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

Suddenly, the courtyard gate rang.

Su Xiaoqing peeked out and saw it was De Ge's wife. She was wearing a nearly new blue cloth jacket, her hair was combed slicked back, and she was carrying a basket containing a few red-shelled eggs.

"Sister-in-law is here? Come in and sit down!" Su Xiaoqing ushered her into the main room and poured her a bowl of hot tea.

Dege's wife took the bowl, took a sip, put it down, and smiled as she took Su Xiaoqing's hand: "Xiaohe's wife, I've come today to ask for your help."

Su Xiaoqing was taken aback for a moment: "Sister-in-law, what's wrong? Please tell me."

De Ge's wife explained her purpose. It turned out that De Ge's eldest son was getting married soon, and according to the village custom, on the night before the wedding, several young boys were to roll around on the new bed, a custom called "pressing the bed," symbolizing the wish for many sons and a prosperous family. De Ge's wife had her eye on the four children from Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing's family and wanted to ask them to come and help.

Upon hearing this, Su Xiaoqing smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, I need to wait for my elder brother and Xiaohe to come back and discuss this matter. It's not that I'm making excuses, but I can't make decisions about the children on my own. I'll talk to them when they come back tonight and give you an answer tomorrow."

Dege's wife nodded repeatedly: "No rush, no rush, there are still a few days until the big day. Just let me know when you've discussed it with your family. This is a joyous occasion, let's share in the child's good fortune and the happiness together."

She stood up, chatted for a few more minutes, and then left with her empty basket.

Su Xiaoqing saw Dege's wife off at the gate and watched her walk away before turning back to the kitchen.

"Sister, Brother De and his wife just arrived," Su Xiaoqing said as she added firewood to the stove.

Su Xiaoyin was slicing pig's head when she heard this and looked up: "What is it?"

Su Xiaoqing recounted the story of the bed-pressing ritual. After listening, Su Xiaoyin paused, her hand holding the knife, and thought for a moment before saying, "This is a joyous occasion, and we should help out in principle. However, regarding the child, we need to ask Mother first to see if there are any taboos. In some places, there are taboos about bed-pressing, such as zodiac signs or birth dates, to avoid any clashes."

Su Xiaoqing nodded: "Sister, you're right. It's best to ask Mother first."

In the evening, Chen's father, Chen Dashan, and Chen Xiaohe returned from the fields. All three were covered in mud, and Chen's father's shoes were caked with a thick layer of mud, which he had to rub off on the steps for a long time. Chen Dashan had a sickle tucked into his waistband, the blade still stained with grass juice. Su Xiaoyin brought the food to the table, and the family sat down around it.

Su Xiaoqing served everyone a bowl of bone broth and then recounted how Dege and his wife had come to visit.

Mr. Chen put down his bowl, thought for a moment, and said, "I know a little about the custom of 'pressing the bed' (a euphemism for bed-pressing). Back in my hometown, this was a common practice for weddings. However, the customs vary from place to place. Some require a child with a 'childlike fate,' some consider the birth date, some want both boys and girls, and some only want boys. To be on the safe side, Xiaoyin, go to the county town tomorrow and ask your mother. She's familiar with these things, has seen a lot of them in the streets and alleys, and knows how to handle them. Don't break any taboos and ruin the wedding."

Su Xiaoyin nodded: "Dad, that's what I think too. Tomorrow I'll go to the county town and ask Mom first. If there's no word from her, we'll agree to De Ge's family's request. The children are all grown up now and should be more sensible. It'll be good for them to share in the joy."

Chen's mother wasn't home; she was in the county town accompanying the children to school and running a stall there. Chen's father instructed Su Xiaoyin that when she arrived in the county town the next day, she should first go to Chen's mother's stall, ask her about the matter, and then give De Ge's family an answer.

The kitchen was warm and cozy, the aroma of bone broth still lingering. Outside the window, the moon had risen, casting its soft light across the floor. Spring nights weren't quite warm yet, but the residual heat in the stove hadn't dissipated, and a pot of water was still warming, to be used early the next morning.

