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

After Chen Dashan finished the final sanding and polishing, he applied a thin layer of his homemade wood wax to several pieces of furniture. The already clear wood grain of the cabinets, tables, and stools immediately appeared more lustrous and shiny, exuding a sturdy and durable rustic beauty.

As agreed, Fourth Aunt arrived at the Chen family's house. As soon as she entered the courtyard, her eyes were drawn to the set of brand-new furniture laid out in the main room. She walked around the two sturdy, heavy camphor wood chests with tight mortise and tenon joints, opened the lids to look inside, tested the stability of the kang table and the sturdiness of the square table in the main room, and touched the smooth surfaces of the four long benches. Her face beamed with joy, and her wrinkles smoothed out considerably.

"Dashan, you've done a wonderful job! It's truly excellent!" Aunt Si nodded repeatedly in praise, her fingers lovingly stroking the surface of the chest. "Look at this wood, this workmanship, so sturdy! It's even waxed, it looks so bright! It will be so impressive to place this in the new house! When the bride's family comes and sees it, they'll know that we truly value our daughter and have invested a lot!" The more she looked, the more satisfied she became. She took out five qian of silver that she had prepared beforehand and handed it to Chen Dashan. "Alright, I can't find a single flaw! Dashan, this is the remaining payment for your labor, you can count it. I'll need to trouble you and your brother again to help me carry all this to the new house; my old arms and legs can't handle it."

Chen Dashan took the silver without counting it, put it in his pocket, and nodded, saying, "I'm glad Fourth Aunt is satisfied. Please wait a moment, I'll call Xiaohe and bring it to you right away."

Hearing the noise, Chen Xiaohe came out of the house. The two brothers found hemp rope and a carrying pole, and carefully tied the furniture pieces together securely. Some lifted, some carried, and Chen Dashan even checked the wheels and axles of the light cart before pushing it steadily. The two brothers walked one after the other through the village, heading towards their fourth aunt's newly built house.

Along the way, they attracted the attention of many villagers. The brand-new and stylish furniture, as well as the calm and efficient demeanor of the Chen brothers, became topics of conversation.

"Hey, isn't this Dashan? Delivering furniture to Aunt Si's house? This box is really well made!"

"I've heard that the carpenters in the mountains are very skilled, and it seems that's true! Look how thick and sturdy these table legs are!"

"Tsk tsk, it's camphor wood, good for repelling insects. Fourth Aunt is really generous!"

"My son's getting married tomorrow, I'll definitely have to get a couple of things from Dashan!"

"I think it's good. Look at this skill, it's no worse than the ones in town!"

The villagers' murmurs weren't loud, but they clearly reached Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe's ears. Chen Dashan's expression remained unchanged, only his steps became more steady. Chen Xiaohe couldn't help but straighten his back, a proud smile on his face. His elder brother's skills had been recognized, which made him even happier than earning money.

The furniture was safely delivered to Fourth Aunt's new house and arranged according to her wishes. Fourth Aunt pulled Chen Dashan and his brother aside and insisted on giving them a small bag of homemade roasted pumpkin seeds before seeing them off with profuse thanks.

---

Before long, the day arrived for the construction of Chen Ermu's new house. Before dawn, Chen's father, along with Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe, carrying their own shovels, hoes, and other tools, went to the west end of the village. Chen's mother, leading Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing, carrying baskets filled with freshly picked vegetables from their garden, also went to help prepare the meal.

A large crowd had already gathered at Chen Ermu's house site; they were all villagers who had come to help. The shouts of digging the foundation, the muffled thuds of tamping the earth, and the men's loud laughter blended together, creating a lively atmosphere. Chen's father and his two sons immediately joined in. Chen Dashan, being strong, took on the heaviest tasks; Chen Xiaohe, on the other hand, ran around handing out tools and moving stones, showing great nimbleness.

On the women's side, Chen Ermu's wife was busy as a bee. When she saw Chen's mother arrive with her two daughters-in-law, she was overjoyed and rushed over to greet them, saying, "Sister-in-law! You've finally come! There are so many people today, I can't manage alone. Please come in and help me!"

Chen's mother laughed and said, "It's nothing. Building a house is a happy occasion for your family, so it's only right that we come to help. Didn't you also put in a lot of effort when we built our house last year? Just let us know if there's anything we need."

