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

Chen Xiaohe responded, stood up, stretched, and walked into the house. When he reached the door, he turned back and said, "Sister-in-law, don't work too hard, go to bed early." Su Xiaoyin smiled and agreed.

Night has fallen. The fire in the stove has gone out, but the warmth still lingers in the cracks between the bricks. A pot of water remains warm on the stove, to be used tomorrow morning. The moon shines brightly outside the window, its gentle light spilling across the courtyard. The chirping of insects comes in waves, as if they are discussing something. Tomorrow will be another busy day—making a crib, preparing gifts for the festival, rushing to do chores on the mountain, steaming zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), boiling tea eggs, and making pancakes.

In the Chen family's courtyard, the lights went out one by one, except for the kitchen light, which was still on. Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing were still tidying up under the light.

----

On the day Chen Xiaohe set off, Su Xiaoqing got up before dawn. The fire in the stove was burning brightly, and the water in the pot was bubbling away. She first kneaded the dough and made a thick stack of pancakes, golden brown on both sides, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. She then heated up the tea eggs she had braised the day before and put them in a basket. She rolled the pancakes with stir-fried shredded meat, wrapped them in oil paper, and stuffed them into Chen Xiaohe's backpack. She also filled two bamboo tubes with cold tea, making them quite heavy.

"Go early and come back early, be careful." Su Xiaoqing saw him off at the gate of the courtyard, handed him his backpack, and straightened his collar.

Chen Xiaohe took the backpack, slung it over his shoulder, responded, and rode off on his bicycle. The wheels rolled over the dirt road, raising a cloud of dust that quickly disappeared into the morning mist.

Chen Dashan stayed home to make a crib for De Ge's baby. The wood had been prepared yesterday; it was pine, planed and sanded, with a pale yellow hue. He spread the blueprints on the bench in the woodworking shop, measured them several times with a ruler, and then began cutting the wood. Wood shavings curled up from the planer's blade, falling to the ground and piling up in a thin layer, emitting the unique fragrance of pine.

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing went to the county town.

The morning is the busiest time of day, with a constant stream of customers. Su Xiaoqing stands behind the counter, weighing and collecting money, her mouth never stopping. As the flow of customers gradually thins out, Su Xiaoyin takes off her apron and says to Su Xiaoqing, "You watch the shop, I'm going to check on my parents. Xiaohe left for the next county today, I need to let them know."

Su Xiaoqing nodded, and Su Xiaoyin carried the basket out the door.

Chen's mother's stall was at the east end of the market, selling small items like hair ties, silk flowers, and sachets. Chen's father had also arrived and was sitting behind his stall, holding a half-woven bamboo basket. Su Xiaoyin walked over, placed the basket beside the stall, and squatted down to talk to them.

Chen's mother was haggling with a young woman. The woman had her eye on a pair of red silk flowers and wanted to buy them for one coin. Chen's mother refused, saying that they were a new style and therefore more expensive. Su Xiaoyin picked up the silk flowers and examined them. The stitches were indeed fine and dense, and the petals were layered, making them more than twice as labor-intensive as the old style.

"Auntie, three coins is really not expensive," Su Xiaoyin chimed in with a smile, her voice soft but firm. The woman hesitated for a moment, then took out her money and bought it.

After the woman left, Chen's father finally looked up, his hands still busy with his work. Su Xiaoyin told him about Chen Xiaohe's trip to the neighboring county and asked when they would be able to come home and what their plans were for the Dragon Boat Festival.

Chen's mother neatly arranged the change and stuffed it into her purse, saying, "The child can go home for the holidays the day after tomorrow. You should buy the pig's head and offal first, so we can make braised dishes later. We need to prepare the dishes for the Dragon Boat Festival in advance, we can't wait until the last minute to start."

Chen's father chimed in, "Let's buy a few more pig trotters and braise them too." Su Xiaoyin agreed and carried the basket deeper into the market.

At the butcher's stall, there was one pig's head left, cleaned thoroughly, plump and white. There were also two sets of offal and not many pig's trotters left, so she picked out four fatty ones and bought them all. The butcher wrapped them in lotus leaves, tied them with straw rope, and put them in her basket.

On the way back, Su Xiaoyin saw an old man selling sesame candy and bought two packs to give to her children when they came back. Then she saw a pastry stall with a new design, shaped like little fish, golden and pleasing to the eye, so she bought two more.

Back at the shop, Su Xiaoqing was sitting behind the counter making silk flowers. Su Xiaoyin took the items to the backyard and returned to the shop, where the two discussed the Dragon Boat Festival menu.

"Braised meats count as one dish, stewed fish, braised pork, and stir-fried pork with pickled green beans," Su Xiaoqing said while sorting the goods, her hands never stopping. Su Xiaoyin chimed in, counting on her fingers, "We'll also make a tiger salad and stir-fried greens. We'll ask Mom, Dad, Big Brother, and Xiaohe what they like to eat later, and arrange two more, making a total of eight dishes, for good luck."

Su Xiaoqing nodded, and the two ordered the menu. Su Xiaoyin then said, "We'll start working on a new embroidery pattern after the Dragon Boat Festival, the one you mentioned before, the flower and bird pattern." Su Xiaoqing looked up, her tone light and cheerful, "Okay, the embroidery pattern is basically finished, we can start working right away."

The Dragon Boat Festival is approaching, and the festive atmosphere in the county town is growing stronger. Vendors selling bamboo leaves for making zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), mugwort, and colorful ropes call out their wares throughout the streets. Chen's shop is also displaying all sorts of Dragon Boat Festival items—the bamboo leaves are freshly picked from the mountain that morning, lush green and still glistening with dew; the colorful ropes are brightly colored and sturdy, woven by Su Xiaoqing who stayed up all night, enough to last all summer; the sachets are sewn by Su Xiaoyin, filled with mugwort and mint, their fragrant aroma repelling mosquitoes when hung indoors. Every customer who enters the shop, whether they buy anything or not, receives a free handful of bamboo leaves. Those who spend fifty coins or more receive an extra handful of mugwort. The customers, feeling satisfied, leave with smiles on their faces. Some who originally intended to buy only a piece of tofu end up buying several more items after seeing the free gifts. These past few days, business at the shop has been several times better than usual.

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing discussed the Dragon Boat Festival meal several times before finally deciding on eight dishes and a soup. Su Xiaoyin took charge of cooking, while Su Xiaoqing assisted; the two sisters-in-law worked together seamlessly. The kitchen was steaming, the spatulas were flying, and the aroma wafted out in waves, attracting even the dogs in the alley to lie down at the door and refuse to leave.

Chen Dashan tested the crib's guardrails, shaking them a few times without them moving. Satisfied, he touched the edge of the crib, then picked up a plane and sanded the edges again, making sure there weren't any burrs. The crib for Brother De's family would be delivered tomorrow, a few days earlier than he expected. He put away his tools, washed his hands in the yard, and went inside to help serve the dishes.

The whole family sat around the table. Father Chen picked up his wine glass, looked at everyone, and said, "Business is best these few days all year round. I wish we could come more often." Everyone laughed. Chen Xiaohe, biting into a chicken leg, mumbled, "Making money feels good, but it's a bit tiring. My hands cramped from counting the money. Mother, your money is really in such small pieces; I couldn't count it all after trying for ages." Mother Chen laughed and scolded him, then took the money and started counting again.