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

Mr. Chen nodded and turned to walk back. Chen Xiaohe followed behind, feeling a mix of emotions. They had finally found out the truth, but he also felt a tightness in his chest. After taking a few steps, Mr. Chen suddenly stopped, glanced back at Ye Ge still kneeling on the ground, sighed, and shook his head.

"Let's go," he said to Chen Xiaohe.

Looking at his father's faltering figure and the gray hair at his temples, Chen Xiaohe's nose tingled and his eyes reddened. He quickened his pace, caught up with his father, and reached out to support his arm.

"Dad, it's all over now. My brother will get better. From now on, our family will be safe and sound, that's more important than anything else."

Mr. Chen didn't say anything, he just patted his son's hand and continued walking.

Sunlight shone on the dirt road at the village entrance, casting long shadows of the father and son. Most of the leaves on the old locust tree had fallen, its bare branches stretching towards the gray sky. A few sparrows hopped about on the branches, chirping as if discussing something.

In the distance, the Chen family's courtyard could already be seen. Smoke rose from the kitchen chimney, drifting in the morning breeze. Su Xiaoqing must already be cooking.

Chen Xiaohe helped his father walk home step by step.

----

"Old man, is this matter settled now?" Mrs. Chen sat on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed), needle and thread clutched in her hand, but didn't move for a long time. She had lost a lot of weight these past few days; her eyes were sunken, and her complexion wasn't good, but her spirits were still high. After all, she was used to hard work and could hold on. The sunlight outside the window was bright, shining on the old locust tree in the yard, scattering golden light across the ground. "Our Dashan is really unlucky to have encountered something like this."

Chen Xiaohe squatted on the doorstep, holding a blade of grass in his hand, idly weaving something. He looked up and said indignantly, "That's right! But thankfully, my brother wasn't seriously injured, otherwise we would definitely have sent them to the authorities and made them face legal trouble!"

Chen's father sat in his armchair, smoking a pipe. His face was obscured by the swirling smoke. After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice soft but each word heavy: "Brother De and the old village head are also suppressing this matter. Do you think they don't want to report it to the authorities? There's a reason behind this."

Chen's mother put down her needlework and looked at Chen's father: "What's the significance of this?"

Father Chen tapped his pipe, knocked the ash onto the ground, refilled it, lit it, took a puff, and then slowly said, "If this is reported to the authorities, it will be a case of mismanagement. He is responsible for this happening in the village under his leadership. If word gets out, not only will he lose face, but how can he continue to be the village head? I know that not only does he want to keep the position, but there are others in the village eyeing it too."

Chen Xiaohe was stunned for a moment, and the grass stalk in his hand fell to the ground. He hadn't thought of that; he was too busy being angry.

Mr. Chen continued, "Besides, they have a child who needs to be found a spouse in two years. If word gets around to the surrounding villages, who would dare to marry their daughter here? Who would dare to marry a girl from our village? It won't just affect their family, it will affect the whole village."

Chen Xiaohe was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Dad, I understand. As long as we live in this village, we have to accept this. We can't let our family ruin the reputation of the whole village."

Mr. Chen nodded, giving his youngest son a relieved look: "It's good that you've come to your senses. Be careful in the future, and don't tell outsiders everything. There are plenty of envious people who will be jealous of our family's good life. It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark."

Chen Xiaohe nodded: "Dad, I understand."

Father Chen put down his pipe and looked earnestly at his youngest son: "Next year, you and Dashan must continue to build on the reputation of the Chen family carpenters. Make the business in the county town very successful. Your older brother is skilled, and you're quick-witted. If you two work together, you won't have to worry about finding work. I'll take good care of the fields and grow the crops well. As long as our family is established, no other family in the village will dare to say anything against us. Otherwise, anyone can come and kick us while we're down."

Chen Xiaohe clenched his fists and nodded vigorously: "Dad, don't worry. My older brother and I will definitely work hard and not let others look down on our family."

Father Chen stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the old locust tree in the yard. Most of the leaves had fallen, the bare branches stretching towards the gray sky, but the roots were deep, and it would sprout again next spring. He stood there for a moment, then turned to Chen Xiaohe: "How about this, tomorrow we'll go to the county town to see the children and your older brother, and you stay home to take care of the livestock." Before Father Chen could finish speaking, Chen Xiaohe asked, "Also, Dad, when are we going to slaughter our pig this year? Should we take it to the shop to sell again? We need to set aside some pork for Manager Liu too."

After thinking for a moment, Mr. Chen said, "Alright, your mother and I will go to the county town tomorrow to see the four children and check on your eldest brother's health. We'll have to ask Doctor Li if he can recover by the New Year. Then we'll discuss the pig slaughtering and next year's arrangements. This incident happened this year, so we need to have a plan for next year; we can't be as careless as before."

Listening from the side, Chen's mother felt relieved and said, "Then I'll go pack up and pack the things for the children. Xiaoyin said last time that Shitou wanted a small wooden horse and asked Dashan to make one for him, but Dashan hasn't had time yet. You should ask Dashan to make one as soon as possible; the children are looking forward to it."

Chen Xiaohe laughed: "Mom, my older brother is like this now, how can he do carpentry? I'll make one for him later. Although my skills are not as good as his, I can still fool some kids."

Chen's mother laughed too: "With your skills, you're only good at weaving bamboo baskets."

Chen Xiaohe retorted, "Mom, don't underestimate me. I've made great progress lately."

Watching his wife and youngest son bicker, Mr. Chen finally managed a slight smile. The house had been gloomy for days; at least some sunshine had arrived.

Chen's mother got up to pack her things, while Chen Xiaohe went to the backyard to feed the livestock. Chen's father stood alone in the main room, looking at the sickle hanging on the wall. It was the one Dashan had become accustomed to using; the handle was worn smooth and shiny. He reached out and touched it, thinking to himself, "When Dashan recovers, we'll still need him to do the work."

After packing her things, Chen's mother came in, looked at him, and said softly, "Old man, don't think too much. Dashan is alright, and this matter is over. Our family is safe and sound, and that's more important than anything else."

Mr. Chen nodded, took his wife's hand, and their rough palms pressed together, both of them having worked hard for most of their lives.

"Let's go eat." Chen's mother took his hand and walked out.