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

For the next while, customers came and went, but never stopped. People bought vegetables, braised meat, eggs, and sachets; one person left, another came, and the shop was always full of people. The two sisters were so busy that they barely had time to breathe. One weighed the goods and collected the money, while the other packed them into bags. They worked together seamlessly and didn't even have time to drink water.

After working until mid-morning, the number of customers finally dwindled. Su Xiaoqing took off her apron, rubbed her back, and let out a long sigh: "Sister, I'll go to the backyard to prepare the ingredients for lunch so we can cook later. What should we make today?"

Su Xiaoyin thought for a moment and said, "Let's make something refreshing and cooling. Boil a pot of mung bean soup and let it cool in well water; make some scallion pancakes, stir-fry some hot and sour shredded potatoes, and make a cucumber salad. Oh, right, there's some leftover braised food from yesterday, let's cut up a plate of that to make up the numbers."

Su Xiaoqing agreed, turned around and walked briskly towards the backyard.

The shop quieted down. Su Xiaoyin took out a bundle from under the counter, inside which were the fabrics she had cut yesterday. The dark blue coarse linen was for making summer clothes for Chen's father and Chen Dashan; the gray-blue fine cotton was for making clothes for the four children; and there was a small piece of floral fabric, which she had kept to make an apron for herself. She put on a thimble, threaded the needle, and sat behind the counter to begin sewing. The stitches were fine and even, with almost no loose threads visible from the outside.

Sunlight streamed in through the doorway, warming her. The shop was filled with the aroma of braised meat, mingled with the scent of new cotton and linen fabric. Occasionally, a breeze would blow in from the doorway, causing the sachets on the counter to sway gently.

Someone lifted the curtain and came in.

Su Xiaoyin put down her needlework, looked up, and smiled, "Sir, what would you like to order?"

An elderly man with gray hair entered, wearing a faded blue long gown and carrying an old basket. He walked to the vegetable stall, bent down to look at it, picked up a bunch of small green vegetables, smelled them closely, and nodded. He then picked up a bunch of chives and examined them; the soil around the roots was still moist, and the leaves were firm and not wilted.

"Give me two bunches of bok choy, your vegetables are so fresh. I've been to several shops, and yours looks the most vibrant." The old man put the vegetables in his basket, then noticed the eggs in the basket next to it. "Give me some eggs too, just put them in this basket, I can take them myself."

Su Xiaoyin quickly stood up, picked out an egg with a uniform shape from the basket, and handed them to the old man one by one. The old man took the eggs, carefully placed them in the basket, and protected them with his hands, afraid of breaking them.

Su Xiaoyin counted them; there were twelve in total. Smiling, she added two more, then took a few scallions from the basket, tied them with straw rope, and put them in the basket as well. "Grandpa, here are some scallions for you. Enjoy them at home, and come again next time. Our vegetables are all freshly picked from the field every morning. Anything we don't sell that day is for our own consumption; we never sell leftovers. Buy with confidence; they're absolutely fresh."

The old man nodded in satisfaction and was about to leave when his gaze fell on the braised food stall next to the counter. The pot of braised food was placed in a deep stainless steel basin, the dark red broth glistening with oil. Braised eggs, dried tofu, potatoes, dried bamboo shoots, and sliced ​​offal were all neatly arranged.

"Is that braised pork?" The old man stopped and pointed.

Su Xiaoyin quickly came out from behind the counter, picked up a pair of clean long chopsticks, took a small piece of pig offal from the basin, and a piece of braised tofu, put them in a small bone dish, and took out a clean small fork from the drawer, and handed them to the old man.

"Sir, that's braised offal and braised vegetables. Please try some, it's okay if you don't buy anything. Our braising broth is a well-established stock, the flavor is especially rich and mellow." Su Xiaoyin's voice was warm but not obsequious, just the right amount of politeness.

The old man took the small fork, first plucked a piece of pig's head meat and put it in his mouth, chewed slowly, squinted his eyes, and then plucked a piece of braised tofu. He chewed for a while, nodded, a satisfied look on his face, and said with a hint of appreciation in his voice, "This tastes good, fragrant, not greasy, and the saltiness is just right. Unlike some braised meats, which are so salty they hurt your throat, leaving you with a belly full of water. Your braising broth must be quite old, right?"

Su Xiaoyin smiled and nodded, without specifying how long, only saying, "Grandpa, you have good taste. Our braised food has always sold well, and we have many repeat customers."

The old man finished the last few crumbs on the bone plate, put down his fork, and said cheerfully, "Give me a serving of offal, I'll take it home to have with my drinks. And two braised eggs, my wife loves them. A few pieces of dried tofu too."

Su Xiaoyin deftly weighed and bagged the food, also packing a small portion each of the braising liquid and the seasoning packet, and instructed the old man on how to reheat it for the best taste. The old man paid and slowly walked away with his basket.

As soon as the old man left, Su Xiaoqing poked her head out from the backyard and called out, "Sister, I've made lunch. The mung bean soup is cooling in the well water, and the scallion pancakes are ready. You can eat first while no one's around."

She came out, took the scissors and needle and thread from Su Xiaoyin's hand, and placed them on the counter. "Sister, sit here and rest for a while. I'll go bring Mom her food. You eat first, don't wait for me."

As she spoke, she took some offal and vegetables from the braised food basin, put them into a small basket, wrapped two scallion pancakes in oil paper, filled a bamboo tube with mung bean soup, and hurriedly went out the door. Su Xiaoyin called out, "Take care on the way," but she didn't turn her head and just waved her hand.

The shop quieted down. Su Xiaoyin sat behind the counter, picked up her bowl, and slowly ate her scallion pancake. The pancake was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a strong scallion aroma. She chewed a couple of times, then took a sip of mung bean soup, which was cool and sweet, soothing her from her throat all the way to her stomach.

The sun rose higher, and sunlight streamed in through the doorway, casting bright patches of light on the ground. Occasionally, someone would walk by on the street outside the shop, their footsteps and voices faintly audible. After finishing her lunch and clearing away the dishes, Su Xiaoyin picked up her needle and thread again to continue sewing the unfinished coarse linen jacket.

----

When they returned home in the afternoon, the sun was already setting, but it was still scorching hot. The shadow of the large locust tree in the yard stretched long, and several chickens were pawing at the base of the wall, while a hen and her chicks dozed in the shade. Su Xiaoyin tied up the mule, added some hay, and drew a bucket of water from the well so the mule could drink its fill. Su Xiaoqing carried a basket into the kitchen and carefully put away the things she had brought back from the county town that day.

Su Xiaoyin washed her hands, tied on an apron, and first rinsed the mung beans she had soaked that morning. She poured them into a large pot, added enough water, covered the pot, and added firewood to the stove. The flames licked the bottom of the pot, crackling and popping. The mung beans tumbled in the pot, and the water gradually turned a pale green. A fresh aroma of beans wafted from the gaps in the lid, filling the entire kitchen.