiaohe, sipping his porridge, suddenly remembered something and looked up to ask Chen Dashan, "Brother, did you take Uncle Li Hu's order?"

Chen Dashan nodded and picked up a piece of pickled vegetable with his chopsticks: "I'll take it. It's mainly some shelves. His shop in the county town has expanded and is short a few rows of shelves. The work isn't heavy; it's all straight shelves, nothing fancy."

Chen Xiaohe asked again, "Can you handle it? Brother De has another batch of shelves to make, and he might also ask you to make doors and windows. Brother De said that if the existing ones are still usable, we can continue using them; if not, we'll make new ones. If the jobs for both companies come together, you'll be very busy."

Chen Dashan thought for a moment and said, "There's still time. It's all shelving and such work, not delicate, so it'll be quick. I'll go check on Brother De's situation first. If the original doors and windows are still usable, it'll save us a lot of trouble. Don't worry about me for now. But how's your shop in the county town doing these days?"

Chen Xiaohe chuckled: "Great! Everyone in the neighborhood knows about our braised food. Especially braised eggs, potatoes, and vegetables, they sell the fastest. After all, no one can eat meat every day. Buying some braised vegetables to eat with porridge is cheap and delicious."

Chen's mother chimed in from the side, "That's because Xiaoyin is a good cook. The braising sauce is just right, not too salty or too bland, and it tastes delicious."

Su Xiaoyin brought out a basin of braised offal from the kitchen and said with a smile, "Mom, please don't praise me. I still need to think about whether I can add a few more ingredients."

She neatly packed the braised pig's head, offal, braised eggs, and braised potatoes into a basket, one by one, preparing them for Chen Xiaohe to take to the county town later. Next to her was a basket of fresh green vegetables, picked from the garden that morning, tender and still glistening with dew.

Chen Xiaohe loaded the things onto the oxcart, then turned back and said, "Brother, I'm off then. Don't worry about the shop, I'll keep an eye on things."

Chen Dashan nodded: "Drive carefully."

The oxcart creaked and groaned as it left the courtyard and disappeared down the village road.

---

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing returned to the house and took out the embroidered picture of a qilin delivering a child, examining it carefully. The entire embroidery had taken more than half a year to complete, every stitch and thread imbued with their heart and soul. The qilin in the picture was lifelike, the child endearing, surrounded by auspicious clouds, and the color scheme elegant and sophisticated.

Su Xiaoqing touched the embroidered face, somewhat reluctantly: "Sister, do you think Madam Qian will like it?"

Su Xiaoyin carefully rolled up the embroidery, wrapped it in cloth, and put it in the basket: "Whether she likes it or not, we'll know tomorrow when we send it over. If she doesn't like it, we'll give it to Manager Sun to take a look, or ask Madam Zhao or Madam Yu. There's always someone who knows its value."

Su Xiaoqing nodded, feeling more at ease: "Yes, with our skills, we won't have to worry about finding customers."

The two sisters tidied up their things and then went to check on the dried tofu drying in the yard. The white and tender tofu was slightly yellowed in the sunlight, and it was already half-dried.

"Sister, this batch of dried tofu is done drying. Let's try making some braised tofu too," Su Xiaoqing said.

Su Xiaoyin nodded: "Okay. Once it's braised, we'll take it to the shop to sell. City people love it."

---

Mr. Chen returned from the mountain carrying a wild rabbit and two pheasants. His clothes were covered in grass clippings and mud, but he looked to be in good spirits. He put the rabbit and clapped his hands in the yard, laughing as he said, "I had good luck today. I caught two pheasants and a rabbit. Enough for two meals."

Su Xiaoyin poked her head out of the kitchen and said excitedly, "Dad, you caught some game again? This rabbit is plump, let's stew it tonight!"

Father Chen waved his hand: "Keep it, smoke it up, and eat it during the autumn harvest. The work will be heavy then, so we need to eat something good to nourish ourselves."

Su Xiaoqing also ran out to see, picked up the wild rabbit and weighed it in her hand: "It's so fat! Dad, your skills are getting better and better, you can catch something every few days."

Father Chen smiled and said, "There are plenty of things on the mountain; it just depends on whether you have the patience. I took a walk in the forest today, and the fruit trees are growing well. They should bear a lot of fruit this fall."

Su Xiaoyin said, "That's great. When the fruit comes in, we'll have a few more things to offer in the shop."

Mr. Chen washed his hands and sat down to drink water. Su Xiaoyin poured him a bowl of cold tea and brought him a plate of braised peanuts.

"Dad, what will happen to our stall and shop during the autumn harvest?" Chen Dashan came out of the carpentry workshop, holding a piece of wood in his hand, clearly pondering the dimensions of the shelves.

After thinking for a moment, Mr. Chen said, "When the time comes, you, me, and Xiaohe will definitely have to go to the fields for the autumn harvest. Your mother will have him set up a stall in the county town, and Xiaoyin or Xiaoqing will look after the shop. The other person can stay home and cook."

Chen Dashan then asked, "What about the threshing ground? It can't be left unattended."

Su Xiaoyin chimed in, "Dashan, how about we have Xiaoqing take the kids to the general store in the county town? I'll cook for you at home and also go to the threshing ground to dry the grain. It won't interfere with either of our work."

Father Chen shook his head, thought for a while, and said, "I'm thinking, why don't we hire a couple of people to help us with the autumn harvest? That way it will be faster and easier for them. There are a few families in our village with little land, but they are hardworking, so hiring them would be fine."

Chen Dashan nodded: "Hiring people is one way. A day's wages can cover the costs of the shop and the stall. We're not short of money, as long as the workers don't overwork themselves."

Mr. Chen said, "Then I'll think about it some more and go back and ask those families if they're available."

Listening to this, Su Xiaoyin felt much more at ease. Autumn harvest is the most tiring time of the year, and in previous years the whole family would work together, leaving them exhausted. This year, if they could hire two people, it would definitely be much easier.

"Dad, then I'll stay home and cook, and also keep an eye on the threshing floor," Su Xiaoyin said. "Xiaoqing will go to the county town to look after the shop, Mom will set up a stall at the market, and we'll work in the fields by the mountains and rivers. That way, we'll have enough manpower."

Mr. Chen nodded: "Okay, it's settled then. Let me think about it some more and see if there's anything I haven't considered."

Chen Dashan suddenly remembered something and said, "Oh right, Dad, Brother De still has a batch of shelves that he needs me to make. If I can't finish them before the autumn harvest, I'll have to wait until after the harvest."

Father Chen waved his hand: "No rush. The autumn harvest is the priority; we can take our time with the work. Brother De isn't in a hurry either; did he tell you when he needs it?"

Chen Dashan said, "He said there's no rush, it's fine after the autumn harvest."

Mr. Chen nodded: "Then let's talk about it after the autumn harvest. Let's finish the work in the fields first, then we'll feel at ease."

The family chatted amongst themselves, and the arrangements for the autumn harvest were almost complete. Su Xiaoyin got up to cook, while Su Xiaoqing went to the garden to pick vegetables. Chen Dashan returned to the carpentry workshop to continue his work, and Chen Xiaohe had not yet returned from the county town.

Chen's father sat on the porch, smoking his pipe, watching his family bustling about in the yard, feeling quite at ease. Life was getting better day by day; although it was tiring, he had hope.