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

As the sun climbed higher, the lingering heat of late summer intensified. Before dawn, Chen's mother rose, cooked a large pot of millet porridge, made two batches of mixed grain pancakes, and sliced ​​a piece of salted meat she had specially set aside the night before. She stir-fried it with chili peppers until it was glossy and fragrant. Only then did she call Chen's father, Chen Dashan, and Chen Xiaohe to quickly eat breakfast. The three men wiped their mouths, shouldered their sickles and carrying poles, and headed out—the heavy loads of rice and sorghum in the cultivated fields awaited their harvest.

After seeing the men off to work in the fields, Chen's mother turned to the Su sisters, who had just finished washing up and were resting at the entrance of the main room, and said, "Xiaoyin, Xiaoqing, the soybeans and mung beans in the wasteland have been completely harvested these past few days, and they're almost dried. Don't go to the threshing ground today; it's a dusty place, so stay home and rest. Your father and the others are starting to harvest the cultivated grain today; that's the main part, and it's much more tiring. I'll take a small basket and wander around the wasteland to pick up any beans that have fallen on the ground. We can collect as many as we can; we can't let them go to waste."

Upon hearing this, Su Xiaoyin quickly stood up, supporting her back: "Mother, the road over there in the wasteland is uneven and the sun is scorching. Let's go with you and lend a hand."

"No, please!" Mother Chen waved her hands repeatedly, her tone resolute. "That wasteland has just been cleared; the soil is loose and there are loose stones. It's not easy to walk on. You two are in such poor health; you're most afraid of tripping and falling. And with the sun so strong, what if you get heatstroke? Just stay home, watch the house, feed the chickens and ducks—that'll be a huge help." Seeing that her two daughters-in-law still looked a little apologetic, she smiled and arranged, "If you really can't stay idle at home, go to the tofu shop at the village entrance and buy some tofu. Tonight, we'll stew tofu with the dried salted fish we have at home, and also make a pot of flatbread. I've already prepared the dough in the basin; it's right next to the stove."

Su Xiaoqing's eyes lit up: "Okay, Mom! My sister and I will cook lunch. We'll go buy tofu in a bit. There's still a lot of pickled bamboo shoots in the jar, so we can stir-fry some spicy pickled bamboo shoots to whet our appetites. It's just that we finished the cured meat a few days ago, so the taste might be a bit off."

"It's alright," Chen's mother said nimbly, slinging a small bamboo basket over her shoulder. Inside were a water pouch and a small piece of coarse cloth. "Add an extra spoonful of lard to the pan, and it'll still smell delicious! You can take your time at home, don't tire yourselves out. I'll be right back after I've gathered some." With that, she headed towards the wasteland outside the village, braving the already scorching sun.

After seeing their mother-in-law off, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing exchanged a smile, both understanding that this was a sign of their family's tender care. The two weren't truly idle; first, they took out the dried salted fish they would use that evening and soaked it in water to remove some of the saltiness. Then they went to the backyard to pick some red chilies and drained a bowl of pickled bamboo shoots. Su Xiaoyin also cracked a few eggs into a bowl and whisked them, preparing to stir-fry some scallions and eggs for lunch.

"Sister, shall we go buy some tofu first?" Su Xiaoqing glanced at the sky. "During the busy farming season, tofu shops make less tofu, and if we go too late, we might not be able to buy any."

"Okay, we can deal with these things when we get back." Su Xiaoyin nodded.

The two sisters, supporting each other and carrying small baskets, slowly walked towards the tofu shop at the edge of the village. Along the way, they met neighbors also going to buy tofu, exchanging pleasantries and praising their good complexion and how caring the Chen family was. After buying the white, tender tofu, the two returned home. Seeing the sun rising higher, they began preparing lunch.

