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

Soon, Su Xiaoyin handed the heavy, packed food basket to Chen's mother: "Mom, it's all packed. Please drive carefully."

"Hey, you all stay home and make sure the door is closed. The sun is strong this afternoon, so just stay inside and rest. Don't come out." Chen's mother took the basket, gave her another careful instruction, and then hurried out the door. Her slender figure quickly disappeared into the blazing sun outside, blending into the end of the scorching dirt road.

After seeing their mother-in-law off, the Su sisters returned to the main room. On the table was lunch that their mother had specially prepared for them—an extra small bowl of steamed egg custard, golden and drizzled with soy sauce and sesame oil. The sisters understood that their mother-in-law was concerned for them, pregnant and alone at home. Eating the warm food warmed their hearts, but looking at the empty courtyard and hearing the faint sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking from some distant yard, they felt a pang of emptiness and worry. Their mother-in-law would rather go hungry herself, braving the scorching sun, than let the father and sons, toiling in the fields, eat a hot meal first. This gesture was deeply meaningful.

The two ate a simple lunch and cleaned up the dishes. The kitchen was quiet, with only the occasional crackling of the unburnt firewood in the stove. As the sun gradually slanted westward from its zenith, casting increasingly longer shadows in the yard, and their mother-in-law still hadn't returned, the two sisters understood—their mother must have brought them lunch and was now standing by the newly cleared wasteland, picking bean pods with the father and his two sons under the scorching sun, with no intention of turning back for a rest.

"Sis, I'm a little tired, shall we take a nap?" Su Xiaoqing suggested, her hand unconsciously touching her already showing belly. Pregnancy makes the body particularly prone to fatigue, and the morning's busyness and the summer heat were indeed making it hard to keep up.

"Yes, it's good to sleep for a while. Get up early in the afternoon and prepare dinner. Dad, Mom, Dashan, and Xiaohe will be tired and hungry when they come back tonight, so they need to have a hot and hearty meal." Su Xiaoyin nodded, feeling a little sore in her waist.

The two sisters returned to their respective rooms. In the east wing, Su Xiaoyin opened the window, letting a slight breeze in to dispel some of the stuffiness. She lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), beneath her a thicker old reed mat, specially laid out by her mother, which was quite cool. The tireless, hoarse chirping of cicadas outside the window mingled with the occasional clucking of chickens and ducks in the backyard; these familiar sounds now became the best lullaby. She closed her eyes, her breathing gradually evening, and drifted into a short, peaceful sleep on this summer afternoon. In the courtyard, all was quiet, with only the sunlight silently shifting shadows.

After an unknown amount of time, Su Xiaoqing woke up first. She listened intently; there was still no movement from her sister's room. The sun outside was already setting high in the west, and the heat seemed to have subsided a little. She quietly got up, went to the courtyard, drew a bucket of cool well water, washed her face, and immediately felt refreshed. She then scooped up a bowl of chilled tea that had been brewed that morning and was now hanging in the well on a rope, and sipped it slowly. The sweet and slightly bitter taste went down her throat, leaving her feeling completely comfortable.

She glanced at the sky, walked to her sister's door, and called softly, "Sister, get up, it's getting late."

From inside the room came Su Xiaoyin's sleepy voice: "Okay, I'm up now."

When Su Xiaoyin came out, her forehead was still damp with sweat, and her face had a rosy glow from just waking up. She saw her younger sister already sitting in the shade of the yard drinking water, so she went over and took a couple of sips of cool tea from her sister's hand, letting out a long sigh of relief.

"Sis, what do you think we should make for dinner?" Su Xiaoqing put down her bowl and started to think. "It's so hot today. They work in the fields and sweat a lot. It's hard work. If they don't eat well, they won't have enough energy to recover, and they'll really collapse from exhaustion."

Su Xiaoyin glanced around the yard, already having an idea: "It's hot, we need to make something appetizing. There are still some smoked pork bones in the cellar, right? Take a small piece out and stew it with green beans and chili peppers. The broth will be rich and flavorful, perfect for eating with flatbread. Also, make some cucumber salad, with plenty of minced garlic and vinegar to cleanse the palate. Oh, right," she pointed to the tomato trellis in the corner of the garden, where many tomatoes were already ripe and temptingly red, "Look at those tomatoes, quite a few are ripe. Let's pick some and make some tomato sauce. It'll be sweet and sour, delicious in flatbread or mixed with noodles. The perilla leaves in the garden are growing well too; let's pluck some tender leaves, chop them up, and mix them in for an even more unique flavor."

Su Xiaoqing nodded repeatedly: "This is good! It's appetizing! There's still some herbal tea left. We brewed a lot this morning, and the rest is hanging in the well to cool. It'll be perfect to drink when we get back tonight to relieve the summer heat."

"Then let's get busy," Su Xiaoyin said, getting ready to get up. "Mom should be back later to bring dinner to Dad and my older brother Xiaohe. Let's prepare dinner first, so Mom can just heat it up and take it with her when she gets back, saving her the trouble of making it in a hurry."

The two sisters helped each other to their feet—their pregnancies were progressing, and getting up and bending over were becoming increasingly difficult. Just as they reached the kitchen door, they heard the courtyard gate creak open.

The two women turned around and saw Chen's mother walking in carrying an empty basket. She looked even more disheveled than when she left that morning; her hair was soaked with sweat and clung to her forehead and cheeks. Her faded blue cotton jacket was almost completely saturated with sweat, the color patchy, and her trousers and cloth shoes were covered in yellow mud and bits of grass. Her face was etched with deep fatigue, and her lips were chapped, but her eyes still managed a slight smile when she saw her two daughters-in-law.

"Mother! You're back!" Su Xiaoyin rushed to greet her, while Su Xiaoqing quickly went to the well, filled a basin with clean, cool water, and took a clean cloth.

"Mom, please wash your face and wipe your sweat. Your clothes are soaked through. Change into something dry, or you'll catch a cold," Su Xiaoyin said with concern, wetting and wringing out a towel before handing it to Chen's mother.

Chen's mother took the cloth and hastily wiped her face and neck; the cool water gave her a slight boost. She took a breath, her voice a little hoarse, "Okay, I'll change my clothes and catch my breath. In the field… the beans are almost picked, but the weeds are so annoying. Your father and the others are harvesting grain in the fields over there; they let me come back first… to make dinner for you." As she spoke, her gaze unconsciously drifted towards the kitchen.

"Mom, don't worry!" Su Xiaoqing quickly said, "My sister and I have already planned dinner and are about to cook it! We'll make pork rib stew with green beans, cucumber salad, and some tomato sauce. The herbal tea is also chilled. You should go change your clothes and rest. Once the food is ready, we'll pack it up and you can take it to Dad and the others. Or... how about we have either my older brother or Xiaohe come back tonight to pick it up by themselves? You won't have to make another trip."

Listening to her daughter-in-law's considerate arrangements and seeing their concerned eyes, Chen's mother felt her weariness dissipate considerably. She nodded, a genuine smile spreading across her face: "That...that's great. I'll do as you say. I'll go change my clothes first."

Watching Chen's mother walk towards her room, her back straight despite her exhaustion, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing exchanged a glance, both seeing the heartache and determination in each other's eyes. Without another word, they immediately turned and went into the kitchen. One went to the cellar to get bones, the other to the vegetable garden to pick beans, peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Soon, the kitchen was filled with the sounds of chopping vegetables, washing dishes, and the crackling of the firewood being reignited.