Su Xiaoyin was clearing away the dishes, her mind preoccupied with her trip to the county town tomorrow. It was De Ge's family's happy occasion; she wanted to help if she could. They were all neighbors, and it wasn't good to refuse since they'd asked. However, she still needed to ask the right questions to avoid doing anything inappropriate.

As night deepened, the family members returned to their rooms. Chen Dashan lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) and soon began to snore. Su Xiaoyin, however, tossed and turned, unable to sleep, thinking about how to tell Chen's mother the next day, about the happy occasion at De Ge's family, and about the fact that spring planting wasn't finished yet and there were still several acres of land to be planted.

----

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Su Xiaoyin woke up. Without disturbing Chen Dashan, who was still fast asleep, she quietly dressed and opened the door. The thin mist in the courtyard had not yet dissipated, the branches of the old locust tree swayed gently in the morning breeze, and several sparrows were already hopping around on the wall, chirping away.

Inside the kitchen, Su Xiaoqing had already started the fire. The water in the pot was bubbling away, and the aroma of millet porridge wafted out, mingling with the smell of firewood from the stove, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.

"Sis, you're up so early?" Su Xiaoqing poked her head out of the kitchen, still holding a spatula in her hand.

Su Xiaoyin tied on her apron, washed her hands, and helped chop the pickled vegetables: "Today I need to go to my mother's to ask about the bed-pressing ceremony, and I also need to open the shop. I need to bring more wild vegetables; some of the older women didn't get any yesterday, so I promised to bring them extra today. I'll go early and come back early so as not to delay things at home."

She hurriedly drank a bowl of porridge, ate half a flatbread, loaded the prepared wild vegetables and bamboo shoots onto the mule cart, cracked the whip, and left the courtyard. The morning breeze was cool and stung her face, but the sky was already turning a pale white; it was going to be a sunny day.

Upon arriving in the county town, Su Xiaoyin didn't go to the general store first, but instead drove her mule cart to the market. Chen's mother's stall was already set up, with hair ties, silk flowers, and tiger-head shoes neatly arranged. She was sitting behind the stall eating pancakes when she saw Su Xiaoyin arrive, and quickly put down what she was holding.

"Mother, I need to tell you about what happened to Dege's family." Su Xiaoyin parked the mule cart next to her, walked over, squatted down by the stall, and whispered about how Dege's wife had found four children to sleep with.

After listening, Chen's mother swallowed the biscuit in her mouth, wiped her hands, thought for a moment, and said, "I can agree to it. There are no taboos. As for the custom of 'bed-pressing,' as long as the child has both parents alive and is in good health, it doesn't matter what zodiac sign they are born under. Our family has four children, all of whom are strong and healthy, and they meet the requirements. You should find out which day it is, because Shi Tou and the other two are still in school and don't go back to the village to stay overnight. Once we decide on a date, they will go back to the village to stay overnight and then come to the county town early the next morning so as not to miss their classes."

Su Xiaoyin nodded, feeling relieved: "Okay, Mother, I'll go back and tell Dege and his wife. I'll also talk to the teacher about Shitou and the others and ask for half a day off. That should be fine."

Mother Chen added, "Ask Dege's wife if the child needs to wear new clothes for the bed-pressing ceremony. Some families are particular about this; it's considered auspicious for the child to be dressed in bright colors. If they are, prepare the clothes in advance."

Su Xiaoyin agreed and drove the mule cart to the general store.

Upon arriving at the shop, she jumped off the cart, took out her key, and unlocked the door. She removed the door panels one by one; the interior was still somewhat dark. She first wiped down the counter before arranging the goods: tofu, bean sprouts, braised meat, and pastries, all neatly stacked. Wild vegetables and bamboo shoots were placed in the most prominent position near the entrance, covered with a damp cloth to keep them fresh.