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

After finishing their meal and clearing away the dishes, Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe each took out a cloth bag from behind their backs and placed it on the table. Chen's mother's bag was heavy; upon opening it, they found a silver bracelet. It had a simple, unadorned design, but was polished to a high shine, gleaming softly under the lamplight.

"Mom, Xiaohe and I bought this for you together." Chen Dashan pushed the bracelet in front of his mother. Chen's mother was stunned for a while, then picked up the bracelet and put it on her wrist. The size was just right. Her eyes reddened, but she scolded, "Why waste money like this?"

Chen Dashan pushed another cloth bag in front of Su Xiaoyin: "Xiaoyin, this is for you." Su Xiaoyin opened it; inside was a silver peach blossom hairpin, the petals lifelike, the stamens outlined with gold thread. Su Xiaoqing also had one, a different style—an orchid hairpin, simple and elegant. Chen Xiaohe handed over this hairpin: "It's Dragon Boat Festival; I bought it for my sister-in-law, Xiaoqing, and mother. The money was saved little by little; we didn't use any of the family's money."

Su Xiaoyin held the hairpin, examining it from all angles for a long time, her heart warming, but she only uttered, "It's pretty." Su Xiaoqing had already put it on and asked Chen Xiaohe if it looked good. Chen Xiaohe nodded憨厚ly.

Father Chen looked at this and that, then coughed and said, "Everyone else has a gift, but I don't?" Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe exchanged a smile, then pulled out a jar of wine from under the table. The mud seal was still intact, and a large red label was affixed to the jar—"Shaoxing Old Wine".

"Dad, this is for you." Chen Xiaohe pushed the wine jar in front of his father. "Keep it so you can enjoy it later. The wine seller said this wine is good; warm it up before drinking, it's good for your stomach."

Mr. Chen held the wine jar, his face beaming with joy.

----

Chen Dashan parked the oxcart at the gate of the courtyard, jumped down, and carried the tools and scrap wood into the storeroom. His mother was sitting at the entrance of the main room, picking chives. Seeing her eldest son return, she put down the vegetables, wiped her hands on her apron, and asked, "Dashan, did you send the crib to Brother De?"

Chen Dashan washed his hands, squatted down by the well, scooped a ladle of water from the bucket, drank a few mouthfuls, and wiped his mouth. His face lacked the usual relaxed demeanor he displayed when returning from deliveries; his brows were slightly furrowed, as if something was on his mind. He put the ladle back in the bucket, stood up, sat down on the stool next to his mother, and remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"Mother, I delivered the crib to Brother De today. But I noticed that Brother De and his wife didn't look very happy; they even looked a bit worried. Brother De didn't even look at the crib before settling the final payment with me. He wasn't like this before; he always carefully checked everything before delivering the goods. This time, he didn't even touch it." Chen Dashan took out a few pieces of silver from his pocket, placed them on the table, and added, "I didn't say much and just left."

Upon hearing this, Chen's mother forgot to put down the chives in her hand and paused for a moment. After thinking for a while, she slowly said, "Normally, this shouldn't be the case. You know Brother De; he's meticulous in his work, especially when it comes to furniture. Last time you made a wardrobe for his family, he even checked the tenons and mortise joints at the bottom of the drawers. This time, he didn't even look at them. Maybe something else happened at their home, and they can't take care of it. Don't overthink it."

Chen Dashan nodded, stood up, picked up his basket and sickle from behind the door, and prepared to head towards the back of the mountain. His mother called out from behind, "Go to the back of the mountain and gather some more pig feed. The pig feed I gathered this morning is gone again. These pigs eat non-stop all day long, like a bottomless pit." Chen Dashan responded, his steps unwavering.

Shi Tou ran out of the house, carrying a comic book with worn-out illustrations on the cover. He chased after Chen Dashan to the courtyard gate, tugged at his sleeve, and looked up at him, saying, "Dad, could you catch some fish? I want to eat fish. The fish we ate last Dragon Boat Festival had too many bones; I didn't get enough."

Chen Dashan turned to look at him, a wry smile playing on his lips. "Didn't we just have braised fish for the Dragon Boat Festival? You ate most of it yourself, and Afu barely got a few bites. Why do you want some again?" Shi Tou chuckled, revealing a missing front tooth. Chen Dashan shook his head. "Alright, I'll go set down a few fish baskets and see if I can catch anything." He then said to his mother, "Mom, Shi Tou and the other two have to go to school tomorrow, right?"

Chen's mother nodded, put the picked chives into the basin, stood up and rubbed her lower back: "They have to go tomorrow. The holiday is short, they can't miss their classes. The teacher said last time that Shi Tou's handwriting is still not good enough, he should practice more." Chen Dashan said: "Then I'll set a few more fish baskets, and you can take more fish to the county town. Fish soup is good for their brains, so they can study hard."

As Chen Dashan spoke, he slung his basket over his shoulder, took his sickle, and strode towards the back of the mountain.

Chen's mother called out to the house, telling Shi Tou to take his younger brother to play in the yard and not to come inside and disturb Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing, who were doing embroidery. Shi Tou agreed and pulled Aji and Afu to chase a tabby cat. The three brothers ran around in the yard, their laughter as clear as bells.

Chen's mother sat at the doorway of the main room, holding a shoe sole in her hand, stitching it stitch by stitch. The needle pierced the thick layers of cloth, making a soft hissing sound. She sighed and muttered to herself, "Every family has its own troubles. Outsiders can't help with De's family's problems; they can only watch."

As she was reminiscing, the courtyard gate was pushed open. Er Mu's aunt walked in, her steps hurried, her face not looking too good. Chen's mother quickly put down her shoes, stood up, and ushered her into the main room, pouring her a bowl of cold tea.

"Sister-in-law, I have something to tell you." Er Mu's wife sat down, picked up her bowl, took a sip, wiped her mouth, and lowered her voice. "De Ge's father, the old village head is not going to make it. It'll probably be over in the next day or two. They've already notified their relatives, and everyone who was supposed to come back has returned. You have something on your mind. If he really doesn't make it, we'll have to go and help. The old village head has been the village head for so many years, and he's always there for everyone in need. We can't be impolite."

Chen's mother's face also darkened. After a long silence, she nodded and said, "I understand. My husband and I will stay home for the next couple of days. Let Dashan and the others go to the county town. We can't back down when it's time to help."

Er Mu's family sat for a while longer, exchanging a few casual words, before getting up and leaving. Chen's mother saw them off at the courtyard gate, watching their figures disappear into the alleyway. She stood there for a long time before turning back.

In the evening, Chen's father and Chen Xiaohe returned from selling goods in the county town. They unloaded the oxcart and added hay. Chen's mother told them what Er Mu's family had said earlier that day.