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

That night, Su Xiaoyin lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) discussing things with Chen Dashan, saying, "You need to take Shi Tou seriously. That boy is so quiet; he doesn't even talk to girls. You need to take him out for a walk." Chen Dashan retorted, "What's there to walk around for? It's not like we're buying piglets. We can't just grab any random one and bring them home." Su Xiaoyin angrily punched him.

Su Xiaoqing was also anxious. Neither Aji nor Afu were talkative. Matchmakers came and went, and he just sat there, head down, drinking tea. He answered when the matchmakers asked him questions, otherwise he just sat there, neither warm nor cold. He only breathed a sigh of relief after the matchmakers left. Su Xiaoqing asked him what kind of person he was looking for. Aji thought for a long time and said, "As long as she's a good person." Su Xiaoqing was so angry that she didn't speak to him for the entire afternoon.

But if the children aren't in a hurry, it's no use no matter how anxious the parents are.

Shi Tou said he wasn't in a hurry; he'd only just started working at the county school, and his salary wasn't high. How would he support his family? Aji nodded in agreement, saying that their priority was establishing themselves, not starting a family. Starting a family before establishing themselves was like building a house on an unstable foundation—it would collapse no matter what. Afu chimed in, saying they'd talk about it after he finished his studies.

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing exchanged a glance and sighed.

The moonlight outside the window was beautiful, filtering through the paper window and falling on the shadows of the two brothers sitting side by side. They had just returned from the county town, having spent the entire day busy at the school and the government office. They were still in their clothes, drinking water in the main room. Shi Tou was tall and thin, with a calm and resolute gaze; A Ji had broad shoulders and large hands, calluses worn from a year of copying documents at the government office.

Chen Dashan squatted on the doorstep, watching the two children without saying a word. Afu was still in the county town and hadn't returned. Chen's father had already gone back inside; his back had been hurting again these past few days, and Chen's mother had urged him to lie down early. He only agreed to go back inside after being persuaded and pulled by his mother.

Inside the kitchen, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing were still embroidering under the lamp, stitch by stitch, unhurriedly. The fire in the stove had gone out, but the residual warmth still lingered in the cracks between the bricks.

----

Su Xiaoyin sat on the threshold of the main room, holding a shoe sole in her hand, but couldn't manage to prick the needle for a long time. She watched the old hen leading her chicks digging in the dirt against the wall in the yard, her mind already wandering elsewhere. Su Xiaoqing came out of the kitchen, carrying a basin of washed clothes. Just as she was about to hang it on the clothesline, she suddenly stopped, put the basin on the ground, wiped her hands, walked over to Chen's mother, sat down, and sighed.

"Mother, Shitou, Aji, and Afu are all seventeen, and Qingqing is seventeen too, but they're still not engaged. What are we going to do? We've met so many people, but nothing has worked out. The girl Shitou met last month was pretty, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she asked Shitou how much money he earned a month at the county school and whether he had his own house. Shitou immediately refused, saying that marrying someone like that would be a hassle. The girl Aji met was gentle, but when we asked her, we found out that her mother was a notorious troublemaker. She had driven away two of her three daughters-in-law. When Mother Chen heard this, she shook her head—she'd rather not marry at all than bring such a family into the house. Afu doesn't care, saying that his affairs aren't urgent and that he should master the skill of processing medicinal herbs first. But he doesn't seem to realize that he's staying at the clinic and not coming home. If his mother doesn't worry about him, who will?"

Chen's mother was sitting in the armchair in the main room, sewing shoe soles. The needle pierced through the thick layer of cloth and came out from the other side, the thread hissing as it was pulled. She listened to Su Xiaoqing's words, but did not stop her work or look up. Her voice was neither loud nor soft, but steady and clear.

"If the time isn't right, forcing them into marriage will only lead to them becoming a resentful couple, arguing every day and disrupting the peace of the household. What's the point? Wait and see. Marriage is a lifelong commitment, not like buying piglets, where you can just grab them when you see them. At the very least, the person has to be of good character, not a burden on their family, the daughter has to be thrifty, and the mother-in-law has to be kind. Look at Brother De's family; their two sons' marriages have been so tumultuous. The eldest son married someone and then divorced, and the second son is still undecided. It's caused such a mess that even the old man has no face to show for himself. We can't go down that path."

Su Xiaoqing hung the clothes in her hands on the rope, stretched the hem, and then walked back to sit down. Her tone was tentative: "Then, Mother, shall we find a good match for Qingqing first? Qingqing is already considered late to marry. Several girls in the village who are the same age as her have already grown up. Qingqing isn't in a hurry, but we, as her elders, can't not think about it."

Chen's mother rubbed the needle in her hair and continued sewing the shoe soles. Her tone was unhurried, but every word revealed the composure and heartache of a matriarch.

"Take your time choosing. This is our only daughter. A girl's marriage is like a second birth. If she marries well, she'll be happy for the rest of her life; if she marries poorly, she'll have nowhere to cry. We can't make the wrong choice. Qingqing has been sensible since she was little. She never fights or competes. She helps with embroidery at home and sells goods at the shop. She's never complained. Such a good girl deserves a good marriage."

Su Xiaoqing hesitated for a moment, but still spoke. She lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously picking at the loose thread on her knee, her voice even softer than before.

"Mother, Uncle Li Hu was interested in meeting Qingqing. What do you think? We've watched Li An grow up. We know him well, he's hardworking, and he manages the family business quite well at such a young age. He even runs a small shop in the county town and is doing quite well. If he and Qingqing get together, it would be like strengthening family ties."

Chen's mother paused in her needlework, looked up at Su Xiaoqing, and remained silent for a moment. She placed the sole of her shoe on her knee, rubbed her eyes, and spoke in a calm tone, but her words carried considerable weight.

"Li An is a good boy. He lost his mother at a young age and grew up with Uncle Li Hu. He didn't go astray and even managed to support the family business. It's not easy. But—" She paused, "I heard that the girl from the grain shop in the county town has feelings for Li An and often brings him things to the shop, which Li An has never refused. It's not good for such things to get out. Whether he's interested or not is another matter, but since someone comes to his door with gifts, if he really has no feelings for her, he should make it clear and avoid suspicion. A girl's reputation is important. He can't take advantage of her kindness without giving her a proper status. This ambiguous behavior shows he's not a sensible person."

Upon hearing this, Su Xiaoyin immediately put down the shoe sole in her hand, raised her voice by half an octave, and spoke with certainty, carrying the shrewdness of a matriarch and her heartache for her daughter.

"That won't do. Regardless of whether Li An likes that family's girl or not, his attitude is inappropriate. If Qingqing really marries him, she'll suffer a lot. Girls who deliver things come uninvited, and he neither refuses nor explains. Qingqing is caught in the middle, not pleasing either side. Besides, since the girl from the grain shop dared to send gifts, the two families probably already have a tacit agreement. What would Qingqing be if she married into that family? Our Qingqing was pampered in the Chen family; she's not going to be someone else's stepping stone."