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

"That's a great idea!" Mother Chen's eyes lit up. "Just add some chili peppers. Make some pickled bamboo shoots and minced meat too. With two things at once, I guarantee your father and those two brothers will enjoy the meal."

The matter was settled in just a few words. As night deepened and insects chirped, the Chen family members, exhausted from a day's work, rested and recharged their energy with simple plans for tomorrow and the future.

The next day, before dawn, Chen's father got up and quietly went to the fields with his hoe. He wanted to check the crops' ripeness one last time so he could have a complete plan in mind. Soon after, Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe also went out with baskets, fish baskets, and ropes, their figures quickly disappearing into the misty village roads.

Mother Chen also got up early. She first took out the piece of fine cotton cloth that Chen Dashan had bought the day before, which had been soaked in water and turned slightly yellow. Using the cool morning water from the well, she carefully washed it. Although the cloth was a bit faded, it was thick and sturdy. After washing away the dust and faint musty smell, it was still a large, usable piece of cloth when laid out to dry in the morning sun. She thought to herself that this cloth would be perfect for making two sets of undergarments for her two daughters-in-law—durable and warm.

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing woke up earlier than usual today. The two sisters slowly washed up and came to the old house together, just in time to see Chen's mother shaking out a wet cotton cloth in the yard.

"Good morning, Mother," Su Xiaoyin called out, walking over to offer her help.

When Chen's mother turned around and saw them, she quickly waved her hand, "Oh dear, why are you two up so early? Why don't you sleep a little longer? Come and sit down. This cloth is heavy, and it will be even heavier when it's wet. I can do it."

Su Xiaoqing, supporting her aching back, smiled and said, "Mom, we've had a good sleep. After breakfast, shall we help you make the meat sauce? It's too tiring for you to do all the work by yourself."

"No need, no need!" Chen's mother draped the cloth over the clothesline, wiped her hands, and said, "The most important thing for you now is to get better. These stove chores are greasy and tiring to stand on. I'll take my time and do them myself. If you really want to move around a bit..." She thought for a moment, "After dinner, why don't you stroll over to the tofu shop at the village entrance and buy a couple of pieces of tofu? I'll stew some tofu with pork bones and mushrooms tonight to give you some calcium."

"Okay, Mom, we'll go after we eat," Su Xiaoyin agreed. She knew her mother-in-law was trying to find ways to get them to do something easy yet meaningful, and her heart warmed.

Breakfast consisted of millet porridge and mixed flour steamed buns, prepared earlier by Chen's mother, along with homemade pickled vegetables. After eating and resting for a while, the two sisters picked up their small bamboo baskets and leisurely went out the door.

On an autumn morning, the sun shone brightly, and the sky was a clear, deep blue. The leaves on the trees lining the village road were beginning to turn yellow at the edges, and the air was filled with the faint, dry fragrance of ripening crops. Along the way, I encountered two or three village women, some out running errands, others chatting.

"Oh, aren't these Da Shan's wife and Xiao He's wife?" A round-faced auntie greeted them with a smile, her gaze lingering on the sisters' noticeably protruding bellies and much rosier faces. She clicked her tongue in admiration, "Look at their complexions! So rosy and fair, truly radiant like newlyweds! You Chen family really know how to nurture your children! Even now that you're pregnant, you look even more beautiful than before! Where have you been all this time?"

Su Xiaoyin smiled slightly and replied politely, "Hello, Aunt Wang. We're going to the village entrance to buy two pieces of tofu. The autumn harvest is almost here, and we're planning to make something nice for Dad and my brothers to help them recover their strength."

"That's right! The autumn harvest is a big event, and it's tiring! We deserve to eat something good!" another woman chimed in, her eyes full of kindness and a hint of barely perceptible envy. Everyone in the village knew that the two women from the Chen family who had fled famine were now living in a paradise. Their mothers-in-law doted on them, their husbands protected them, and they were about to have twins—their good fortune was simply unstoppable.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the two sisters continued walking. Having bought the white, tender tofu with its fragrant bean aroma, they carefully placed it in a basket lined with clean lotus leaves, and then strolled back at a leisurely pace.

Back at the old house, Chen's father had already returned from checking the crops. A large basket of fresh pig feed was placed at his feet, and he was sitting by the well, drinking water with gulps.

"Mom, we're back! We've bought the tofu." Su Xiaoyin handed the basket to Chen's mother, who came out to greet them.

"Okay, good." Chen's mother took the tofu, glanced at the glistening tofu, and was quite satisfied. "You must be tired after this trip, right? Sit down and rest. I just finished cutting the meat and was about to start stir-frying it."

Su Xiaoqing walked to the small stool next to Chen's mother and sat down, asking, "Mom, is there anything we can help you with? It's boring just sitting here."

Chen's mother was tending the fire in front of the stove, with oil heating in the pot. Hearing this, she pointed to a bunch of garlic hanging on the wall and said, "If you two don't mind the trouble, could you peel a few cloves of garlic for me? I'll crush them and add them to the meat sauce to enhance the flavor."

"Okay, this is an easy job." Su Xiaoqing happily agreed and, together with Su Xiaoyin, slowly began to peel the garlic. The peeled garlic cloves were plump and white, emitting a spicy aroma.

After drinking his fill of water and wiping his mouth, Mr. Chen looked at his wife and daughter-in-law, each quietly busy in the yard, and felt a sense of peace. He stood up, brushed the bits of grass off his clothes, and said, "I've put the pig feed by the pigpen in the backyard. It's still early, I'll go take a walk around the back hill to see if I've forgotten any mountain produce, and also stretch my muscles."

"Go on, remember to come back for lunch." Chen's mother instructed without looking up, her attention entirely focused on the sizzling oil in the wok. As soon as the marbled pork cubes hit the pan, a rich, meaty aroma burst forth, filling the entire kitchen and making everyone's mouths water.

As Su Xiaoyin peeled garlic, she watched her mother-in-law skillfully stir-fry, add sauce, and season. The firelight illuminated her focused profile, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking and the eastern horizon was beginning to glow with a faint bluish-gray, the lights in the Chen family courtyard were already on. The three men—Father Chen, Chen Dashan, and Chen Xiaohe—had each changed into their oldest, but clean and durable, coarse cloth shorts, their trousers tied tightly with cloth strips, and wearing worn straw hats. They tucked their gleaming sickles into the straw rope belts behind them, draped hemp ropes for binding bean stalks over their shoulders, and each carried an old bamboo tube for holding water.

"Let's go," Chen's father said simply, his voice particularly clear in the quiet morning mist.