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

That evening, Zhao Qinghuan told Afu that his mother had come over during the day and given him fifty taels of silver. It was a matter between the two families. Afu said, "Since your mother gave it, we'll accept it. You should take the children to visit them more often. Also, aren't your two nephews going to open a shop? If they need any help, we'll do our best to support them."

One evening, Mr. Chen suddenly summoned the whole family to the main room. He stood by the door, leaning on his cane, with Mrs. Chen behind him, holding a small wooden box, locked, the key strung on a red string and hanging on her wrist. The two stood at the doorway, the twilight pouring in from behind them, gilding their silhouettes with a dark gold, like two old trees, their bark rough, their branches sparse, but their roots still firmly planted in the earth, still steadfast.

"Sit down, everyone. I have something to tell you." Father Chen's voice wasn't loud, but the main room immediately fell silent, even the youngest child stopped what he was doing. Su Xiaoyin, who was clearing the dishes in the kitchen, wiped her hands and came out when she heard this; Chen Xiaohe, who was chopping wood in the yard, paused, leaning the axe against the wall; the three brothers, Shitou, Aji, and Afu, also came out of their respective rooms and sat down on the chairs in the main room. Su Xiaoqing gently ushered the grandchildren back to their rooms to play, the curtain was drawn, and the door creaked shut.

Mr. Chen sat down in the armchair, his cane resting beside him. Mrs. Chen sat on the stool next to him, the key on her lap, saying nothing. Mr. Chen cleared his throat, his gaze sweeping over each face, his voice low but each word clear and distinct.

"Your mother and I are so old, who knows when we might fall asleep and never wake up again. While we're still clear-headed, we want to make sure our affairs are settled before we die, so you won't be caught off guard."

Su Xiaoyin was the first to break down, her eyes instantly reddening. She lowered her head, her throat tightening, tears falling in a hot, scalding stream onto the back of her hand. Su Xiaoqing, standing beside her, also had reddened eyes, but held back, clutching her handkerchief in silence. They had been married into the Chen family for decades, counting from the year they fled famine. The days had passed by, seemingly without much time passing, but looking back, Chen's parents' hair had turned completely white, their backs were hunched, and they walked slowly. In all these years of marriage, Chen's parents had never made them work in the fields; they had been able to manage their own little family from the very beginning. They had heard countless stories of mothers-in-law mistreating their daughters-in-law in the village, but they had never experienced it themselves. They had no family to support them, marrying into the family alone, yet Chen's parents had always treated them like their own daughters.

Father Chen waved his hand, his tone calm, not like he was giving his last words, but more like he was arranging something ordinary: "Don't cry. Your mother and I have lived to this old age, we've already made a fortune. Look at the villagers, how many of them live to our age? It's all because you're filial, our family has lived a good life, we're healthy, and our bodies are strong." He took the wooden box from Mother Chen's hands, unlocked it, and lifted the lid. Inside were several red cloth bundles, neatly arranged. Father Chen said this was the savings he and Mother Chen had accumulated over the years, all inside. It wasn't much, but enough for errands. He handed the key to Chen Dashan for safekeeping. Chen Dashan took it, clenched it tightly in his hand, and didn't say anything. Father Chen added that the land deeds and house deeds were in both his and his brother's names, so they could divide them equally. Also, after they passed away, they could be buried together, making it convenient for memorial services. Finally, he gave a word of advice—that the brothers should live in harmony, and that he and Mother Chen would bless them. After saying that, he waved his hand and told them to leave.

Su Xiaoyin was the first to stand up, walk to Chen's mother, squat down, and take her hand, saying, "Mother, don't say that. You and Father still have to watch your great-grandson get married." Chen's mother patted the back of her hand and laughed, saying, "Then you'd be an old hag by now." Su Xiaoqing also came over and stood next to her sister, unable to say anything, only placing her hand on Chen's mother's shoulder and patting it gently.

As she stepped out of the main room, a cool evening breeze greeted her. Su Xiaoqing stood in the courtyard, leaning against the old locust tree, her voice muffled. "Sister," she said, "don't be sad. Father and Mother are still healthy; they have a long life ahead of them." Su Xiaoyin nodded, wanting to say something, but something seemed to be stuck in her throat; she could only manage half a sentence before it dissipated in the evening breeze.

Chen Xiaohe walked up to Chen Dashan and asked in a low voice, "Brother, are Mom and Dad hiding something from us?" Chen Dashan shook his head and told him what he had overheard at the village entrance that day—Uncle Chen had passed away suddenly, without saying a word. His children were fighting tooth and nail over the land and house, the brothers had turned against each other, and they hadn't even properly held a funeral. Chen's parents saw all this and were afraid. They were afraid that one day they would be gone too, and they would end up like that. They weren't afraid of death itself, but they were afraid that after they were gone, the family would fall apart.

Chen Xiaohe was silent for a while, then said, "Brother, even after our parents are gone, can we not separate the family? I never even considered separating from you. We've lived together for most of our lives, from fleeing famine to coming here, squeezing onto one kang (heated brick bed), sharing a bowl of porridge. If we're going to separate, let's separate the three of them." Shi Tou, A Ji, and A Fu overheard this. Shi Tou was the first to speak, his voice low but firm: "No, we don't agree to separate either. It's fine this way, living together is lively. Qing Huan, Qiu Ming, and Yu Ming wouldn't want to separate either." Chen Dashan didn't speak for a long time before finally saying, his voice low, but each word seemed to come from the bottom of his heart: "When you have time, take the children to visit your grandparents more often. Every day you spend with them is a day less. We'll talk about the future later."

As night deepened, the light in the main room remained on. Under the lamp, Chen's mother sewed a small garment. The needle and thread pierced through the fine cotton cloth, making a soft rustling sound, like autumn insects chirping in the corner. Chen's father sat opposite him, his pipe extinguished and resting on his lap. His eyes were half-closed, as if he were asleep, or perhaps lost in thought.

Lying on the kang (heated brick bed) that night, Su Xiaoyin looked at Chen Dashan and asked, "Xiaohe just said that we should separate Shitou, Aji, and Afu from now on, but you didn't respond and changed the subject. Do you have something on your mind?" Chen Dashan looked at his wife, whose face was wrinkled and whose hair was graying. He stroked Su Xiaoyin's hair and gently explained, "A tree grows and branches spread. We've been able to stay together with Xiaohe for so many years because you and Xiaoqing are sisters, and Xiaohe and Xiaoqing aren't petty people. We all do the work together. But it's different with Shitou and Aji. They're mostly in the county town now and rarely come back, and so is Qiuming." Yu Ming doesn't bring the children back often. The farmland is mainly managed by me, Xiao He, and some hired help. Aji is in charge of the mountain farm, but he often goes to the county town to help Qing Huan. From this perspective, it's unrealistic to say they won't separate the household in the future; how many times a month can they eat together? Besides, Shi Tou and the others don't want to separate, but what about Qing Huan and the others?" Hearing Chen Dashan's words, Su Xiaoyin understood. It was only a matter of time before Shi Tou and the others separated. Su Xiaoyin said, "Did you hear your three daughters-in-law complaining about something?" Chen Dashan didn't say anything, just told her not to worry about it. He said, "Just know that from now on, the two of us will live with Xiao He and Qing Huan."