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

Father Chen took a sip of porridge, put down the bowl, and said, "The pancakes are well-made, and the porridge is cooked to perfection." Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe both nodded. Shi Tou stretched out his arm and picked up a pancake, while Aji silently drank three bowls of porridge. Afu sat next to Zhao Qinghuan, grinned at her, and secretly gave her a thumbs-up under the table.

After finishing breakfast, Zhao Qinghuan stood up to clear the dishes. Chen's mother stopped her, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Qinghuan, sit down. Let Afu do the cleaning. It's our family rule that the person who cooks doesn't clean up the dishes. It's a rule passed down from our ancestors—the cook watches the fire and the pot, working hard enough with all the smoke and heat; the cleanup is someone else's job. Sit down and rest for a while, and I'll tell you how the chores are divided around the house."

Zhao Qinghuan glanced at Afu, who obediently stood up and began stacking the bowls and chopsticks, but his stacking was crooked and messy. Chen Dashan, watching from the side, frowned and took the bowls from Afu's hands to stack them himself. Zhao Qinghuan suppressed a laugh and sat down next to Chen's mother.

Mother Chen explained the division of labor among the family members to her, one by one. Mother Chen used to cook breakfast herself, helping with the fields during busy farming seasons while her daughters-in-law cooked. Later, as they got older, they stopped working in the fields. Now that Zhao Qinghuan has married into the family, to help her integrate more quickly, she doesn't need to get up early in the morning; young people sleep in. Zhao Qinghuan cooks dinner, with her mother or aunt helping her. After cooking, she doesn't need to clean up; Afu and the others wash the dishes. Lunch is cooked by whoever is home; it's not fixed. The livestock were originally fed by Dashan and his wife, and Xiaohe and his wife in turns. Mother Chen and her two daughters-in-law tended the vegetables in the garden. They didn't need to work in the fields; Father Chen and his two sons did all the field work. If they couldn't manage, they hired help. They only needed to go to the fields after the autumn harvest to collect the fallen grain. Chen's mother ran the stall in the county town, while Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe ran the general store during the off-season, and Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing ran it during the busy season. Zhao Qinghuan listened attentively, nodding after each item Chen's mother mentioned.

Zhao Qinghuan paused for a moment and said, "I'll help feed the livestock too, but I've never done it before, so I'll have to ask Mother and Aunt to teach me." Su Xiaoqing poked her head out from the kitchen and said with a smile, "There aren't many livestock yet, just a few chickens and ducks, we can manage. You should familiarize yourself with the house first, there's no rush for other things." Su Xiaoyin also put down the rag she was holding, walked over, and sat opposite Zhao Qinghuan, saying, "Didn't Afu say you've already decided what to sell at your shop? You can start preparing after the wedding procession. There's a place to stay behind the shop; if you're busy too late, you can stay in the county town for now."

Zhao Qinghuan nodded and said, "Then I'll make some of the food I want to sell these next couple of days, and you can try it and see what you think. I'll finalize the recipe first, and if you like it, I'll make it accordingly. If you think anything is wrong, I'll change it." Su Xiaoyin smiled and said, "Okay, we'll try your cooking then. Afu isn't picky, and neither are my grandparents, but the customers in the county town are very discerning. If your food can pass our test, then you won't have to worry about finding customers once the shop opens."

Zhao Qinghuan stood up and said she would start trying it this afternoon. She went back to the kitchen, tied on an apron, wiped the stove, put away the dishes and chopsticks, and then took out a basin and rolling pin from the cupboard. Su Xiaoqing watched from the side and couldn't help but chuckle. Su Xiaoyin asked her what she was laughing at, and Su Xiaoqing said nothing, she just felt that she had made the right choice in marrying this daughter-in-law.

Afu brought in a bundle of firewood from the yard and stacked it neatly next to the stove. He straightened up, glanced at Zhao Qinghuan, who was kneading dough, her head still turned up, a slight smile playing on her lips. Afu squatted down to tend the fire, and the flames in the stove blazed brightly again, making his face glow red, like the color of the red silk ribbons from yesterday's wedding ceremony.

----

The day after returning to her parents' home, Afu and Zhao Qinghuan started busying themselves with the grocery store.

Before dawn, the two of them got up. Zhao Qinghuan tied on an apron and went into the kitchen, while Afu squatted in front of the stove to tend the fire. The firelight made their faces glow. They needed to test-make the products they wanted to sell for the first few days and finalize the recipes before opening for business. They couldn't wait until the shop was open to start scrambling around.

Zhao Qinghuan scooped the pre-fermented dough out of the bowl and kneaded it on the work surface. The dough folded and turned in her hands, quickly becoming smooth and soft. She pinched off a piece, rolled it into a thin sheet, brushed it with oil, sprinkled it with chopped green onions and salt, rolled it up, flattened it, and rolled it into a round pancake, placing it in an oiled pan. Afu turned down the heat, and the pancake sizzled in the pan, turning golden brown on both sides. The aroma of green onions wafted from the kitchen, attracting Chen Xiaohe, who was chopping firewood in the yard.

Chen Xiaohe stood at the kitchen door, peering inside, and asked what smelled so good. Afu cut out the first pancake, sliced ​​it into pieces, and handed one to Chen Xiaohe. Chen Xiaohe blew on it, took a bite, and found it crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a rich scallion flavor. He nodded repeatedly, saying it was delicious.

Zhao Qinghuan steamed another batch of flower-shaped steamed buns, shaping them into little rabbits and adding eyes with red beans. They were so lifelike, and arranged in the steamer like a row of little pets. Chen's mother came in to get some pickled vegetables, saw them, picked one up, and examined it from all angles, reluctant to take a bite. Zhao Qinghuan said, "Grandma, please try some." Chen's mother took a bite and said, "It's soft and sweet; children will definitely love it."

She tried a few more things—baked flatbread, red bean buns, sesame seed cakes, and chive dumplings. After making each one, Zhao Qinghuan cut them into small pieces for everyone to try. The entire Chen family became taste testers. Chen's father, a picky eater, said the flatbread would be softer if the heat was a little lighter; Su Xiaoyin said the red bean paste was a bit too sweet and suggested reducing the sugar by ten percent; Su Xiaoqing said the chive dumpling filling was just the right amount of salty, and the crust would be even better if it were thinner. Zhao Qinghuan noted all of this down and made improvements for the next batch.

Afu jotted down these comments in a small notebook, his handwriting crooked and messy. Zhao Qinghuan glanced at it, laughed, and said, "You should practice your handwriting." Afu scratched his head sheepishly.

After trying it for five or six days, the recipe was finalized. Chen Xiaohe asked Afu what name the grocery store should have, so he could make the signboard in advance. Afu and Zhao Qinghuan discussed it and decided on "Chen Family Grocery Store." Afu said it was simple and easy to remember, and that people would know it was their family's business. Zhao Qinghuan nodded and agreed. That afternoon, Chen Xiaohe found a good piece of wood, planed and sanded it, carved the five characters "Chen Family Grocery Store" in clerical script, painted it with gold paint, and hung it at the entrance of the store, where it gleamed in the sunlight.