Fu Yuanshan put down his hoe, scooped a ladle of cold water from the well to wash his hands, and water droplets dripped from between his fingers onto the bluestone slab, spreading out a small wet patch.

"The way you're eating is like you haven't seen food in centuries," he joked with a laugh, picking up a mulberry and popping it into his mouth. The purplish-red juice instantly stained his tongue purple. "I must say, these mulberries are sweeter than last year's. It seems the rain this year has been good for the fruit."

Song Yushuang brought over a damp cloth, first wiping Nian'an's sticky little hands, then handing it to Xiaolan: "Quickly wipe them off, otherwise they'll get on your clothes and you won't be able to wash them off."

Xiao Lan obediently wiped her hands, but her eyes were still fixed on the mulberries in the plate: "My mother said that mulberries can be used to make wine. When we pick a lot, I'll have my father make two jars, and then I'll bring some to you, Auntie."

"That's wonderful," Song Yushuang replied with a smile. "The plum wine your family brewed last year was so fragrant and delicious, I haven't had enough of it yet."

She turned to look at Jiang Jianhua, "Once the mulberry wine is ready, we can eat it with the osmanthus cake you made. It will be a perfect match."

Jiang Jianhua nodded repeatedly: "I'll dry the osmanthus sugar in the sun again so it will be useful when making osmanthus cake."

After finishing the mulberry in her hand, Nian'an grabbed another one and put it into Jiang Jianhua's mouth, raising her little arm high: "Second Aunt, eat."

Jiang Jianhua bent down to catch it, the sweet juice melting in his mouth, warming his heart: "Thank you, Nian'an, you're so good."

Fu Yuanshan watched from the side and couldn't help but laugh: "This little guy, he knows how to care for people now. He even snatched the cornbread from my hand yesterday."

Just then, Zhou Desheng's wife came in carrying a bamboo basket filled with freshly baked cornbread.

“I can smell the fragrance coming from your yard from afar,” she said, placing the cornbread on the stone table. “Freshly baked cornbread is perfect to eat with mulberries.”

Seeing the purple stains on Nian'an's lips, she couldn't help but laugh, "How many mulberries did you eat? You look like a purple-faced judge."

Song Yushuang picked up a cornbread and handed it over: "Try Jianhua's scallion rolls, they're even more fragrant than your cornbread."

Zhou Desheng's wife took a bite and her eyes immediately lit up: "This cooking is absolutely amazing! Jianhua, you have to teach me sometime. My two little rascals love your noodles."

Jiang Jianhua smiled and waved his hand: "It's not difficult, it's not difficult at all. You just need to knead the dough a lot. If you knead the dough properly, everything you make will taste delicious."

The afternoon sun shone through the locust leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Nian'an and Xiaolan squatted in the yard playing with pebbles, while Fu Yuanshan sat on the threshold weaving a bamboo basket. The bamboo strips moved nimbly in his hands, and soon a round basket bottom was woven.

Jiang Jianhua sat under the eaves sewing shoe soles, his stitches dense and even, with a small lotus flower embroidered on the soles.

"Second Brother, you've woven this bamboo basket really fast," Jiang Jianhua looked up and said, "Is this for Nian to use to assemble toys?"

Fu Yuanshan nodded: "Yes, he threw his pile of stones and straw all over the yard. We'll weave a basket to put them in, and it'll look neater."

Upon hearing the word "toy," Nian'an immediately ran over with a white pebble in hand, saying, "Pretend, pretend."

Fu Yuanshan smiled and put the pebbles into the bamboo basket: "I'll give them to you when it's finished weaving. You can't touch them now, the bamboo strips are prickly."

He took out a newly made bamboo rattle drum from his pocket and handed it to Nian'an, saying, "Play with this first. This thing is sturdy and won't break if you drop it."

Nian'an took the rattle drum and shook it loudly, which attracted Xiao Lan to come over and watch.

Song Yushuang found some scraps of cloth in the room, intending to make a cloth doll for Nian'an.

