As the sun climbed to the window frame, Aunt Li arrived carrying a child, with a bamboo basket slung over her arm, the cotton bundle inside steaming.

“These are freshly steamed red bean buns,” she said, placing the basket on the table. “My husband brought back a bag of sugar from town for you to sprinkle on your buns.”

The child was playing with snowflakes in her arms, her little hands were red from the cold, but she was laughing loudly, and drool dripped down her chin onto her cotton-padded coat, leaving a small wet stain.

Yun Tangyin slipped a cloth tiger into the child's hand. It was the same one Xiao Lan had given him a few days ago. Now, the tiger's eyes were embroidered round and it looked much more spirited.

"Let him hold it and play with it," she said, handing a bowl of hot porridge to Aunt Li. "It's freshly made, warm your hands too."

As Li Sao drank her porridge, she glanced into the yard and saw Fu Yucheng covering the woodpile with a plastic sheet. The snow clinging to his military green cotton-padded coat glistened in the sunlight.

“Your Yucheng is so thoughtful,” she said with a smile. “My husband always forgets to cover himself with snow when he chops firewood, and the wet firewood just smokes when it burns.”

As they were talking, Jiang Jianhua lifted the curtain and came in. The scarf on his head was covered with snow, like a layer of frost.

"I just got back from the regiment headquarters with cotton. The weather turned cold so suddenly, and the snow started falling just like that." She glanced at the stove and saw chicken soup simmering in the pot. Suddenly, she laughed out loud, "You're living a really good life. I just cooked a pot of cabbage today."

Yun Tangyin stuffed a piece of cured fish into her hand: "This is from Zhou Desheng's wife. You can use it to stew cabbage. It's very fragrant."

She pointed to the New Year picture on the wall and laughed, "Look at this chubby baby, wearing a red cotton-padded jacket, you're sure to have a child just as good-looking."

Just as Yu Xia left, Fu Yucheng came in carrying a bundle of firewood. Snowflakes fell from his cotton-padded coat, accumulating in a small puddle on the ground.

“Zhou Desheng said the snow on the back mountain was deep,” he added a piece of firewood to the stove, “and told me not to go pick walnuts until the snow melted.”

He slipped a red cloth bag into Yun Tangyin's hand. "It's some yarn I just got from the supply and marketing cooperative. It's so pink and cute."

As the chicken soup bubbled in the pot, Zhou Desheng's wife came in carrying a bowl of pickled radishes. Snowflakes fell on her blue headscarf, like a sprinkle of salt.

“I heard you’re making chicken soup,” she said, placing the bowl on the table. “These radishes are quite sour; they’ll help cut through the richness.”

She peeked into the cage and saw the rabbit curled up on the hay, dozing. The cage was also covered with a layer of quilted cloth for warmth. "This little thing is quite smart; it knows to go back to its nest to keep warm."

Yun Tangyin stuffed a pair of baby shoes into her hand: "I just made them. Keep them for the child to wear in the spring. Remember to call me when you get the cloth coupons. I want to go buy a piece of blue cloth."

"I'll definitely call you tomorrow," Zhou Desheng's wife replied with a smile as she put her shoes into her pocket.

She suddenly lowered her voice, "The regimental canteen slaughtered a pig, and they'll be distributing meat to military dependents this afternoon. Since you're pregnant, you'll get two extra pounds."

The afternoon sun shone through the snow, casting soft dappled light on the ground.

Yun Tangyin sat in front of the embroidery frame, her pink thread forming the outline of tiger-head shoes on the red cloth, the stitches very fine.

Fu Yucheng sat opposite her, twisting hemp rope. The hemp thread spun in his palm, and soon he had twisted a tight rope. Occasionally, he would look up at her, his eyes full of smiles.

The rabbit in the bamboo cage woke up and clung to the bars, watching them.

Yun Tangyin tossed a piece of dried sweet potato into the cage and said with a smile, "This is for you. Don't keep staring at us. You know he's making rope to tie the cage for you, don't you?"

Fu Yucheng reached out and touched the rabbit's head. The snow on its fur had melted, leaving it damp like a ball of cotton.

The little rabbit knew who was good to it; it ate its dried sweet potato and obediently let Fu Yucheng pat its head.

