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

Father Chen took a sip of soup and said slowly, "Although this year's harvest wasn't good, our family is doing alright. We have enough food from the fields, we sold the fruit from the mountains, and we've opened a shop. If the weather is good next year, things will definitely be even better."

Chen Dashan nodded: "Dad is right. If we work hard, things will get better and better."

As night deepened, the family members went to their rooms to rest. Chen Dashan lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), thinking about the day's events. The corvée labor fee had increased to three taels of silver, and this money would have to come from the shop's income. Fortunately, business had been good recently; the fruit sold well, and the braised goods were also popular. He planned to make another batch of small items at the end of the year, which should allow him to earn it back.

Su Xiaoyin lay down beside him and whispered, "Dashan, do you think it will snow heavily again this winter?"

Chen Dashan thought for a moment and said, "I don't know. But if we prepare more firewood and store more food, we won't be afraid even if it snows heavily."

Su Xiaoyin hummed in agreement and closed her eyes. Outside the window, the moon rose, casting its gentle light across the floor. Tomorrow would be another busy day.

----

That afternoon, Chen's father returned from the mountain, carrying two wild rabbits and a fox. The fox's fur was glossy and shimmered reddish in the sunlight; it was clearly a fine animal. Chen Xiaohe ran out of the house, took the prey, and examined it closely, marveling, "Dad, this fox pelt is really good! I'll skin it and make scarves for my sister-in-law and Xiaoqing; they'll be warm to wear in the winter."

Mr. Chen smiled, sat down on the stone bench, and wiped his sweat: "The fox is quite cunning; we chased it through several ditches before finally catching it. Clean up the rabbit and take it to Wang's Restaurant tomorrow. Keep the fox pelt; we can make something for the family for the New Year."

Chen Xiaohe responded and carried the prey to the backyard.

Just as Mr. Chen sat down to catch his breath, the courtyard gate rang. Li Hu walked in, leaning on his cane, followed by his son, Li An. Li An had grown taller than the last time he was seen, but he was still thin and small, with a pale face that was heartbreaking to look at.

"Brother Li is here? Please have a seat!" Father Chen stood up, ushered him into the main room, and then called out to the east wing, "Shitou, Li An is here, you take him to play!"

Shi Tou ran out of the house, saw Li An, and happily grabbed his hand: "Brother Li An, come in and play! Qingqing made so many paper flowers, they're so pretty!" Li An glanced at his father, Li Hu, and nodded before following Shi Tou into the house. Soon, the laughter of children filled the house.

Father Chen poured Li Hu a bowl of water, and the two sat down in the main room. Li Hu took a sip of water, put down the bowl, and sighed, "Brother Chen, I've come today to ask you for some advice."

Mr. Chen waved his hand: "Don't say 'ask for advice,' just say what you need to say."

Li Hu said, "I see that your crops have a good yield compared to others in the village. How do you manage them? To be honest, I haven't farmed for years. The plot of land I cleared at the foot of the mountain this year had a terrible harvest; I almost didn't even get the seeds back. That's why I've shamelessly come to ask you for advice."

After listening, Mr. Chen thought for a moment and asked, "Have you used manure on your land?"

Li Hu shook his head: "A little bit, but not much. I thought the land was newly developed, so the foundation should be decent..."

Father Chen waved his hand: "The newly cleared wasteland looks loose, but it's actually the most lacking in fertilizer. The land you cleared at the foot of the mountain was originally raw soil with little fertility. With just that little base fertilizer, how can the crops grow well? In addition, you haven't farmed for many years, so you haven't taken good care of it. The weeds weren't cleared properly, the seedlings weren't thinned out, and you didn't water it when it was time to water it or fertilize it when it was time to fertilize it. No wonder the harvest is bad."

Li Hu nodded repeatedly, then asked, "How do we do it?"

Father Chen counted on his fingers for him: "There's no secret to farming, it's all about diligence. You have to plow the land deeply, fertilize it well, weed frequently, and thin the seedlings evenly. Water when it's dry, drain when it's waterlogged, and find ways to treat pests. If you slack off on any of these things, the crops won't treat you well."

He paused, then continued, "The most important thing for your land right now is to apply manure. If the soil isn't fertile, the crops won't grow well. Where will the manure come from? If you can raise pigs, pig manure is the best. If you raise two pigs, you'll have enough manure for the whole year. If you don't have time to raise pigs, you can buy some pig manure from families in the village that raise a lot of pigs. But you have to remember, the manure has to be properly fermented before you apply it to the field. If you apply raw manure, it will burn the seedlings, and the crops won't grow at all."

Li Hu shook his head with a wry smile: "I don't have time to raise pigs anymore. I still have to keep an eye on the shop in the county town, so I'm not home every day. My son also has to go to school, and I can't manage everything by myself. I'll ask around and see who raises a lot of pigs, and buy some pig manure."

Mr. Chen added, "Chicken manure will do too. You can raise more chickens and collect the manure to use in the fields. Raising chickens is easier than raising pigs, and you won't lack eggs at home. It's a win-win situation."

Li Hu's eyes lit up: "That's a great idea! Raising chickens is easy, and we can also boil more eggs for the child to help him grow stronger. This child is still quite weak."

Father Chen glanced at the east wing and lowered his voice, saying, "The child's health is poor; medicine alone won't suffice. My little grandson, Afu, was born weak; he's even harder to raise than your son. We've put in a lot of effort these past few years, giving him plenty of eggs, meat several times a month, and letting him run around the yard with his older siblings. Look at him now; although he's still a bit shorter and thinner than Shitou and the others, he's much better than last year. He eats and sleeps well and doesn't get sick much anymore."

Li Hu listened attentively and nodded repeatedly.

Mr. Chen added, "I've been thinking that food therapy is worse than medicine. All medicine has some toxicity, and children have weak digestive systems. If we force-feed them medicine every day, their appetite will only get worse. It's better to focus on their diet. We should prepare eggs, meat, and fish in different ways to make sure they enjoy them and can eat well. Their health will naturally improve. Look at Afu; he used to be as thin as a kitten, but now he runs around the yard like crazy and can eat a big bowl of rice in one meal. That's the effect of food therapy."

Li Hu sighed, "That's right. I took Li An to the clinic several times to get medicine, but he said it was too bitter and didn't like to drink it. I had to chase after him and force-feed him, but the effect was only so-so. When we get back, I'll try your method, make him more delicious food and force-feed him less medicine."

Mr. Chen smiled: "Yes, let the child get well first. Once he's healthy, everything else will be fine."

Li Hu then inquired about the crops: "Brother Chen, where do you get the manure you use for farming?"

Mr. Chen said, "We raise two pigs, and quite a few chickens, ducks, and geese, so we generally have enough manure. Sometimes when we don't have enough, we buy some from other families in the village who raise a lot of pigs. The more manure you have, the better. The more fertile the soil, the better the crops grow."

Li Hu nodded and then asked, "How many acres of land did your family cultivate this year? How did you manage to allocate them?"

Mr. Chen counted on his fingers as he explained, "Our family doesn't have much land. It's a few dozen acres, including cultivated land and wasteland. We plant corn, wheat, soybeans, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and a small patch of rice. We rotate crops; this year we plant corn, next year we plant soybeans, so the soil can recover its fertility faster. We can't plant the same thing every year, or the soil will become barren."