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

The group packed up their tools, carried their last load of fruit, and chatted and laughed as they descended the mountain.

In the courtyard, Chen's father had already prepared the wages. Twenty coins per person per day, one hundred coins for five days. He distributed the money to several people, then took out a few large peaches from the basket and gave a few to each person.

"Take it back for the children to try," Mr. Chen said with a smile.

Brother Li declined for a moment, but then accepted it with a broad smile: "Brother Chen, you're too kind. We've been working at your place and have had such good food, and you've even brought us things. We can't possibly accept this!"

Mr. Chen waved his hand: "These are all our own things, they didn't cost any money. Take them back and let the children have a taste."

The group left, expressing their deepest gratitude.

When he got home, Old Li put the peaches on the table. His wife saw them and asked in surprise, "Where did these come from?"

Brother Li smiled and said, "The Chen family gave it to us. We picked fruit today, saying we'd bring it back for the children to try."

His wife picked up a peach, wiped it, took a bite, and nodded repeatedly: "It's so sweet! The Chen family is such a kind family. You work for them, and they always have meat with every meal, and they even bring you fruit. If they ever need anything, please keep an eye on them."

Brother Li nodded: "Of course. The Chen family has treated us well, we must remember that."

The same thing happened on Liu Laoda's side. His wife tasted the peaches and said happily, "These peaches are really good. The Chen family is doing well and they're generous. You should work hard at their place and not be lazy. You can earn money right here in the village without having to go far. Isn't that great?"

Boss Liu chuckled, "Of course. The Chen family pays well and the food is good in their territory, who would want to slack off?"

That evening, the Chen family sat down for dinner. Father Chen took a sip of soup and slowly said, "We picked quite a few fruits today. If we pick one more day tomorrow, we should be able to finish. Dashan, take the good ones to the shop to sell tomorrow. Xiaoyin, you can make candied fruit from the less desirable ones."

Chen Dashan nodded: "Okay, Dad. I'll go to the county town first thing tomorrow morning."

Su Xiaoyin also said, "Dad, I'll start making dried fruit tomorrow. I'll make more this year; last year's amount wasn't enough to sell."

Chen Xiaohe munched on a peach and said with a grin, "Sister-in-law, your dried fruit is so good. I didn't get enough last year. Save some for yourself this year."

Su Xiaoyin laughed: "Okay, leave some extra so you can eat your fill."

Watching her family from the sidelines, Chen's mother felt a warm glow in her heart. The autumn harvest was over, the fruit had been picked, the cellar was overflowing with grain and fruit, business was good at the shop, and the embroidery was selling well. Although life was busy, it was a busy life with hope.

----

"Dad, the grain is all stored in the granary. Let's hurry up and chop firewood tomorrow. We'll leave the work on the mountain to Xiaohe; he can keep an eye on the fruit trees."

After dinner, the family sat in the courtyard to enjoy the cool air, as usual. The autumn harvest was completely over, and the last bag of grain had been put into the cellar. Chen Dashan leaned back in his chair, stretched his limbs for once, and said to his father.

Father Chen, puffing on his pipe, nodded: "Alright, let's hurry up and chop firewood. We need to prepare more this year. Your mother lives in the county town with the children, so we need to send firewood there too. Also, if there are any wild game on the mountain, pick some up while you're at it, to keep as snacks for the winter."

Chen Xiaohe chimed in from the side, "Dad, the fruit on the mountain will all be harvested in a couple of days. After I finish taking care of the fruit trees for the winter, I'll chop firewood with you. We need to chop more this year, not only for my mother's but also for the general store. It's cold in the county town in winter, and we can't run out of firewood."

Father Chen gave his youngest son a satisfied look: "Good, it's good that you have a plan. By the way, Dashan, you said you'd take some time to repair the livestock shed so it'll be ready for winter. The weather's been good these past few days, so get it done quickly."

Chen Dashan nodded: "Dad, I remember. Tomorrow, after we finish chopping firewood, Xiaohe and I will check the shed, reinforcing what needs to be reinforced and sealing any gaps. We have a lot of livestock this year, so we can't let them get cold."

Chen's mother, who was sewing shoe soles nearby, looked up and said, "And there are the children's winter clothes. They're going to school this year, so they need to be dressed neatly, not like in previous years. Xiaoyin, how are the preparations going?"

Su Xiaoyin was carrying a plate out of the kitchen when she heard this and said with a smile, "Mother, don't worry. Xiaoqing and I have been preparing for the past two days. Shitou's cotton-padded jacket is finished, and Aji's and Afu's are almost done. I made two extra sets of clothes for Qingqing; girls need to change clothes frequently. Li An's is also made; his father is alone and can't take care of these things."

Mother Chen nodded with satisfaction: "You two sisters are very thoughtful. An'an is a sensible child; we can't mistreat her."

Su Xiaoyin placed the plate on the stone table in the courtyard and said with a smile, "Dad, Mom, try this roast duck. The oven was built by the mountains and the river, and I made the seasonings. The duck was cut in half, for two different flavors, and I've sliced ​​both and put them on two plates."

Mr. Chen put down his pipe, picked up his chopsticks, took a slice of the non-spicy duck from the plate, and slowly chewed it. The duck skin was roasted to a golden brown and crispy, the duck meat was tender and juicy, and the sauce was perfectly balanced between salty and sweet. Although it couldn't compare to the refined taste of the old restaurants in the county town, it was already quite good. He nodded, then picked up a spicy slice, chewed it a couple of times, and frowned slightly.

"I think this non-spicy one is better. The spicy one is a bit too strong and masks the natural flavor of the duck meat," Mr. Chen said, pointing to the non-spicy dish.

Chen Dashan picked up a spicy slice, tasted it carefully, and said, "Dad, I think this spicy one is pretty good. It's both numbing and spicy, very satisfying. Young people might like this more."

Chen Xiaohe tried both and chuckled, "I think they're both pretty good. Sister-in-law, your cooking skills are excellent. If you took them to a shop, I'm sure someone would buy them."

Su Xiaoyin smiled and shook her head: "It's still a long way off. Uncle Li Hu has seen the world. Let him try it when he comes, and we'll hear his opinion."

Just then, the courtyard gate rang. Li Hu walked in carrying a small basket, a smile on his face. He was much better than a few days ago; although he still walked slowly, he no longer trembled, and his face had regained some color.

"Brother Chen, sister-in-law, you're both here." Li Hu placed the basket on the stone table. "This year's jujube harvest is bountiful; they're big and taste great. I brought you some to try."

Mr. Chen quickly stood up, took the basket, looked at the bright red dates inside, and said with a smile, "Brother Li, you're too kind. Please sit down. It's perfect timing. My daughter Xiaoyin made roast duck today. Please try it and give me your feedback."

Chen's mother moved a stool over for Li Hu to sit down. Su Xiaoyin handed him a pair of chopsticks, which Li Hu accepted without hesitation. He first picked up a non-spicy piece, chewed it slowly, nodded, then picked up a spicy piece and tasted it.

"Madam Chen, your roast duck is pretty good." Li Hu put down his chopsticks and said seriously, "Compared to the old shops in the county, the taste is still a little lacking. But this non-spicy version is already very close. If you keep working on it, you might be able to catch up."