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

They waited in the shack area for seven or eight days, barely surviving on two meals a day of thin, watery porridge. Besides queuing for porridge, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing spent their days huddled in the narrow, damp corner of the shack, carefully avoiding anyone else.

Their filthy faces had become a habit, even a form of camouflage. The other women in the shed initially tried to strike up a conversation, but seeing that they were always silent and filthy, they gradually lost interest and simply regarded them as a pair of pitiful and strange sisters.

Just when the two sisters almost thought that the official matchmaker had forgotten about them, or that the requirement of "must marry into a family" was completely ignored, a young yamen runner wearing a blue vest and with his hair slicked back arrived at the Bingzi District.

"Where are Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing?" The yamen runner pinched his nose and shouted in a muffled voice, clearly disgusted by the smell of the shack area.

The two sisters' hearts skipped a beat, and they quickly stood up from the corner: "We are here."

The constable glanced at them, his eyes flashing with obvious disdain, and said in a businesslike manner, "Pack your things and come with me. Matchmaker Wang will take you to Nanshan Village for a matchmaking meeting today."

finally come!

Her heart leaped into her throat, then plummeted back down, stirring up a cloud of dust mixed with tension, fear, and a sliver of hope. Wanyin steadied herself and whispered, "Yes, thank you for waiting, sir." In truth, they had little to pack, only that small bundle they cherished as their lifeblood.

Xiaoqing gripped her sister's hand tightly, her fingertips icy cold. They exchanged a glance, both seeing a resolute determination in each other's eyes—no matter what, they had to stick to that condition today.

Outside the shantytown, a worn-out mule cart was parked. Wang Guanmei was already seated inside, still dressed in a dark red dress, her face expressionless, revealing neither joy nor anger. Seeing them approach, she merely nodded slightly: "Get in."

The mule cart creaked and groaned as it drove out of the county town. The road was a rammed dirt track, fairly flat, but the ride was bumpy. The two sisters sat close together at the back of the cart, gazing at the increasingly distant, earthen-yellow city walls and the scenery gradually unfolding before them, a landscape completely different from that of Jiangnan.

The sky was a vast, clear blue, dotted with large, clean white clouds. The fields stretched out, and although it was late autumn, many fields, harvested and bare, revealed yellowish-brown stubble, appearing somewhat desolate. But in the distance, layers of deep green and light yellow foliage adorned the hillsides—the trees and shrubs that had not yet faded, exuding the unique, robust, and resilient vitality of the northern land. The air was dry and crisp, carrying the scent of earth and withered grass; inhaling it sent a slight stinging sensation through my lungs, yet it also cleared my mind.

After walking for about an hour, and rounding a gentle slope, a village came into view.

The village consisted of several dozen households, mostly with courtyards and houses built of rammed earth, their roofs covered with thick thatch or blue tiles. At the village entrance stood a huge old locust tree, its leaves almost all gone. Several elderly people sat basking in the sun, while children played beneath it, curiously watching the unfamiliar mule cart that had entered the village.

The village looked barren, yet it possessed a rare, orderly tranquility amidst the chaos of the times.

The mule cart stopped in front of a courtyard that looked older than the others, but with exceptionally tall and thick walls. The gate was a heavy wooden door, with some paint chipped off to reveal the natural grain of the wood, but it was spotless. There were no chickens or ducks running around like in typical farmhouses; it was very quiet.

"We've arrived. This is the house, the family name is Chen." Wang Guanmei got out of the car first, straightened her clothes, and put on a professional, slightly reserved expression. She nodded to a woman in her fifties who came to greet her. She was wearing clean, patched clothes and her face was filled with worry and expectation. "Aunt Chen, I've brought the person."

Aunt Chen hurried forward, forcing a smile, but her gaze involuntarily drifted to the back of Wang Guanmei. When she saw the two thin, wiry "girls" who got out of the car, their faces so dirty that their features were unrecognizable, her smile froze for a moment, and a fleeting, barely concealed disappointment flashed in her eyes, only to be quickly suppressed by a deeper sense of helplessness and resignation.

"Oh, oh, it's good that you're here, it's good that you're here. Wang, the matchmaker, please come in and have a seat." Aunt Chen stepped aside and led Wang, the matchmaker, into the courtyard. She then forced a smile at the two sisters, "You two young ladies... please come in too."

Xiaoyin and Xiaoqing lowered their eyes and followed into the courtyard.

The yard was larger than it appeared from the outside and was exceptionally tidy. To the left, against the yard wall, stood a simple thatched shed, beneath which neatly stacked chopped firewood and several clean farm tools. To the right was a small vegetable patch; at this time of year, only a few cold-resistant greens remained, yet they grew vigorously. Directly opposite were three main rooms, also with earthen walls and tiled roofs; the paper windows were somewhat old, but were still tightly sealed.

The entire courtyard gives the impression of a home that is bare yet orderly and strives to maintain a respectable appearance.

The room was simply furnished, almost rudimentary. There was a square table, a few benches, an old cabinet with peeling paint, and some sacks of miscellaneous items piled against the wall. But the tabletop and floor were spotless. A man with a kind face, calloused hands, and who looked slightly older than Aunt Chen (presumably Chen's father) stood by the table, rubbing his hands and looking somewhat helplessly at the group of people who had entered.

"Father, quickly pour some water for Wang the matchmaker," Aunt Chen called out, then smiled apologetically at Wang the matchmaker, "Our home is simple, please don't mind."

"It's alright." Wang Guanmei sat down on the only slightly better-looking stool, took the rough earthenware bowl handed to her by Chen's father, took a sip, and went straight to the point, "Brother Chen, sister-in-law, I've already told you the general situation. These two are Su family girls who fled from Jiangnan. They are twins, sixteen years old this year. Their family... suffered a disaster, leaving only the two sisters. You know the rules in the county. They are willing to settle down, but they have one request—" She paused, looking at the two sisters standing to the side with their heads bowed.

The Chen couple were on tenterhooks.

Xiaoyin knew she had to speak up. She raised her head, her face smudged with dirt, but her eyes were clear and resolute. Her voice, though soft, echoed clearly in the quiet earthen house: "Uncle Chen, Aunt Chen, I am Su Xiaoyin, and this is my younger sister Xiaoqing. We are sisters who have lost both our parents and have fled here together, vowing never to be apart. Therefore, when it comes to marriage, we have no other request than to marry into the same household, regardless of our status, so that we can live together and support each other. If this condition cannot be met, we would rather continue to wander than be separated. Heaven and earth bear witness to our hearts and our will."

After she finished speaking, she took Xiaoqing's hand and solemnly bowed to the Chen couple.

The Chen couple were completely stunned. Although they knew from Wang Guanmei's vague hints that the sisters had some "special requests," they never expected them to be such... such shocking and resolute conditions. The two looked at each other, unsure of how to respond.

An awkward silence fell over the room. Wang Guanmei lowered his eyes and blew on the hot water in his bowl, as if it were none of his business.