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

"It's not a big item, but people will be happy to receive it." Su Xiaoyin said as she walked towards the kitchen. Su Xiaoqing followed behind and asked, "Didn't you already buy the embroidery thread and silk fabric? Why are you going to the fabric shop again? We just went the day before yesterday, didn't you buy everything you needed?" Su Xiaoyin explained a few times, and Su Xiaoqing stopped asking questions, only saying, "Okay, then when we get to the county town, you go to the fabric shop first, I'll watch over the shop."

The two women hurriedly ate breakfast, hitched up their mule cart, and headed towards the county town. A thin layer of morning mist covered the sky, the sun hadn't fully risen, and the horizon was only faintly white. The withered grass on both sides of the road was covered in frost, and the cart wheels made a soft, crunching sound as they rolled over it. By the time they reached the county town, it was already broad daylight. The two sisters quickly unloaded and arranged the goods, polishing the counter until it gleamed, and placing the newly arrived pottery dolls in the most prominent position. After finishing their morning's business, Su Xiaoyin took off her apron, said goodbye to Su Xiaoqing, and slung her basket over her shoulder, heading towards the cloth shop.

The shopkeeper was using an abacus behind the counter, the beads clicking crisply. Seeing Su Xiaoyin enter, he put down his work, greeted her with a smile, and while having a waiter pour tea, asked, "Madam Chen is here? What would you like this time? We have some new silks, would you like to take a look?" Su Xiaoyin explained her purpose: she only wanted scraps of fabric, nothing else. The shopkeeper, not minding the small amount of business, turned and pulled out three large bundles of fabric from under the counter, piling them on top for her to choose from.

"These are all things I've collected recently. There's fine cotton, scraps of silk, and a few pieces of velvet. The colors are all quite nice, but they're too small. They're not enough for making clothes, but perfect for small items. Please see which ones you can use." The shopkeeper stood beside her, introducing each item to her one by one: which bundle was fine cotton, which was silk, which had bright colors, and which was thick. Su Xiaoyin squatted on the ground, turning over bundle after bundle, picking out the good colors and fine fabrics and setting them aside, while putting the plain and rough ones aside. After choosing for most of an hour, she selected two large bundles. The shopkeeper waved his hand, practically giving them away for a pittance, and charged her a very small amount of money.

Su Xiaoyin paid and was about to leave when the shopkeeper called her back. He walked around the counter, holding a cup of tea, his tone casual but serious: "Madam Chen, what will your next embroidery be? Another flower and bird design? My wife especially loved your previous 'Phoenix and Luan in Harmony' embroidery. It hangs in her bedroom, and she looks at it every day without getting tired of it. She says she's never seen such exquisite embroidery in her entire life. Just a few days ago, she was saying that if Madam Chen ever creates a new piece, she must see it first."

Su Xiaoyin then described the embroidery patterns of pomegranates, gourds, and grapes. The shopkeeper listened and nodded repeatedly, saying that the symbolism was auspicious, representing many children and abundant blessings, perfectly suited to his wife's wishes. He paused, then added, his tone carrying the shrewdness and sincerity characteristic of a businessman: "Madam Chen, once this design is finished, could you bring it over for me to see? If my wife likes it, I'll keep it. The price will remain the same as last time; you won't be shortchanged. Of course, if you have a regular client to deliver it to first, I can wait; good things are worth the wait."

Su Xiaoyin thought for a moment. Although Manager Sun had inquired, he hadn't explicitly said he wanted to place an order; he'd only said, "Bring me your new pieces to look at." Both were regular customers, and she couldn't afford to offend either. She phrased her words tactfully but clearly: "Manager, after this embroidery is finished, I need to send it to one of my previous clients for his review. He was the one who first contacted me. If he doesn't want it after he's seen it, I'll send it to you immediately. If he does want it, I'll embroider a new one for you. Is that alright?"

The shopkeeper smiled and waved his hand repeatedly, saying it was no problem, he understood. Business is all about first come, first served. Let them look first, and if they don't like it, they can have it. He took out a package of pastries wrapped in oil paper from behind the counter, stuffed it into Su Xiaoyin's hand, and said it was made by his wife, and asked her to take it back and try it.

Su Xiaoyin thanked him, tucked the snacks away, and happily returned to the general store with a basket of cloth scraps on her back. The sun was shining brightly, warming her body. Inside the store, Su Xiaoqing was weighing braised meat for an old man. When the old man saw Su Xiaoyin come in, he smiled and praised, "Your braised meat is so fragrant; I have to come and buy it every few days." Su Xiaoyin smiled and replied, put the cloth scraps in the backyard, washed her hands, tied on an apron, and stood behind the counter. Life is like that, one small thing after another, but if you do each small thing conscientiously, life won't be bad.

----

Ten days or so later, the old locust tree in the yard had lost all its leaves, its bare branches stretching towards the hazy sky, like a simple ink painting. The leek roots in the wooden trough had long been moved indoors and placed against the south window, their tender green shoots sprouting high, growing vigorously in the warm house. In the Chen family's storeroom, freshly chopped firewood was neatly stacked, reaching as high as the roof beams, more than enough to burn until spring.

That afternoon, Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe finally finished making all the furniture for Aunt Ermu's nephew and delivered it to him. The last truckload of goods arrived in the morning, and Aunt Ermu personally received it at the door, carefully inspecting each piece. The cabinet doors opened and closed smoothly, the drawers pulled steadily, the carvings were delicate and rounded, and the mortise and tenon joints fit perfectly. She touched the frame of the dressing table mirror, looking at it over and over, her wrinkles smoothing out. She repeatedly said it was good, much better than the ones she had seen in town, and paid the balance on the spot, without shortchanging him by a single penny.

Chen Dashan drove the oxcart home, unloaded the tools, and carried them back to the carpentry workshop piece by piece. He washed his hands by the well, sat down at the kitchen door, accepted the hot tea Su Xiaoyin offered, and let out a long sigh. Chen Xiaohe followed behind, returning the borrowed hemp rope and straw mat to the storeroom, and then sat down as well.

Chen Dashan took a sip from his bowl, his tone light with relief, and said, "Finally, it's all over." Su Xiaoyin asked him if Aunt Ermu was satisfied, and Chen Dashan nodded, saying he was. He settled the final payment on the spot and said he would hire them again if needed. Su Xiaoyin put down her needlework, leaned back in her chair, and rubbed her shoulders, her tone also carrying a sense of relief: "That's good. Xiaoqing and I can rest at home now, and we don't have to get up early every day to travel. It's getting colder and colder, and the frost in the mornings is as thick as snow. The mule cart is very slippery on the road, and I'm afraid the mule will slip several times."

Chen Xiaohe took the bowl of water from Su Xiaoqing, took a sip, wiped his mouth, and asked about the grocery store's recent business. Su Xiaoqing was sitting on a small stool sorting through a basket of eggs, picking out the cracked ones and setting them aside, then arranging them evenly in egg cartons. She sighed, her hands still busy, her voice tinged with helplessness: "Business is still pretty good as the year draws to a close, much better than in the summer. But recently, several new shops have opened on the two streets closest to us, which has had some impact on us."