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

"Mom, tomorrow is the first day of the Dragon Boat Festival market! Brother Dashan has prepared everything and loaded it all onto the cart! But should we go and cut the mugwort first thing tomorrow morning?"

After dinner, Su Xiaoqing was clearing away the dishes when she asked Chen's mother, who was checking the sachets under the lamp to make sure they were sealed tightly. In the main room, Chen Dashan was wrapping the last few small wooden carvings in soft cloth, while Chen Xiaohe was counting the number of bamboo baskets and boxes. Su Xiaoyin was sorting the finished hair ties by color and pattern and hanging them in strings on a makeshift thin bamboo pole.

Without looking up, Chen's mother continued working: "Yes, we need to cut the mugwort first thing tomorrow morning, before dawn. It needs to be fresh with dew on it, looking juicy and smelling fragrant. Your father went to the back mountain this afternoon and found a patch that's growing very tall and dense. He's noted down the location. Let's hurry and cut it all up before loading it onto the truck."

She put down the sachet in her hand, looked around, and finally instructed, "Tomorrow we all need to get up early. Your father will stay home to look after the livestock, feeding and watering them. The rest of us should head to the county town early to get a good spot. If we go late, all the good spots will be taken, and even the best items won't stand out."

"Yes, Mom!" Chen Xiaohe replied loudly, his face full of eager excitement.

The next day, before the morning star had even risen, there was already activity in the Chen family's courtyard. After everyone had a quick breakfast, Chen's father saw them off at the gate, watching his son and daughter-in-law push a cart full of goods and disappear into the hazy morning mist before turning back to begin his day's work.

When they arrived in the county town, the market was already bustling with people, and many diligent vendors were setting up their stalls and displaying their goods. Chen Dashan, with his sharp eyes, quickly spotted a spot near the crossroads, a place where people came and went. The group worked together to quickly unload the goods from the cart. This time, Chen Dashan had specially made a long, foldable wooden table, which swayed steadily when unfolded. Various small wooden carvings and exquisite bamboo woven utensils were neatly arranged on the table, gleaming warmly in the morning light. A bamboo rack adorned with hair ties and sachets stood beside the table, colorful and subtly fragrant. A large bundle of mugwort, still fragrant with dew, was neatly bundled and stacked at one end of the table.

Not long after the stalls were set up, the number of people in the market increased significantly. The atmosphere of the Dragon Boat Festival permeated the air, carrying the unique scent of bamboo leaves and mugwort.

Mother Chen cleared her throat and spoke first, her voice low but clear: "Fellow villagers, come and see for the festival! Homemade wooden carvings, perfect for the children's amusement! Sturdy and practical bamboo baskets and boxes! Ladies and young women, look at these hair ties and sachets, so festive to wear! Mugwort, only two coins a bunch, wards off evil and brings peace!"

With her taking the lead, Chen Xiaohe immediately followed, his voice booming with the enthusiasm unique to young people. Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing were a little shy, but they also quietly introduced the patterns of the hair ties and the medicinal herbs and flowers filling the sachets. Although Chen Dashan didn't shout out his wares, he wiped each piece of wood carving and bamboo ware clean and arranged them with exceptional neatness. When someone picked one up to look at it, he would briefly comment on the wood and the craftsmanship.

Their stalls were filled with fresh and unique goods at reasonable prices, quickly attracting many people. Some were picking out little wooden horses and chubby dolls for their children, others were buying bamboo sewing baskets and small handbags for their homes, while many young women and married women were drawn to the brightly colored and stylish hair ties and the fragrant sachets, picking them up to compare and admire them. Mugwort was especially festive; if someone bought other things and their total purchase reached twenty-five coins, Chen's mother would happily give them a bunch; many also bought mugwort alone, two coins a bunch, for good luck during the festival.

"What's inside this sachet? It smells quite pleasant," a woman asked, picking up a sachet embroidered with a pattern of the five poisonous creatures.

"Auntie, inside are dried mugwort, mint, calamus, and some wild chrysanthemum petals, all picked by ourselves. Wearing them will repel mosquitoes and refresh your mind," Su Xiaoqing quickly explained in a soft voice.

"Hmm, not bad, give me two." The woman readily paid.

"This little winnowing basket is so finely woven, how big is it?" An old man picked up a bamboo winnowing basket about the size of his palm and examined it closely.

"Grandpa, this is five coins. It's perfect for holding sunflower seeds, peanuts, or needles and thread," Chen Xiaohe said with a smile.

