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

Chen Xiaohe thought for a moment and said, "He said he would be back in about two months. But it's been almost two months now, and we haven't heard anything. We're worried about him too. We were just saying yesterday that Li An keeps asking when his dad is coming back, but we still haven't heard anything."

De Ge frowned, somewhat worried, and said, "How about we go to the county town tomorrow and ask? The caravan that Uncle Li Hu was with is from the county town; maybe they have some news there. Let's hope nothing else goes wrong."

Chen Xiaohe nodded: "Okay, let's go ask. I'll go with you first thing tomorrow morning."

Brother De then asked, "Is Dashan still doing carpentry work in the county town?"

Chen Xiaohe said, "My brother finished his work there, but the client asked him to make some changes, so he went over there again. He should be back tonight. Wu, the registrar, has high standards, and my brother is meticulous, so people have come to trust him."

Brother De smiled and said, "Da Shan's craftsmanship is excellent; he's famous around here. By the way, how are your three children doing at school in the county town? Are they learning well?"

Chen Xiaohe smiled and said, "It's alright, I'm quite diligent. The teacher said he can sit still and memorize quickly. It's just that his handwriting isn't good, it's crooked and messy, the teacher told him to practice more."

De Ge said, "It's the same for everyone. My Tie Dan is the same; his handwriting looks like a dog's scribbles. But the teacher said that everyone is like this at first, and he'll get better with practice. If the kids can recognize a few characters, they'll be better off than us in the future."

The two talked for a while longer before Brother De took his leave.

That evening, Chen Dashan, Su Xiaoyin, and Su Xiaoqing returned from the county town. Chen's mother and the children stayed in their house in the county town and didn't come back. Shi Tou and the others had to go to school every day, and the round trip was too tiring, so Chen's mother had them stay there and would come back when school was on holiday.

Chen Xiaohe recounted what happened when Brother De came today.

After listening, Chen's father took a puff of his pipe and slowly said, "It's indeed worrying that Li Hu has been gone for so long without any news. De-ge is right, you two brothers should go to the county town tomorrow and ask around. That caravan travels between the county town and other places all year round, so someone should know the situation."

Chen Dashan nodded: "Okay, Dad, I'll go with Xiaohe first thing tomorrow morning. We'll go to the caravan first to inquire, and if there's no news, we'll go to the yamen to ask Steward Liu. He knows a lot of people, maybe he knows something."

Mr. Chen added, "We'll fertilize the fields the day after tomorrow. There's been little rain this year, but the crops are growing well. We need to hurry up and apply the fertilizer so we don't delay."

Su Xiaoyin said from the side, "Dad, our four pigs eat too much. Just cutting pig feed won't be enough. We can't cut enough pig feed every day. The pigs seem to be hungry, and they keep nudging people whenever they see them."

After thinking for a moment, Mr. Chen said, "We do need to add something else. Luckily, we planted a lot of sweet potatoes on the mountain. Once the vines grow, we can harvest them to feed the pigs. Also, Dashan, when you come back from the county town tomorrow, go to the oil mill and buy some soybean cakes. It's time to add soybean cakes."

Chen Dashan asked, "Dad, how many should we buy?"

Father Chen said, "Let's buy two hundred catties first. The soybean cake will mainly feed the old sow; she'll be pregnant with piglets soon, so she needs to be nourished and her body strengthened. As for the other three boars, just add a little more; don't feed them too much, these pigs eat too much. Soybean cake is precious, so we can't overfeed them."

Su Xiaoyin nodded: "Okay, Dad. We'll go buy it tomorrow."

Su Xiaoqing chimed in from the side, "Sister, we need to hurry up and prepare for the Dragon Boat Festival. It'll be over a month soon, and both stalls and general stores need to stock up. Sachets, five-colored ropes, and tiger-head shoes—these sell well every year, so we need to make them in advance."

Su Xiaoyin thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll start drawing the embroidery patterns in the next few days and finalize the designs for the sachets first. The lotus pattern sold well last year, so we'll make another batch this year. If we add a few new designs, people will get tired of seeing the same ones every year."

Chen Dashan said, "Xiaohe and I will also make the most of this time to prepare. We can sell small bamboo baskets and wooden ornaments for the Dragon Boat Festival. We can also make a few more gift boxes, Xiaohe, so that people can use them as gifts. We also need to restock the needles and thread in the general store."

Chen Xiaohe nodded: "Okay, big brother, I'll start making it up tomorrow."

As night deepened, the family members went back to their rooms to rest.

Chen Dashan lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), thinking about tomorrow. He needed to inquire about Li Hu from the caravan, buy soybean cakes from the oil mill, and then fertilize the fields. Everything had to be arranged properly.

Su Xiaoyin lay down beside him and whispered, "Dashan, do you think Uncle Li Hu will be alright?"

Chen Dashan thought for a moment and said, "Probably not. He's traveled all over the country for so many years, he's experienced. Maybe something came up and he'll be back in a few days."

Su Xiaoyin hummed in agreement and then said, "Brother De can't handle it all by himself, so let's help him if we can. We're all from the same village, everyone has their difficulties."

Chen Dashan grasped her hand: "You're right. Tomorrow when we go to the county town, we'll ask Manager Liu if there are any suitable day laborers. If Brother De's family is too busy, we'll help him find a few."

Su Xiaoyin laughed: "You've thought of everything."

Chen Dashan smiled and closed his eyes.

----

The next morning, before dawn, Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe drove the oxcart out of the village. Dege was already waiting at the village entrance, carrying a basket containing a few boiled eggs and two flatbreads, which he said were for the journey.

"Brother De, you're up really early," Chen Xiaohe said, yawning.

Brother De put the basket on the cart, jumped onto the shaft, and smiled: "I can't sleep. I'm worried about Uncle Li Hu's matter, tossing and turning. The sooner I go, the sooner I can find out the details, and I'll feel at ease."

Chen Dashan drove the cart, and the three of them headed towards the county town. The morning breeze was cool and felt pleasant on their faces. The wheat on both sides of the road had grown tall and green, stretching as far as the eye could see. Several early-rising sparrows hopped and chirped on the ridges of the fields.

Upon arriving in the county town, Chen Dashan parked the oxcart in front of the general store and said to Chen Xiaohe and Dege, "You two go and inquire about the news from the caravan. I'll stay here and sell goods. We'll talk when we get back."

Chen Xiaohe nodded and walked with Brother De toward the caravan.

The caravan's encampment was located at the west end of the county town, a large courtyard with several large carts parked at the entrance and a considerable amount of goods piled up inside. Chen Xiaohe and Brother De entered, and a worker greeted them, asking, "Who are you looking for?"

Brother De said, "We're looking for your manager to inquire about someone."

The waiter led them into the main room, poured them two bowls of water, and told them to wait. After a short while, a burly man in his fifties walked in, his face weathered, clearly someone who was always on the go.

"I'm the manager here, my surname is Zhao. What can I do for you two?" Manager Zhao sat down in a chair and glanced at the two men.