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

Chen Dashan also picked up a piece of chicken breast, put it in his mouth and chewed slowly, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he were savoring it. He swallowed it, then picked up another piece with the skin on, chewed it for a long time before speaking, his tone steady: "The herbal flavor has penetrated, but it's not strong. I'm thinking, should I raise a few more chickens next year and feed them herbs specifically, and feed them for a longer period of time? Would the flavor be stronger then? Right now, the flavor is a bit weak; you can't taste it unless you're really paying attention." He picked up another piece, this time specifically to taste the chicken skin, which was roasted until crispy, with a hint of honey sweetness and the fragrance of herbs.

Chen Xiaohe nodded in agreement. He poured himself a bowl of herbal tea, took a sip, and started counting on his fingers: "Brother, next year we'll fence off a piece of land on the mountain to raise these herbal chickens. We have plenty of herbs on the mountain, it's free, we can just pick them ourselves. Honeysuckle, mugwort, dandelion, houttuynia cordata, they all love to eat them. Feed them for ten or fifteen days, and the flavor will definitely be even better than this time."

Chen Dashan wiped his mouth, put down his bowl, shook his head, and spoke with the calm and calculating tone of a businessman: "But that also increases costs. You know how much our chickens usually sell for—a regular roast chicken costs several tens of coins at the town market. If we raise them like this, the cost of the herbs alone won't be small. Although we can gather herbs in the mountains, we need to dry and store them, and that costs labor. How much will a roast chicken cost then? If we sell it too little, we'll lose money; if we sell it too expensively, no one will buy it. City people are picky eaters, but they're not stupid. If it's too expensive, they'll just go to another shop." He paused, then added, "We need to calculate the costs carefully. We can't just focus on the taste; we have to see if it's worth it."

Su Xiaoyin had been listening intently, slowly gnawing on a chicken foot until the bones were completely gone. After listening to the two men's discussion, she put down the bone, wiped her fingers on her apron, and spoke, her tone calm yet carrying the shrewdness of a matriarch: "Try the one fed with spices again tomorrow and see how it tastes. Spices are cheaper than herbs. We can get things like Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and cinnamon from the spice shop in the county town; a pound will last a long time. If the taste isn't too different, we'll use the spice recipe; if it's clearly inferior to the herbs, then we'll do the math and see if we can reduce the cost."

Su Xiaoqing was separating chicken giblets when she heard this. She looked up and added, "The seasoning is more fragrant, but it lacks the crisp aftertaste of herbs. They each have their own merits. We'll decide after we grill them tomorrow."

Su Xiaoyin saw that there was still more than half a roast chicken left. She wrapped it in clean oil paper and placed it on the kitchen counter. She explained that when they went to the county town tomorrow, they should take it to their parents so they could try it too. Her parents had been staying in the county town for a while, and she wondered if they were enjoying the food. This would be a good opportunity to get their opinions and see if they had any good suggestions. Her father, having eaten farm food his whole life, was a discerning palate and could tell the difference.

Chen Dashan nodded and said, "Okay, I'll deliver it first thing tomorrow morning."

Su Xiaoqing tidied up the dishes and put them in the kitchen, washed her hands, and came back. Suddenly remembering something important, she pulled out a chair, sat down, and asked seriously, "By the way, we're going to slaughter the pig for the New Year soon. Have you found a butcher yet? Don't wait until the end of the year to find one. Last year's butcher was quite skilled, efficient, collected the pig's blood cleanly, and separated the pork neatly. It would be best to use him again this year." She paused, her tone tinged with anxiety, "I heard that butchers are especially busy at the end of the year, with several families vying for one butcher. If you go late, you'll have to wait in line until the 20th of the twelfth lunar month."

Chen Xiaohe patted his chest confidently, "It's all settled. It's the same butcher as before. We've finalized the deal. He'll come over on the 18th of the twelfth lunar month, and he'll slaughter the pig for us. He said he'll only take our family that day, no one else. He'll finish slaughtering in the morning, and the meat will be divided up by the afternoon. Then we'll clean up the pig's blood, offal, head, and trotters one by one, braising what needs braising, marinating what needs marinating, and keeping what needs keeping."

Su Xiaoyin turned up the light in the kitchen a little, then gave Afu a piece of chicken liver and told him to sit quietly and eat it. She wiped her hands, her tone filled with relief and satisfaction: "It's good that you have a plan, so don't be flustered later. Xiaoqing and I have prepared everything we need for braising in advance—spices, a big pot, firewood—all ready. We'll process it on the same day we slaughter the pig; fresh meat makes for the best braised dishes."

Su Xiaoqing stood up, gathered the clothes she was going to pack for the children, and said that Chen Dashan and the others should take them with them when they went tomorrow. The firewood in the kitchen had gone out, leaving only a small ember glowing a dark red light. Chen Dashan broke off the last piece of bread, dipped it in the remaining chicken broth on his plate, ate it, and then stretched. Chen Xiaohe went to the backyard to check the pigsty; the New Year's pig was already fat, grunting and rooting around the trough.

The moon peeked out from behind the clouds, its gentle light spilling into the courtyard. The chive roots in the wooden trough grew quietly in the moonlight. The kitchen light was still on, and Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing were still discussing the recipe for roast chicken and the preparations for the New Year. Life is like that, one thing after another: roast chicken, New Year's pig, New Year's goods, new embroidery—each and every one requires care. But with care, life won't be bad.

----

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the aroma of roasted chicken and duck wafted from the kitchen. Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing got up before daybreak, took the chicken and duck that had been marinated the day before out of the earthenware pot, drained them, brushed a layer of honey water on the skin, and put them into the oven. The fire in the stove was burning brightly, the oven door was half-closed, and the orange-red flames illuminated the kitchen, with waves of heat billowing out, even fogging the windowpanes with a layer of white mist.

Last night, the two sisters adjusted the recipe again—this time, the chickens and ducks were fed a seasoned diet for five days, with five-spice powder, star anise powder, and Sichuan peppercorn powder mixed in specific proportions and fed twice a day mixed with cornmeal. The flavor of the seasonings is stronger than that of herbs and penetrates the meat more easily. To make the flavor more layered, Su Xiaoyin also added a little bit of licorice powder and dried tangerine peel powder to the marinade to enhance the freshness and remove any fishy smell.

When the chicken and duck came out of the oven, their skins were golden red and glossy, and the aroma of meat mixed with the complex fragrance of five-spice powder and star anise filled the air. Su Xiaoyin tore off a small piece of chicken skin and put it in her mouth. It was crunchy and had a salty and savory flavor with a hint of sweetness. She then tore off a piece of duck meat to taste. The duck meat was firmer than the chicken meat and had more fat, but after roasting, the excess fat was rendered out, resulting in crispy skin and tender meat that wasn't greasy at all.