As the sun rose higher, the goods on the stall dwindled at a visible rate. Most of the dozens of bundles of mugwort she had brought were given away as freebies; only a few were sold sporadically, but it clearly boosted sales of other items. Mother Chen estimated this in her mind, her smile deepening.

By midday, the crowds had thinned out. Looking at the few remaining goods on her stall, Chen's mother said to Su Xiaoyin and her sister, "Now that there are fewer people, you two should hurry to the embroidery shop and sell your embroidery. After you've sold them, come back and I'll take you to the market to buy some festive food, some meat, and some glutinous rice and red dates. We can also make some zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) at home."

"Yes!" the two sisters replied, carefully picked up the small bundle containing the embroidery, greeted Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe, and then walked quickly towards the embroidery workshop.

The proprietress of "Jinxiu Cloth Shop" had just seen off a customer and was dusting the counter with a feather duster when she looked up and saw the Su sisters enter. A familiar smile appeared on her face: "Oh, it's you two sisters! It's been a while since you've been here."

Su Xiaoyin stepped forward and gave a slight curtsy: "Greetings, shopkeeper. There was so much to do at home recently, with spring planting and land clearing, I really couldn't find the time. That's why I managed to get some done just before the Dragon Boat Festival."

Su Xiaoqing carefully placed the bundle on the counter and opened it. Inside were five or six handkerchiefs embroidered with exquisite patterns of orchids, butterflies, and small fish playing among lotus flowers; several brightly colored children's bibs embroidered with patterns of the five poisonous creatures such as scorpions and centipedes; two pairs of pillowcases symbolizing "mandarin ducks playing in the water" and "abundance year after year"; and at the bottom, a "Hundred Blessings Picture" about a foot square. The picture was embroidered with hundreds of "福" (blessing) characters of various shapes in red thread, arranged in a staggered and orderly manner, with a background of light gold cloud patterns. Although not large, the composition was full, the stitches were even, and the color scheme was dignified yet festive, showing careful attention to detail.

The shopkeeper's eyes lit up. She picked up the "Hundred Blessings" embroidery first, examining it closely against the light. Her fingers traced the fine embroidery, and she nodded repeatedly, "Excellent! Excellent! This 'Hundred Blessings' embroidery is truly ingenious! The thread colors are also well-matched; the gold thread adds a festive touch without being gaudy. Several discerning elderly ladies in our town appreciate these kinds of small embroidered pieces with auspicious meanings and exquisite craftsmanship. They would be perfect for hanging in a study or a small Buddhist shrine." She put down the embroidery and looked at the other embroidered pieces. The quality was better than before, clearly indicating that her skills had become increasingly refined.

She hesitated for a moment, then said, "This 'Hundred Blessings' painting, though small in size, has a good meaning and is finely crafted. I'll give you one and a half taels of silver. If you can embroider larger pieces next time, such as 'Pine and Crane for Longevity' or 'Flowers in Bloom for Wealth,' the price will be even higher. These handkerchiefs, bibs, and pillowcases, all added together, will also cost you one tael of silver. This price isn't low, but it's because of your excellent craftsmanship and high-quality products. In the future, you must send me your embroidered items again!"

One and a half taels! Add another tael! That's a full two and a half taels of silver!

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing felt their hearts pounding so hard they felt like they were about to leap out of their throats. Suppressing their excitement, they exchanged a glance, both seeing the unbelievable elation in each other's eyes. This batch of embroidery, including the fabric and thread, had cost a total of only about six hundred coins; this single act had netted them nearly two taels of silver!

"Thank you so much, shopkeeper! Thank you so much!" Su Xiaoyin's voice trembled slightly as she took the heavy two and a half taels of silver from the shopkeeper's wife, clutched it tightly in her palm, and carefully put it into the innermost pocket of her bosom, pressing it down as she did so.

"We'll definitely come back!" Su Xiaoqing quickly thanked her.

The two sisters stepped out of the embroidery workshop, the bright sunlight outside making them feel a little better, though their faces were still rosy, and their steps were light as if they could fly. Without delay, they hurried towards their stall, eager to share this wonderful news with their mother-in-law and family. The silver in their arms was burning hot, representing not only real wealth but also genuine recognition and value for their craftsmanship. This gave them an unprecedented sense of security and pride in their new home and on this land. The warm Dragon Boat Festival breeze brushed their cheeks, carrying the aromas of various foods from the market and bringing with it boundless anticipation for the wonderful life to come.