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

Su Xiaoyin quickly asked, "Uncle Li Hu, what's wrong with it? Could you please give me some pointers?"

Li Hu thought for a moment and said, "The duck itself is fine, and the roasting is perfect. It's just the sauce; it feels like something's missing. The old shop's sauce has an indescribable aroma, probably from some special spices. You could try adding some licorice or dried tangerine peel; maybe that will enhance the flavor."

Su Xiaoyin took notes carefully and felt confident.

Chen's father then inquired about Li Hu's family's harvest this year. Li Hu took a sip of tea and slowly replied, "It's much better than last year. The people we hired from outside worked very hard, which saved me a lot of trouble. I told them I'd use them again for next spring's planting. That way, I can save a lot of energy and also take care of Li An."

Chen's mother asked, "How is An'an doing at school?"

Li Hu smiled and said, "He's doing well. The teacher said he memorizes quickly and writes well. This child is better than his father." As he spoke, his eyes welled up with tears, but he held them back.

Chen's father patted his shoulder: "If your child is promising, you have hope. Nurture him well, and if he passes the imperial examinations, you can enjoy a few years of good fortune."

Li Hu nodded, then spoke of the barren mountain: "This year's harvest is more abundant than last year's, and the jujubes are plentiful. Although they're not very big, they taste good, and they can be sold after drying. Next year, I'll take better care of them and try to increase the yield even more."

Chen Xiaohe said from the side, "Uncle Li Hu, your jujube tree variety might not be good. Next year I'll prune some branches for you and graft them; maybe it will grow bigger."

Li Hu's eyes lit up: "That's great! Xiao He, you can teach me then."

Chen Xiaohe nodded with a smile.

After chatting for a while longer, Li Hu took his leave. Chen's father asked Chen Dashan to see him off, but Li Hu waved his hand and slowly walked away, leaning on his cane.

It was late at night, and the children were all asleep. Chen Dashan sat on the porch, mentally going over tomorrow's tasks. Chopping firewood, repairing the livestock shed, delivering firewood to the county town, and refining the sauce for the roast duck... everything needed to be arranged.

Su Xiaoyin came out, sat down next to him, and leaned on his shoulder.

"Dashan, do you think it'll be okay to sell our roast duck at a grocery store?" she asked softly.

Chen Dashan thought for a moment and said, "Take your time, there's no rush. Our products always get better with practice. Watermelons, braised meats, and preserved fruits—weren't they all developed little by little through trial and error? The same goes for roast duck."

Su Xiaoyin nodded, feeling a little more at ease.

----

"Xiao Qing, I made a few roast ducks. Take them to the general store and see how they sell."

Early in the morning, Su Xiaoyin wrapped the freshly roasted duck in parchment paper and put it in a basket. The duck skin was roasted to a golden brown and crispy, glistening with oil, and the aroma filled the air. She had adjusted the sauce recipe last night, adding a little dried tangerine peel and licorice, making the flavor richer than before.

Su Xiaoqing took the basket and said with a smile, "Sister, don't worry, I'll definitely sell it well for you. By the way, you should stay home and work on the embroidery first. After the autumn harvest, you need to hurry up and finish the embroidery that Manager Liu's relative wants. They're waiting for it, so we can't delay."

Su Xiaoyin nodded: "I know. Go on your way, and drive carefully."

Su Xiaoqing drove the mule cart, taking Qingqing with her to the county town. Qingqing now goes to the shop every day to help with stocking and collecting money, becoming more and more like a little shopkeeper.

The house gradually quieted down. Father Chen and Chen Dashan went to the fields; although the autumn harvest was over, there were still some finishing touches to be done. Chen Xiaohe went up the mountain to give the fruit trees their final pre-winter care. Mother Chen stayed in the county town with the children at school, leaving Su Xiaoyin alone at home.

She fed the livestock first. The chickens, ducks, and geese were all let out to forage for themselves in the yard. The pigs in the pens grunted and rooted around their troughs; she added two buckets of pig feed and a ladle of bran. The old sow's belly was getting bigger and bigger; she would give birth in another month, so she needed extra care.

After finishing these tasks, she washed her hands, returned to the east wing, and sat down in front of the embroidery frame.

The embroidery pattern for "Five Blessings Surrounding Longevity" has been completed. Five bats surround a round "longevity" character in the center. The bats' wings are to be depicted with varying shades of brown silk thread to create depth, while the "longevity" character is to be outlined with gold thread. The edges are to be embroidered with lotus flowers and auspicious clouds. This embroidery pattern is more complex than any I've ever done before; just matching the threads took two whole days.

Su Xiaoyin took a deep breath, picked up the embroidery hoop, and began to sew. The soft rustling of the silk thread through the fabric was exceptionally clear in the quiet room. She embroidered slowly, each stitch carefully made, afraid of making even the slightest mistake. The "Five Blessings Surrounding Longevity" was a congratulatory gift for the officials of the prefectural government. If it wasn't embroidered well, she would not only lose face but also implicate Steward Liu.

Before she knew it, most of the day had passed. Su Xiaoyin looked up and stretched her stiff neck. The sun outside the window was already high in the sky; it was time to make lunch.

She put down her embroidery frame, stood up, and stretched. She went to the kitchen and first washed a basin of the dates Li Hu had brought yesterday. The dates were bright red, not very big, but very plump, and sweet with every bite. She picked out a few of the reddest ones, put them in a pot, added water and a few pieces of rock sugar, and simmered them over a low flame. Soon, the sweet aroma of date soup filled the kitchen.

Lunch was simple. Chen's father and Chen Dashan returned from the fields, washed their hands, and sat down at the table. Su Xiaoyin brought out the food: flatbread, stir-fried vegetables, a dish of pickled vegetables, and a large bowl of red date soup.

"Dad, try this jujube soup. It's made with jujubes from Uncle Li Hu's house, and it tastes great." Su Xiaoyin served Chen's father a bowl.

Mr. Chen took a sip and nodded: "Sweet, and the date flavor is strong. Although the dates from Li Hu's family aren't very big this year, they taste good. Our dates are much bigger than last year's, but we haven't eaten them yet, so we don't know how they taste. Once they're dried, they'll be easier to preserve."

Su Xiaoyin asked, "Dad, how many jujubes did you harvest this year?"

Mr. Chen thought for a moment: "They're 20% more than last year. They're also bigger and look more appealing. Once they're dried, make some jujube cakes and sell them at the general store. Last year, so many people asked about those jujube cakes."

Chen Dashan chimed in from the side, "Xiaoyin, I made some molds for you, some in the shape of small animals and some in the shape of flowers. When you make them with molds, the designs will be even prettier, and the kids will definitely like them."

Su Xiaoyin's eyes lit up: "Really? Dashan, you're done?"

Chen Dashan nodded: "I made it in my spare time at the woodworking shop yesterday. I'll get it for you after dinner."

Su Xiaoyin was delighted and said, "That's great. I'll prepare tonight and start making some tomorrow to see how it goes. Oh, and we can also make mung bean cakes and red bean cakes. This year's bean harvest was plentiful; we have plenty of mung beans and red beans at home."