Chen Ermu's wife didn't stand on ceremony and pulled Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing towards the kitchen: "My two nieces-in-law, help your aunt wash these baskets of vegetables, and peel and chop these radishes. This morning, your Uncle Ermu went to the river and caught a few crucian carp. They weren't big, but they were fresh. Sister-in-law, you're a good cook, so please make me some fish soup and a pot of flatbread for everyone to have a little something for lunch. My cooking skills are just so-so, I'm afraid of wasting anything."

"Okay, leave the fish soup to me. I guarantee it will be milky white and glossy." Chen's mother rolled up her sleeves and deftly began to clean the few still lively crucian carp.

Several women busied themselves in the kitchen, washing and chopping vegetables, cooking, and chatting as they worked.

Watching Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing work quickly and quietly, and thinking about the current state of the Chen family, Chen Ermu's wife couldn't help but lower her voice and ask Chen's mother, "Sister-in-law, let me ask you something quietly. Your family... are you considered to have separated now, or not? It seems to me that you two are living like one family, yet also like two separate families."

As Chen's mother scaled the fish, she didn't look up, speaking casually, "Our family isn't well-off. Even if we were to truly divide the property, there wouldn't be much to go around. So, we discussed it with his father, and it's a 'half-division,' meaning we're dividing the household but not separating the family. During the spring, summer, and autumn, when the farm work is busy, we work together and eat and do things together, just like we haven't separated. In winter, when farming is less demanding, we let the young couple cook for themselves and manage their own household, which also helps them develop their life skills."

She paused, rinsed the scraped fish clean, and continued, "The money they earn, whether it's like Dashan doing carpentry or Xiaoyin and the others doing embroidery, they hand over 40% to the public fund, and keep the remaining 60% for themselves, whether to buy things or save money. This way, while we old folks can still move around, we can help them out, and they can also have some ideas about how to support the family."

Chen Ermu's wife listened carefully, seemingly lost in thought: "This method... sounds quite good. To be honest, my son Xiaoshu is getting married after the autumn harvest, and I've been thinking about this myself. If we divide the property completely at once, I'm afraid the children are too young to plan ahead; if we don't divide it, I'm afraid the new bride won't be able to settle in. Your 'half-divided property' is a compromise."

Mother Chen put the fish in the pan and fried it until both sides were slightly golden brown before pouring in boiling water, covering the pan, wiping her hands, and saying, "Every family has its own way of doing things. We're also feeling our way across the river. Your family is more well-off than ours, and you have fewer people. We'll see what the children think and then discuss it with Brother Ermu."

Around noon, the aroma of fish soup mingled with the crispy scent of cornbread wafted through the air. The men, who had worked hard all morning and were already ravenous, sat around the makeshift shed, enjoying the delicious fish soup and fragrant cornbread with great gusto. During the meal, they naturally praised Chen Dashan's culinary skills and inquired about the family's "half-divided household" arrangements from Chen's father.

Mr. Chen didn't say much, only a few simple words, but his composure and confidence in the increasingly prosperous life of his family caught the attention of many villagers who also had sons about to get married.

They helped until the sun was setting, and the foundation of Chen Ermu's house was firmly compacted. Only then did the Chen family say goodbye and go home. Walking on the dirt road home, the setting sun cast long shadows. Chen's mother, recalling the gossip in the kitchen, said to Chen's father, "Honey, Ermu's wife asked me about dividing the family property. I think, our method might actually be copied by others in the village in the future."

Mr. Chen hummed in agreement, gazing at the shadow of the jujube tree in his yard, which had sprouted even more new leaves, and said slowly, "We live our own lives, and as long as the methods work, that's fine. Let's focus on doing the things in front of us well, one by one; that's better than anything else."

The family returned home as dusk fell, weary but with a sense of peace and clarity. Their skills had been recognized, their relationships strengthened, and their lives, through these mundane yet genuine tasks and interactions, were steadily moving towards prosperity. At night, lying on their respective kang beds, listening to the soft chirping of insects outside the window, Mr. and Mrs. Chen, along with their brothers Chen Dashan and sisters Su, were filled with a tangible and secure anticipation for the coming summer.