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

"Brother De, no one's home. Xiaohe went up the mountain, Dashan went to the county town to sell goods, and Dad is in the county town with Mom and the kids." Su Xiaoyin explained as she took out her keys to open the door. "Hu's eldest daughter-in-law gave birth, so my sister and I went to deliver some eggs. No one's home." Brother De nodded and followed her into the yard.

Su Xiaoyin brought out a bowl of cold tea from the kitchen and handed it to Brother De. Brother De took it, tilted his head back and gulped down a large bowl, then wiped his mouth with his sleeve before catching his breath.

"Dashan isn't home? I came to ask him to make furniture." De Ge put the bowl on the table, sat down on the stone bench in the yard, took out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket, unfolded it, and saw a crooked drawing on it. "My eldest daughter-in-law is pregnant, and we need a crib. I'm thinking of having Dashan make one, something sturdy and durable, nothing fancy. I trust your carpentry skills."

Su Xiaoyin took the paper and looked at it. Although the drawing wasn't professional, the dimensions were clearly marked—length, width, height, the height of the railings, and the spacing. She nodded, put the paper away, and promised Chen Dashan that evening that he would talk to Brother De in detail when he returned. She also asked if the crib needed a mosquito net pole. Brother De slapped his thigh and said, "Yes, we need that too, otherwise there will be too many mosquitoes in the summer."

De Ge remembered something else, picked up his second bowl of tea, blew on it, and took a sip: "There's still the matter of delivering New Year's gifts to the master for the Dragon Boat Festival. We have to go again this year; we can't miss it. I'll discuss it with Xiao He and see when it's appropriate to set off. We can't delay any longer; if we do, it'll be right around the corner." Su Xiaoqing chimed in, saying that she was busy with many things at home and had almost forgotten. She would have Xiao He and her older brother go to De Ge's place that evening so they could sit down and discuss things properly, set a date, and prepare everything in advance.

De Ge stood up, dusted off his clothes, and said hurriedly, "Okay, then have them come tonight. I'll wait for them at home. I'm leaving now; there's a ton of work waiting for me. The fields need watering, the pigs haven't been fed, and the chickens haven't been put to the table." He took a few steps and then turned back to remind him, "Don't forget."

After seeing Brother De off, Su Xiaoyin closed the courtyard gate and bolted it. Su Xiaoqing had already gone into the kitchen; the fire in the stove was lit, and the water in the pot was bubbling away.

"Sis, what are you making for dinner tonight?" Su Xiaoqing poked her head out from the kitchen.

Su Xiaoyin tied on her apron, went into the kitchen, looked at the dishes on the cutting board, thought for a moment, and said, "Let's make braised noodles. It's hot, and I can't eat soup noodles. Make the braising sauce savory, and add more wood ear mushrooms and eggs. Also, slice a plate of braised meats and make a cucumber salad." The two sisters busied themselves in the kitchen.

----

When Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe returned from De Ge's house, the moon was already high in the sky. Its gentle light spilled into the courtyard, casting the swaying shadow of the old locust tree on the ground like a watercolor painting. The gate was ajar, and the kitchen light was still on, its warm orange glow filtering through the window and casting a soft, square shadow across the yard. Su Xiaoyin was sitting on a small stool by the kitchen door, sewing shoe soles. The needle pierced the thick cloth with a soft hissing sound. Hearing footsteps, she looked up and put down her work.

"Is everything settled?" She took the tool bag from Chen Dashan and placed it behind the door.

Chen Dashan nodded, took out a few pieces of silver from his pocket, and handed them to Su Xiaoyin. "It's settled. I'll start making the crib for Brother De's family tomorrow. Brother De isn't in a hurry, but I still want it done as soon as possible so I don't forget later. It's not big, and the materials are simple, so it won't take more than a few days to finish." Su Xiaoyin took the silver, didn't count it, and put it directly into her pocket.

Chen Xiaohe squatted down by the well, filled a basin with water to wash his face, and sighed contentedly as the cool water splashed on his skin. After wiping his face, he draped a towel over his shoulder and said to Su Xiaoqing, "Sister-in-law, I've discussed it with Brother De. We'll go to the next county the day after tomorrow to deliver Dragon Boat Festival gifts to the old master. Brother De has prepared everything, so we'll need to trouble you and Xiaoqing to take care of things here."

Su Xiaoqing brought out a bowl of mung bean soup from the kitchen and handed it to Chen Xiaohe, asking him what De Ge's family had sent, her tone inquiring. Chen Xiaohe took it and drank a big mouthful, the icy soup sliding down his throat. He wiped his mouth and counted on his fingers, "De Ge's family sent a smoked chicken, zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), cured meat, and a jar of good tea. The tea came from his in-laws; they said it was genuine Longjing tea, not the old tea sold outside. De Ge said his in-laws have connections in the south and can get several kilograms of authentic tea every year, which they usually can't bear to drink."

Hearing this, Su Xiaoqing turned to Su Xiaoyin and discussed it, her tone light but earnest: "Sister, let's make some zongzi too. Homemade ones taste better than store-bought ones. Then we'll go to the county town and buy a jar of good wine. I remember you said the old master likes to drink, right? Every time Xiaohe comes back, he talks about it, saying the master drinks two liang (100ml) every night, no more, but he can't drink less at any meal. Let's cater to his tastes and say something to his heart. Also, let's pick out some of the good mountain produce we had left over from last year and pack it up—dried mushrooms, wood ear fungus, daylily buds—wrapped in oil paper and tied tightly to keep them from getting damp. Add some cured meat, and that should be about right."

Chen Dashan, who was listening nearby, suddenly interjected, speaking slowly and deliberately: "Let's replace the zongzi with something else. You can decide whether to give him some of our own pastries or buy some from outside. The old master is getting on in years and his teeth aren't good; the zongzi are sticky, and he might not be able to chew them. Pastries would be softer and easier for him to eat. Our jujube paste cake or mung bean cake would be fine. If all else fails, we can buy a couple of boxes of pastries in the county town; the packaging is quite presentable."

Su Xiaoyin thought about it and felt it made sense, so she said, "Then, tomorrow Xiaoqing and I will go to the general store in the county town and prepare these things. You and Xiaohe can stay home and get busy. Hurry up and finish making the crib for Brother De's family. Don't neglect the work on the mountain either; water the plants that need watering and thin the fruit trees that need thinning."

Chen Xiaohe said, "That's fine. I'll hurry up and finish the work on the mountain tomorrow, and then De-ge and I will leave early the day after tomorrow and come back the day after that. We won't stop along the way; we'll just deliver the gifts and head back so our families won't worry." He paused, then added, "I'll trouble you and Xiaoqing to make me some dry food to take on the road. Food at restaurants is too expensive."

Su Xiaoqing stood up, already making plans in her mind, and said crisply, "Then tomorrow night I'll boil some tea eggs for you to take with you, and also make some pancakes, roll them up with stir-fried shredded meat, so you can eat them whenever you're hungry. Tea eggs are filling, and the pancakes are soft and taste good even when they're cold." Su Xiaoyin also stood up and added, "Don't forget the herbal tea either. It's hot, so don't get heatstroke on the way. Go early and come back early, and be careful. When you see the master, be polite and courteous. He taught you so many valuable skills; we can't be impolite and make him feel bad."