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

Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe practically ran back to their new house. Pushing open the door to the main room, they found it eerily quiet, save for the occasional soft crackling of the charcoal brazier. The doors to both rooms in the east wing were closed.

The two brothers exchanged a glance and simultaneously slowed their pace. Chen Dashan walked to his door, listened intently, and found it completely quiet inside. He gently pushed the door open a crack. The room was dimly lit, and Su Xiaoyin lay on her side on the kang (a heated brick bed), her back to the door, seemingly asleep. The blanket rose and fell gently with her steady breathing.

Chen Dashan breathed a sigh of relief and carefully closed the door. Chen Xiaohe had also finished checking and mouthed "asleep" to him.

The two men left the main room and sat down in the kitchen. Having been busy all morning, their nerves constantly on edge, they finally relaxed and felt a wave of fatigue. Chen Xiaohe scooped two ladles of cold water from the water vat, and the two brothers gulped it down. The icy liquid sliding down their throats brought a slight sense of clarity.

"Brother, my sister-in-law and the others look pretty good today," Chen Xiaohe said in a low voice.

"Yeah, I went over for a bit of fun this morning, ate something warm, and went to sleep as soon as I got back. Looks like I'm not too tired." Chen Dashan nodded, but he wasn't completely at ease. The doctor's advice was still ringing in his ears: twins, the birth could happen at any time, and someone had to stay by his side. This morning was truly unavoidable.

"I'll go add more firewood to the kang (heated brick bed) to make the room warmer," Chen Dashan said, getting up to fetch firewood. Chen Xiaohe followed him out, bolted the courtyard gate, and checked the chicken coop.

The brief afternoon tranquility was broken by the arrival of Chen's mother. She carried a basket containing still-warm food brought from the old house, as well as a small piece of tender, soft pig liver that she had specially set aside.

"How is it? No movement, right?" Chen's mother asked in a low voice as soon as she entered the door.

"She's asleep, Mother." Chen Dashan took the basket.

Chen's mother peeked into the two tightly closed doors and felt slightly relieved: "That's good. I reckon they should be awake by now. I'll keep the food warm in the pot so they can eat when they wake up. This pig liver was cooked separately with not too many seasonings, so the fishy smell is mostly gone. It's very nourishing for the blood. Make sure they eat it."

"Okay, Mother."

"Your dad's smoking meat at home. I came over to check on him, but I have to go back to help later. You two be careful; I reckon it'll be over in the next couple of days." Chen's mother said solemnly, "First pregnancy, and twins at that, so we have to be extra careful. Be quiet when you sleep at night."

"Oh, Mother, don't worry."

After giving her a few more detailed instructions, Chen's mother hurriedly returned to the old house. There, the whole house was full of meat that still needed to be processed, and smoking it was an especially time-consuming and laborious task.

In the afternoon, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing woke up one after the other. After eating the food and pig liver that Chen's mother brought, they seemed to be in better spirits. The two sisters leaned against the kang (a heated brick bed), listening to the howling north wind outside, chatting idly. The babies in their bellies seemed to sense the approaching end of the year, moving around more frequently than usual, kicking and punching each other, making the two mothers feel both sweet and tired.

Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe stayed at home, not daring to go anywhere. The two brothers found some odd jobs to do. Chen Dashan continued polishing a batch of half-finished wooden hairpins, while Chen Xiaohe repaired the bamboo baskets that had been used for a long time and were somewhat damaged. In between work, they couldn't help but prick up their ears to listen to the sounds coming from the side room.

As darkness fell, the north wind picked up, and the leaden clouds pressed down low, with a light snowfall starting to drift down.

Chen's mother came over again before dark, bringing bone broth and steamed buns for dinner, as well as a small dish of thinly sliced ​​braised pig's heart and lungs, drizzled with sesame oil and minced garlic. "We won't be coming over tonight; the smoked meat needs someone to stay. You two keep an eye on things, be vigilant tonight, and make sure the doors are locked."

"Okay, Mother."

The snow fell thicker and thicker, silently covering the ground in the courtyard and turning the world into a blurry white. Night fell completely, and the lights in the new house were lit early, with the doors and windows tightly closed to keep the wind and snow out.

That evening, after Chen Dashan helped Su Xiaoyin wash up, he helped her lie down. The charcoal brazier burned brightly, and the kang (heated brick bed) was warm, making the room cozy. Leaning against his shoulder, Su Xiaoyin listened to the howling wind and snow outside the window and suddenly whispered, "Dashan, I'm a little scared."

Chen Dashan tightened his grip on her arm, his deep voice ringing out above her head: "What are you afraid of? I'm here. Mother said she gave birth to both of us brothers, so she has experience. Aunt Wang (Chen Ermu's wife) also said she'll come to help. The village head's sister-in-law said she's available anytime. We've also found a good matchmaker, she's very experienced. We're all ready."

"It's not that I'm afraid of that..." Su Xiaoyin's voice was even lower, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor, "It's that I'm afraid... what if... my child and I..."

"There's no 'what if'," Chen Dashan interrupted her, his tone resolute yet filled with unprecedented tenderness. "You and the children will be safe and sound. Our family's life has just started to improve, and the best days are yet to come. You'll still have to watch me make little wooden horses for our children, and when they grow up, you'll teach them to embroider bigger and more beautiful patterns. We'll look forward to living in a more spacious and bright house... So many things, we'll have to do them together."

Su Xiaoyin didn't say anything more, but just snuggled closer to him. Chen Dashan gently patted her back, like soothing a child, until her breathing became even and long again.

However, Chen Dashan barely slept that night. He listened to his wife's breathing, sometimes steady, sometimes slightly rapid, and the occasional patter of snow against the windowpane; his heart remained taut. In the latter half of the night, Su Xiaoyin seemed to be sleeping restlessly, turning over several times, and once even letting out a soft moan unconsciously. Chen Dashan immediately woke up and gently asked her if she was feeling unwell. She mumbled, "It's nothing, the baby's kicking," and then fell back asleep.

Chen Dashan couldn't fall asleep anymore. He lay awake, listening to her breathing in the darkness, calculating the time, waiting for any possible change to occur at any moment. Outside, the snow fell silently, silencing all sounds, yet amplifying every subtle noise inside. This silent wait was exceptionally long and agonizing.

Also awake was Chen Xiaohe in the next room. Although he wasn't as burdened as his brother, he knew what was important. He got up several times during the night to check on Su Xiaoqing, and only felt a little relieved when he heard that there wasn't much noise coming from next door.