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

Is Xiaohe home?

Dege pushed open the courtyard gate, his voice tinged with urgency. Chen Xiaohe was weaving bamboo baskets in the yard. Hearing the shout, he quickly stood up, put down the bamboo strips in his hands, and patted the bamboo shavings off his clothes.

"Brother De is here? Come in and sit down." Chen Xiaohe ushered him into the main room, then called out to the kitchen, "Sister-in-law, pour me a bowl of water."

Su Xiaoyin brought out a bowl of warm jujube tea from the kitchen and placed it on the table. Brother De thanked her, picked it up, took a sip, and let out a long sigh.

Chen Xiaohe sat down opposite him and asked, "Brother De, what's wrong? You came over so early in the morning, and you don't look too good."

Dege put down his bowl, sighed, and said, "I came to discuss with you when we should set off to deliver the New Year's gifts. This matter has been delayed until now. If we don't go now, things will get busier in December, and we won't have any time then."

Chen Xiaohe frowned slightly and asked hesitantly, "Is it safe to go now? I heard that wanted criminal has fled far away, but what if..."

Brother De sighed, rubbed his face, and said, "I'm worried too. But we can't not go. The master has taught us so many real skills, and he only gives us this one gift a year. What will people think if we don't go this year? Besides, we'll still be counting on him to guide us next year."

Chen Xiaohe thought for a moment and nodded, "That's true. Let's set off as soon as possible. The sooner we go, the sooner we'll return, and we won't linger outside. We'll go with the caravan; it's safer with more people."

De Ge said, "That's what I'm planning too. We'll get everything ready in the next couple of days, then we'll set off. We'll drop off the New Year's gifts, say a few words, and come right back. No stopping."

Chen Xiaohe agreed, saw Brother De off, and then turned to find his mother.

Chen's mother was tidying up the dishes in the kitchen when she heard about this. She put down what she was doing and said, "Alright, I'll prepare things for you right away. Make sure you have enough food and clothes for the journey. Your sister-in-law and Xiaoqing still have a lot of dry food they made, take it with you."

Hearing this from the side, Su Xiaoyin said, "Mom, I'll make some more dried meat so we can chew on it when we get hungry on the road. And some flatbread too, make a lot so it keeps well."

Chen's mother nodded and then instructed Chen Xiaohe, "Be careful on the road, stay with Brother De and don't wander off. When you get to the old master's house, be polite and courteous."

Chen Xiaohe agreed to all of them.

For the next two days, the Chen family was busy. Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing worked through the night to make dry rations, baked several batches of flatbread, and made two jin of dried meat, which they wrapped in oil paper. Chen's mother packed two large bags with the best persimmons, candied fruits, cured meat, and dried mushrooms in the house, and also added two bolts of fine cotton cloth, saying they were for the women in the master craftsman's family.

Before dawn on the third day, Chen Xiaohe and Brother De set off. The caravan's wagons were waiting at the village entrance. Several people loaded the goods onto the wagons, and Chen's father stood by the wagons, repeatedly instructing them: "Be careful on the road, and come back as soon as possible. Don't linger when you arrive; deliver the gifts and come back."

Chen Xiaohe nodded: "Dad, don't worry. I'll be fine with Brother De."

Standing at the courtyard gate, Chen's mother watched the oxcart drive away, her eyes slightly red. Su Xiaoyin walked over, took her arm, and said softly, "Mother, let's go back inside. It's cold outside."

Chen's mother wiped her eyes and followed Su Xiaoyin into the house. She sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), holding a needle and thread in her hand, but didn't move for a long time.

"Xiaoyin, my heart has been pounding the whole time; I just don't feel at ease." Chen's mother put down her needlework and sighed. "Do you think something bad will happen?"

Su Xiaoyin sat down beside her and comforted her, "Mom, it's alright. Xiaohe and Dege are keeping you company, and they're traveling with the caravan, so it's safer with more people. Don't scare yourself. Why don't you go and rest for a while, and I'll go cook."

Chen's mother shook her head and stood up: "How can I rest? I'll go pack my things; I have to go back to the county town tomorrow. The children will be on holiday soon, and the school can't be delayed. I'll pack plenty of warm clothes; it's getting cold."

Su Xiaoyin nodded, didn't try to persuade her any further, and turned to go to the kitchen.

That evening, Mr. Chen returned from the fields. The family sat around the table for dinner. After taking a sip of porridge, Mr. Chen instructed, "Tomorrow morning I'll take your mother to the county town and set up my stall at the shop while I'm at it. Dashan, you don't need to go. Just stay home and dismantle all the traps around the livestock shed. The wanted criminal has escaped, so they're no longer needed. But keep the thorn bushes for thieves."

Chen Dashan nodded: "Okay, Dad. I'll go up the mountain to chop some more firewood when I'm done. Although we seem to have enough firewood, you can never have too much. It won't hurt to have more."

Chen's father instructed, "Then don't go into the mountains, just cut down trees on the outskirts. Although I've heard the people have escaped, it's still better to be careful."

Chen Dashan agreed.

Early the next morning, Mr. Chen drove his mule cart, carrying Mrs. Chen and their children, towards the county town. The children, clinging to the cart, waved to Chen Dashan, "Uncle, we're leaving! Come pick us up soon!"

Chen Dashan stood at the gate of the courtyard, waving with a smile, until the mule cart turned past the old locust tree at the village entrance and disappeared from sight, before turning back.

The house quieted down. Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing were doing embroidery in the east wing. They had less than a third of the "Five Blessings Surrounding Longevity" embroidery pattern left, so they had to hurry.

"Sister, let's work harder during this time and try to finish the embroidery before the New Year," Su Xiaoqing said while her needle flew across the paper.

Su Xiaoyin nodded: "Yes, I'm counting down the days. Now that there's less to do, I can focus on embroidery. You need to be careful with the thread selection; use two shades for the bat wings to create depth."

The two sisters bent down and began to embroider, the only sound in the room being the soft rustling of the silk threads passing through the fabric.

----

Chen Dashan spent the whole morning at home, dismantling all the traps around the livestock shed. He filled in the pits, put away the bamboo splinters, but the thorns remained untouched. He also checked the yard wall again, reinforcing several loose stones.

After finishing all that, he slung his basket over his shoulder, picked up his machete, and headed up the mountain.

Chen Dashan walked along the mountain path, his pace neither hurried nor slow. The late autumn forest was a riot of colors, with a thick layer of fallen leaves that rustled underfoot. Sunlight filtered through the sparse canopy, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

He first went to several places he frequented to see if there were any newly dug traps that could catch wild game. The traps he had set a few days ago had only caught one rabbit, not very big, but at least it was meat. He put the rabbit in his basket and then set the traps again.

"If only I could catch another pheasant," he muttered to himself as he continued walking into the mountains.

After walking for a while, he found a grove of trees with plenty of firewood and began to chop. With each swing of the axe, dry branches snapped and crackled, and soon he had chopped a large bundle. He bundled the firewood, placed it aside, and prepared to carry it down the mountain when he left.

Just as he was about to finish his work, he caught a glimpse of something moving in the bushes beside him out of the corner of his eye. He stopped, listened carefully, and looked more closely. There were rustling sounds coming from deep within the bushes, as if there was something alive inside.