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

Su Xiaoqing followed behind, and the two sisters entered the kitchen one after the other. The fire in the stove hadn't been lit yet. Su Xiaoyin squatted down, struck the flint twice, and sparks flew out, igniting the dry grass in the stove. The flames licked the bottom of the pot, crackling and popping.

Su Xiaoqing rinsed the rice and poured it into the pot. Then she scooped a bowl of mung beans from the storeroom and soaked them in water. The mung beans were green and floated on the surface of the water, like tiny pieces of jade. She looked at the bowl of mung beans and suddenly remembered what she had just said, becoming somewhat lost in thought.

"Sister," she suddenly said.

Su Xiaoyin was adding firewood to the stove, not even looking up: "Hmm?"

"What if Stone and the others really marry a troublemaker in the future?"

Su Xiaoyin paused in her hand holding the firewood stick, raised her head, and said calmly, "That depends on how you teach them from a young age. If your son is upright, no matter how much trouble his wife causes, she can't turn the world upside down. If your son is not upright, marrying a goddess won't help."

Su Xiaoqing thought about it and realized it made sense, so she completely let go of her worries.

The breeze outside the window was warm and pleasant, carrying the unique scent of early summer, mixed with the smell of earth and grass. The fire in the stove was burning brightly, the water in the pot was boiling, bubbling and steaming, and the aroma of rice and mung beans mingled together, wafting out of the kitchen door and filling the whole yard.

The sun was beginning to set when Chen Dashan emerged from the carpentry workshop, covered in sawdust. He walked to the kitchen doorway, poked his head in, and asked, "What are we having for dinner?"

Su Xiaoyin put the lid on the pot, turned around and smiled: "Mung bean soup, cornbread, scrambled eggs, and cucumber salad."

Chen Dashan grunted in agreement and went to the backyard to wash his hands. Chen Xiaohe also returned from the mountain. This year, the fruit trees finished pollination early, and the branches were pruned neatly, resulting in firm fruit set. He put down his hoe, squatted by the well, and drew water to wash his face, the water splashing around him.

----

After dinner, the Chen family, as usual, moved stools to the courtyard to enjoy the cool evening air. The late spring/early summer breeze was neither too hot nor too cold, feeling pleasant on their faces and rustling the leaves of the old locust tree in the courtyard. The sunset glow on the horizon had not yet faded, its crimson hue bathing half the courtyard in warm colors.

Chen's mother lives in the county town with the children and is not home tonight. The yard is quieter than usual, but it's still as lively as ever.

Su Xiaoyin put the last few bowls into the kitchen, wiped her hands, and came out to say to Chen's father, "Dad, Xiaoqing and I will go to the general store in the county town tomorrow. Our embroidery is finished. We're thinking of asking Manager Sun, Madam Qian, or our old customers if anyone wants it. If no one wants it, we'll sell it slowly, no rush. We'll also buy some silk fabric and embroidery thread for next time; we don't have much left at home."

Father Chen was sitting on a bamboo chair smoking a pipe, embers flickering in the bowl. After listening, he nodded: "Alright, you guys go ahead. I'll stay home and check on the fields. The corn seedlings need thinning, the beans need trellising, and it's almost time to fertilize. The weather's getting hot now; if we apply fertilizer too late, the crops won't be able to handle it."

Chen Xiaohe was squatting by the well, scooping water with a gourd ladle. Hearing that Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing were going to the county town, he put down the ladle, wiped the water from his mouth, and said with a grin, "Sister-in-law, when you go to the county town tomorrow with Xiaoqing, come back and buy a pig's head. I've been craving braised pig's head for days, I've been dreaming about it."

Su Xiaoqing was sitting to the side, picking out vegetables to take to the shop tomorrow. Hearing this, she looked up, rolled her eyes at him, and said with a hint of amusement, "We haven't been lacking in meat at home lately. We stewed chicken a few days ago, and made bone broth yesterday. Why do you still want to eat pig's head? Is your stomach a bottomless pit?" Chen Xiaohe chuckled shamelessly, "That's different. Pig's head meat is chewy and goes best with alcohol. Don't you think so, brother?"

Chen Dashan ignored him and continued weaving the bamboo basket.

Father Chen took a drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled, his voice unhurried: "Xiao Yin and Xiao Qing, you should buy one tomorrow. Have Xiao He clean it for you when you get back. He's clumsy, but he's careful when washing pig heads. After it's braised, we can eat half ourselves and sell the other half at the general store, adding another variety to our menu."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaohe rubbed his hands together with joy, wishing he could go to the county town that very night to wait for him.

Mr. Chen remembered something else, and his voice rose a little: "By the way, could you add some vegetarian options to the braised dishes at the grocery store? Recently, some customers have told me they're getting tired of eating meat all the time and want some vegetarian food. Vegetarian food is cheaper and sells well in the summer."

Su Xiaoqing stopped picking vegetables and thought for a moment: "Dad, I'll soak some beans tonight, and tomorrow morning I'll have my older brother and Xiaohe make a few more blocks of tofu, then we'll make dried tofu and braise it. We'll also braise potatoes, eggs, and dried bamboo shoots; that's about it for the vegetarian dishes."

Chen Dashan looked up from his work and said, "You can add some dried vegetables from last year, like dried green beans or gourd strips. Soak them, then throw them into the braising liquid. It should taste pretty good. If no one buys them, we can eat them ourselves. I feel like your braising liquid makes everything taste good."

Su Xiaoyin's eyes lit up, and she had a plan in mind: "Then let's try it tomorrow. If we braise a few more kinds, it will look nicer in the shop. The vegetarian ones are cheaper, and regular customers can buy one on the side. Every little bit helps."

Seeing that everyone had finished talking, Mr. Chen tapped his pipe on the sole of his shoe, stood up, stretched, and went back to his room to sleep. Su Xiaoyin, Su Xiaoqing, Chen Dashan, and Chen Xiaohe also dispersed one after another, each returning to their own rooms.

The moon rose, its soft light spilling into the courtyard, casting the swaying shadow of the old locust tree on the ground. A few barks came from afar, then quickly faded into silence.

----

Before dawn the next day, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing got up. As soon as the light in the kitchen came on, Chen Xiaohe also got up and helped grind the beans to make tofu.

Su Xiaoqing soaked a large basin of soybeans, while Chen Xiaohe and Chen Dashan took turns grinding the millstone. The millstone churned and turned, and milky white soy milk flowed from the cracks in the stone, trickling into the bucket. Su Xiaoyin, meanwhile, boiled water, added coagulant, and pressed tofu, her hands and feet moving with the speed and dexterity of embroidery. By the time dawn broke and the rooster crowed for the third time, two slabs of tofu were ready, white and tender, steaming hot when cut open.

The two sisters drove their mule cart towards the county town. The morning mist hadn't yet dissipated, and the wheat fields on both sides of the road were lush and green, glistening with dew on the leaves. By the time they reached the county town, it was already broad daylight, and long queues formed in front of the breakfast stalls. Su Xiaoyin parked the cart in front of a general store, and Su Xiaoqing jumped off, took out her keys, and opened the door. The two sisters carried the goods inside, one by one.