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

As they spoke, the two entered the mountains. The trees in the forest hadn't sprouted yet; their bare branches intertwined, offering little shade. A thick layer of fallen leaves covered the ground, rustling underfoot. Chen Dashan, with his sharp eyes, spotted a clump of shepherd's purse not far away. He squatted down, dug it up with a small shovel, shook off the soil from the roots, and put it in his basket. Chen's father found several dandelion plants growing in a crevice in the rocks nearby. He dug them up, roots and all; the roots of dandelions were also a medicinal herb, which could be dried and sold—they shouldn't be wasted.

Chen Dashan stood up, patted the dirt off his knees, and said, "Dad, I plan to tidy up the garden in the next couple of days. Turn over the soil, pick up the weed roots. The land on the mountain where we need to plant vegetables and melons also needs to be moistened, manure applied, insecticide sprayed, and some wood ash mixed in."

Chen's father, bent over digging for wild vegetables, didn't even look up: "Tomorrow you stay home and tidy up the garden, I'll go up the mountain to tidy up the land. Xiaohe has been busy with the fruit trees these past few days, he just finished fertilizing and still needs to prune the branches, so I won't call him. Leave the business in the county town to your mother and Xiaoyin and Xiaoqing, let them rest after the spring planting is over."

Chen Dashan nodded, picked a weed out of the basket, and threw it away. Father

The two of them wandered around in the woods for about half an hour, and their basket was almost full. Dandelions, shepherd's purse, sow thistle, and a small bunch of wild onions, all green and pleasing to the eye.

"Let's go see the bamboo shoots." Father Chen straightened up, picked up his basket, and walked towards the bamboo grove.

Chen Dashan followed behind, rounding a thicket of bushes, until a bamboo grove came into view. The bamboo was the same as last year, some green, some yellow, densely packed together. Chen's father squatted down, brushing aside the fallen leaves and withered grass to reveal the soil beneath. He examined it carefully, then dug at it with his fingers, and shook his head.

"It hasn't sprouted yet. Let's wait a few more days, until the next rain." Mr. Chen stood up and patted the mud off his hands.

Chen Dashan also squatted down to check several spots, but indeed found no bamboo shoots. However, he noticed that the soil in a few places was slightly raised and felt soft underfoot, indicating that there should be some underneath. "Dad, in about ten days, there should be some. We'll dig up a lot then, and besides selling some, we'll keep some for ourselves. We can pickle a jar of bamboo shoots and dry a basket of bamboo shoots, enough to last us a year."

Father Chen nodded and turned to go down the mountain. Chen Dashan followed behind, his basket swaying in his hand. The fresh scent of wild vegetables mixed with the smell of earth was invigorating.

When they got home, Su Xiaoyin was kneading dough in the kitchen. When she saw them come back, she took the basket and poured the wild vegetables into a wooden basin.

"I'll take them to the shop to sell tomorrow; city people love this," Su Xiaoyin said while picking weeds out of the wild vegetables.

Chen's mother came out of the house, holding a few hair ties made by Su Xiaoqing. She asked Chen to check if the colors matched well. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law whispered a few words in the yard and then laughed for a while.

Father Chen put the hoe back in the storeroom, and Chen Dashan washed his hands and went to the garden to turn the soil. The hoe struck the ground again and again, turning over the black soil, which carried a damp, fermented manure smell. It wasn't unpleasant; on the contrary, it made people feel at ease.

As the sun gradually set in the west, wisps of smoke rose from the chimney of the kitchen and drifted into the air. Chen's mother called out that dinner was ready, then turned and went to the kitchen to fetch the food.

Chen Dashan put down his hoe, stood by the garden, looking at the half-turned black soil, calculating how much fertilizer and wood ash he would need to apply tomorrow. Spring sowing hadn't started yet, but the land was already waiting. The seeds were bought, the manure was prepared, and the man was ready. In a few more days, the plowshare would be planted in the soil, and another year would pass.

----

In the final days before spring planting, the Chen family was busy making preparations. Farm tools were repaired or sharpened, and bags of seeds were brought out of the barn and spread out on mats to dry. Manure was also taken out of the pen in advance, piled up at the edge of the field, covered with straw mats, and ready to be scattered on the day of planting.

Chen Dashan squatted in the yard, a hoe in his hand, pushing it back and forth on the whetstone. The whooshing sound was particularly clear in the quiet yard. The hoe blade was sharpened to a gleaming shine, reflecting a person's image in the sunlight. He put the sharpened hoe aside and picked up a sickle, checking if the handle was loose and if the sickle head was chipped. Every year before spring planting, he would do these chores meticulously and without complaint.

The courtyard gate was pushed open. Li Hu walked in, carrying a basket containing several freshly steamed cornbread buns.

"Dashan, busy?" Li Hu put the basket on the stone table and sat down on the stool next to it.

Chen Dashan put down his sickle, stood up, and patted the dust off his knees: "Uncle, what brings you here? Please sit down, I'll get you a bowl of water."

He turned and went inside, brought out a bowl of hot tea, and handed it to Li Hu. Li Hu took the bowl, blew away the foam, took a sip, and put the bowl on the table.

"Dashan, do you have any plans after the spring planting? If not, I'd like to ask you to make doors and windows for two rooms." Li Hu's tone was unhurried, as if he were talking about something very small.

Chen Dashan sat down opposite him, thought for a moment, and said, "Uncle, I haven't made any arrangements yet. I'll come to see you after my spring planting is finished. What kind of piece would you like? Will it be carved?"

Li Hu waved his hand, his tone simple and clear: "The simplest thing is to make it sturdy and durable. No need for any carvings, just flat, straight edges that can block the wind and let in light. I'm just planning to build two houses on this barren mountain for the farmhands to live in. It's cool on the mountain at night and cold in the spring, so the doors and windows need to be airtight."

Chen Dashan nodded, already having a general idea in his mind. He had been to Li Hu's barren mountain several times. The slope was gentle, the soil was thick, and it was close to a water source. Two mud-brick houses could be built there, and although the conditions were simple, at least they would provide shelter from the wind and rain.

"Uncle, are you planning to hire those people long-term?" Chen Dashan asked, taking out a small notebook from his pocket to write down their sizes and requirements.

Li Hu nodded, took another sip of tea from his bowl, and slowly said, "I've been observing them for quite a while. Those people are hardworking and honest, they don't cheat or shirk their duties. They can handle everything from planting and fertilizing to pruning fruit trees, and I don't need to supervise them every day. The main problem is that it's just Li An and me here. Li An is still young and studying at school, so I can't take care of him. I also have to travel back and forth between the county town and the village, so I can't manage everything. Besides, to be honest, I don't really know much about farming, so it's better to just hire people, and the money is reasonable."

Chen Dashan closed his notebook and put away his pen: "Uncle, your idea is right. Hiring someone will allow you to take good care of the land. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to manage it all, and the fruit trees on the mountain are almost overgrown. If there are any problems with the fruit trees on the mountain, just come and find Xiaohe. Xiaohe has learned a lot in the past two years. He knows everything about pests and diseases, pruning, and fertilization."

Li Hu laughed: "Okay, I'm relieved to hear that. It's settled then, I'll come find you after the spring planting."