When it was time to divide the meat in the evening, Fu Yucheng came back carrying a piece of pork belly, with oil dripping onto the snow and making small yellow dots.

"These are spare ribs the cooks saved for me," he said, placing the meat on the stove. "I've stewed them for you, and added some hawthorn to cut through the richness."

Yun Tangyin grasped his hand: "Look how cold you are."

Yun Tangyin pulled Fu Yucheng's hand over; her palm was frozen stiff, and there were still some ice crystals formed from snow water stuck to her knuckles.

She placed his hand in the warm water basin on the stove, her fingertips touching the calluses on his thumb, rough like the stones from the back mountain.

"I told you to wear gloves," she said, sprinkling some Sichuan peppercorns into the water. The steam carrying the aroma of the peppercorns spread out. "This water can improve blood circulation. Soak them thoroughly first."

Fu Yucheng let her do as she pleased, his gaze falling on her slightly protruding belly. He suddenly laughed out loud: "When we were just dividing the meat, Zhou Desheng said that when his wife was pregnant, she could eat two pig's trotters in one meal."

He added a piece of hardwood to the stove, and sparks crackled and jumped up. "I'll stew a pig's trotter for you later, with soybeans."

Yun Tangyin slapped his arm: "You just know how to coax me to eat. If the baby gets too fat, it'll be difficult to give birth."

She took out a piece of ginger from the cupboard, sliced ​​it thinly, and sprinkled it into the soup. "Ginger can dispel cold. You can carry a couple of slices in your pocket when you train."

As they were talking, the rabbit in the bamboo cage suddenly started hopping and pawing at the bars, its three-lobed mouth coming up to nibble on the hemp rope that Fu Yucheng had just twisted.

Yun Tangyin chuckled and tapped the cage wall: "You glutton, this rope is to reinforce the cage for you, not for you to grind your teeth."

She tossed a frozen piece of cabbage into the cage. "Eat this."

Just as Fu Yucheng put the ribs on the stove to stew, Xiao Lan's shouts came from outside the courtyard. The little girl was wrapped in an oversized cotton-padded coat, looking like a round snowball.

"My mom says these are freshly pickled green beans, to whet your appetite!"

Yun Tangyin stuffed a hot sweet potato into her hand.

She picked up a pickled cowpea, and the sour juice dripped down her fingertips.

Xiao Lan squatted in front of the stove, holding a sweet potato. The red ribbon in her braid was covered with snow. Her breath was warm as she spoke: "My mother asked me to learn how to embroider a tiger-head hat from you. She said she would make me a new dress in the spring, which would go perfectly with the tiger-head hat."

The firelight from the stove illuminated her nose, which was red from the cold, making it look like a ripe cherry.

Fu Yucheng added a piece of firewood to the stove, and the flames licked the bottom of the pot, casting Xiaolan's shadow on the wall, which swelled and shrank like a hopping little rabbit.

After Xiaolan finished eating the sweet potato and was about to leave, Yun Tangyin stuffed a wrapped piece of cured fish into her pocket: "This is from Zhou Desheng's wife. Have your mother steam it when you get back."

The little girl's cotton-padded jacket pockets were too shallow, and the preserved fish fell onto the snow, freezing and leaving a small oil stain.

She picked it up and tucked it into her bosom, blushing as she smiled, "Thank you, sister-in-law! My mother will be so happy!"

The snow fell heavier and heavier in the evening, completely covering the woodpile in the corner of the yard.

Fu Yucheng shoved a hot water bottle into her hand: "Warm yourself up, your hands are freezing."

He looked out the window; the snow was already ankle-deep. "I'm afraid I won't be able to train tomorrow. I'll just stay home with you."

At night, the snow stopped, and the moon shone brightly on the courtyard.

Yun Tangyin woke up hungry. Fu Yucheng put on his clothes, got out of bed, added a spoonful of brown sugar to the pot, and cooked a bowl of steamed egg custard.

The sound of the porcelain bowl hitting the table was particularly clear in the quiet night, mixed with the occasional barking of a dog outside the window.

Yun Tangyin felt that the days of resting during her pregnancy were like this long night. Although it was cold, there was always someone leaving the warmest light for you, and that was enough.