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

She walked over to the butcher's stall. The butcher was tidying up his cutting board, preparing to close up shop. Su Xiaoyin bought a few large bones, a pig's head, and a set of offal, all for making braised dishes. Next to the cutting board was a large piece of fatty pork, white and nearly two fingers thick, perfect for rendering lard. Seeing that she had bought a lot, the butcher offered, "If you want this piece of fatty pork, I can throw in a set of offal to make it a round number. I'll close up shop after these are sold out, and these are the lowest prices I've given you." Su Xiaoyin looked at it; the fatty pork was indeed good, and the offal was fresh, so she nodded. The butcher deftly wrapped the items in lotus leaves, tied them with straw rope, and put them into her basket.

The basket was full and heavy. Su Xiaoyin carried it to Chen's mother's stall, put it down, and took a breath.

When Chen's mother saw her arrive, she put down her work, a smile spreading across her face. She playfully scolded, "Xiaoyin, why did you buy so much stuff again? We have plenty at home." Chen's father also straightened up from his stool, glancing into the basket. The fish tail was still moving, the large bones were stark white, and the pig's head was neatly cleaned. Su Xiaoyin moved a small stool and sat down at the stall. Lowering her voice, she recounted how Manager Sun had collected the embroidery patterns yesterday, making a "five" gesture with her five fingers spread open and tapping them lightly on the table twice. Chen's mother understood, nodding, a satisfied smile appearing at the corners of her eyes. She didn't say much, only gently patting the back of Su Xiaoyin's hand.

Su Xiaoyin added, "Mother, I saw some big grass carp for sale at the market just now, so I bought one for you. We'll stew it for dinner tonight. Also, Da Shan and Xiao He caught two wild rabbits on the mountain yesterday. They've cleaned them up, and I brought one over for you and Dad." She took the rabbit meat, wrapped in oil paper, from her basket and placed it in a wooden box under the stall to keep it from drying in the sun. "This rabbit is very plump. Xiao He said it was caught in a trap in a deep ravine behind the mountain. Rabbits in that area eat grass seeds and medicinal herbs all year round, so their meat is especially fragrant. Let Dad have a good nourishing meal."

Hearing this from the side, Mr. Chen's complexion was better than a few days ago, and his voice was stronger. He waved his hand and said, "I'm much better now. After finishing these medicines, your mother and I went to Dr. Li's to get another course of treatment. Dr. Li said that after finishing this, I basically won't need to take any more. I just need to be careful when I'm working. Don't catch a cold, and don't overexert yourself. My back has definitely gotten much lighter after these ten days or so of rest."

Su Xiaoyin carefully observed Chen's father's complexion. It was much better than when they last met; the wrinkles around his eyes had smoothed out. Feeling somewhat reassured, she gave him a few more instructions. She then took out the items from her basket one by one for Chen's mother to inspect—a pig's head, offal, large bones, fatty meat, and a large grass carp. She explained the purpose of each item. Chen's mother listened attentively, nodding repeatedly, and carefully packed the items away, placing what needed to be in wooden boxes and hanging what needed to be hung up.

Su Xiaoyin helped out at the stall for a while, tidying up the goods, straightening the silk flowers that had been blown askew by the wind, and giving change to several customers. Seeing that everything was settled, she got up to leave. Suddenly, Chen's mother called out to her, taking her hand and asking, "By the way, how's Qingqing? We haven't seen her come to the shop with you these past few days. If everything's alright, bring Qingqing over tomorrow; your father and I miss her."

Mrs. Chen's tone was filled with concern, and her voice softened slightly. Mr. Chen also stopped fanning himself and turned his head to listen. Qingqing was the only girl in the Chen family, and Mr. and Mrs. Chen doted on her even more than their sons. Every time Qingqing came to the county town, Mrs. Chen would buy her candied hawthorns, while Mr. Chen would secretly slip her pocket money. Last time Qingqing went back home, Mrs. Chen even secretly wiped away tears.

Su Xiaoyin smiled and said that Qingqing had been learning embroidery from her and Xiaoqing recently, and was making rapid progress. She could already embroider shapes independently, and although her stitches weren't very even yet, she could see she had talent. However, she should let her rest a bit; she'd been cooped up in her room embroidering for the past few days, and her little fingers were all red from rubbing. Hearing this, Chen's mother felt even more distressed, muttering, "Then send her over tomorrow, let her stay a few more days, don't let her embroider anymore, children's fingers are so delicate." Su Xiaoyin said, "Okay, I'll send her over tomorrow. Let her stay here for a while, and come back together when Shitou and the others are on holiday. It's only six or seven days, let her have a good time in the county town, and you can make her some good food to nourish her."

Mother Chen slapped her thigh, her voice filled with joy, saying that Shi Tou and the others would be on holiday soon too. In six or seven days, the school would be closed for the New Year holiday, and all four children could come back then, so the whole family could have a good get-together. She was already planning what delicious food to make for Qingqing—braised pork ribs, sweet and sour fish, steamed egg custard, she counted them one by one, wishing she could bring the child to her side tomorrow.

Su Xiaoyin sat for a while longer, chatting with Mr. and Mrs. Chen about everyday matters—there hadn't been any new developments at Brother De's house lately, Uncle Li Hu's barren mountain had a good harvest this year, and the village's simpleton had collected a bag of wild duck eggs by the river. Mr. Chen listened, occasionally interjecting, his wrinkles smoothing out as he smiled contentedly.

It was almost noon when Su Xiaoyin finally carried her basket to the general store.

The sun was higher, its warmth comforting her. The streets were much quieter, and shopkeepers had set up small tables at their doorways to prepare for lunch. Su Xiaoyin walked briskly, planning to have lunch with Su Xiaoqing before heading to the fabric shop to buy embroidery thread and silk. Manager Sun had said he would buy her the next embroidery if it turned out well, so she couldn't keep them waiting too long.

----

When Su Xiaoyin returned from the market, the sun was already high in the sky. She placed her basket behind the counter, rubbed her shoulders where the straw rope had left red marks, and Su Xiaoqing quickly handed her a bowl of hot water. Su Xiaoyin took it and drank a few sips. The warm tea slid down her throat, and she breathed a sigh of relief, asking if anything was wrong at the shop.

Su Xiaoqing showed her the account book. They had sold over twenty pieces of tofu that morning, and the braised pork was almost gone. There were only a few pieces of pastry left, but they had sold several ceramic dolls. An elderly woman with her grandson bought one; the child was clinging to a small dog and wouldn't let go, so the old woman paid for it. As she spoke, she arranged newly arrived silk flowers on the counter, her hands busy. Suddenly, she remembered something and looked up.

"Sister, Aunt Ermu just came by."

Su Xiaoyin was tidying up the scraps of fabric under the counter when she heard this. She paused for a moment, looked up at her sister, and said with surprise in her tone. Aunt Ermu usually ran a stall in town, selling her own needlework and small general merchandise from the city. She rarely came to the county town and even less often stopped by their general store.

"Why is Aunt Ermu here at our general store? Doesn't she usually sell goods in town?" Su Xiaoyin folded the scraps of cloth in her hand and put them into the basket. She straightened up and wiped the dust off her hands on her apron.