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

In the evening, the warmth of dinner still lingered in the main room as the family sat around the oil lamp, discussing important matters to come. The wick occasionally crackled softly, emitting a bright spark that illuminated several faces slightly flushed by the lingering summer heat and anticipation.

"Father, Mother," Chen Dashan put down the rough pottery bowl in his hand and spoke first, his voice steady, "Tomorrow is the market day, it's for two days in a row. Xiaohe and I plan to set up a stall and sell everything we've saved up over this period of time."

Chen Xiaohe immediately chimed in, his face beaming with eagerness: "Yes, once we sell out this time, the next round won't be until after the autumn harvest! I haven't been idle lately; I've woven quite a few large baskets, sturdier and more aesthetically pleasing than last year's! And my brother is even more impressive," he turned to Chen Dashan, his tone full of pride, "making quite a few wooden axles and grain measures! These things will definitely be in high demand before the autumn harvest! Every household will need to prepare a few new axles and a new measure of grain, won't they?"

As he spoke, he gestured with his hands to demonstrate how to use the wooden winnowing basket—how to spread the grain evenly to ensure it was exposed to the sun, how to scoop it up like a shovel, and how to winnow it on windy days to let the chaff and impurities go away with the wind. He also described the grain measure, how it was made of thick wooden planks pieced together into a tight barrel shape, with a standard capacity, standing steadily on the ground, specifically designed for holding and measuring grain. These are all practical tools that farming families cannot do without during the autumn harvest.

Listening to this, Mr. Chen's dark face showed approval. He took a puff of his pipe and slowly said, "You've thought this through. This market day is right around the time of the autumn harvest, so these things should sell well. Get up early tomorrow and go to get a good spot. I went to the fields again this morning, and our grain harvest is almost ready. I'm thinking of starting with the harvest on those few acres of newly cleared wasteland this year, harvesting the soybeans, mung beans, and other miscellaneous beans planted there. Those fields have a shorter growing season, so the crops ripen a little earlier. After harvesting the wasteland, the sorghum, corn, wheat, and millet in the cultivated fields will all be ripe, and we can harvest them around the same time as harvesting the cultivated fields in previous years. After all that's harvested, we'll harvest the last half acre of rice."

Chen's mother nodded in agreement, then added, "Your father has made a lot of hemp rope; it's very sturdy and will come in handy for bundling grain and tying sacks. Take some with you tomorrow and see if anyone wants it. It's okay if we can't sell it; we can bring it back for ourselves. Also," she looked at her two sons, her tone serious, "remember to buy some lard and big bones this time. If the price of pork is right, buy a few pounds too. The autumn harvest is hard work; you can't go without meat and fat in your stomach."

Chen Dashan agreed: "Don't worry, Mother, I'll remember. After we finish eating, Xiaohe and I will pack up everything we want to sell, load it onto the cart, and leave before dawn tomorrow to find a good spot."

Mr. Chen tapped the ash from his pipe, stood up, and said, "You all keep tidying up. I'll go take another stroll around the back mountain before it gets completely dark and see if there's anything caught in the snares and traps. If we can catch a wild rabbit or a pheasant, we can add it to our meal tomorrow."

Chen's mother then turned to her two daughters-in-law, who were sitting quietly to the side with their bellies already noticeably protruding, and softened her voice even more: "Xiaoyin, Xiaoqing, do you see if there's anything you need us to bring back? Have Dashan and Xiaohe bring it back from the county town tomorrow."

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing exchanged a glance. Su Xiaoyin gently stroked her round belly and said softly, "Mother, we've been making some little clothes and blankets for the babies on and off these past few days. But..." She paused, a blush rising on her face, tinged with worry, "The doctor said we're carrying twins, and there are more babies than expected. We're afraid the supplies we prepared won't be enough. Should we... buy more fine cotton fabric and cotton to make a few more sets?"

Upon hearing this, Chen's mother immediately nodded: "That's right! We should prepare more! With twins, we need to wash and change clothes even more frequently. Tomorrow, after Dashan and the others have finished their business, have them go to the cloth shop and buy a few more feet of soft, absorbent fine cotton cloth, and also buy more cotton. Anyway, these things don't spoil easily, so it's better to make more than we need, just in case."

As things were settled one by one, the glow of the oil lamp cast the shadows of the family on the wall, flickering and intertwining, filled with a busy yet down-to-earth atmosphere.

After the meal, Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe busied themselves. They first went to the storage room. The wooden slippers Chen Dashan had made were neatly leaning against the wall, their planks smooth, handles straight, and emitting the fresh scent of new wood. The grain bins were spotless, the joints between the planks tight, and the handles sturdy. The large baskets woven by Chen Xiaohe were stacked together, each one large and round, with evenly spaced bamboo strips and neatly finished edges, looking sturdy and capable of holding a lot. The two brothers carefully carried these "large items" out of the yard, then took some smaller bamboo baskets, wooden combs, hair ties, and other odds and ends, loading them all onto the sturdy wooden cart. The hemp rope that Chen's father had twisted was also bundled into several bundles with straw rope by Chen's mother and placed on the front of the cart.

On the other side, Chen's father had already picked up his old hunting fork and a cloth bag, said goodbye to Chen's mother, and then quietly disappeared into the deepening twilight, heading towards the back mountain.

Since Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing couldn't help much, one of them went to the kitchen to boil water to prepare for everyone to wash up; the other, by the light of an oil lamp, wrapped the dry food that Chen Dashan's brothers would take away tomorrow—a few pancakes with shredded pickled vegetables—in clean lotus leaves.

After Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe finished loading the cart and securing it with hemp rope, Chen's father returned. Something seemed to be moving inside the cloth bag, making a rustling sound. He smiled and carefully placed the bag in the shadows of the corner of the yard: "Lucky me, caught two plump pheasants, quite lively. We'll slaughter them first thing tomorrow morning; one will be kept for soup tonight to nourish everyone, and the other will be smoked."

As night deepened and the summer heat subsided slightly, the family finished washing up and returned to their rooms. Back at the new house, Chen Dashan carefully checked the doors and windows, then poured warm water for Su Xiaoyin and placed it by her bedside. He whispered, "I'm going to the market tomorrow. You and Xiaoqing stay home. Be careful not to bump into anything. If there's any chores, wait for me to come and do them."

Su Xiaoyin leaned against the headboard, in the dim light, still holding the unfinished socks in her hand. Hearing this, she looked up and smiled gently: "I know, you should go to sleep. You have to get up early to travel tomorrow."

On the other side, Chen Xiaohe lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), too excited to sleep. He whispered to Su Xiaoqing about how to hawk his wares tomorrow and what prices to set for those large baskets. Su Xiaoqing patted him lightly and smiled, "Go to sleep. Get some rest so you'll have the energy to hawk your wares tomorrow."

Inside Mr. and Mrs. Chen's room, the elderly couple hadn't rested yet. Mrs. Chen, by the lamplight, was looking through the prepared baby fabrics, wondering what else they might need. Mr. Chen leaned against the headboard, closing his eyes to rest, but his mind was preoccupied with the crops in the fields, deciding which plot to start with and whether the weather might change.