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

"How's the shop?" Chen Dashan asked.

Su Xiaoyin told Chen Dashan about the pork order for today. Chen Dashan nodded: "I'll only be setting up my stall for the morning, then I'll go home at noon. The pig has been slaughtered and the meat is ready. Come early tomorrow and put the meat out."

The two packed their things, called Su Xiaoqing and the child, and drove back. On the way, Su Xiaoyin asked, "Did the pig slaughter go smoothly today?"

Chen Dashan said, "It went smoothly. Xiaohe was quick and efficient, Dad did the chopping, and I assisted. The pig was cleaned thoroughly, and the meat is good. We set aside some pork belly for Manager Liu, and Mom will deliver it tomorrow."

Su Xiaoyin nodded, then asked, "Any news about the people in the village who are serving their corvée labor?"

Chen Dashan paused for a moment, then said, "There's news. Brother De came by this afternoon and said that everyone from our village who went to perform corvée labor has returned. A few of them caught a cold and were seriously injured, but they're all still alive."

Su Xiaoyin breathed a sigh of relief: "It's good that she's still alive. She'll recover with some rest."

Chen Dashan hummed in response and then remained silent.

When Su Xiaoyin got home, it was already dark. The aroma of meat wafted from the kitchen. She went in and saw that Chen's mother was stewing a large pot of pork stew. Sauerkraut, blood sausage, and pork belly were stewing together, bubbling away, and the fragrance filled her nostrils.

"Mom, it smells so good!" Su Xiaoyin said with a smile.

Chen's mother smiled too: "We're slaughtering a pig today, so we have to have a good meal. Go wash your hands and call the children to eat."

The family sat around the table in the main room, where a steaming pot of stewed pork, several side dishes, and a bowl of bone broth were laid out. Father Chen took a sip of the broth and slowly said, "The people who were conscripted for labor service returned today; everyone from our village has come back. A few were sick, but they're still here. When I was stewing the stew at noon, I had your mother's family take a bowl over to check on them."

Chen Xiaohe picked up a piece of blood sausage and said, "It's good that he's still alive. He'll recover next winter."

Mrs. Chen sighed, "Yes, it's better for everyone to be safe and sound. It was the right decision for our family not to send anyone this year."

Father Chen nodded, looked at his family, and said, "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. Tomorrow we'll take the pork to the shop to sell, which will bring in another source of income. The whole family is together, and that's better than anything else."

Su Xiaoyin put a piece of meat on Chen Dashan's plate and then shared it with the children. The four children ate with gusto, their mouths greasy. Afu, holding up his chopsticks, shouted, "Meat! Delicious!"

----

Early the next morning, Chen Dashan drove his oxcart to the county town. The cart was loaded with the goods he would sell that day, and on top of it was a basket covered with a blue cloth, containing the best pork belly reserved for Manager Liu.

Upon arriving in the county town, Chen Dashan first set up his stall, then picked up his basket and went to find Liu Yilong. Manager Liu was resting in a shed by the market, holding a teapot in his hand. When he saw Chen Dashan arrive, he stood up with a smile.

"Brother Dashan, so early?" Liu Yilong took the basket, lifted the blue cloth and took a look. His eyes lit up. "This pork belly is really good! It's marbled with fat and lean meat, three layers of fat and lean meat. It's obviously good pork."

Chen Dashan said with a smile, "These are pigs I raised myself. I slaughtered them at the end of the year and sent you the best ones. I'm so grateful for Manager Liu's help this past year, please don't mind this small token of my appreciation."

Liu Yilong waved his hand, put away the basket, pulled Chen Dashan to sit down, and lowered his voice to say, "Brother Dashan, I have something to tell you. Recently, the brokerage firm in the county town has a batch of shops for sale. They were all seized by the county magistrate. The original owners committed crimes and have been exiled. The shops are clean and in good condition. Do you want to take a look? If you buy one, renting it out will also bring in income."

Chen Dashan's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly asked, "Where is the shop located? How big is it?"

Liu Yilong said, "The location is good, it's just inside East Street, not far from your current shop. It has two storefronts and a small courtyard in the back. The original owner was a cloth merchant who committed a crime and was exiled, so the shop has been closed. The county magistrate wants to get rid of it before the New Year, so the price should be negotiable."

Chen Dashan nodded: "Okay, I'll go back and discuss it with my family, and I'll let you know tomorrow."

Liu Yilong patted him on the shoulder: "Okay, go back and discuss it. If you're interested, I'll take you to see it."

Chen Dashan thanked Manager Liu and returned to his stall to continue selling goods.

Over here, Mr. Chen and Chen Xiaohe went to the general store today. It was cold, so Mr. Chen got up early to make a pot of hot tofu pudding, put it in a wooden bucket, and wrapped it in a cotton quilt to keep it warm. As soon as the store opened, people from the neighborhood came to buy breakfast.

"Uncle Chen, a bowl of tofu pudding, please!" The young woman from next door brought over the bowl.

Mr. Chen smiled and scooped a large spoonful for her, then poured on some braising sauce and sprinkled it with cilantro: "Eat it while it's hot, it's cold, warm yourself up."

The daughter-in-law took it, drank a sip, and nodded repeatedly: "Delicious! It tastes even better than what you buy outside!"

Several more people came in to buy tofu pudding, and Mr. Chen greeted them while saying, "We also have fresh pork today, from our own pigs, just slaughtered this morning. The meat is tender and smells especially good when stewed. Look how thick the fat is!"

He pointed to the pork on the cutting board, its fat layered and its lean meat bright red. Several women gathered around to look, touch, and smell it, all saying it was delicious.

"Give me two jin!" a woman said, "For making dumplings for the New Year."

"I want two pounds too! It's best stewed with sauerkraut!"

An old man squeezed in, looked at the pork, and said without a word, "Give me five jin! This meat is good; it looks like it's from a proper grain-fed pig."

Chen Xiaohe quickly weighed out five jin (2.5 kg) of meat for him and tied it up with straw rope. The old man carried the meat away, satisfied.

By noon, most of the pork had been sold. The tofu pudding was also almost gone, and a good amount of braised meats, bean sprouts, and tofu had also been sold. Chen Xiaohe counted his money bag and said happily to his father, "Dad, we had a good day! We made more than a tael of silver just from pork."

Mr. Chen nodded: "It's almost Chinese New Year, everyone's willing to spend money. Bring more meat tomorrow."

Back home, Su Xiaoyin was busy in the kitchen. She cleaned and prepared the pig's head, offal, and other scraps left over from yesterday's slaughter, putting them into a large pot to braise. She made her own braising spices: star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, Sichuan peppercorns, and dried chili peppers—all the essentials. The braising liquid bubbled and simmered in the pot, its aroma filling the entire yard.

Chen's mother walked in, took a sniff, and said with a smile, "It smells so good! Xiaoyin, your cooking skills are getting better and better."

Su Xiaoyin poked the pig's head with her chopsticks to test the heat: "Mom, this pig's head needs to be braised for a while longer. The offal is almost done. You can send some to Brother De's family, Uncle Li Hu's family, and Uncle Er Mu's family so they can have a taste."

Mrs. Chen nodded: "Of course. We're neighbors, we should share good things. Cut a plateful, put it in a basket, and I'll take it over."