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

Su Xiaoyin patted her and said softly, "Don't panic. We won't have trouble finding buyers for our embroidery. If all else fails, we can take it to the prefectural city to sell. There will always be people who appreciate its value. Let's buy the paint first. Let's go to the fabric shop."

The shopkeeper saw them from afar and greeted them with a smile. Su Xiaoyin handed over the list of silk fabrics and embroidery threads, which the shopkeeper prepared one by one. He then asked if they wanted coarse linen.

Su Xiaoyin glanced at Su Xiaoqing, remembering that Chen's father and the others' work clothes were worn out, "Take two bolts. Dark blue, they're more durable."

The shopkeeper pulled out a bundle of coarse linen from under the counter, then rummaged through several bolts of fine cotton cloth. Lowering his voice, he said, "Madam Chen, you're regular customers, so I won't hide anything from you. These bolts of fine cotton cloth got a little damp because the shop assistant didn't store them properly. They'll be fine after washing and drying. The color is good, the fabric is fine, perfect for summer clothes. If someone else asked me, I might not have given them to you. Do you want them?"

Su Xiaoyin squatted down and examined the bolts of cloth. The colors—navy blue, cyan, and warm yellow—were all vibrant. She touched them; although slightly damp, the material was undeniably good, made from genuine, high-quality cotton, unlike some fabric shops that adulterate their products. The flaws were barely noticeable; there were a few minor water stains, which should wash away easily.

"Shopkeeper, how much is a bolt of horse?" Su Xiaoqing asked.

The shopkeeper counted out a number, and Su Xiaoqing did a quick mental calculation; it was 30% cheaper than the normal price. She looked at Su Xiaoyin, who nodded, and the two of them each picked out a navy blue and a light blue horse, and then a warm yellow one.

"We'll take all three." Su Xiaoyin counted out copper coins from her purse and handed them over.

The shopkeeper took the money, then took out three large bundles of fabric from under the counter and stuffed them into their baskets, saying with a smile, "These are some extras. This bundle is coarse linen, perfect for mending clothes and pasting shoe soles. This bundle is fine cotton, a bit scraps, but enough to make hair accessories and sachets. This bundle has everything; take your time picking out what you can use."

Su Xiaoqing was tidying up the scraps of fabric when she suddenly heard the shopkeeper ask, "What embroidery designs are you two ladies having this time? Has anyone placed an order?"

Su Xiaoyin looked up. The account book was still open on the counter. Suddenly, she had an idea. She took out the painting of phoenixes singing that hadn't been sold yet from her bundle and spread it out on the counter.

The shopkeeper stood behind the counter, looking over his reading glasses. After a while, he went around to the front of the counter, leaned closer to examine it carefully, his fingers hovering above the embroidered surface, not daring to touch it.

"This... I'll keep it." He straightened up, wiping his eyes. "Perfect timing. I wanted to give Madam something, and this painting has a beautiful meaning—the phoenix and the dragon singing in harmony. I'm sure Madam will like it. How much is it?"

Su Xiaoyin was secretly delighted, but she didn't show it on her face. After a moment's hesitation, she said in a calm and unhurried tone, "Shopkeeper, normally we sell it for fifty taels of silver. But every time we come to buy something, you give us a piece of cloth as a gift, so we know that and consider ourselves regular customers. If you really like it, how about forty-five taels?"

The shopkeeper didn't haggle. He turned around, took out forty-five taels of silver from the cash box, wrapped it in red paper, and handed it over. Then he brought out two particularly large pieces of brocade cloth from behind, saying that this was a new trendy fabric in the prefectural city. These were the two large pieces left over from the shop, and since he didn't need them, he wanted Su Xiaoyin to take them back and see what she could do with them.

The two sisters thanked her profusely, carefully put away the silver and brocade, and hurried back to the general store.

Su Xiaoyin took out her key and opened the door. Su Xiaoqing carefully arranged the paints, fabric scraps, and brocade. The sun was already setting; they could still sell for another hour or so.

Su Xiaoqing tied on her apron and stood behind the counter, rearranging the remaining tofu and braised meat. Su Xiaoyin squatted down, took out the clay animals from her basket, opened her paint box, and tried painting a red nose on the puppy and black eyes on the kitten. The colors were quite vibrant after the paint dried.

Su Xiaoqing peeked over and smiled, saying, "Sister, the color really makes a difference. It used to look dull and gray, but now it looks alive."

Su Xiaoyin lined up the painted pieces, tilted her head to look at them, and was satisfied with herself: "Once they're dry, I'll take them to the shop to sell. A few coins each, the children will definitely love them."

The light outside the shop gradually dimmed. At the street corner in the distance, the old man selling tofu pudding was packing up his stall, his wooden cart making a rumbling sound as it rolled across the cobblestone path. Su Xiaoyin stood up, rubbed her aching back, and carefully put away her paints and pottery, preparing to close the shop after the last group of customers left.

Although today was a bit of a rollercoaster, the embroidery was sold, the fabric scraps were bought, the dyes were secured, and the shopkeeper even gave us two extra pieces of brocade. We can add an extra dish to dinner.

----

By the time the food was served, it was completely dark. The fire in the stove had just gone out, but the residual heat still warmed the stove, and steam billowed out of the kitchen doorway in waves. There was scrambled eggs with scallions, cucumber salad, a bowl of cabbage and tofu soup, and half a stewed chicken left over from yesterday, all kept warm and glistening with oil in bowls. The family sat around the table in the main room, the clinking of bowls and chopsticks crisp and delicate. The children jostled and pushed for food, only quieting down after their mother tapped their chopsticks.

Chen Dashan broke off a piece of steamed bun, soaked it in the vegetable soup, took a couple of bites, and looked up to ask Su Xiaoyin, "Xiaoyin, did you sell any of your embroidery designs? I've been running around all day and haven't had a chance to ask you in detail."

Su Xiaoyin was serving food to Afu when she heard this. She put down her chopsticks and recounted the day's events in a calm and unhurried voice. "We first went to Madam Qian's place, but the maid said that Madam was busy preparing for her child's full-month celebration and didn't need any embroidery for the time being. Then we went to Manager Sun's place, but he said it wasn't what he wanted. He wanted a majestic landscape painting, and our 'Phoenix and Luan Harmony' was too delicate and unsuitable for the front hall." She paused, a smile curving her lips. "Later, we went to the cloth shop, and the shopkeeper actually kept us there. He really liked it and said he wanted to give it to his wife. We settled on forty-five taels of silver, and he even gave us two large pieces of brocade as a bonus. The material is excellent; it's perfect for making clothes and cushions."

Mr. Chen was drinking his porridge when he heard "forty-five taels." He looked up at his two daughters-in-law, nodded, and said with satisfaction, "Forty-five taels is quite a lot. You've worked hard. Take a rest for now and don't embroider. Your eyes are important; don't ruin your health just to earn money."