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

Su Xiaoyin walked back from the tofu shop, carrying an empty basket. The sun was already high in the sky, warming the village road. Dew still clung to the roadside grass, glistening in the sunlight. She walked slowly, and just as she rounded the old locust tree, she saw several aunties and grandmothers sitting on the stones under the tree, sewing shoe soles. Each had a small stool, a few needles, and some thread, forming a circle. Seeing Su Xiaoyin approaching, Aunt Li was the first to put down her work, move closer to Su Xiaoyin, and speak.

"Madam Mountain, I heard your family has split up?"

Su Xiaoyin stopped, a smile on her face, revealing no other emotion. She switched the empty basket to her other arm and said, "Yes, Shitou and the others are all grown up, they're all fathers now, and since they mostly live in the county town, we simply separated the family property." A curious aunt leaned over and pressed, "What about your third son? Do you and Xiaohe live with him?" Su Xiaoyin smiled and shook her head, her voice neither too loud nor too soft, each word steady and clear—"Auntie, the third son also separated. We live with Xiaohe and our parents, all three brothers have moved out. Dashan, Xiaohe, and I are still capable, we don't need them to support us in our old age. Besides, Dashan, Xiaohe, and Xiaoqing have lived with us for half our lives, we're used to it, and we don't want to separate. We simply separated the younger generation, so they can come and visit us during holidays when they have time."

The older women were speechless for a moment after hearing this. Aunt Li placed the shoe sole she was holding on her knees, patted the loose threads off her trousers, and said, "You're doing well. No one's with you. Those who are filial will come to visit you later. You don't have to worry about the next generation, and you live a peaceful life." Another aunt chimed in, saying that her sons had been married for two years and still lived together without separating from the family. It seemed she needed to think things over carefully when she got back; she couldn't keep everything under her control. Su Xiaoyin smiled and nodded, saying, "Aunties, I'll go home now. I still have chores to do." Carrying her empty basket, she continued walking home. When she reached the alley entrance, she glanced back. The older women were still sitting there, whispering amongst themselves.

Back home, Su Xiaoyin placed the basket by the kitchen door, washed her hands, and told Chen's mother about what had happened at the village entrance. Chen's mother was peeling garlic by the stove, not even looking up, the garlic cloves falling one after another into the rough porcelain bowl with a thud, like pebbles falling into a well. She said the villagers would definitely ask about it; after all, Dashan and Xiaohe had lived together for so many years since their marriage, and now their younger generation had suddenly moved away—how could they not be curious? They were all eager to see the drama unfold. She finished peeling the garlic, blew away the bits of skin from the rim of the bowl, and said in a low voice, "Just remember one thing: life is for yourself, not for outsiders. Let what others say go in one ear and out the other. Those people are just people who love a good show."

Su Xiaoyin brought in a cleaned wild rabbit from the backyard, saying, "Afu just brought this over. He caught it on the mountain and told me to take it home to eat. He said they have another one, so he brought this one home for us to try." Chen's mother put down her chopsticks and looked at it, saying, "This rabbit is really plump. Afu is such a thoughtful child." Su Xiaoyin said she would stew half of it that night—braised rabbit with potatoes. The potatoes would absorb the broth, becoming soft and flavorful. The other half would be smoked to save for Dad and Dashan and Xiaohe to enjoy with their drinks later. Chen's mother nodded, then added, "Then we need to cook early tonight. Stewing rabbit takes time and heat, so we don't have to wait too long."

When the braised rabbit was served that evening, the aroma from the kitchen wafted through the yard several times, even the neighbor's cat lingered at the door. Chen Xiaohe picked up a piece of meat with the bone, chewed it a couple of times, and said, "Sister-in-law, your rabbit is the best! Tomorrow I'll go up the mountain and set a row of rabbit traps to see if I can catch a few more. We'll smoke them and save them for the busy farming season." Chen Dashan said they'd go together tomorrow and dig a couple more traps along the way. He then turned to his father and asked about two ewes that a cowherd in the next village wanted to sell. He'd seen them; they were in good condition, had good teeth, and weren't old. He asked how they would be worth buying and raising.

Father Chen took the pipe out of his mouth, thought for a moment, and said that sheep are more troublesome than pigs. Mutton is expensive; ordinary families can't afford to buy it more than a few times a year, but restaurants buy it in large quantities. If you raise sheep, you need to find a good market. Chen Xiaohe said that next year he wouldn't need to tend so many barren hills and fields. He and his older brother had discussed it and decided to raise two sheep in addition to chickens, ducks, and pigs. They still had time to cut hay and feed the sheep; they hired people to do the heavy farm work, so they could manage. Father Chen put the pipe back in his mouth and, after a while, said, "Then let's buy them and try it out. If they're not pregnant ewes, you need to find rams for breeding in advance; you need to have a plan. Raising sheep is different from raising chickens and pigs; you can't just take it one step at a time."

Chen Dashan nodded, saying he'd go to the cowherd's house tomorrow to negotiate the price and ask if the two sheep had given birth. If they were, he'd bring them back immediately. Chen Xiaohe chimed in, saying they'd need to prepare the sheepfold beforehand and stock up on hay. Sufficient hay was essential for winter; they couldn't rely solely on freshly cut grass. The family discussed the sheep-raising arrangements in turn.

The fire in the stove reflected their faces as they spoke, casting flickering shadows that swelled and shrank on the wall. The rabbit soup in the clay pot was still bubbling away, its aroma wafting from the cracks in the lid, a warm, comforting scent mingled with the slightly bitter herbs and the spiciness of chili peppers, like the very aroma of the stove fire itself. After finishing speaking, Chen Dashan picked up another piece of rabbit meat and put it in his mouth.

"Oh, right, Dashan, you need to fix the kitchen cupboard. One of the shelves inside is missing," Su Xiaoyin suddenly remembered and said to Chen Dashan. Chen Dashan put down his chopsticks and said, "Then I'll just make a new one tomorrow. We shouldn't keep the old one for firewood. We made it in our second year of marriage, it's been quite a few years. We have plenty of wood at home. I'll make it after I see the ewe tomorrow, and then I'll see if any of the other furniture is still usable. We can replace it all while we have it. We haven't bought any new furniture in years." Chen Xiaohe said, "I'll help too. We really need to replace some of the furniture. A lot of things are no longer suitable. Tomorrow everyone will make new ones, and I'll see if I can fix anything, and replace the rest. Anyway, we don't have any work right now, so we both have time."

"Then you two should take the time to work on it this winter, there's no rush," Chen's mother said with a smile to her two sons.