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

When Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing returned home from the county town, it was almost dark. A final sliver of crimson remained on the western horizon, and wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys of each house, scattering in the air like a thin veil. Chen Dashan was squatting in the yard sharpening his axe; he needed to chop firewood on the mountain tomorrow, and the blade needed to be sharp. Chen Xiaohe was washing his feet by the well, his trousers rolled up above his knees, his feet still covered in mud.

Su Xiaoyin tied up the mule cart, unloaded the things, and first told everyone about Aunt Ermu's visit to the general store that day. As she spoke, she put the things in the basket into the kitchen. Her voice came from the kitchen doorway, sounding tired but clear after a busy day.

Chen Dashan put down his axe, scooped water from the well to wash his hands, and wiped the sweat from his face. He stood up, dusted off his trousers, quickly washed up, and said to Su Xiaoyin, "I'll go to Aunt Ermu's house first, so they don't get impatient. Aunt Ermu is an impatient person; if she says she'll go tonight, she'll go tonight. If I go too late, she'll get restless." Su Xiaoyin poked her head out from the kitchen, still holding a spatula, and reminded him, "Then hurry back; dinner will be ready soon. I'll have Xiaohe call you when dinner is ready."

Chen Dashan responded and strode out of the courtyard gate, his figure quickly disappearing into the twilight.

In the kitchen, Su Xiaoqing placed the dishes on the table, setting out the bowls and chopsticks while lowering her voice to tell Chen Xiaohe about De Ge's eldest son getting married again. Her voice was very soft, as if afraid of being overheard, even though only family members were in the main room. Chen Xiaohe was squatting in front of the stove adding firewood, the firelight making his face flushed. Hearing this, he stopped adding firewood, his brows furrowing.

"What should we do? Should we give a gift or not?" He stuffed firewood into the stove, stood up, and patted the ash off his knees. His voice was troubled. "Give a gift to Brother De's family now... it's not a good idea. If we give one, he might overthink it; if we don't, it'll make us seem stingy. And with this wedding, we can't just pretend we don't know anything."

Su Xiaoyin placed a dish of pickled vegetables on the table, wiped her hands, and thought for a moment: "Tomorrow when we go to the county town, we'll ask Mom and Dad again and see what they think. Dad has lived in the village his whole life; he understands these social dynamics better than we do. Then we'll wait for De Ge's news and see if he's going to hold a banquet this time. If he doesn't want to make a fuss and just wants to get married quietly, we'll just pretend we don't know, and no one will complain."

Su Xiaoqing brought out the last dish, a steaming bowl of cabbage and tofu soup. She put down the bowl, her tone resolute, with the clear-headedness of an observer: "I doubt it'll be quiet. Brother De is seething with anger. His eldest son's divorce last time—so many villagers gossiped behind his back, he lost face. This time, he'll have to make a big fuss, let everyone see his son has remarried. A man's face is more important than his substance; he'll definitely get his revenge."

Su Xiaoyin sighed, took off her apron and draped it over the back of the chair, her tone filled with bewilderment and helplessness towards De Ge: "I'm increasingly unable to understand De Ge's actions. Before, he insisted on finding someone in town, being so picky, and it ended up like that. Now he's rushing to find someone again, still using matchmakers to cast a wide net, without even bothering to find out more about their background. Marriage is a big deal, how can it be so hasty? I hope this girl is good this time, and that she won't cause any more trouble. De Ge can't afford another round of this."

Chen Xiaohe listened from the side without interrupting.

The courtyard gate creaked open. Chen Dashan pushed it open and entered, his footsteps steady, his face showing the relief of having finished his business. Su Xiaoyin quickly asked, "Can you take on the job Aunt Ermu introduced?" She poured him a bowl of water and handed it to him. Chen Dashan took the bowl, gulped down a few mouthfuls, wiped his mouth, sat down at the table, and said confidently, "Yes, I'll take it. It'll cost two and a half taels of silver. Most of the furniture is already in our warehouse—wardrobes, cabinets, chests, etc. We had a few extra sets made before, which have been gathering dust in the storeroom. We can just adjust the dimensions and they'll be ready. Xiaohe, tomorrow you can help me with the carvings, and I'll finish the few missing pieces—the dressing table and bed frame need to be made new. I've already chosen the wood; elm is sturdy. Aunt Ermu's nephew's wedding is in the twelfth lunar month, and she needs it urgently. Let's try to finish it within a month so as not to delay her."

Chen Xiaohe chimed in, calculating the time: "A month is a bit tight. The dressing table has carvings, and the bed frame has many mortise and tenon joints; these are all time-consuming tasks. But if we work together and put in extra hours at night, we should be able to finish. I'll go up the mountain less often these next few days, and the firewood is almost ready. Let's get the carving done first. We don't want to be caught off guard by Aunt Ermu's nagging and not be able to deliver. That would be embarrassing." He placed the bowl on the table, his tone resolute.

Su Xiaoqing said from the side, "Then you should hurry up and finish the work. My sister and I will be selling goods at the general store in the county town for the time being. You don't need to be distracted, and don't go up the mountain either. Just focus on finishing the work."

Chen Xiaohe glanced at her, feeling a little guilty, and hesitated before saying, "You still have to make embroidery patterns, are you sure you can manage? Although Manager Sun said there's no rush, we can't delay fulfilling our promises. How about we send Dad to the general store? He's been resting in the county town for quite a while now, and he looks much better. If we let him lend a hand at the store, it'll make things easier for you two sisters."

Su Xiaoyin smiled and shook her head, placing a piece of food in Chen Xiaohe's bowl. Her tone was gentle but firm: "It's alright. Xiaoqing and I have just been drawing embroidery patterns these past few days, and we haven't officially started yet. We'll take our time, no rush. Let Dad spend some time with Mom. When I visited them in the county town the other day, they looked much better, and Dad's face had even gained some weight. I'm thinking of not letting Dad work in the fields next year. He was so exhausted from the autumn harvest this year, and his back ached for so long; it broke my heart to see him like that. Let him direct you in planting, telling you when to fertilize and when to water. He can oversee everything. If you get too busy, just hire someone; it'll only cost a little more money. Don't overwork the old man. Let Dad and Mom run their stall in the county town and take the children to school; they don't need to worry about the fields. We can take care of things at home; young people aren't afraid of hard work."

A moment of silence fell over the table. Chen Dashan, holding his bowl, lowered his head and ate a few mouthfuls of rice, his chewing slowing down. He was thinking. After swallowing, he put down the bowl, looked at Su Xiaoyin, and slowly nodded, his tone steady and firm.

"Okay, I'll listen to you. Mom and Dad are indeed getting older, and their backs and legs aren't as strong as they used to be. They can't do physical labor anymore. Last winter, they said their knees felt cold, and this autumn harvest, they said their backs were weak. These are all warning signs from their bodies. They need to take good care of themselves and can't push themselves too hard. Xiaohe and I are here at home. We're young and can handle it. I'll arrange in advance to hire people for next year's busy farming season and set the dates so they don't wait for anyone. That way, we can relax a bit and not have to be busy from morning till night like we were this year, barely able to catch our breath."

Su Xiaoqing finished her soup and stood up to clear the dishes. The fire in the stove was still burning, its residual warmth seeping through the walls, making it cozy. The Chen family's dinner ended in this lively discussion. No one made the final decision, no one gave orders, but everything was done properly, and everyone knew what they needed to do the next day.