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

Chen's mother glanced at her two daughters-in-law, who were sipping their porridge with their heads down, and said nothing, but the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

Chen Xiaohe ate with great relish, devouring half a pancake in just a few bites. He mumbled, "Sister-in-law, Xiaoqing, did you make this? It's delicious! Better than Mom's..." Before he could finish, his mother glared at him, and he sheepishly shrank back, burying his head in his food.

Chen Dashan ate quietly, his movements slow but methodical. He picked up a piece of pickled vegetable shreds with his chopsticks and ate it with the porridge, his gaze occasionally sweeping over the two sisters eating quietly across from him before quickly looking down again.

After finishing their meal, Mr. Chen put down his bowl, cleared his throat, glanced at his two sons, and then looked at his two newly arrived daughters-in-law. He said, "Dashan, Xiaohe, and... Xiaoyin, Xiaoqing."

Everyone looked up.

"Yesterday was rushed, and there were some things I didn't have time to explain in detail." Chen's father's voice carried the simple solemnity unique to farmers. "Now that you've started your own families, you're adults. It's not right for you to always squeeze into these three old rooms with your parents. We farmers believe in living independently."

He paused, then continued, "The adobe bricks for the new house were made by your mother, Xiaohe, and me during the off-season these past two years. They've been thoroughly dried and stacked against the back wall, enough for each of you to build three main rooms with a small kitchen. We've also prepared some timber; the beams and rafters are good pine wood cut from the mountains the year before last, and they've been air-dried. Xiaohe carried a lot of stones for the foundation back from the riverbank, and they're all piled up over at the house site."

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing looked up in surprise. They had assumed that the Chen family was so poor that building a new house was a distant dream, something they wouldn't even dare to imagine. But they were wrong…

Seeing their surprise, Mr. Chen's face broke into a rare, simple smile tinged with pride: "Our family may look poor, but over the years, when the weather was good, we saved some money. When Dashan went to serve in the army, he didn't touch a single penny of the salary the government paid and the final pension he received after being wounded; he gave it all to me. Xiaohe worked odd jobs in town and county during the off-season, and he brought back most of his earnings. Your mother and I scrimped and saved, thinking that when you two got married, we would at least build you your own place. We thought... we thought about Dashan... sigh, let's not talk about it. Now that you sisters have come, this family should be even more established!"

Chen Xiaohe excitedly chimed in, "That's right! Sister-in-law, Xiaoqing, don't worry about not having money! Mom and Dad have already planned it out! The land for our new house is on that open space east of our old house, a bright and spacious place! After breakfast, we'll go take a look and get the foundation laid first! My brother has trouble walking, so I'll do the heavy work. I'm skilled at making doors, windows, and furniture!"

Chen Dashan then looked up at his father, then at the Su sisters whose faces showed undisguised surprise and emotion, and calmly said, "Father, Mother has been planning for many years, the materials are all ready, and the labor is also readily available. The village values ​​mutual assistance, and building a house is a major event. We'll ask a few familiar uncles and elders to help, provide meals, and give them some gifts as appropriate. The weather has been fine these past few days, so let's get started quickly and we should be able to get the main structure up before winter."

His voice wasn't loud, but it conveyed a reassuring and well-thought-out confidence.

Su Xiaoyin felt a warm, aching emotion fill her chest. It turned out that this seemingly silent, even somewhat gloomy man, and this family, weren't there because they were desperate and had nowhere else to turn. They had been prepared, quietly saving money, and even with their eldest son disabled and marriage difficult, they hadn't given up on planning a future for their sons. This heavy, unspoken, yet very real plan was more moving than any grand promise.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but felt a lump in her throat. In the end, she could only manage a soft but firm sentence: "Father, Mother, Husband, Xiaohe, if there's anything at home that we sisters need to do, just let us know. We...we will do our best."

Su Xiaoqing nodded quickly, her eyes sparkling: "Yes! We can cook and help pass things around!"

Looking at the sincere light in her two daughters-in-law's eyes, Chen's mother's last bit of unease and embarrassment about "marrying two at once" and "the family being poor" finally dissipated. She picked up her bowl, finished the last mouthful of porridge, wiped her mouth, and said, "Alright, now that it's settled, let's get on with it. Old man, you take Dashan and Xiaohe to the land plot to take a look and plan things out. Xiaoyin, Xiaoqing, after you finish cleaning up the dishes, come with me to the cellar to check the food supplies. The helpers will be coming these days, so we can't be careless with the food; we need to have a head start."

The morning light bathed the Chen family courtyard. A new day begins not only with a warm breakfast, but also with a clear promise and starting point for their "new home." The silent adobe bricks at the foot of the backyard wall, and the foundation about to be broken in the open space to the east, all foreshadowed that this newly formed, still somewhat unfamiliar family was about to embark on a journey of building together, filled with sweat and hope. And for the first time, the Su sisters felt so clearly that their feet were truly and firmly stepping onto the future of this land.