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

After Shi Tou and A Ji left that day, the courtyard was quiet for a long time. Sunlight filtered through the branches of the old locust tree, falling on the ground like scattered gold. Su Xiaoyin stood at the kitchen door, clutching a rag in her hand, motionless for a long time. Su Xiaoqing came out of the house, walked over to her, stood beside her for a while, took the rag from her hand, draped it over the clothesline, and said, "Sister, did Shi Tou tell you too?" It wasn't a question, but a statement.

Su Xiaoyin sighed, her voice carrying an indescribable weariness: "They're all debt collectors. Shi Tou is stuck in a rut, I don't even know if I've managed to talk him out of it. Let Xiao He have a good talk with Shi Tou and A Ji later." She paused, her gaze falling on the withered vines on the distant courtyard wall, her voice lower than before: "A Ji is the same, he feels sorry for the family and has ignored all the sacrifices his parents, siblings, and everyone else have made for the family. He and Shi Tou have really been enjoying the family's sacrifices all this time without giving anything back. It's not really their fault, it's just that our family has been like this for so many years, spoiling them so much that they've forgotten that nothing in this world is a given."

Su Xiaoqing didn't reply, but bent down and swept the fallen leaves into a pile. After she finished sweeping, she leaned the broom against the wall before speaking, "I didn't really expect them to give anything back to the family. I just hoped their lives would be easier in the future. However, I can't treat the Zhang sisters with the same attitude as before. They must have noticed that lately when they come back, it's either Shi Tou and A Ji, or Shi Tou and his family with the children. They've only come back once."

Su Xiaoyin turned around, looked at her younger sister, and reached out to pick a withered leaf off her shoulder. Her tone softened, as if speaking to her sister, yet also to herself, "Maybe she knows she's not meant to be with them. This distance is fine. As long as appearances are maintained and Shitou and Aji aren't put in a difficult position, that's enough. They live in the county town; they don't come back, and we'll only see them a few times a year. After we pass away, we'll leave them a share of the inheritance; who cares about what happens after that?"

Su Xiaoqing put her arm around Su Xiaoyin's shoulder. The two sisters stood in the yard for a while. The wind blew in from the wall, carrying the faint, pungent smoke of burning straw from the distant fields. Su Xiaoqing said, "That's right, I'll listen to you. You're more insightful." She let go of her sister's arm, patted her shoulder, and said that it was getting cold and they should prepare clothes for the New Year. "By the way, tomorrow we'll go buy some fine cotton cloth and new cotton to make new clothes for Mom and Dad for the New Year. Big Brother and Xiaohe don't need new clothes; they made them last year, but their work clothes need to be refurbished. Also, we need to make new clothes for ourselves; we haven't made any for several years."

Hearing this, Su Xiaoyin suddenly smiled. She looked at her sister, her eyes filled with warmth: "Indeed, we haven't made new clothes for several years. Before, we always prioritized making them for our parents and children, but this year we'll make two new outfits for ourselves. And—" She paused, "this year we won't make new clothes or shoes for their families or grandchildren. Let's all live our own lives; we should take care of ourselves too." Su Xiaoqing nodded, saying, "Okay, let's do it that way. We'll go to Wenhu's to buy fine cotton fabric tomorrow." Qingqing had mentioned last time that the shop had received a new batch of fabric, in muted colors, perfect for winter clothes. If they went too late, they might have already picked them all.

The next morning, the two sisters drove their mule cart to town. Yang Wenhu's cloth shop had just opened; the flagstones at the entrance were still damp, as if water had been sprinkled to suppress the dust. Yang Wenhu was arranging goods in the shop when he saw them come in. He put down the bolts of cloth he was carrying and said with a smile, "Mother and Aunt, why are you here so early?" Su Xiaoyin said she wanted to buy a few bolts of fine cotton cloth and make some winter clothes. Yang Wenhu brought out several bolts of newly arrived fabric from the back and spread them out on the counter for them to choose from. One bolt was navy blue, one was moon white, and one was lotus root pink. The fabric was thick and dense, gleaming warmly in the sunlight, and felt smooth, soft, and warm to the touch. Su Xiaoyin unfolded the navy blue bolt, examined it against the light, and then rubbed the edges of the fabric with her fingers, saying, "This is for Father to make a robe, and that moon white one is for Mother to make an undergarment." Su Xiaoqing touched the lotus-root colored cloth and said it was a beautiful color, perfect for making a padded jacket. The two of them then each picked out a piece of fine, bluish-gray cotton cloth to make their own outer garments; they didn't need anything too bright, just something that would be durable enough to withstand dirt.

Yang Wenhu helped them roll up the cloth, wrapped it in oiled paper, and tied it tightly with hemp rope. Su Xiaoyin paid, and Yang Wenhu secretly slipped them two extra scraps of cloth, saying they were for making shoe soles. After leaving the cloth shop, the two sisters didn't rush back. They strolled around town, buying two jin of new cotton and two bundles of needles and thread. They also bought a few large bones when they passed a butcher's stall. After loading the goods onto the cart, Su Xiaoqing drove the mule cart home. Su Xiaoyin sat on the cart, her hand resting on the dark blue cloth. Even through the oiled paper, she could feel the slight warmth of the cloth, as if it had just been taken out of a cupboard. The sun had risen higher, its warmth making it feel like winter.

Back home, Su Xiaoyin carried the rolled-up cloth into the house and spread it out on the kang (a heated brick bed). The dark blue cloth covered half the kang, gleaming finely in the sunlight. She smoothed out the corners and smoothed out the wrinkles, as if to welcome it back. Chen Dashan walked in from the yard, sat down on the edge of the kang, looked at it for a while, and asked, "Is this for Dad to make a robe?" Su Xiaoyin said yes, and explained that she would start cutting it tomorrow and it had to be finished before the New Year. She picked up the scissors, compared them to the cloth, and then put them down. Chen Dashan said, "I'll make a few for you and Xiaoqing too. You haven't had any new clothes for years, don't just think about us." Su Xiaoyin nodded, "Don't worry, I even bought the cloth this time. I'll make two for Xiaoqing and me each, but I won't make clothes for Shitou or the grandchildren." Chen Dashan nodded without saying anything.

Privately, Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe went to the jewelry store in the county town to make a silver hairpin and a pair of silver bracelets for Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing, and also made a silver hairpin for their mother. It cost several taels of silver in total. Chen Xiaohe said, "Let's buy something for Dad. We can't buy everything, or there won't be enough room for him to share." Chen Dashan said, "Let's go to Doctor Li's and buy Dad some medicinal wine. Didn't Doctor Li say last time that the medicinal wine he makes is more suitable for the elderly and not too strong?" "Let's also buy Dad a pipe. Last time he really liked the one that Grandpa Ma in the village had. Let's pick out a good one for him so he can show it off to Grandpa Ma."