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

Chen Xiaohe walked at the front, his steps quick and energetic. He said as he walked, "Dad, I'm going to check that pine forest today. The pine branches from last year weren't completely cleared out; they can still be used this year. I'll also cut some hardwood; it's fire-resistant and burns for a long time." His father responded from behind, reminding him not to go too deep, as it wasn't safe for him alone. Chen Dashan, walking in the middle, suddenly remembered something and added, "Cut down as many acorn trees as you see; they don't produce smoke when burned, so we can send them to the county town so the children won't be choked while doing their homework."

Once they reached the mountain, the three of them dispersed and went about their own business.

Chen's father specifically chose to cut down dead trees. Sawdust fell down in a flurry as he bent over, sawing slowly and steadily, as if he were talking to the trees.

Chen Dashan cut down a lot of hardwood, piled it up, tied it with vines, and gathered the scattered pine branches together, binding them into small bundles. This firewood needs to be dried in the sun for a few days before it can be burned, so he spread it out to dry while the sun was shining.

Besides chopping firewood, Chen Xiaohe also had to take care of the fruit trees during the winter. He carried a jug of lime water and brushed the trunks of each tree, the white lime slurry reaching waist-high from the roots. His mentor had said that the bark was prone to cracking in winter, and brushing with lime would prevent frost damage and kill insect eggs hidden in the crevices. This was meticulous work, requiring utmost care; he brushed it very diligently, much more tiring than chopping firewood.

While chopping firewood, Chen Dashan spotted a small patch of autumn mushrooms under the bushes. The caps weren't fully open, their edges curling inwards—they looked incredibly tender. He squatted down and carefully picked them one by one, being careful not to break the caps, and put them in his basket. He'd have Su Xiaoyin make mushroom soup when he got back; it would be delicious. Not far along, he found a clump of wild hazelnuts, already ripe, their brown shells cracked open to reveal the white kernels inside. He squatted down and picked them for a while, filling the small pocket of his basket.

----

In the evening, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing returned from the county town, parked the mule cart, and unloaded their belongings. The sun was already setting, and its orange-red light spilled into the courtyard, gilding the leaves of the old locust tree with a golden edge. Several hens were pawing at the base of the wall, clucking.

Su Xiaoyin carried a basket into the kitchen, washed her hands, tied on an apron, and began preparing dinner. Su Xiaoqing followed behind, putting away the things they had brought back from the county town. The two worked together seamlessly, one chopping vegetables and the other tending the fire. The fire in the stove quickly blazed up, and the water in the pot bubbled and steamed. Chen's father was squatting in the yard sharpening his axe; he would be going up the mountain to chop firewood tomorrow, and the blade needed to be sharp. Chen Dashan washed his hands by the well, and Chen Xiaohe came from the backyard carrying a bundle of hay for the cattle.

"Dad, Manager Sun came to the general store today." Su Xiaoyin poked her head out from the kitchen, holding a spatula with oil droplets from frying eggs still clinging to it. "He wants to order some fruit from us. He said the apples and pears we gave him before tasted really good, and everyone in the family said they were delicious, much better than what you buy in the market. He wants to take some back to the prefectural city to give to relatives and friends to try."

Mr. Chen stopped sharpening the axe, placed it upright beside his leg, looked up, and said with surprise and delight, "This is good news! How many kilograms does Manager Sun want?"

Su Xiaoqing came out of the kitchen, wiped her hands on her apron, and continued, "Fifty catties of each, a total of one hundred catties. Fifty catties of apples and fifty catties of pears. But the quality of the fruit must be guaranteed, no inferior fruit can be used, the size must be uniform, and there must be no bruises or scars. Deliver it directly tomorrow, and if he checks it and finds no problems, he will pay on the spot."

Father Chen placed the axe on the millstone, stood up, dusted off his knees, thought for a moment, and said to his eldest son, "Dashan, tomorrow morning you go to the county town with me to deliver the goods to Manager Sun. Come home after you've delivered them. The fruit trees on the mountain by the river need maintenance for the next two days, so I can't leave. Come back as soon as you've finished delivering the goods; there's still a lot to do at home." Chen Dashan nodded in agreement: "Dad, I know. Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as possible, it won't be a problem."

Mr. Chen asked again, "Xiaoyin, have your embroidery patterns sold?" Su Xiaoyin, holding a spatula, poked her head out again, sighed, and said with a hint of helplessness, "I've been so busy these past few days that I haven't had time to ask. The autumn harvest has piled up, so the embroidery was put on hold. Tomorrow I'll ask my regular customers if they need any. If not, I'll sell them slowly, no rush." ​​She paused, her eyes brightening slightly, "But recently, the ceramic dolls in the general store have been selling quite well. Xiaoqing bought some more, and I painted them and put them next to the counter. Many children who come in buy them; they're only a few coins each, not expensive, and the parents are willing to spend the money."

Mr. Chen nodded, the wrinkles on his face smoothing out a bit. He stood up, rubbed his lower back, his steps slower than in previous years, and his posture less straight. "You can arrange it as you see fit," he said, his voice tinged with undisguised weariness. "I'm going back to my room to rest. I'm old and useless; any work aches all over." With that, he slowly walked towards the main room, his figure appearing somewhat frail in the twilight.

Chen Xiaohe came out of the kitchen with his rice bowl, sat down on the steps, and took a bite of rice. Seeing that Chen's father had walked away, Su Xiaoyin lowered her voice and asked Chen Dashan, still holding the plate of vegetables, "Dashan, how many more days will it take to finish all this work around the house? Let me figure it out. Dad hasn't been feeling well these past few days; he coughed for a long time this morning. He needs to rest."

Chen Dashan squatted by the well, finished his porridge, wiped his mouth, and counted on his fingers: "I estimate that chopping firewood for another seven or eight days should be enough. We need to stock up on firewood this year, and we also need to deliver it to the house in the county town. We can't wait until it snows to get busy. The rest are just some small tasks—we need to harvest the vegetables in the garden, collect the radishes and cabbages that need to be harvested, and store them in the cellars. Aren't you going to plant chives in the winter? We need to dig up the chive roots and move them into the wooden troughs. We also need to see if we can gather any more mountain produce, mushrooms, hazelnuts, wild fruits, etc., as much as we can." He looked up at Su Xiaoyin, "What's wrong? Do you have any plans?" His voice was full of concern; he knew Su Xiaoyin wasn't the kind of person who would create trouble for herself.

Su Xiaoyin put down the plate of food, lowering her voice even further, as if afraid of being overheard by Chen's father in the main room: "I was thinking that once we've finished chopping all the firewood, Dad should go to the county town to rest properly. It'll save him from being constantly busy at home, always having work come his way—fixing here, tidying up there. It doesn't look tiring, but it's exhausting to do. This year he's clearly not working as hard as last year. I can tell his old back pain has flared up again, but he's been enduring it without saying a word. I think we've chopped enough firewood. Dashan or Xiaohe, you two should take Dad to Dr. Li in the county town for a checkup. He should take the medicine he needs and get some treatment, so he doesn't let a minor ailment become a major one. Then Dad can accompany Mom to sell goods in the county town, which will also keep her company. Mom is alone in the county town taking care of the children; although she doesn't say it, I know she also hopes Dad can come and keep her company."