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

Chen Xiaohe took another persimmon, broke it open to show everyone: "The persimmons are ripe, completely red, and very sweet. But these won't keep, we need to make dried persimmons quickly."

Chen's mother poked her head out from the kitchen: "Dinner's ready! We'll cook something delicious tonight, just make do with this for lunch."

Su Xiaoyin hurried to the kitchen to help serve the dishes. Lunch was simple: cornbread, pickled vegetables, and leftover bone broth from breakfast. The family sat around the table, eating and chatting.

Mr. Chen said, "I'll go to town this afternoon and ask the fruit sellers how much they charge. That way I'll have a better idea of ​​the price when I buy it in the county town."

Chen Dashan said, "Xiaoyin, I've picked out some of the less desirable ones and put them in the kitchen. You and Xiaoqing can try making candied fruit with them and see if it works."

Su Xiaoyin nodded: "Okay, I'll try it this afternoon. The wild fruit preserves I made last year tasted pretty good, and this year I'm using apples, so it shouldn't be bad either."

After dinner, Chen's father drove the oxcart to the county town. Su Xiaoyin picked out the apples that weren't of good quality from the kitchen, washed them, sliced ​​them thinly, and soaked them in salt water. She had thought about how to make candied fruit several times. Last year, she tried using wild fruit. Although it wasn't as exquisite as the ones she bought, it was still presentable enough for her own consumption or to sell in a shop.

Su Xiaoqing returned with the children in the afternoon. Shitou ran into the kitchen, saw the apple slices in the bowl, and reached out to take them. Su Xiaoyin gently patted his little hand: "They're raw, we haven't cooked them yet. We'll give them to you when they're done."

Shi Tou withdrew his hand and swallowed hard. "Mother, what are you doing?"

Su Xiaoyin said with a smile, "I'll make candied fruit, something sweet. I'll give it to you as a snack when it's done."

Shi Tou was happy and took his younger siblings to play in the yard.

In the evening, Mr. Chen returned from town. He had a smile on his face and said as soon as he entered, "I saw the fruit was selling well in town! The price was good too, and there were quite a few buyers. Tomorrow we'll take it to the shop and do more promotion; I feel it will do well."

Chen Xiaohe was delighted: "Then pick more tomorrow!"

Mr. Chen sat down, took a sip of water, and said, "I even ran into a regular customer who asked when the persimmon cakes would be available. I told him I'd have to wait a few more days, but he said he'd place an order first and they'd reserve them for me later."

Mother Chen smiled and said, "That would be great. Let's start making persimmon cakes tomorrow, and take advantage of the good weather to dry them early."

Su Xiaoyin poked her head out from the kitchen: "Dad, I've tried making a batch of candied fruit. Would you like to try it?"

She brought out a small dish of dried fruit, a darker color than fresh fruit, with a slightly shiny surface and a sweet aroma. Mr. Chen took a piece, put it in his mouth, chewed slowly, and nodded: "Not bad, sweet but not cloying, and chewy. If we took it to the shop, people would definitely want it."

Su Xiaoqing also tried a piece and nodded repeatedly: "Sister, this is delicious! It's even better than the wild fruit preserves I made last year."

Chen Dashan also tried a piece, without saying a word, but with a smile in his eyes.

Mr. Chen said, "Don't rush to make dried fruit; let's sell the fresh fruit first. We need to make dried persimmons as soon as possible; that can't be delayed."

The family discussed their plans for tomorrow: Su Xiaoyin would set up a stall in the county town, Su Xiaoqing would take the children to open a shop, Chen's father and Chen Xiaohe would go up the mountain to pick fruit, Chen Dashan would stay home to dry grain and tidy up the cellar, and Chen's mother would stay home to make persimmon cakes.

That evening, Su Xiaoyin washed the persimmons one by one and placed them in a basket to drain. Chen's mother watched Su Xiaoyin work and said, "When peeling the persimmons, don't peel them too thickly; leave a little bit so they won't crack when drying. Leave some space between them when stringing them together; don't crowd them, or they won't dry properly."

Su Xiaoyin listened attentively and memorized everything.

----

The next day, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing took their child to the county town. As soon as the shop opened, Su Xiaoyin took out the fresh fruit Chen Dashan had prepared that morning, selecting the largest and best-looking ones and putting them in a basket. These were specially prepared for Manager Liu. Because their family frequently sent Manager Liu mountain produce and gifts, their stall in the county town had never been bothered by anyone; they had always lived peacefully, unlike other families where local thugs would occasionally cause trouble, and patrolling constables would also cause problems.

Around noon, Liu Yilong came on patrol. Su Xiaoyin quickly stopped him, smiling as she handed him the basket: "Manager Liu, these are some freshly picked fruits from our mountain. Here, have some to try. The apples are crisp, the pears are sweet and sour, and the persimmons are sweet too. If you like them, I'll get you more next time."

Liu Yilong took the basket, glanced inside, and smiled, "Madam Chen, you're too kind. These fruits look delicious; I'll take them home for my family to try. I wish you booming business!"

Su Xiaoyin thanked him repeatedly, said a few more words, and then saw Steward Liu off.

The shop was bustling with people. While selling her goods, Su Xiaoyin didn't forget to introduce her customers: "Our general store also has fresh fruits. Apples, pears, and persimmons were just picked today. If you have time, come and take a look. If you like, buy some." Several regular customers said they would come and take a look later.

Back home, Chen's father, Chen Dashan, and Chen Xiaohe went up the mountain early in the morning and picked another batch of fruit. There weren't many persimmons left on the tree; they had almost all been picked. Chen's mother was busy making dried persimmons in the yard. She peeled the persimmons one by one, strung them together with thin string, and hung them on a rack in the yard to dry. The bright yellow persimmons strung in rows glistened in the sunlight, looking very appealing.

Walnuts were spread all over the yard, and Chen's father used a rake to turn them over and over so that they could dry more evenly. The apples and pears that looked good were picked out and put into the cellar, while the ones that didn't look good were piled up in the corner of the kitchen to be eaten by the family or made into dried fruit.

While turning over the walnuts, Chen's father said to Chen Xiaohe, "In another three or four days, all the fruit on the mountain will be picked. Xiaohe, shouldn't we start preparing for winter?"

Chen Xiaohe nodded: "Yes, I'll discuss it with Brother De and see when to start. Then Dad, should we buy a few more fruit tree saplings next spring? Oh, and the jujube trees too, we haven't picked them yet. The jujube trees are planted on the other side, I forgot."

Chen Dashan said from the side, "We can wait a couple more days for the jujube trees. I've gone to check. We also need to prepare some timber at home. Once we're done with the work on the mountain, I want to make some things to sell at the general store. If I see anything I like, I'll sell it. We also don't have enough firewood, so we need to buy more."

Father Chen straightened up, thought for a moment, and said, "After we finish with the fruit trees, let's gather firewood together. Let's dig a few more traps, try our luck, catch some wild game to smoke, and we'll have something to eat in the winter."

Chen Xiaohe responded and carried the basket up the mountain again. In the yard, Chen's mother was still busy stringing persimmons, the sunlight shining on her, warm and comforting. Life went on like this, busy yet fulfilling.