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

After finishing her meal, Su Xiaoyin took the Five Relationships Chart from the east wing, unfolded it on the kang (heated brick bed), and carefully examined it. The phoenix's tail feathers, the peony petals, and the auspicious cloud patterns were all exquisitely embroidered. She nodded in satisfaction, carefully rolled it up, wrapped it in a cloth, and put it in a basket.

"I'll send it to Mrs. Qian first thing tomorrow morning," she said.

Chen Dashan, watching from the side, suddenly said, "Xiaoyin, your skills are getting better and better. This Five Relationships painting is even more exquisite than the last one."

Su Xiaoyin smiled: "That's because you've embroidered a lot and your hands are skilled. As your carpentry skills improve, our family's life will become even more prosperous."

It was late at night, and the children were all asleep. Chen Dashan lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), thinking about the work he would be doing in the county town the next day. Wu Zhubu's shop would take a month to complete, earning five taels of silver. With the income from the general store and the earnings from embroidery, the family's life would become increasingly comfortable.

He turned his head to look at Su Xiaoyin beside him. She was already asleep, breathing evenly, with a slight smile on her lips, as if she were having a sweet dream.

----

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Chen Dashan had already harnessed the mule cart.

Su Xiaoyin handed him the bundle she had prepared the night before, which contained a change of clothes and some dry food. Chen Dashan took it, put it on the cart, looked back at Su Xiaoyin who was busy in the kitchen, wanted to say something, but didn't, only said "I'm leaving", and drove the mule cart out of the courtyard.

Su Xiaoyin stood at the courtyard gate for a while before turning back.

Upon arriving in the county town, Chen Dashan first went to Wu the Registrar's shop. Construction was already underway; several workers were laying bricks, which were piled up everywhere. Wu the Registrar stood nearby, holding blueprints and talking to a craftsman. Seeing Chen Dashan arrive, he nodded and pointed to an empty room nearby: "Carpenter Chen, you can work there first. All the materials are ready; use them as needed."

Chen Dashan responded, laid out his tools, and began working. He sawed wood, shavings, and chiseled mortise and tenon joints, doing each step meticulously. This room would one day become an elegant tea room, and he would have to make the doors, windows, tables, chairs, and display shelves himself. The work was demanding, but he knew in his heart that slow and steady wins the race, and he couldn't rush it.

After tidying up, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing went to the general store from home. Qingqing followed along, helping to arrange the goods. Qingqing now knows quite a few characters and is quick at accounting. When customers come to buy tofu, she can help collect money and give change efficiently and without any stage fright.

The shop was bustling with customers all morning. Bean sprouts, tofu, braised meats, and wild vegetables all sold well. An old man even came all the way from the west of the city just to buy Su Xiaoyin's braised pig's head, saying that other places didn't taste the same, and he only liked this one.

By midday, the shop was nearly empty. Su Xiaoyin glanced at the sky and said to Su Xiaoqing, "Xiaoqing, let's go deliver the embroidery to Madam Qian. The sooner we deliver it, the sooner we can have peace of mind."

Su Xiaoqing nodded, and the two closed the shop and headed towards the Qian residence with the embroidery.

The Qian residence was located deep in the east street, with blue bricks and gray tiles. Two osmanthus trees stood in front of the gate, filling the courtyard with their fragrance last autumn. Su Xiaoyin stepped forward and knocked on the door. The old woman guarding the gate recognized them, smiled, and led them inside, telling them to wait in the flower hall while she went to announce their arrival.

A short while later, Madam Qian came out with her maid. Today she was wearing a light purple spring dress, with a red gold hairpin in her hair, and a smile on her face, clearly in a good mood.

"Madam Chen is here? Please sit down and serve tea." Madam Qian sat down in the main seat, her gaze falling on the bundle in Su Xiaoyin's hand, her eyes lighting up.

Su Xiaoyin placed the bundle on the table, carefully opened it, and unfolded the Five Relationships Chart.

The entire embroidery was laid out on the table, and the flower hall suddenly fell silent.

Madam Qian stood up and approached for a closer look. In the center sat a phoenix, its plumage magnificent, its long tail feathers cascading down, each feather embroidered with silk threads of varying shades, shimmering softly in the light. A crane danced gracefully beside it. Pairs of mandarin ducks swam intimately, nestled close together. A wagtail hopped among the branches, lively and agile. A warbler hid among the flowers, appearing and disappearing. Five kinds of birds, five postures, lifelike, as if they might fly off the embroidery at any moment.

Around the embroidery, four clusters of auspicious cloud patterns surround a blooming lotus flower, interspersed with peony and lingzhi mushrooms, their branches and leaves lush and their blossoms vibrant. The gold thread glitters in the light, making the entire embroidery magnificent.

Mrs. Qian stared for a long time before finally letting out a long sigh.

"Good, very good." She turned her head, her face full of smiles. "This Five Relationships painting is even better than the one I saw in the prefectural city. Although that one was also exquisite, it always felt like it was missing something. Yours has a spiritual quality."

Su Xiaoyin felt relieved and quickly said, "You flatter me, Madam. Could you please see if there's anything that needs to be revised?"

Madam Qian waved her hand: "No need to change it, not at all." She turned to the maid and said, "Go and get fifty taels of silver."

The maid responded and turned to leave.

Madam Qian looked at the embroidery again, becoming more and more satisfied. She took Su Xiaoyin's hand and said, "Madam Chen, I really admire your sisters' skills. If you have any good embroidery designs in the future, please think of me. I don't care about the subject matter; as long as it's well-embroidered, I'll take it."

Su Xiaoyin smiled and nodded, "It's our blessing that Madam likes it. We'll definitely send you our new embroidery pieces first for your inspection."

A maidservant brought in silver and silver notes. Fifty taels, neatly arranged, along with a silver note and several ingots of silver. Madam Qian personally handed them to Su Xiaoyin and also rewarded her with a bolt of fine silk, saying it was for making clothes for them.

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing thanked Madam Qian and took their leave.

Stepping out of the Qian residence, Su Xiaoqing gripped her sister's arm tightly, her voice trembling slightly: "Sister, it's done again. Fifty taels. How much have we earned this year just from embroidery?"

Su Xiaoyin patted her hand with a smile: "Don't calculate it here, do it when we get back. First, put the silver notes away, don't lose them."

Su Xiaoqing carefully tucked the silver note into her bosom, then touched it again to make sure it was still there before letting out a sigh of relief.

The two hurried back to the general store. Qingqing was playing alone in the store. Seeing them return, she quickly asked, "Mom, Aunt, did you sell the embroidery?"

Su Xiaoqing laughed and picked her up: "It's sold! It sold for fifty taels! I'll buy you some good food tonight!"

Qingqing was overjoyed and clapped her hands, saying, "I want to eat candied hawthorns!"

Su Xiaoyin patted her head: "Okay, I'll buy it for you tonight."

Su Xiaoqing opened the shop door, and the two continued selling their goods. There weren't many people in the afternoon, just a few scattered customers buying tofu and braised dishes, but the flow of customers was steady.

While organizing the goods, Su Xiaoqing said, "Sister, what should we embroider next? We haven't decided yet. How about we draw a pattern first, and then go buy embroidery thread and fabric?"