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

The children couldn't wait any longer. Shi Tou was the first to climb onto the oxcart, sit on the straw, and wave to his younger siblings: "Come on up! Grandma said we're going to the county town for the New Year! I want to see the lantern festival!" Aji and Afu scrambled up, and Qingqing followed behind, sitting down steadily and straightening her skirt. Chen's mother gathered the children together and covered them with an old cotton quilt.

"Hold on tight, we're off." Father Chen cracked his whip, and the old ox started moving, the oxcart creaking and groaning as it left the courtyard.

There were no pedestrians on the road, and the fields were bare, with only a few sparrows hopping around on the ridges occasionally. The wind was cold, but the sun was warm, its rays comforting against my back. Several children, wrapped in quilts, chattered away. Shi Tou was telling A Fu about the lanterns at the county lantern festival—although he hadn't seen them many times himself, he described them vividly, leaving A Fu completely bewildered.

Upon arriving in the county town, the festive atmosphere of the New Year was already strong. Red couplets were pasted on the doors of every household, and red lanterns hung above the lintels. Children were setting off firecrackers in the alleys, the crackling sounds coming one after another. Chen's father drove the oxcart into the alley where his house was located. As soon as he pushed open the gate, he saw a thin layer of fallen leaves piled up in the yard, and the chimney of the kitchen was cold and icy.

Hearing the commotion, Chen Dashan returned from the grocery store, still wearing an apron and with flour on his hands. He helped unload the cart, carrying the grains, vegetables, and pickled vegetable jars one by one into the kitchen, and then helped the children off the cart.

"Father, Mother, why did you come here? You didn't even tell me beforehand so I could have picked you up." Chen Dashan patted the flour off his clothes and took the bundle from his mother's hands.

Father Chen tied up the ox, added some hay, went into the kitchen, washed his hands, and sat down in the main room. "It's almost New Year's, so your mother and I have discussed it and decided to spend the New Year in the county town this year. It'll save us the trouble of traveling back and forth, and besides, your mother gets annoyed by all the gossip in the village. We've found someone to feed the livestock from New Year's Eve to the fifth day of the New Year, and we've also found people to do the spring planting. We'll talk about spring planting in the spring."

Chen Dashan paused for a moment, then nodded: "It's good to spend the New Year in the county town. Then we won't bring the New Year's goods from home to the village; we'll leave them all in the county town. By the way, we don't have enough firewood in the house. We'll need to burn a lot over the New Year, so we'll have to bring another truckload. I also need to go to the mountain to chop some firewood for a few days, so we don't run out of firewood."

Mr. Chen said, "Buy some more charcoal and bring it over. It'll be easier to burn and it'll keep us warm."

Chen Dashan agreed: "Okay, Dad, I'll go to the market to buy some tomorrow. Charcoal burns longer and is better than firewood at night because it doesn't produce smoke."

Su Xiaoyin returned from the grocery store carrying a basket containing a few pieces of tofu and a bunch of celery. Hearing that her in-laws were going to spend the New Year in the county town, her eyes crinkled with joy: "That's wonderful! I was just wondering whether to bring the New Year's goods to the village or buy them in the county town. This saves us trouble. Dashan's injury has just healed, and the journey was too tiring." She added, "Dad, Mom, I'll go to the market first to buy two sets of pig offal to braise before the New Year. When guests come, we can just slice a plate and serve it. I'll also pick out a piece of pork belly; braised pork is a must. You've been traveling for half a day, so rest first. I'll cook dinner."

Chen's mother waved her hand: "I'm not tired. I'll help you start the fire."

The family busied themselves. Chen Dashan went to the backyard to chop firewood, while Chen's father checked the doors and windows. Su Xiaoyin went out with a basket, and Su Xiaoqing returned to take over watching the shop. Shitou led his younger siblings to play in the yard, picking up fallen leaves from the ground, piling them up, then scattering them with a rustling sound, laughing heartily.

Winter nights fall early, and the kitchen light came on. Su Xiaoyin, wearing an apron, busied herself at the stove, simmering bone broth, its aroma filling the entire yard. Chen's mother sat by the stove, adding firewood, the firelight making her face glow red.

"Mom, if you say there are no winter bamboo shoots, then there's no need. I've already arranged the dishes for the New Year's Eve dinner: eight dishes and a soup, with fish and meat. We won't miss one dish," Su Xiaoyin said while chopping vegetables.

Chen's mother smiled and said, "Alright, you decide. We love your cooking."

Mr. Chen came out of the main room, stood at the door of the kitchen, watched the busy figures of his mother and daughter-in-law, smiled slightly, and then turned around to go to the backyard to find Chen Dashan.

That evening, the family sat around the table. Bone broth, braised pork, scrambled eggs, cucumber salad, and a dish of braised pork were served. Although simple, the food was hot and comforting, warming everyone's hearts.

----

On the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, the county town market was packed with people. Vendors selling New Year pictures, firecrackers, and candied hawthorns called out their wares. Chen Dashan was so busy in his general store that he barely had time to breathe. The braised meat sold out as soon as it was put on the shelves, the pastries were also selling quickly, and the tofu was gone before noon. While serving customers, he was mentally calculating how much more stock he needed to prepare for the next day.

"Dashan, selling your goods?"

Chen Dashan looked up and saw Brother De standing at the door, wearing a gray-blue cotton-padded coat and a felt hat with the brim pulled low, his face red from the cold. He quickly came out from behind the counter and invited Brother De inside: "Brother De is here! Come in and sit down, it's cold outside." He turned around, poured a bowl of hot tea, and handed it to him with both hands.

Brother De took the bowl, took a sip, sat down on the stool next to the counter, and exhaled a puff of white breath: "Has the shop been busy these past few days?"

While tidying up the goods, Chen Dashan replied, "It's alright. Everyone's busy preparing for the New Year, there are quite a few more people than before. Braised pork and pastries are selling the best these days, and we can't keep up with the tofu sales." He paused, then refilled De Ge's bowl with hot water. "De Ge, what brings you here? Is there something you need?"

De Ge held the bowl, tapping his fingers lightly on the rim a few times, as if considering how to begin. "I heard you're spending the New Year in the county town?"

Chen Dashan nodded, his tone relaxed: "Yes, we plan to spend the New Year in the county town this year. We've hired someone to take care of the livestock, so we're not worried. There are temple fairs and lantern festivals in the county town during the New Year, so the children can enjoy the festivities. After the New Year, they'll have to go back to school, so living in the county town is convenient and saves us the trouble of traveling back and forth."

De Ge was silent for a while, as if he was pondering something deeply. He put down his teacup, rubbed his hands together, and asked, "So... you're not planning to live in the village anymore? You're moving to the county town permanently?"

Chen Dashan paused for a moment, then smiled, shook his head, and said firmly, "How can we completely move to the county town? We can't abandon the land, the fruit trees on the mountain, or the livestock. But we'll definitely have to shuttle between the county town and the village from now on. The children will go to school in the county town, and the shop will be here. Our center of life will gradually shift to the county town, but our roots will still be in the village. My parents aren't used to living in the county town." He gathered the scraps of cloth from the counter into a basket, then turned to look at De Ge, "De Ge, why are you suddenly asking this?"

De sighed, pushing his hat brim up to reveal bloodshot eyes. He leaned back in his chair, gazing at the bottles and jars on the shelf behind the counter, as if looking into the distance. "I bought a shop in the county town too. I finished renovating it last year and have been renting it out ever since. I was thinking that after my eldest son gets married, I'll hand it over to him to run. If my son has a business and can establish himself, I can relax."