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

Tofu, bean sprouts, braised pork, pastries, wild vegetables, and bok choy were piled high on the counter. No sooner had they been arranged than the aunties and grandmas from the neighborhood arrived with baskets. One would buy a bunch of shepherd's purse, another a piece of tofu, and yet another two ounces of braised pork; the shop was bustling with activity, filled with the sounds of conversation. Su Xiaoyin was busy weighing and collecting money, while Su Xiaoqing packed and packaged the food, not even having time to drink a sip of water.

An elderly woman with gray hair spent a long time picking through the dried tofu at the counter, finally choosing a few pieces before leaving. A woman in a blue jacket bought a pound of braised pork and insisted that Su Xiaoyin give her an extra piece; Su Xiaoyin smiled and added two scraps. An old man bought two pieces of tofu and then asked if they had stinky tofu; Su Xiaoyin said no, and the old man left somewhat disappointed.

They worked until the sun was high in the sky, and the customers gradually thinned out, finally allowing Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing to catch their breath. Su Xiaoyin wiped the crumbs off the counter, while Su Xiaoqing took a sip of water, slung her basket over her shoulder, and said to Su Xiaoyin, "Sister, I'm going to the butcher's to buy a pig's head, and I'll see if there's anything else I can buy. Will you be alright in the shop by yourself?"

Su Xiaoyin waved her hand: "Go ahead, go ahead, come back soon. I can manage on my own, there aren't many people around now anyway."

Su Xiaoqing, carrying a basket on her back, first went to the stall to chat with Chen's mother for a few minutes, asking about the children's progress at school these past few days. Chen's mother said that Shitou's handwriting had improved a lot recently, and Aji and Afu had even received praise from the teacher last time, so they were doing well and could rest assured.

Su Xiaoqing was pleased to hear this, and after chatting for a few more minutes, she walked deeper into the market.

At the meat stall, there was only one pig's head left. Su Xiaoqing picked it up and weighed it in her hand. It was quite fatty, with thick, firm meat around the ears—perfect for making braised pig's head. She paid for it, put the pig's head into her basket, and was about to leave when she saw some leftover pig's trotters for sale next to her. She bought four of them and put them in with the trotters.

She stopped at the end of the market. An old man selling ceramics was squatting on the ground, setting up his stall. In front of him was a dusty, coarse cloth with dozens of newly fired porcelain pieces on it, mostly pottery. Bowls, plates, basins, jars, and some small trinkets—cups and saucers—were not anything expensive, but they were charmingly simple.

Su Xiaoqing squatted down, picked up a small bowl, and examined it. The body was thick, and the glaze wasn't perfectly smooth, but it was fired evenly. She asked the price, and it was surprisingly cheap. She thought that the shop mainly sold food and daily necessities, and people only occasionally asked about bowls and plates. She had always wanted to stock some, but hadn't found a suitable source. And here she was today!

"Grandpa, how much are these pottery pieces?" Su Xiaoqing asked.

The old man quoted a price, and Su Xiaoqing quickly calculated it; it was significantly cheaper than elsewhere. She picked out twenty bowls, ten plates, and several soup bowls, stacking them in her basket. Next to them were a few small items—clay puppies, kittens, and rabbits, all charmingly naive. Although unglazed, displaying only the natural color of the clay, their rustic shapes were endearing. Su Xiaoqing examined them closely, thinking that displaying these trinkets in the shop would attract children, and she could also sell other things along the way.

"Grandpa, how much are these little animals? I'll take the whole set." The old man quoted a price, and Su Xiaoqing didn't haggle. She bought a set of five and put them all into her basket.

Seeing that Su Xiaoqing bought a lot, the old man gave her a discount of more than ten coins and also gave her a clay whistle as a gift.

Su Xiaoqing carried the heavy basket on her back to the general store, grinning the whole way.

Back in the shop, Su Xiaoyin paused for a moment when she saw the basket full of pottery, then smiled. She squatted down, took out the bowls and plates one by one, laid them out on the ground and examined them, then picked up the small animals and looked them over. The bodies were thick and the shapes were simple and unadorned. Although they were unglazed, their grayish-brown color gave them a rustic beauty.

"Are you planning to sell these pottery pieces at a general store?" Su Xiaoyin asked.

Su Xiaoqing nodded vigorously and said solicitously, "The price is cheap, and it can also increase the variety in the shop, so I bought some. It's just that these little animals—they're unpainted, just the natural color of the clay, which isn't very pretty." She scratched her head, "Sister, do you think we should buy some paint and paint them on? With some color, they'll be much more vibrant, and we can raise the price a bit."

Su Xiaoyin thought about it and thought it was feasible, so she said, "Then let's go ask about the price of paint. If it's cheap, we'll buy some and paint it. Children love these fancy things, and it'll definitely sell well if it's colored. Come on, let's go ask if the embroidery pattern can be sold."

The two sisters locked the shop and, carrying the embroidery pattern, went to Manager Sun's bookstore.

Shopkeeper Sun was dusting the bookshelf with a feather duster when he saw them arrive. He put down his work and went to greet them. Su Xiaoyin unfolded the embroidery, a pair of phoenixes dancing together, surrounded by lotus scrolls, the gold thread shimmering in the sunlight. Shopkeeper Sun looked at it for a while, then shook his head, then nodded, saying it wasn't what he wanted. He wanted a grand, majestic landscape, one that evoked the feeling of upright pines and a profound, powerful spirit. This one was too delicate and unsuitable for hanging in the front hall.

The two sisters were not disappointed and went to Madam Qian's place again. The maid went in to announce their arrival, and after waiting for a while, the maid came out and said that Madam Qian was busy with her child's full-month celebration and did not need any embroidery at the moment.

Su Xiaoyin left Madam Qian's house and put away her embroidery, feeling a little disappointed. Su Xiaoqing comforted her, "Sister, don't worry, good things will always find a buyer. Let's go check out the paints first; maybe we can sell those little animals for a few more coins."

The two sisters wandered around the streets, asking about paint prices at several general stores. Some were outrageously expensive, while others were cheap but the colors weren't accurate. Finally, they found a set in an inconspicuous little shop—red, yellow, blue, green, and black—at a price they could accept.

"Shopkeeper, won't these paints fade? Pottery isn't like paper; it's not glazed. Will the colors hold?" Su Xiaoqing asked worriedly.

The shopkeeper showed her a pre-painted sample. Su Xiaoqing rubbed it with her finger; the color was solid and wouldn't come off. Only then did she pay, wrap up the paint, and put it in her basket.

Su Xiaoyin then asked the shopkeeper, "Do you have any discounted Xuan paper or paints here? We use a lot of them and would like to stock up."

The shopkeeper pulled out a few small porcelain bottles from under the counter and said, "These have been stored for over a year. The colors are fine, but the packaging is old, so I'm selling them cheaply. Take them if you need them."

Su Xiaoyin looked at the colors and saw that they were all common colors, so she bought them all.

As she left the shop, Su Xiaoqing sighed, her voice muffled: "Sister, I'm starting to panic because these embroidery designs aren't selling."