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

After more than ten days of hard work, the Chen family's grain was finally completely dried and stored away. Looking at the neatly stacked grain sacks in the granary, almost reaching the roof beams, everyone felt their hearts filled with the weight of this bountiful harvest, a sense of peace and satisfaction.

Looking at her family members, whose faces showed obvious fatigue but whose eyes were still bright, Chen's mother patted the dust off her hands and announced, "Everyone is exhausted from this autumn harvest, but you've done a wonderful job! Tomorrow, there's no work scheduled. Everyone can stay home and rest for a day! Let your bones relax!"

She paused, a smile spreading across her face, and continued with the arrangements: "The day after tomorrow is market day. Our whole family will take an oxcart to the county town to go! Firstly, we can buy some things we'll need for winter; secondly," she looked at her two heavily pregnant daughters-in-law, her eyes filled with loving affection and a hint of barely perceptible worry, "we'll take Xiaoyin and Xiaoqing to the county clinic so the doctor can give them a proper check-up. They're quite far along in their pregnancies, so we need to be aware of their condition."

The whole family agreed to the arrangement. The tension that had been building for so long could finally be eased a little.

The next day, the Chen family was unusually quiet and languid. The sun was high in the sky, yet Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe's doors remained tightly shut. This was unprecedented. Finally, seeing that they hadn't gotten up, Su Xiaoyin got up and gently knocked on the door.

"Mountains, rivers, the sun is rising, it's time to get up. The food is keeping warm in the pot for you."

Then came the rustling sounds of people getting up from inside. A while later, the two brothers emerged, rubbing their eyes and yawning, their faces still showing signs of sleepiness. Chen Xiaohe stretched and mumbled, "Sister-in-law, where are Father and Mother? I haven't seen them."

Su Xiaoyin was bringing out the warmed mixed grain porridge and cornbread when she heard this, she said, "Father and Mother went up the mountain early this morning. They said they would take advantage of the late autumn to gather some pig feed, and also see if there were any mountain products they had missed, and they also need to chop some firewood. Mother said you can just rest today."

Chen Dashan splashed cold water on his face, feeling much more refreshed. Hearing this, he said, "This winter is different from usual. We have more...kids at home. Heating and cooking will definitely require more firewood. How can we rely on just your parents? After dinner, Xiaohe and I will go up the mountain and chop some more. The more the better; having it piled up in the yard gives us peace of mind." He looked at Su Xiaoyin and added, "Perfect, we can run into Mother on the mountain and have her come back to keep you company."

Su Xiaoqing, who was slowly making her way out of the kitchen while supporting her back, quickly waved her hand upon hearing this: "Big brother, there's no need to call Mother back! My sister and I will just sunbathe in the yard and won't go anywhere. We'll be fine. Let Mother do her work."

Chen Xiaohe had already picked up his bowl of porridge and slurped down a large mouthful. Hearing this, he looked up at his sister-in-law and his wife's round, alarmingly large bellies, and his face showed disapproval: "That won't do! Your bellies look scary. How can we feel at ease without someone with us? What if you trip over something? It's settled then! My brother and I will eat quickly, and then we'll go up the mountain and bring Mother back!"

Seeing his resolute attitude, Su Xiaoyin and her sister felt warm inside and stopped refusing.

The two brothers finished their meal in a flash, picked up their sharp machetes, sturdy baskets, and ropes, and strode towards the back of the mountain.

The courtyard quieted down again. Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing sat on the large and sturdy bamboo recliners that Chen Dashan had specially made for them. He had noticed that the two women were getting more pregnant and their backs ached from sitting on ordinary stools, so he had quietly come up with a solution. The backrests were adjustable and had soft cushions, making them much more comfortable to sit or lie on.

The autumn sun was warm and gentle, unlike the harsh summer sun, and felt very pleasant on the skin. The two sisters leaned back lazily in their deck chairs, enjoying a rare moment of leisure.

"Sister," Su Xiaoqing said softly, stroking her high, protruding belly, with a hint of barely perceptible unease, "Let's go to the county clinic tomorrow and ask the doctor when I'm going to give birth, okay? My belly is getting heavier every day. Now when I stand up, I can't even see my toes when I look down. It's even more uncomfortable at night. No matter how I lie down, I feel suffocated, and it's difficult to even turn over."

Su Xiaoyin sighed softly, feeling the same way: "Me too. I always feel like my stomach is pressing against my belly, I can't eat much, but I'm always hungry. When I lie down at night, it feels like a big rock is pressing on my back, my waist aches, and my back hurts, so I can't sleep soundly." She turned her head to look at her sister's equally large belly, feeling both heartache and a sense of shared helplessness.

As they were talking, footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate. It was Chen's mother returning. She was carrying a large basket full of pig feed and dry branches on her back, and a small bamboo basket was slung over her arm. Her face was filled with the joy of a harvest.

"Look! We're so lucky today!" Mother Chen put down her basket and proudly showed it to her two daughters-in-law. "Your father and I found a chestnut tree that hasn't been picked clean yet. A lot of chestnuts have fallen to the ground, and we picked up these! We also found a few pine trees and knocked down some pine cones. Although it's not much, we'll dry them, shell them, and keep them as snacks in the winter. They're really delicious! Oh, and we also picked a lot of mushrooms. They're all quite fresh."

Looking at the glossy, plump chestnuts and the pine cones exuding the fragrance of pine resin in the basket, Su Xiaoyin smiled and said, "Mom, you and Dad have such good eyes. Let Xiaoqing and I take care of these mushrooms. We're just sitting here anyway, so we can take our time and dry them on the mat."

"Alright, take your time, no rush," Mother Chen readily agreed, then added, "I'll start cooking the pig feed first, feed the pigs, and then collect the eggs from the chicken coop and duck shed. They've been laying eggs a lot these past few days, so I'll collect a lot to nourish you all." With that, she busied herself quickly, first going to the kitchen, and soon the aroma of firewood cooking pig feed mixed with the sweet fragrance of chestnuts filled the yard.

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing exchanged a smile and began to slowly pick out the mushrooms.