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

"Come on, dinner's ready! I dug up some winter bamboo shoots today, and made some winter bamboo shoot and cured pork dumplings. Try them all!" Chen's mother walked into the main room with a big tray of plump, steaming dumplings, and first put one in each of her two daughters-in-law's bowls. "Xiaoyin, Xiaoqing, you two try the saltiness first. The winter bamboo shoots are fresh, and the cured pork is fragrant. They're the perfect appetizer when mixed together."

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing quickly thanked her, carefully blew on the dumpling, and took a bite. The dumpling skin was chewy, the filling crisp, tender, and savory, and the unique sweetness of the winter bamboo shoots perfectly balanced the richness of the cured meat—truly delicious. Both of them couldn't help but nod in praise: "Mom, it's so delicious!"

Once the family was seated, Mr. Chen first picked up a dumpling, then took a sip of wine. He then seemed to remember something and asked his youngest son, "Xiaohe, how did the winter bamboo shoots sell in town today? Were the prices okay with Manager Wang?"

Chen Xiaohe, who was engrossed in eating dumplings, quickly swallowed his food upon hearing this, put down his chopsticks, and said with a hint of pride, "Father, although we didn't dig as many bamboo shoots as last year, Manager Wang said that our bamboo shoots were of good quality, so we bought them at last year's price of fifteen coins per pound. We made a total of three and a half taels of silver." He paused, took out a cloth bag from his pocket, opened it, and inside were some loose silver and copper coins. "The bamboo fungus was also sold. The average quality ones were given to Manager Wang according to the old custom, and I got two hundred coins. The best quality ones, as Mother told me, were sent to Steward Zhou at the Zhou residence. Steward Zhou was very satisfied and gave me four hundred and fifty coins, plus an extra fifty coins as a gift for the future young master and young lady. Here, the money is all here, Mother, please count it."

Mother Chen took the cloth bag and, by the light of the oil lamp, carefully counted the contents. Her smile deepened. "Three and a half taels, plus two hundred coins, then five hundred coins... Hmm, that's right, it's four taels and two hundred coins in total." After a moment's thought, she took out the three-tael silver coin and pushed it in front of Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe. "You two brothers, keep one and a half taels of this silver to yourselves. Xiaoyin and Xiaoqing are about to give birth, and there will be many expenses. Save it for soft cloth to make clothes for the babies, or for some fine food to nourish them."

Chen Dashan looked at the silver in front of him, his lips moved as if he wanted to say that the money should be kept in the public treasury or that more should be left for his parents, but he was stopped by a look from his mother.

"We're all family, no need for formalities." Mother Chen's tone was gentle but firm. "Your father and I are still in good health, and we have some extra money from the public funds. We've set aside the money for the spring. This money is what you earned yourselves, so it's rightfully yours. After the baby is born, there will be even more expenses, so having more money in hand will give us peace of mind."

Chen Dashan stopped refusing and silently put the silver away. Chen Xiaohe happily accepted it and immediately handed it to Su Xiaoqing beside him. Holding the silver, still warm from their husbands' touch, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing felt a surge of warmth in their hearts and thanked Chen's mother in unison, "Thank you, Mother!"

"Alright, alright, hurry up and eat. The dumplings won't taste good if they get cold." Father Chen's words interrupted this warm and slightly sentimental moment. After everyone picked up their chopsticks again, he said to his two sons, "Dashan, Xiaohe, tomorrow morning Butcher Wang will come to collect the pigs. You two get up early and help herd the pigs out to be weighed."

Chen Xiaohe's eyes lit up: "Dad, our pigs are so healthy and shiny, what price did Butcher Wang offer?"

Father Chen took a sip of wine and said, "I've seen it. The pig you two are feeding is indeed fat and strong, and I estimate its gross weight to be around 210 or 220 jin. Butcher Wang said he'd buy the whole pig for ten wen per jin. If it were an ordinary family raising one, it would only be nine wen at most. He's only offering this price because he thinks our pig is well-raised."

"Ten coins a pound? That means it can sell for more than two taels of silver!" Chen Xiaohe quickly calculated in his mind, and was even happier.

"Okay." Mr. Chen nodded. "After you sell yours tomorrow, have Butcher Wang slaughter the one we're raising at the old house as well. We'll keep half the meat for ourselves, and have him sell the rest—the meat, head, hooves, and offal."

Chen Dashan was somewhat surprised: "Dad, you left so much meat this year?"

Mother Chen picked up the conversation and explained, "This year is different. Xiaoyin and Xiaoqing will be giving birth soon. New mothers need to eat well, right? Chicken soup, bone broth, pig's trotter soup—what can be without meat? Besides, after the babies are born and celebrate their one-month birthday, we'll invite a few close relatives and neighbors over for a meal to share in the joy. How can the table be without a good dish? As for the remaining meat, I've already planned it out. Some will be salted, and some will be smoked into cured meat and sausages, which will hang under the rafters. That way, even if we're busy next year, we won't run out of meat. You're young, it's the time to be productive; you can't go hungry."

Chen Dashan then realized his mistake and felt even more grateful for his parents' thoughtfulness: "Mom and Dad were so considerate. We were mistaken."

With a smile, Chen's mother added another dumpling to each person's bowl: "Living life is like making dumplings. The filling needs to be mixed evenly, the wrappers need to be rolled out round, and the heat needs to be controlled well for them to taste good. You need to be frugal when you should be, and you need to spend when you should. Right now, the addition of a new member to the family is the most important thing, so we need to prepare everything we need to. We can't let the child and the adults suffer."

Inside the main room, the warm glow of the oil lamp enveloped the family. Outside, night deepened, and a chill crept in, but the room was filled with the aroma of food and a cozy warmth. The delicious taste of winter bamboo shoots still lingered on their tongues; the joy of selling pigs and the anticipation of a new life in the future intertwined, making this ordinary winter night feel exceptionally fulfilling and hopeful. Chen Dashan watched his wife, who was eating dumplings with small bites, her lowered eyes gentle, her belly high and round, where their shared blood and future were growing. He quietly took Su Xiaoyin's hand under the table; her hand was slightly swollen from pregnancy, but warm and reassuring.

Su Xiaoqing was quietly discussing with Chen Xiaohe whether they should buy some red paper after selling the pig tomorrow, so they could cut paper decorations for the baby after birth. Chen's parents listened to their children's hushed conversation, exchanged a smile, and their wrinkles were filled with contentment.

It was late at night. The dumplings were finished, and the soup was all gone. Mother Chen cleared the dishes, urging her pregnant daughter-in-law to rest early. Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing were then helped back to their rooms by their husbands. Before going to sleep, Su Xiaoyin carefully placed the one and a half taels of silver Chen Dashan had given her into the innermost small box in the kang cabinet. There, they had accumulated some copper coins and loose silver, all saved little by little over the past six months. She stroked her slightly protruding belly and whispered to the baby inside, "Baby, look, Daddy, Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle, and Aunt are all working hard for our family. You must be good and come safely..."