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

Su Xiaoqing put down the silk flowers she was holding and explained the whole story. Aunt Ermu had gone to the village first, but no one was home; the gate was locked, and the chimney in the kitchen wasn't smoking. She called out a few times at the gate, but no one answered. She then peered over the wall and saw that even the chickens and ducks were quietly dozing by their nests. Judging that everyone had gone to the county town, she hitched a ride on an oxcart that was going that way, thinking she could probably find them at the general store.

She had come to have furniture made by her elder brother. Her nephew was getting married, and the date was already set, but the carpenters in the village were fully booked and couldn't take on any more work. She had inquired at two carpenters in town; one was rough, the cabinet doors didn't close properly, and the drawers were crooked; the other was expensive, but the samples they made looked off, with gaps in the mortise and tenon joints wide enough to insert a chopstick. The skilled carpenters in the county town were too expensive, and she couldn't afford them; the ones with reasonable prices weren't to her liking. Aunt Ermu was so anxious that her mouth was covered in blisters when she suddenly remembered Chen Dashan, whose skills were good and whose prices were fair, so she came all the way here to inquire.

Su Xiaoqing poured a bowl of tea for Aunt Ermu and asked her to sit down and talk slowly, clarifying the requirements, timeline, and budget. "I told Aunt Ermu that I would have my older brother go over to discuss it with her in detail that evening. She said okay, and told us to wait at home and not to forget."

Su Xiaoyin nodded, put down her work, brushed the crumbs off her apron, and stood up to say it was time to make lunch. Su Xiaoqing stopped her, saying the food was ready and they were just waiting for her to come back. She pointed to the small kitchen in the backyard, where the food on the stove was covered with plates, water was warming in the pot and steaming, and the bone broth had been simmering since morning and smelled delicious.

While setting the table, Su Xiaoqing continued her conversation with a hint of gossip in her voice: "Sister, Aunt Ermu also mentioned something—it seems that Brother De's eldest son is getting married again."

Su Xiaoyin paused, holding her bowl, almost dropping her chopsticks. How long had it been since De Ge's eldest son divorced? Less than two months, right? And now he's getting married again? It's all happening so fast. She looked up at her sister, her brows furrowing slightly, her face full of confusion.

Su Xiaoqing lowered her voice, as if afraid of being overheard, even though there was no one else in the shop besides the two sisters. Aunt Ermu said that the Zhou family girl—De Ge's eldest son's ex-wife—had already married her cousin. It was said that the cousin's family had spent a fortune to give the Zhou family girl a grand wedding, even setting off firecrackers for miles around. De Ge was unhappy, feeling that his son had been played, cuckolded, and had even lost his dowry, losing all face. He also wanted to prove himself, so he started arranging a marriage for his eldest son again. This time, he didn't look in town, but asked a matchmaker to search in the village. The girl he chose was from a well-off farming family; her parents were hardworking, owned several acres of good land, and raised two large, fat pigs. The girl's character and appearance were fine, except that she was a year older than De Ge's eldest son.

Upon hearing this, Su Xiaoyin put down her chopsticks, her tone tinged with worry: "Isn't that nineteen? It's rare to see a girl that age who hasn't been engaged or married yet. Here, girls are already getting engaged at sixteen or seventeen, and it's rare to find one who's still unmarried at eighteen. Could there be some problem they're hiding?"

Su Xiaoqing moved closer to her sister, lowering her voice even further, almost whispering in her ear: "I heard that she was betrothed to a scholar. The two families arranged the marriage when they were children, but after the man grew up and passed the imperial examination, his family thought the woman was too poor for him because she came from a farming family. So he married a landlord's daughter from the county town. And that's how things got delayed. The girl stayed home helping her parents with farming and housework, and it's been several years since then."

After listening, Su Xiaoyin remained silent for a while, picked up her chopsticks and put them down again, then carefully said, "If that's really the reason, and there's no other hidden reason, then this girl is truly remarkable. To wait for someone for so many years shows she values ​​loyalty and righteousness; to not act recklessly after being jilted and still diligently help with household chores shows she's sensible and not the type to be easily defeated. Brother De has finally come to his senses."

Su Xiaoqing nodded and then said, "By the way, sister, is Brother De holding a banquet again this time? We gave a gift at his wedding last time. Although we weren't asked to give a gift for the divorce, if he holds another one this time, do we still have to give a gift? We're neighbors, and it's not good to pretend we don't know."

Su Xiaoyin thought for a moment and felt that this matter needed to be handled with caution. The relationship between De Ge's family and her own family was delicate at the moment, and the weight and timing of the gift had to be carefully considered so as not to appear obsequious, nor cold. She said, "Aren't we taking Qingqing to my parents' place tomorrow? We'll ask them for their opinions and see what they say. Dad has lived in the village his whole life, and he understands these social dynamics better than we do. Besides, this is just what Aunt Ermu said; whether De Ge's family will actually give us any information is still uncertain. Maybe they want to keep a low profile and not disturb the villagers. Let's not presume to make any decisions; it's not too late to wait until we have definite news."

Su Xiaoqing agreed with her sister's reasoning and didn't bring it up again. The two sisters brought lunch to the table, sat facing each other, each with a bowl of bone broth, and slowly ate their steamed buns. Sunlight streamed in through the doorway, falling warmly on the floor. The shop was quiet, with only the occasional chirping of sparrows under the eaves.

As the sun began to set, the two sisters closed their shop and headed to the fabric store. They needed to buy embroidery thread and silk fabric; they had to get started on the next embroidery piece as soon as possible and couldn't wait until the end of the year to finish it.

The Chen family's life unfolds amidst these everyday events. Some get married, some are married off, some have new additions to the family, and some pass away. Time waits for no one, but being together as a family provides a sense of security. While De Ge's family's situation is heartbreaking, it's ultimately their life. The Chen family must continue to live their own lives well.