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

Su Xiaoyin turned over to face Chen Dashan and asked softly, "Dashan, are we really not going to tell Brother De? I just don't feel at ease."

Chen Dashan rested his head on his arm, staring at the roof beam, his voice low: "This kind of news isn't good news. Who wants to hear it? If someone came to you saying your daughter-in-law was having an affair, would you be happy?"

Su Xiaoyin fell silent.

Chen Dashan continued, "To be honest, our relationship with Brother De's family is quite delicate. In recent years, our family's life has improved. Brother De may not say it, but who knows what he's thinking? Our shop, embroidery, and carpentry are all as good as theirs. When his son got engaged, we went to gossip, and he definitely thought we were jealous and deliberately trying to interfere."

Su Xiaoyin sighed, "That's true. But what if something really happens..."

Chen Dashan held her hand; his palm was rough but warm. "If something really happens, it's not our responsibility. De-ge chose this marriage himself, he chose the family himself, so it's not our fault. Besides, we have no evidence or incriminating evidence. They just bought things together, they didn't even hold hands. Even if you take it to the authorities, they won't care."

Su Xiaoyin buried her face in his shoulder, her voice muffled: "I just feel a little guilty about not helping someone in distress, since we're neighbors."

Chen Dashan patted her back, his tone softening: "It's not that I'm abandoning you to your death. It's just that the time isn't right. Once I have solid evidence, even if it offends people, I'll speak up. But not now."

The wind outside the window stopped, and the moonlight grew brighter. Su Xiaoyin stopped asking questions and closed her eyes. Chen Dashan, however, kept his eyes open, staring blankly at the wood grain on the roof beam. He was also wondering what was going on with De Ge's future daughter-in-law. Had Er Mu's family made a mistake, or was she really indecent? He couldn't figure it out after thinking for a long time, so he simply stopped thinking about it, turned over, hugged Su Xiaoyin, and closed his eyes.

Life goes on. The furniture for Brother De's family still needs to be made, the seeds for spring planting are still on their way, and the braised goods in the shop need to be braised early tomorrow. All of these things are more important than those unfounded rumors.

----

Another ten days or so passed, and the weather grew warmer day by day. The old locust tree in the yard sprouted tender buds, and the snow in the corner of the wall melted completely, revealing the dark brown soil beneath, which felt soft and yielding underfoot. The spring breeze on our faces was no longer as sharp as in winter, but carried a moist scent, the aroma of thawed earth.

Chen Dashan worked tirelessly and finally finished making all the furniture for De Ge's house before the spring planting season.

The last wardrobe, after being coated with its final layer of tung oil, was left to dry in the woodworking shop. Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on the wardrobe doors, making the glossy wood grain gleam with a soft sheen. The lotus scroll carvings, under Xiaohe's hands, became delicate and rounded, smooth to the touch like satin. Chen Dashan stood in front of the wardrobe, bending over, running his fingers over every carving to make sure there were no burrs. He opened and closed the doors three or four times, testing them until the hinges moved smoothly and silently. Only then did he straighten up and let out a long sigh of relief.

Father Chen brought out a bowl of water from the kitchen, handed it to his eldest son, and asked, "Dashan, when are you going to deliver the furniture to Brother De?"

Chen Dashan took the bowl, took a sip, and wiped his mouth: "I'll go find Brother De to come and take a look. If there are no problems, I plan to let it air out for a few days and then send it over. If there's anything I'm not satisfied with, I can make some changes. There's still time; there are about ten days left until the date he set."

Mr. Chen nodded, sat down on the threshold, and lit his pipe: "Alright, then hurry up and go find Brother De to come and take a look. If there are no problems, you can take a break. Spring planting will start in a couple of days. There's a lot of work to do in the spring. We need to be busy in the fields and pick wild vegetables on the mountain. These are all sources of income for the family, so we can't give them up."

Chen Dashan placed the bowl on the windowsill, brushed the sawdust off his clothes, and strode out the door.

De Ge was tidying up his farm tools at home; his sickle was gleaming, and the handle of his hoe had been replaced with a new one. Seeing Chen Dashan come in, he quickly put down his work and followed him to Chen's house.

Inside the carpentry workshop, wardrobes, camphor wood chests, dining tables and chairs, and cabinets were all laid out, and Dege examined them one by one. He opened and closed the wardrobe door, squatted down, touched the inside of the camphor wood chest, and brought it close to his nose; the fragrance of camphor wood was already permeating the air. He sat down on the dining table and chairs to test them; they were sturdy, didn't wobble, and were the right height.

"Dashan, your craftsmanship is impeccable." Brother De stood up, patted the back of his chair, and smiled broadly. "It's even better than I imagined. The lotus scroll pattern is exquisitely carved, and it feels wonderful to the touch." He took out a cloth bag from his pocket, counted out two taels of silver, and said, "This is the final payment; please keep it safe."

Chen Dashan took the silver, weighed it in his hand, and put it in his pocket.

De Ge then said, "Da Shan, I'll discuss it with my in-laws and set a date. Then I'll let you know, and you can help me deliver the furniture to the new house in town." He paused, lowered his voice, and said, "The bride's family also wants to see the furniture. They said if it's well-made, they'd like you to make the shelves for their shop in the future."

Chen Dashan nodded, his tone confident: "No problem, Brother De. Just tell me a day in advance, and I'll find a car and people to get it over there in one morning. Then you can send someone to wait at the new house, and I'll unload it and set it up. The shelving isn't urgent; let's finish the spring planting first."

After seeing Brother De off, Chen Dashan stood in the yard and stretched his limbs. He'd been working non-stop for over a month, and his shoulders and back were sore and stiff, but he felt much more relaxed. The work at Brother De's house was finished, and he could finally rest for a couple of days before spring planting.

Chen's father came out of the house, carrying a hoe and a bamboo basket in his hand.

"Dashan, I'll go check the back mountain. Your mother dug up some wild vegetables before, shepherd's purse and dandelion, city people only like these. It's the lean season now, and the county town is short of vegetables, so let's dig up more and sell them at the shop, we'll make as much as we can."

Chen Dashan took the hoe from his father and closed the door: "Dad, I'll go with you. There's no rush for the work in the garden; we can do it when we get back this afternoon."

Father Chen walked ahead, heading up the mountain along the path behind the village. In the fields on both sides of the road, the stubble from last year's harvest remained, withered and yellow, but the grass along the ditches was already green, tender and swaying in the wind.

"Dad, right now we mainly have dandelions, shepherd's purse, and sow thistle. We'll have to wait until after spring planting for other wild vegetables," Chen Dashan said as he followed behind. "They're too small now; some haven't even sprouted yet."

Mr. Chen nodded, his steps unwavering: "Where are the bamboo shoots? I went to check earlier, and they hadn't sprouted yet. I'll go check again today. If they've grown, we need to dig them up quickly. Bamboo shoots are only valuable when they're tender; once they grow into mature bamboo, they're worthless."