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

"No matter what De Ge's relationship with our family is like in the future, as long as we live a good life, even if they gradually drift away from us, we won't be bullied in the village." He paused, tapping his pipe on the edge of the table. "Look at Li Hu. Although he lives in the village, he doesn't interact much with many people there. His family's main business is in the county town. For him, the village is just a place to live, and the only other thing is the property on the mountain—the barren hills and fruit trees, which is a legacy left to Li An. He doesn't compete or fight in the village, and the villagers don't dare to look down on him. His roots are in the county town, not in the village."

Father Chen's gaze swept across his two sons' faces, finally landing on the plate of barely touched braised offal. He picked up a piece of pig liver with his chopsticks, chewed it slowly, swallowed it, and spoke in a calm tone, as if he were summarizing something.

"Our family is pretty much settled now. We have a shop and a house in the county town, and the children are studying there. In the future, their roots probably won't be in the village anymore. Don't worry, just continue living your lives as usual."

A moment of silence fell over the kitchen. The fire crackled once, like someone speaking in the distance, then fell silent again. The moon peeked out from behind the clouds, its gentle light spilling into the courtyard, casting the shadow of the old locust tree on the ground. The children's laughter in the yard had ceased; they must have been called inside by Chen's mother to wash up.

Su Xiaoyin stood up and added soup to everyone's bowls. The soup spoon made a crisp sound as it hit the rim of the bowl, gently dispelling the heavy atmosphere. Su Xiaoqing got up and went to the kitchen, bringing out a plate of scrambled eggs. The golden-yellow egg pieces were sprinkled with bright green scallions and were steaming hot.

Mr. Chen picked up the soup bowl, blew away the foam, and took a sip.

"Let's eat, the food's getting cold," he said.

----

Night had fallen, and the fire in the stove had completely died down, but the residual warmth lingered in the cracks between the bricks, making the kitchen cozy. The moon outside the window was large and round, its clear light filtering through the paper windowpane into the room, making it possible to see each other's faces clearly without needing a lamp. The shadow of the old locust tree was cast on the window, its branches swaying gently, as if someone were pacing outside.

Chen Dashan lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), his hands behind his head, his eyes half-closed, as if he were about to fall asleep, or perhaps he was thinking about something. Su Xiaoyin turned to her side and pulled the blanket up to cover his shoulders. She hesitated for a moment, then spoke, her voice very soft, as if afraid of disturbing the moon outside the window.

"Dashan, is it really impossible for us to go back to how things were before with Brother De?" She paused, as if choosing her words carefully. "I mean... to visit each other like before. Visiting each other during holidays, helping each other out in the fields, the children playing together. Now, I always feel an emptiness in my heart."

Chen Dashan didn't answer immediately. He stared at the purlin he had personally installed on the roof beam for a while; it was pitch black, and he couldn't see anything clearly. He slowly turned over, facing Su Xiaoyin, and put his arm under her neck so she could rest her head on it. His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clearly enunciated.

"There's no way to restore things fundamentally. If the old village head were still alive, De-ge and our family might still be able to interact as before—the old village head was there to keep things under control, so even if De-ge had any ideas, he couldn't do them. But with the old village head gone, that pillar collapsed. Being able to maintain superficial contact, to smile and greet each other when we meet, is the best outcome." He sighed, a very soft sigh, as if it rose from a very deep place, "Human hearts are something that can't withstand comparison."

Su Xiaoyin leaned closer to him without saying anything, waiting for him to continue.

"I've been thinking about this for a long time. You can tell from the way Brother De found a wife for his eldest son—Brother De and Old Lizheng are two completely different kinds of people. Old Lizheng introduced a family in the next village. They were well-off, and although they were farmers, the family members were hardworking and diligent. I've heard about that girl; she's a real womanizer, good at farming and cooking, and keeps the house and surroundings tidy. She's also quite pretty. Old Lizheng has a good eye for people; he's never been wrong about anyone in his life." Chen Dashan's voice lowered, as if he couldn't bear to say it, but he still said it, "Brother De didn't agree at the time and chose the Zhou family in town. The Zhou family only has one daughter, and they have a shop and a house. You and I can guess what he was thinking."

Su Xiaoyin remained silent for a while, her fingers unconsciously drawing circles on his chest.

"Doesn't Brother De regret it now? If he had listened to the old village head back then, things wouldn't have come to this point of divorce. The child isn't his own, he's disliked by everyone, and he's lost all his prestige in the village. This move was a huge mistake." Her voice was muffled, carrying the sigh of an observer.

Chen Dashan hugged her tighter, resting his chin on the top of her head. His voice became calm, as if he were talking about something unrelated to himself, but the weight in his words was heavy.

"He chose this path himself; no one can walk it for him. What's the use of regret? What's done is done, and people are scattered. It's too late to talk about the past now." He paused, nuzzled her head with his chin, and softened his tone. "From now on, let's be like Uncle Li Hu's family—live our own lives and not meddle in other people's business. If our family does well, no one in the village will dare to look down on us, and no one will dare to cause trouble. If our roots are firmly planted, the wind can't blow us down."

Su Xiaoyin hummed in agreement and didn't ask any more questions. The moonlight shone in through the window, falling on her profile as if it were plated with silver. Chen Dashan looked at her silhouette, reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, his rough fingertips gently brushing against her earlobe.

"Go to sleep, you have to get up early tomorrow."

Su Xiaoyin closed her eyes, and her breathing quickly became even.

The next morning, before dawn, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing got up. They relit the fire in the stove, reheated the leftover bone broth from the night before, added two handfuls of noodles, sliced ​​some braised pork, and sprinkled on some chopped scallions—it was steaming hot. The two sisters quickly finished eating, and Su Xiaoyin prepared lunch, keeping it warm in the pot, covering it, and leaving a note on the stove in case Chen Dashan and the others couldn't find it when they returned. Then she hitched up the mule cart and headed to the county town.

The morning mist hadn't yet dissipated, leaving a white haze; one couldn't see a person just a few steps away. The mule cart creaked and groaned along the dirt road, its wheels leaving two deep ruts as they rolled over the dew-dampened grass.

Chen's father, Chen Dashan, and Chen Xiaohe stayed at home.

The autumn harvest had just ended, and the work on the mountain was already underway. Taking advantage of the good weather, chopping firewood was the top priority. Winter had come early this year, so they needed to prepare plenty of firewood; they also needed to deliver it to the house in the county town so the children wouldn't get cold. The father and his two sons, carrying baskets on their backs and holding machetes and sickles, headed towards the back of the mountain.