She picked up a piece of blue cloth, cut out the shape of a small tiger, and then embroidered the tiger's stripes with yellow thread. The stitches were fine and dense, and the tiger's eyes were sewn on with black cloth, giving it a rather majestic appearance.

“Your doll is so lifelike,” Jiang Jianhua said, leaning closer to look. “It’s even more lifelike than the ones sold in the town’s general store.”

"It's just for fun," Song Yushuang said with a smile. "Once it's finished, Nian'an can sleep with it at night. It's better than holding a bamboo dragonfly; that thing is uncomfortable."

She placed the dolls on the small desk, right next to the "Thousand Character Classic," making them look like two little guardians protecting Nian'an.

As evening fell, Fu Yucheng returned from the fields with a bundle of fresh mugwort on his shoulder.

“This mugwort was just cut. After drying it, I put it in a sachet to repel insects.” He spread the mugwort out on the stone table in the yard. “After it’s thoroughly dried tomorrow, I’ll make a sachet for Nian’an and Xiaolan each. They’ll feel cool and comfortable wearing it.”

Nian'an ran over, grabbed a handful of mugwort, and put it to her nose, which made her sneeze and made everyone laugh.

At dinner time, the kitchen was filled with the aroma of stir-fried bamboo shoots and meat, as well as a pot of fragrant corn porridge.

Nian'an sat on a small stool, drinking porridge with a small spoon, occasionally picking up a piece of bamboo shoot with her chopsticks, her little face turning rosy from eating.

Fu Yucheng picked up a piece of meat and gave it to Yun Tangyin: "Eat more, this meat is stewed until tender and easy to digest."

Yun Tangyin smiled and accepted it, saying, "You should eat more too; you've been busy all day."

After the meal, Fu Yuanshan took out the woven bamboo basket, lined it with a piece of floral cloth, and put Nian'an's bamboo dragonfly, straw grasshopper, and pebbles inside. He then arranged them on the small bookshelf, making it look much neater.

Nian'an lay by the bookshelf, counting her toys one by one, muttering to herself. Although she couldn't speak fluently, she was extremely serious.

When the moonlight climbed over the wall, Nian'an had already fallen asleep in Song Yushuang's arms, still clutching the tiger doll in her hand.

Song Yushuang placed him on the bed, covered him with a small quilt, and put a sachet of mugwort by his pillow. The faint medicinal fragrance mixed with the sweet scent of mulberries from the daytime filled the room.

After Jiang Jianhua finished cleaning up the dishes, he sat under the oil lamp and continued sewing shoe soles. Fu Yucheng and Fu Yuanshan sat in the courtyard, talking by the moonlight.

“I’ll go to town to buy some brown sugar tomorrow,” Fu Yucheng said. “We’re almost out of brown sugar at home, and Jianhua still needs it to make hawthorn paste.”

Fu Yuanshan nodded: "By the way, buy some maltose for Nian'an. I haven't bought it yet, the one I mentioned last time."

The locust leaves outside the window rustled, as if echoing the whispers inside.

These ordinary days, like the moonlight in the courtyard, are not dazzling, but gently illuminate every corner, embracing the warmth and happiness of the family and brewing the sweetest flavor of life.

Jiang Jianhua's sewing stitches drew a silvery arc under the oil lamp. Suddenly remembering something, she looked up at the courtyard and said, "When you buy brown sugar tomorrow, don't forget to weigh out two catties of granulated sugar. I want to make some snowflake crisps for Nian'an, mixed with mulberries and walnuts. They're fragrant and filling."

Fu Yuanshan replied through the window paper, "I've got it. Also, buy a bag of sesame seeds; sprinkling them on top will enhance the flavor."

Song Yushuang was sewing a tail on a tiger doll when she heard this and said with a smile, "Your mind is more meticulous than embroidery thread. The food you make will definitely be both beautiful and delicious."

She turned the doll over to look at it, and embroidered a small "king" character on the tiger's forehead with red thread. "That's more like it, it can ward off evil spirits."