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

Shi Tou tugged at Chen Dashan's sleeve and asked, "Dad, have you bought the shop yet?"

Chen Dashan picked him up and said with a smile, "We've got a good deal. We even bought a house, so you'll have a place to live when you go to school in the county town."

Shi Tou was overjoyed: "Really? I want to go to school in the county town!"

Su Xiaoyin patted his head: "We'll send you there when you're a little older."

At dinner time, the family sat together. Chen Dashan recounted the events of the day and then showed the contract to his parents.

Mr. Chen took the contract, looked at it carefully, and nodded: "Good, good. Two shops and a house, our family's life is getting better and better. Tomorrow you go set up your stall, and we'll go tidy up the shops and the house."

Chen's mother was also happy, her eyes even a little red: "These years have not been easy."

Chen Dashan said, "Mother, the shop and house are registered in my name and Xiaohe's name as you said before you left. Would you like to move to the county town?"

Mr. Chen waved his hand: "We're used to living in the village. Keep it; the children will need it later."

Su Xiaoyin said, "Dad, that house is close to the school. It will be perfect for the children to live there when they go to study in the county town."

Mr. Chen nodded: "Yes, yes. Let the children read more books and learn more words, so they will be better off than us in the future."

Chen Xiaohe said, "Dad, let's tidy up the clutter first, and then when spring comes, we'll paint the walls and tidy up the yard, making it clean and tidy."

Mr. Chen said, "Okay, we'll go together then."

----

The next morning, it was even colder. The north wind howled, and the branches of the trees in the yard swayed and groaned.

Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe went out as usual, one to set up a stall and the other to open a general store. Chen's father drove the mule cart, taking Chen's mother and Su Xiaoyin to the county town. Su Xiaoqing stayed at home to take care of the children. Chen's mother felt sorry for her and said that it was too cold and the children should not be allowed to get cold. She said they would be taken to the county town after everything was ready.

The mule cart moved along the road, the cold wind blowing straight down to their necks. Chen's mother wrapped her cotton-padded coat tighter and huddled inside the cart, muttering, "It's so cold today, even colder than yesterday. I wonder if the underfloor heating in the new house will burn well. If it does, we'll be warmer at noon."

Chen's father, driving the cart ahead, turned back and said, "Don't rush, let's check it out when we get there. If it's hard to light, we'll light the stove; we can't let you freeze."

Su Xiaoyin sat at the back of the carriage, holding a bundle in her arms containing dry rations and a few pieces of braised meat for lunch. She looked at the bare trees lining the road, imagining what the new house would look like. She had only had a quick look around yesterday; today she needed to tidy it up properly.

Upon arriving in the county town, Chen's father parked the mule cart in front of the new house. The alley was quiet; occasionally, a neighbor would pass by, glance curiously, and then hurry on their way.

Mr. Chen took out the key and opened the door. The three of them drove the mule cart into the yard and closed the gate from the inside, cutting off the view from the outside.

Su Xiaoyin stood in the courtyard and looked around. It was already late when she arrived yesterday, so she hadn't had a chance to look around properly. Now the sunlight was perfect, illuminating the courtyard brightly. The three main rooms faced south; although the paint on the window frames was somewhat faded, the wood was sturdy and showed no signs of rot. There was a side room on each of the east and west sides, the kitchen was in the back courtyard, and the well was in the southeast corner, its stone platform worn smooth.

"This house is in good condition," Mr. Chen nodded. "With a little renovation, it'll be better than all the old houses in our village."

Chen's mother couldn't wait to go inside. She pushed open the door to the main room, and a musty smell hit her. The room was dimly lit, the floor was covered with a layer of dust, and the furniture was overturned and crooked, clearly indicating that no one had lived there for a long time.

"Oh dear, this dust is really thick." Chen's mother frowned, rolled up her sleeves, and said, "Xiaoyin, go check on the study. Your father and I will clean these two rooms. We'll work on the kitchen together in a bit."

Su Xiaoyin responded and walked towards the study on the east side.

The study wasn't large, but the window faced south, so it was well-lit. A desk stood by the window, next to a bookshelf with a few books scattered about, covered in dust. Several boxes were piled in the corner, their contents unknown.

Su Xiaoyin first took the books off the shelf, dusted them off one by one, and flipped through them to see what they were about. Most of them were the Four Books and Five Classics, and there were also a few collections of poetry. She didn't understand these things, but she knew they would be useful to her children in the future. She organized the books and put them into a clean box.

Then she looked through the trunks. One trunk contained old clothes; the material was still decent, but the styles were outdated. Su Xiaoyin picked out a few thick cotton coats, folded them, and set them aside—these could be washed and used to make shoe uppers, or altered to fit the children. The other trunk was empty, containing only a few pieces of old cloth, which were of little use.

She returned to her desk and opened the drawer. The drawer was empty; there was nothing inside. She reached in and felt around, her fingertips touching something loose. With a gentle pry, she unearthed a movable wooden board, revealing a hidden compartment underneath.

Inside the hidden compartment was a small cloth bag. Opening it, I found four taels of loose silver, wrapped in an old handkerchief. There were also two inkstones, several writing brushes, and a stack of Xuan paper. The inkstones were made of stone, heavy in the hand; the carving was simple, but the stone was fine-grained. The brush handles were somewhat old, but the brush heads were still intact. The Xuan paper was neatly folded, slightly yellowed, but still usable.

Su Xiaoyin was delighted and carefully placed the items into the box. Four taels of silver wasn't much, but it was still a pleasant surprise. She would keep the inkstone and writing brush; the children would need them for their studies and writing in the future.

Chen's mother was also searching. She took out the clothes from the closet one by one and shook them out. She kept the ones with good material and threw away the ones that were too old and worn. When she found a thick cotton-padded coat, a small purse fell out of the sleeve. Chen's mother picked it up and opened it. Inside were some loose silver coins. She counted them and found that they weighed more than two taels.

"Old man! Come and see!" Chen's mother called out.

Mr. Chen came over from the next room, and Mrs. Chen handed him the purse. Mr. Chen weighed it in his hand and smiled: "This must have been hidden by the original owner of this body. She forgot to take it with her. Keep it; it's ours now."

Chen's mother searched the cabinet inside and out again, but found nothing else. However, she found two bolts of fine cotton cloth at the bottom of the cabinet. They were plain in color, of good quality, and had not deteriorated even after being stored for several years. She happily took them out and placed them on the stone table in the courtyard.

Chen's father also managed to tidy up some things. His room had a bed and a wardrobe, and inside the wardrobe were several quilts. Although they were a bit old, the cotton was still thick and could be washed and used. He picked out a few good ones to keep, and piled the tattered ones aside, intending to use them as rags or firewood.

The furniture was in good condition. The bed, cabinets, table, and chairs, although a bit old-fashioned, were made of good quality wood and were sturdy and durable. Mr. Chen checked them one by one, noting down what needed repair and planning to have Chen Dashan fix them later.