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

Chen Dashan nodded, sat down at the table, and took the bowl from Su Xiaoyin, the steam rising to his face. He took a sip of the radish soup, warming his stomach, before speaking: "We have enough firewood. We cut a lot this year, and several truckloads were delivered to the houses in the county town. It's enough to last until spring. But Xiaohe and I plan to prepare some more before the weather changes. It's better to be prepared, in case heavy snow blocks the roads, we won't be caught off guard. By the way, the wooden troughs you asked for are ready, filled with soil, and the leek roots have been moved in. We'll put them in a sunny spot by the wall, and move them inside when it gets really cold. The troughs are double-layered, with gaps at the bottom for drainage, so the roots won't rot."

Su Xiaoqing was setting the table when she heard this and came over, her voice brimming with excitement: "You guys are so quick! I was just thinking of doing it myself in my spare time these past few days, but I didn't expect you to have it all done." She walked to the door and glanced at the wall—three wooden troughs were neatly arranged, each more than a meter long, filled with fertile, dark soil, and tender green shoots of chives swaying gently in the night breeze. Satisfied, she returned to the kitchen. "Oh, by the way, bring us more fruit tomorrow. The ones we took to the county town before are all sold out. Several regular customers came to ask if we had any left, especially the old man who runs the restaurant, who said his regular customers specifically ask for our fruit to make fruit platters. We also need to make more dried fruit; there's not much left from what we made before. Yesterday, an old lady bought two jin (1 kg) at once, saying she wanted to take it to her grandson in another city."

Chen Xiaohe put down the bowl and counted on his fingers: "Besides the ones we've already used, there are only six or seven rabbit skins left at home. They're all stored in that old wooden box in the storage room. I took them out to look at them a couple of days ago when I had some free time, and not many of them are in good condition." Su Xiaoqing asked a question, and after Chen Xiaohe answered, Su Xiaoqing said she wanted to make knee pads.

"Today at the shop, I overheard an old lady talking about how older people use rabbit fur to make knee pads in winter. They tie them around their knees and they're very warm, protecting their joints. My dad has been saying his knees are cold these past few days, and he can't warm them up even after lying in bed for a long time at night. I'm thinking of making a pair of knee pads for my parents out of rabbit fur, and a back brace for my dad. Rabbit fur is soft and warm against the skin, much better than cotton."

Chen Dashan thought for a moment, finished the soup in his bowl, and put it down. "The skins of these two rabbits are done. I'll tan them properly tomorrow. The fur is in good condition, they're usable. So, tomorrow Xiaohe and I will go up the mountain again to set more traps and dig more snares, trying to catch as many as possible. The rabbits are plump and their fur is thick right now, it's a good time for making things. Winter nights are long, so we can sit under the lamp and slowly tan the hides, and we can make a whole set before spring."

Su Xiaoyin added, "Just do your best and be careful. The mountains are densely wooded, and some places are bumpy. It gets dark early, so don't stay out too late."

Chen Xiaohe squatted by the stove, poking at the fire with a stick in his hand. His tone was so relaxed that it didn't seem like he was about to venture into the deep mountains: "It's nothing, my brother and I know what's important. Besides, it's the off-season for farming now, and the mountains are full of people—chopping firewood, digging for herbs, setting traps, it's more lively than a market. Before, we could find some mountain produce nearby, but now there's nothing left near the village, even the pine cones have been picked clean, we have to go deep into the mountains. Luckily, my brother and I were quick, we picked a lot early on, we dried several baskets of mushrooms, hazelnuts, and wild dates, enough to last until the New Year."

Seeing his nonchalant expression, Su Xiaoyin shook her head and said nothing more. She turned to arrange tomorrow's work: "Tomorrow afternoon, take some time to harvest all the vegetables in the yard, tidy them up, and put them in the cellar. I think the temperature might drop again in a few days, and it might freeze at night. It would be a pity if the radishes and cabbages froze, so it's better to harvest them early. Leave a few cabbages in the ground and harvest them after it snows and freezes; they'll make delicious sauerkraut."

----

The next day, before dawn, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing set off in their mule cart. The morning breeze was cool, carrying the crisp scent unique to the area after the first frost, rustling the withered grass along the roadside. Su Xiaoqing sat on the cart and checked the baskets again—tofu, bean sprouts, braised meat, pastries, fruit, newly made silk flowers, vegetables, and everything else were there. Su Xiaoyin drove the cart, mentally planning what she needed to do that day: deliver rabbit meat, buy things, ask about embroidery thread—all of these had to be completed before the afternoon.

By the time they arrived in the county town, it was already broad daylight. The two sisters quickly unloaded and arranged the goods, wiping the counter spotless and placing the newly arrived pottery dolls in the most prominent position. As usual, business was busiest in the morning; neighborhood aunties and grandmas came in a steady stream, carrying baskets—one with a bunch of vegetables, another with a piece of tofu, another wanting two pounds of braised pork—the shop was lively and bustling with conversation. Su Xiaoyin weighed the goods and collected payment, while Su Xiaoqing packed and handed them over, working together seamlessly until the sun rose higher and the customer flow gradually thinned out.

Su Xiaoyin wiped her hands, took off her apron, and said to Su Xiaoqing, "There's no one around now, I'll go and deliver the rabbit meat to my parents first. I'll also take a stroll around the market to see if there's anything I need to buy. Can you mind the shop by yourself?" Su Xiaoqing nodded in agreement, telling her to hurry back, explaining that when no one was around in the afternoon, the two sisters still needed to go to the fabric shop to buy embroidery thread and silk fabric. They needed to prepare the materials for the next embroidery piece as soon as possible, so they wouldn't be caught off guard when they started working on it.

Su Xiaoyin slung her basket over her shoulder and hurried toward the market.

The market was bustling with people, vendors selling vegetables, cloth, and daily necessities, their shouts rising and falling. The air was filled with the aroma of braised meat and the smoky smell of fried dough sticks from the cooked food stalls, a lively and bustling atmosphere. Mr. and Mrs. Chen's stall was located towards the back, selling small items such as hair ties, silk flowers, and sachets. Mrs. Chen was squatting on the ground arranging her goods, straightening a crooked silk flower, while Mr. Chen sat on a stool behind the stall, an old pillow behind his back, twisting hemp rope in his hands.

Su Xiaoyin didn't go over first, but turned around and walked into the market. She thought that since she had come all this way, she should buy everything she needed.

She first went to the fishmonger's stall. Several large grass carp were swimming in a wooden basin, lively and energetic. The largest one weighed at least four or five pounds, its scales shimmering with a bluish light in the sunlight. The old man selling fish tied a knot in a straw rope through the gills and handed it to her. She paid, put the fish into her basket, tied the straw rope to the handle, and the fish's tail was still gently swaying.