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

The three of them moved everything they needed to the courtyard, piling the rest on the other side. Clothes, fabrics, bedding, books, inkstones, and writing brushes were all neatly arranged. The loose silver totaled a little over six taels, which Chen's mother carefully put away.

Su Xiaoyin rummaged through the study and found a few old books with some paper tucked inside. The paper contained flower and bird patterns, some faded, but the lines were still intact. She carefully put them away, thinking she could use them to embroider when she got home.

Looking at the sky, it was almost noon. Su Xiaoyin said, "Dad, Mom, I'll go make lunch first. You can tidy up a bit and come over to eat in a little while."

Chen's mother nodded: "Go ahead. Take a look at the things in the kitchen, keep what you can use, and throw away what you can't."

Su Xiaoyin went to the backyard. The kitchen wasn't big; a layer of dust covered the stove, and pots and pans were overturned. She first opened the water vat, which was still half full of water. Although it had been sitting for a long time, it was still usable. She then rummaged through the cupboards and found half a bottle of soy sauce, a small jar of salt, a few pieces of ginger, and half a bag of flour. There wasn't much food, but it would probably last for a few days.

She gathered up everything usable, and piled the unusable junk in the corner. She cleaned the pot and dishes, and started a fire to boil water. Once the water boiled, she put the dry food she had brought into the pot to heat it up, and also cut up a plate of braised meat.

After putting away the last few items, Mr. and Mrs. Chen washed their hands and went to the kitchen. The fire in the stove was burning brightly, and the house was warm and cozy, much more comfortable than outside.

"This stove burns well," Chen's mother said with satisfaction, touching the stove. "I'll try the underfloor heating system later. If it burns well, we can live here in winter."

Su Xiaoyin brought over the heated dry rations and poured three bowls of hot water. The three of them ate a simple meal with braised meat. Chen's father took a bite of his flatbread and said, "Let's go tidy up the shop this afternoon. It should be simpler over there, with less stuff."

Chen's mother said, "Just keep the shop clean and tidy; it doesn't need to be too fancy. Anyway, it's going to be rented out, and the tenants will take care of it themselves."

After finishing their meal, Su Xiaoyin cleaned up the dishes and put things away in the kitchen. The three of them rested for a while, locked the gate of the house, and drove the mule cart to the shop.

The shop was located on the inner part of East Street, not far from the house. When Mr. Chen opened the door, the shop was empty, with only a few rows of old shelves leaning against the wall. There was a layer of dust on the floor and some stains on the walls, but the shop was still sturdy overall.

"This shop has a good foundation." Mr. Chen looked around. "After painting the walls, sweeping the floor, and repairing the shelves, it will be ready to use."

Chen's mother picked up a broom and started sweeping the floor, while Su Xiaoyin took a rag and wiped the shelves. The three of them worked for over an hour, cleaning the shop inside and out until it was spotless. The shelves were clean, and although they were a bit old, they were still usable. The stains on the walls couldn't be removed, and Chen's father said they would have to repaint them when they had time.

As the sun began to set, the three of them finally finished packing. Chen's father locked the shop and drove the mule cart back home. The cart was loaded with things they had taken from the house: clothes, fabrics, bedding, books, and an inkstone, all crammed full.

It was almost dark when they got home. Su Xiaoqing was cooking in the kitchen, while the four children were playing in the yard. Seeing them return, Shitou ran over and asked, "Mom, is the new house pretty?"

Su Xiaoyin smiled and patted his head: "You look good. Once you're all settled, I'll take you to your place."

Stone was happy and ran off with his younger siblings.

That evening, the family sat together. Su Xiaoyin recounted what she had found in the house that day and handed the loose silver to Chen's mother. Chen's mother took the silver and said with a smile, "Buying this house was definitely worth it; these things alone are worth quite a bit."

Mr. Chen, puffing on his pipe, said slowly, "The shop and the house are almost done. In a couple of days, we'll find a brokerage to rent out the shop, and we'll have income every month. As for the house, we'll leave it for now and deal with it properly in the spring."

Chen Dashan nodded: "Dad, I'll go check the doors and windows later. Repair what needs fixing, and replace what needs replacing."

Mr. Chen said, "Okay. No rush, take your time."

----

"Dashan, are you busy at home?"

Brother De pushed open the courtyard gate and walked in with a smile. He was wearing a thick cotton-padded coat and a felt hat, and his face was flushed from the cold wind. As soon as he entered, he rubbed his hands together and breathed on them to warm them.

Chen Dashan was tidying up his tools in the carpentry workshop when he heard the sound and quickly came out to greet him: "Brother De is here! Come in and sit down, I'll get you some water."

He ushered Brother De into the main room, where Su Xiaoyin brought in two bowls of hot tea from the kitchen, smiling as she said, "Brother De, have some tea to warm yourself up."

De Ge took the drink and sipped it, letting out a long sigh: "It's really cold today, even colder than last year. Da Shan, I came today to ask you to make something for me, do you have time?"

Chen Dashan sat down opposite him, thought for a moment, and said, "I only have a set of doors and windows for a shop; there's nothing else in a hurry. What do you want to do, Brother De?"

Dege put down his teacup and said, "I bought another shop and am planning to rent it out. Everything else about the shop is fine, but the doors and windows are a bit drafty. In winter, people complain about the cold, so the rent isn't going up. I was thinking of having you fix it up for me, make sure the doors and windows are properly sealed, and apply a coat of tung oil. That way, I can get a few more taels of silver for rent."

Chen Dashan nodded: "Okay, I'll go to the site tomorrow to take the measurements and see how much material we need. We can do it together with the doors and windows for that shop, so it won't delay anything."

Brother De was delighted: "Then I'll trouble you. Let's go together tomorrow morning, and I'll show you around."

The two talked for a while longer, then De Ge suddenly lowered his voice and asked, "By the way, Da Shan, have you prepared the New Year's gift for the old master who taught us fruit tree care?"

Chen Dashan said, "We're making preparations right now. Xiaohe was just saying the other day that the old master taught us diligently and didn't hold back, so we should prepare a generous New Year's gift."

De Ge nodded: "That's what I think too. Our fruit trees are growing better than others this year, thanks to the master craftsman's guidance. I plan to deliver New Year's gifts around the 20th of the twelfth lunar month, and I'll have Xiao He come with me. The gifts don't need to be too expensive, but they have to be practical. Homegrown dried fruit, persimmon cakes, cured meat, and two packets of good tea will be enough."

Chen Dashan said, "Okay, I'll have Xiaohe go with you then. Next spring, when we buy seeds and fruit tree seedlings, will we go to that store in the neighboring county again?"

Brother De asked, "Are you planning to buy fruit trees too?"

Chen Dashan sighed, "Yes. We didn't dare buy too many before, afraid that we wouldn't be able to keep them alive and would lose money. This year we finally started selling fruit, but we found that we were still short of a few kinds. The jujubes from the jujube trees were too small, although they tasted good, but they didn't fetch a good price. We've dried a lot of them and they're still in the cellar. We're thinking that if things really don't work out, we'll just sell them at a lower price."

Brother De sighed, "Our jujubes are the same; they're not very big. I think we should buy a few more good variety jujube trees next year and ask the experienced growers for advice on how to make the jujubes grow bigger."