The fire in the stove blazed, and the kitchen quickly filled with the aroma of cooking. Su Xiaoyin took charge of the cooking, first stir-frying the pickled bamboo shoots. The spicy aroma, mixed with the unique flavor of the pickled bamboo shoots, wafted out, making one's mouth water. Next, she cut the softened dried salted fish into sections and added them to the pot along with cubed tofu, water, and ginger slices, simmering it slowly over low heat. Su Xiaoqing was in charge of making the flatbreads. She kneaded the risen dough into long strips, divided them into portions, wet her hands, and deftly flattened them into oval-shaped flatbreads, sticking them one by one around the edge of the stew pot. The golden edges of the flatbreads gradually curled up, emitting the aroma of roasted grains. The scrambled eggs with scallions were made last, stir-fried quickly over high heat until the eggs were tender yellow and the scallions were bright green, looking refreshing.

"Sister, would you like some more pickled vegetables?" Su Xiaoqing said, wiping her hands. "Xiaohe and Big Brother love to eat a bite of flatbread with a bite of pickled vegetables; they really enjoy it."

"Okay, I'll take one of the pickled vegetable chunks out of the jar, shred it, soak it in water, and then mix it with some sesame oil later," Su Xiaoyin replied.

Everything was ready, and the rich aroma of stewed fish and tofu, the sour and spicy flavor of pickled bamboo shoots, and the crispy fragrance of flatbread filled the entire courtyard. However, they waited and waited, and the sun was almost directly overhead, but Chen's father and the others did not return, and even Chen's mother, who had gone to the wasteland to pick beans, was nowhere to be seen.

"Sister, why haven't Father, Mother, and Brother come back yet? Could it be..." Su Xiaoqing looked worriedly towards the courtyard gate, "Should we go check on them in the fields?"

Su Xiaoyin was also a little worried, but she remained calm on the surface: "They probably had a lot of work and lost track of time. Let's wait a little longer. If they still aren't back, we'll pack up the food and take it to the fields."

No sooner had she finished speaking than the courtyard gate creaked open. There she was, Chen's mother, sweating profusely. Her bamboo basket was more than half full of scattered bean pods and the beans she had picked out. The back of her coarse cloth clothes was soaked with mud and grass clippings.

"Mom, you're finally back!" Su Xiaoyin rushed over to greet her. "Sit down and rest, have some water. The chrysanthemum tea I made this morning has just cooled down." Su Xiaoqing had already quickly poured a large bowl of tea and brought it over.

Without a second thought, Chen's mother went to the well and washed her face with the cool water. She then wiped her neck with a towel before taking the bowl and gulping down most of it in one go. She let out a long sigh of relief: "Oh dear, I'm finally feeling a bit better. I didn't bring enough water this morning, and there wasn't a shady spot in that wasteland. It was so hot and dry. I'll have to fill a gourd with water this afternoon."

"Mom, the food is ready. Please eat something. You've had a long morning." Su Xiaoqing said with concern.

Chen's mother waved her hand, still catching her breath, "I'm fine, let me catch my breath. Your father and Dashan and Xiaohe are still hungry in the fields, I'll take them some food." As she spoke, she went to get a basket to fill with food.

Su Xiaoyin hurriedly said, "Mother, please wait a moment, I'll pack you more vegetables and flatbread." She deftly packed the stewed fish tofu, the glistening spicy pickled bamboo shoots, the golden scrambled eggs with scallions, and the soft flatbread into the clean earthenware pot and bamboo basket.

"That's enough, that's enough. They can't finish it all if you pack too much." Chen's mother felt comforted as she looked at her daughter-in-law packing the food to the brim, but she said, "Keep the scrambled eggs for yourselves, don't pack any for us. The other dishes are enough for the four of us. You should eat quickly too, don't wait for me. I'll eat with them in the field." She was thinking about the family's lunch and the beans that hadn't been picked yet in the wasteland. She planned to finish picking them after delivering the food and not have to go back and forth in the afternoon.

While the two sisters were preparing food, Chen's mother was also busy. She first went to the backyard to feed the chickens and ducks, and then filled the pig trough. She was only slightly relieved when she saw the half-grown piglets eating happily.