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

"Mom, did Dad go to the fields early this morning?"

Su Xiaoyin pushed open the half-closed gate of the old house and saw Chen's mother washing the family's clothes by the well. The early summer sun was already quite warm, making the courtyard bright and shiny.

Chen's mother straightened up, shook the water droplets off her hands, and laughed, "That's right, your father just can't sit still. He said he was going to check on the seedlings in the fields. They were only planted a short time ago, so he has to keep a close eye on them to see if they're lacking fertilizer or suffering from drought. He only feels at ease when he knows the situation." She paused, then asked, "Have you fed the pigs over there?"

"It's fed," Su Xiaoyin walked to Chen's mother's side and helped wring out a coarse cloth shirt. "That pig is eating more every day! Now it eats a whole basket of pig feed mixed with bran and soybean residue in no time, and it's still grunting and asking for more. Xiaoqing and I have to go out of our way to cut an extra basket for it every day."

Upon hearing this, Chen's mother was not worried at all; instead, a smile appeared on her face: "It's a good thing that they can eat! Piglets need to eat a lot to gain weight. When they gain a lot of weight, they'll fetch a high price at the market at the end of the year! If we work hard to feed them, we'll earn more money then."

Su Xiaoqing came over from the new house, carrying a small wooden bucket filled with wet soybean pulp strained from making soybean milk, which she planned to feed the chickens and ducks. Hearing the conversation, she interjected, "Mother, your method is still the best. You keep the pigsty spotless every day, adding fresh soil, so the pigs are comfortable. The feed is also very meticulous. Look at this soybean pulp; even people would eat it when they're starving, and pigs love it! Mixed with their straw, they eat it without even lifting their heads."

Mother Chen picked up the conversation, sharing her experience while hanging up the laundry: "Raising pigs is like taking care of children; you have to be meticulous. Soybean dregs are good stuff, very nutritious. Also, I save those big bones we have left over from making soup that we can't chew. I dry them in the sun until they're completely crisp, then grind them into powder with a stone mortar and pestle and mix them into the pig feed. Fish bones and small fish and shrimp shells, dried, work too. Pigs that eat these not only grow bigger but are also less prone to illness. Remember, animals are somewhat human; if the pen is clean, they're in a good mood, and when they're in a good mood, they have a good appetite, and their meat grows rapidly!"

Su Xiaoyin sincerely admired her: "Mom, you really have a way with things! If it weren't for your hands-on teaching, we wouldn't have been raised so smoothly."

A hint of nostalgia crossed Chen's mother's face, her voice gentle: "This method was a secret skill my mother taught me before I left home. With this skill, my family used to raise several large, fat pigs every year, selling them for a good amount of money, which made life a little more comfortable." She quickly snapped out of her reverie, then added, "Oh, right, last night Dashan mentioned that the Dragon Boat Festival is approaching, and asked if we should go up the mountain to cut some fresh mugwort to sell at the market. There's plenty on the mountain, no upfront cost. Even if we don't sell it, we can dry it and keep it to repel mosquitoes and boil for bathing in the summer."

Su Xiaoqing's eyes lit up: "That's a great idea! Every household needs mugwort for the Dragon Boat Festival, hoping it will ward off evil and bring good fortune. We can bundle it into small bunches and sell it cheaply; there's sure to be a market for it."

After thinking it over, Chen's mother agreed: "Okay, then let's get up early on market day and go cut mugwort first. Xiaoyin and Xiaoqing, get the hair ties and sachets you made ready. Dashan and Xiaohe, gather all your bamboo and wood carvings too. Let's go together and sell as much as we can."

At midday, under the blazing sun, Chen's father returned from the fields with his two sons. All three were drenched in sweat, their trousers and shoes covered in mud. To everyone's surprise, Chen Dashan was carrying two plump, gray wild rabbits, with obvious marks on their necks from being struck.

Chen's mother was just bringing dishes out of the kitchen when she saw it and exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? Didn't they go to the fields? Where did this rabbit come from?"

Father Chen put down his hoe, chuckled, and took the damp cloth Su Xiaoqing handed him to wipe his face. He explained, "We were working over there in the wasteland, digging the ground, when suddenly two pups jumped out of the bushes. I think it was a pair, and we were startled. Luckily, Dashan was quick-witted and knocked one unconscious with the back of his hoe; Xiaohe was clever too, picking up a stone and throwing it, hitting the other one right on the head. Hey, we'll have a treat tonight!"

Looking at the two rabbits, Chen's mother was happy, but she didn't forget to be careful with her money: "They're nice, but these rabbits look quite plump. We'll stew one tonight and have a taste. Clean the other one, rub it with salt, and hang it on the kitchen beam to smoke it a bit so it can last. We can take it out to eat when we're tired from the farm work or when we have guests. Although we haven't had many opportunities to eat meat this year, we've had bone broth every day, so we've had quite a bit of meat."

Chen Xiaohe had been craving meat for a while, and upon hearing this, he immediately said, "Mom, bone broth is delicious and nourishing, but it can't compare to the real aroma of meat! I'm really looking forward to tonight's rabbit meat!"

Chen Dashan smiled and said, "The bone broth is indeed very good. I've noticed that everyone in the family, young and old, has a rosier complexion than at the beginning of spring. If we find cheap pork bones at the market in the future, we can buy some more and make broth again. After making the broth, we can dry the bones, grind them into powder, and feed it to the pigs—nothing will be wasted."

Hearing this, Chen's mother felt relieved: "It's good that you know how to plan. Life is about saving up little by little. Alright, don't stand there anymore, wash your hands and get ready to eat. We still have work to do this afternoon. Leave the rabbit to Dashan to clean, make sure the skin is intact, and once it's tanned, we can make double-skin earmuffs for your wife in the winter."

Lunch was a simple mixed grain rice, stir-fried vegetables, and a side dish of pickled vegetables. But because they were looking forward to the rabbit meat that evening, the family ate with extra relish. After lunch, Chen Dashan went to the well and deftly cleaned the rabbit, carefully rubbing the skin with wood ash and letting it dry in a shady place. Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing helped Chen's mother wash the dishes and feed the chickens, ducks, and geese.

In the afternoon, after resting for a while, Chen's father still took his tools to the fields. Chen Dashan followed him, while Chen Xiaohe sat in the shade, beginning to weave the last few small, exquisite bamboo boxes and baskets for the Dragon Boat Festival market. Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing returned home; one took out a half-embroidered Dragon Boat Festival five-poison bib, while the other began to sort through dried wild chrysanthemum petals and mugwort fragments, preparing to fill sachets.

In the yard, the piglets grunted and napped in their clean pen, while chickens, ducks, and geese strolled around their respective territories, foraging for food. The transplanted jujube tree in the corner had grown much more lush, its leaves swaying gently in the breeze. Life, like the early summer sun, was bright and warm, filled with the sweat of labor and the anticipation of harvest. Those two unexpected wild rabbits, like a small reward from life to the diligent, made the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival all the more meaningful, filled with simple joys.