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

Chen Dashan nodded, thought for a moment, and then added, "Oh, and we also need to prepare the things for Manager Liu for the Dragon Boat Festival. What should we give him this year? My parents said we should arrange it ourselves, so they don't need to worry about it. Manager Liu has always been good to our family, so we can't be stingy during holidays."

Su Xiaoyin counted on her fingers, listing the arrangements for the next few days one by one: "Xiaoqing and I made a set of clothes and a pair of shoes for their child, made of fine cotton, so they're breathable. The soles are thick and sturdy. Then we'll make some zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) and braise a pig's head. Xiaoqing and I will go up the mountain again in the next couple of days; it would be even better if we could pick some fresh mushrooms. Their grandmother loves mountain produce, and she's always happy when we give her some. If we can't find any fresh ones, we'll pick out the best-looking dried mushrooms and dried wood ear fungus from last year and pack some of them."

Chen Xiaohe chimed in, her voice tinged with longing: "Sister-in-law, could you bring some more salted duck eggs for Manager Liu? Your pickled duck eggs are especially delicious, the yolks are oily and the whites aren't too salty. I brought Manager Liu a few last time, and he came over specifically to thank me, saying his wife eats one per meal, which is perfect with porridge. They're all from our own farm, so they didn't cost any money. It's just a token of our appreciation, and he appreciates it."

Su Xiaoyin nodded, her tone resolute: "Okay, I'll take the salted duck eggs out of the jar first thing tomorrow morning, pick out the ones that are uniformly sized and thoroughly pickled, wrap them in red paper, and put them with the other things. You can take them with you when you deliver the vegetables, so you don't have to make another trip."

Chen Dashan picked up his rice bowl and urged, "Hurry up and wash up, the food is ready, it'll get cold if you don't eat soon. After you finish eating, you should rest well, you have to get up early tomorrow. The old man has asked for a lot of vegetables, we have to get up early tomorrow morning to pick them, otherwise we won't have enough time." As he spoke, he stood up to get the soup.

Su Xiaoqing and Chen Xiaohe exchanged a smile and went to wash up. The kitchen quickly quieted down, with only the clinking of bowls and chopsticks and the occasional hushed conversation.

----

As dawn broke, with only the first hint of light appearing on the eastern horizon, Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe had already harnessed the mule cart. Several bamboo baskets lay on the cart, filled with freshly picked vegetables that morning—bok choy, chives, cucumbers, green beans, and more—still glistening with dew in the morning light. Chen Dashan checked the baskets, straightening any crooked leaves and covering them with a damp cloth to prevent them from wilting in the wind on the journey.

"Let's go." Chen Dashan jumped onto the cart shaft, cracked the whip, and the mule cart creaked and groaned out of the courtyard gate.

Chen Xiaohe sat beside him, holding a basket in his arms containing zongzi leaves and salted duck eggs that Su Xiaoyin had prepared, wrapped in red paper and tied with hemp rope, which she would bring to the old man who ran the restaurant later.

By the time they reached the county town, it was already broad daylight. An old man, wearing a faded blue cloth jacket, stood waiting at the restaurant entrance. Seeing the mule cart arrive, he came forward, bending over to inspect each basket. He turned the vegetable leaves over to check for wormholes, pinched the roots of the chives to see if they were old, picked up a cucumber, weighed it in his hand, broke it open, and took a bite. Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe stood beside him, neither speaking, waiting for his inspection.

"Fresh." The old man popped a broken radish into his mouth, chewed it, and nodded in satisfaction. "Deliver it at this time again tomorrow. I check it every day, and if it's not fresh, I won't take it. You know that, I don't accept leftovers here."

Chen Dashan nodded, his tone resolute: "Uncle, don't worry. The vegetables delivered every day are guaranteed to be freshly picked in the morning, just as fresh as those sold in the shop. Any unsold produce is eaten by our own family; we never sell it to customers."

The old man grunted in agreement, took out some money from his pocket, paid for today's groceries, gave a few more instructions, and then turned and went into the restaurant. Chen Dashan put the money away, got on the mule cart, and went to the general store with Chen Xiaohe.

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing weren't idle either. The two sisters got up at the crack of dawn, quickly drank a bowl of porridge, slung their baskets over their shoulders, grabbed their small hoes, and headed towards the back of the mountain. The morning mist hadn't yet dissipated; everything was a white blur, and you couldn't see a figure more than a few steps away. The dew was heavy, soaking their shoes and trousers, leaving them icy cold.

"Sister, let's go further in today. The outer area has probably been mostly harvested, but there might still be some inside." Su Xiaoqing walked ahead, using a hoe to clear away the branches blocking the way as she went.

Su Xiaoyin followed behind and replied, "Okay. In previous years, when there was plenty of rain, the mushrooms on the back mountain could be picked until the beginning of autumn. This year, though, there's not enough rain, the ground is dry, and the mushrooms don't grow well. We'll have to go deeper into the mountains; maybe we can find some there."

After walking a short distance, we encountered several women from the village, also there to pick mushrooms. They carried baskets and hampers, wandering in twos and threes through the woods. We greeted each other and then went our separate ways.

"Hey, you're here to pick mushrooms too? There's been less rain this year, so there aren't as many on the mountain as in previous years, and they're smaller and not as fresh." A round-faced aunt stopped and started talking to Su Xiaoyin.

Su Xiaoyin sighed, her tone filled with regret: "That's right. We walked so far, and the mushrooms we picked only filled the bottom of our basket. In previous years, we would have already filled most of our basket by this time."

Another tall woman chimed in, her voice high-pitched and tinged with complaint: "We have to go deeper into the mountains. My husband told me he went into the deep mountains a couple of days ago and saw quite a few things. But the roads are difficult to walk on, and we were afraid of wild animals, so we didn't dare stay long. You two sisters be careful, don't go too deep, and come back soon."

Su Xiaoqing felt a little uneasy and glanced at her sister. Su Xiaoyin remained expressionless, replied to the woman, "Understood, sister-in-law," and pulled Su Xiaoqing to continue walking inside.

The forest grew denser, the light dimmed, and the canopy overhead blocked out the sun, allowing only gaps to filter through and fall to the ground like scattered gold. The fallen leaves on the ground were thick and soft underfoot, like walking on cotton. Su Xiaoqing followed behind her sister, glancing back every now and then at the way they had come.

"Sis, shall we go any further? This forest is too dense, it's making me feel a bit uneasy. Even the birds have stopped chirping, it's unnaturally quiet." Su Xiaoqing's voice was a little tense.

Su Xiaoyin stopped and looked around. The forest was so deep that she could barely tell which way to go. She thought for a moment and said, "Let's walk a little further to that big tree up ahead. If it's not there, we'll turn back. Let's not waste any more time on the mountain. We can't see the sun, and we don't know what time it is. There's a ton of work waiting for us at home."

Su Xiaoqing nodded, and the two sisters continued walking. They hadn't gone far when Su Xiaoyin suddenly squatted down and used a small hoe to clear away the fallen leaves and withered grass at the base of the bushes, revealing several grayish-white mushrooms. The caps weren't fully open yet, the edges curled inwards, they were very tender, and still glistening with dew.