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

Su Xiaoqing, who was listening nearby, chimed in, "Big brother, do you want me to draw the design for the wardrobe? The lotus scroll pattern that Brother De chose, I can add a few strokes and make it more detailed."

Chen Dashan thought for a moment and shook his head: "No need, I've carved many lotus patterns, I'm skilled at it. You and Xiaoqing should continue with your embroidery and not get distracted."

Su Xiaoyin placed a piece of food on Chen Dashan's plate and said softly, "Then let's do it. We have to do our best for Brother De's family. They trust us, and we can't let them down."

Chen Xiaohe put down his bowl and patted his chest: "Brother, leave the carving to me, I guarantee it will be quick and good. This marriage with Brother De's family is going well, so the furniture must be outstanding. We can't let our Chen family carpenters down. Also, brother, leave the painting of the wardrobe to me, you just need to make the frame."

Chen Dashan glanced at his younger brother, a slight smile playing on his lips, but said nothing and continued eating.

Outside the window, night was deepening. The fire in the stove was still burning, water was warming in the pot, and the kitchen door was ajar, letting in a warm yellow light. After finishing his meal, Chen Dashan went to the storeroom to check on the finished products, took a ruler and measured the dimensions again to make sure they were correct before returning to his room with peace of mind.

Su Xiaoyin had already made the bed. Chen Dashan lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), his eyes closed, still calculating the dimensions and construction schedule for the furniture. Su Xiaoyin blew out the lamp, lay down beside him, and said softly, "Don't think about it. We have to get up early tomorrow to do carpentry. Just keep the details of De Ge's family in mind."

Chen Dashan hummed in agreement, turned over, and placed his hand on her waist. The moon was bright outside the window, shining on the window paper, making it easy to see the outline of the room without needing to turn on the lamp. The old locust tree in the yard was bare, its branches swaying gently in the wind, casting shadows on the window like a traditional Chinese ink painting.

----

Chen Dashan was busy in the carpentry workshop, his plane moving rapidly, wood shavings curling out of the blade and piling up in a thin layer at his feet. The wardrobe for Brother De's house was half-finished; the frame was erected, the mortise and tenon joints fitting perfectly. He touched the joints with his hand, satisfied, and put down the plane.

Mr. Chen pushed open the door and came in, carrying an old bundle in his hand and a towel draped over his shoulder.

"Dashan, you stay home and make furniture. Dege, Li Hu, and I are going to the next county to buy seeds." As he spoke, Chen's father put the bundle on the stool and sat down to straighten his trousers.

Chen Dashan dusted off the sawdust off his clothes, walked out of the woodworking shop, sat down on the threshold, took the bowl of water that Su Xiaoyin handed him and took a sip: "Dad, why are you going so early this year? More than ten days earlier than in previous years."

Mr. Chen tied his shoelaces, straightened his back, took out his pipe from his pocket, and slowly filled it with tobacco: "Isn't De-ge's eldest son getting married? There are so many things to do at home, he has to keep an eye on things. Furniture, decorating the new house, the banquet, negotiating back and forth with the bride's family—he has to worry about everything. De-ge said that while there's still some free time, he should go and buy the seeds first, otherwise he won't have time in a few more days. I also thought that it doesn't matter whether we buy them early or late, we have to have everything ready before spring planting, so it's better to buy them early so we can feel at ease."

Chen Dashan thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay, Dad, you go ahead. Xiaohe and I will stay at home. Be careful on the road, and don't fall behind De Ge and the others."

Mr. Chen tapped his pipe and stood up: "You all be careful too. I'll pack up and leave. Brother De and Li Hu are waiting at the village entrance."

Su Xiaoyin came out of the kitchen, carrying a bulging blue cloth bundle. She handed the bundle to Chen's father and stuffed a water pouch inside as well: "Dad, these are some multigrain pancakes I made. Take them and eat them on the road. I also packed a few tea eggs for you; they're still warm. Eat them if you get hungry on the road, don't be stingy. Did De-ge and the others bring any dry rations? Should we pack a few more?"

Mr. Chen took it, weighed it in his hand, and smiled, "That's enough. Brother De's family brought plenty too, we won't go hungry. Thank you for your hard work, Xiaoyin."

Su Xiaoyin shook her head and saw Chen's father to the courtyard gate. Chen's father, driving the oxcart, waved to Chen Dashan and Su Xiaoyin, cracked the whip, and the old ox strode off, the cart creaking and groaning towards the village entrance. De Ge and Li Hu were already waiting there. The three carts met and drove side by side onto the main road leading out of the village. The morning mist hadn't yet dissipated, and the shadows of the three oxcarts appeared and disappeared in the fog, gradually fading into the distance.

Su Xiaoyin stood at the courtyard gate for a while, then turned and went back.

In the kitchen, she lifted the lid of the vat, scooped out a small half-basin of soybeans, poured them into a large wooden basin, added water, and stirred them a few times with her hands, scooping out and discarding the shriveled beans floating on the surface. The soybeans soaked in the water, slowly swelling up, like tiny yellow beads.

Chen Xiaohe returned from feeding the livestock in the backyard, his hands still covered in hay. He peeked into the wooden basin and saw the beans, asking, "Sister-in-law, are you soaking so many beans to make tofu and sell at the grocery store?"

Su Xiaoyin nodded, carried the wooden basin to the corner of the stove, and put the lid on: "Yes. Xiaoqing has been selling goods at the general store these past few days, and she said that people always come to buy tofu in the morning, and if they go too late, they won't be able to buy any. It feels really bad that people come all this way and go back empty-handed. I was thinking that we can make a block of tofu in the morning, it won't take much time. We can get up before dawn to soak the soybeans, grind them into soy milk at daybreak, boil it, add some brine, press it down, and it can be done before the store opens."

She patted the water off her hands and continued, "If we can't sell them all, we can take them back and make them into dried tofu, then put them in braised dishes to sell. It'll be the same. The weather's still cold, so they'll keep. Or we can save them for our own consumption during spring planting. Spring planting is hard work, so we can't skimp on our meals."

Chen Xiaohe squatted down, lifted the lid to look at the beans in the basin, then put the lid back on. "Sister-in-law, I'll get up early tomorrow morning to make tofu for you. Grinding beans takes strength; you can't push that stone mill by yourself. I'll go with you and Xiaoqing to the general store, and then come back." He stood up, dusted off his knees, and then remembered something. "Oh, right, my brother said he'd ask those old men who fished last year if they're still fishing this year. If they are, and if they catch any big fish, we should buy some more and sell them at the general store. The fish those old men caught last year were fresh and big; everyone who bought them said they were good."

Chen Dashan came out of the carpentry workshop, overheard their conversation, and chimed in, "Yes, Xiaohe, go ask him in a few days. Spring is here, the ice in the river has melted, and the fish should be out. Those old men don't live far away; you can take a mule there and be back in half a day. Tell them we'll still buy at last year's price, as many as they have. If they know any other fishermen, they can introduce them to us."