Chapter 127 Officially Preparing for Pregnancy

"You're the one who should go." Yun Tangyin chased after him and grabbed his arm. "Erzhuzi's father is very proud, and Second Brother speaks frankly. What if he hurts people's enthusiasm? If you go, just say, 'This basket has good bones. If you adjust the curve, it will be more rounded.' I guarantee it will be heard."

Fu Yucheng smiled: "You are the one who understands all these twists and turns."

He stuffed a handful of melon seeds into her hand and said, "When I come back, I'll bring you two strings of candied haws, the kind with hawthorns wrapped in sesame seeds."

When he came back in the evening glow, he was holding two strings of candied haws, with the sesame seeds on the hawthorns sparkling.

Just as Yun Tangyin was about to take it, he stuffed one into her mouth: "Try it first, it's not stained with dust."

"Is it sour?" he asked, staring at her lips.

As Yun Tangyin nodded, he suddenly lowered his head and kissed the corner of her mouth: "It's a bit sour, you have to eat it with sugar."

When Fu Yucheng was cleaning his gun at night, Yun Tangyin was embroidering a tiger-head hat for a baby beside him.

As soon as he finished sewing the pompom on the brim of the hat, he picked it up and examined it: "Why are the ears embroidered round? Tiger ears are pointed."

"A round one makes you look silly." She snatched the hat and smiled. "When you're off tomorrow, let's go to the supply and marketing cooperative and buy some flannel to line the hat with cotton so your forehead won't get cold in winter."

He suddenly put his gun on the table and said, "No need to wait until tomorrow, go right away. I just asked for leave from Captain Zhang, saying I need to accompany my wife to buy New Year's goods."

"It's only September now, why are we buying New Year's goods?" Yun Tangyin poked his arm.

"Even if it's for our children." He picked up another small hat and gestured, "We have to finish embroidering two before it gets cold so they can wear them alternately."

The next morning, as the two were having breakfast, Zhou Mingniang stood outside the courtyard, carrying a bamboo basket with six bamboo cricket pots inside. "Ah Cheng, do you like the patterns on the rims of these pots? Er Zhuzi said the kids love fighting crickets, and he wanted me to make some to sell in the summer."

Fu Yucheng picked up the jar and looked at it. The mouth of the jar was woven with a circular pattern, and the bottom had small holes drilled for ventilation. "Aunt Zhou's craftsmanship is even more exquisite than the ones sold in the county town grocery store."

He suddenly winked at Yun Tangyin and said, "Ask your sister-in-law to embroider a layer of red cloth on the lid of the jar. It will definitely be a hot commodity."

Yun Tangyin smiled and nodded: "I have some leftover red silk cloth here, I will embroider it this afternoon."

After Zhou Mingniang left, Fu Yucheng put a poached egg in her bowl and said, "You're really smart. When I mentioned embroidering red cloth, Aunt Zhou's eyes lit up."

"That's called mutual assistance," she said, scooping up some millet porridge. "By the way, Director Wang just sent someone to say the army wants to order fifty bamboo document boxes. Let's get started on making them, brother."

Fu Yucheng was about to respond when Fu Yuanshan rushed into the yard holding a small bamboo wooden horse. "Acheng, do you think this wheel turns smoothly? Erzhuzi said he wanted it as a toy for his future nephew."

Yun Tangyin touched the carvings on the wooden horse and smiled, "Second brother's craftsmanship is almost as good as a carpenter now."

Fu Yuanshan suddenly lowered his voice: "I heard from Jianhua that you two want to buy velvet? I have a piece of blue velvet here, it's left over from the art troupe's curtain making, it's perfect for making a small jacket."

Fu Yucheng was about to refuse when Yun Tangyin held his hand: "Then it would be disrespectful for you to refuse. I will embroider a tobacco pouch for you, brother, and use gold thread to embroider the word 'peace' on it."

At noon, while making fried noodle sauce, Fu Yucheng squatted in front of the stove and added firewood. He watched Yun Tangyin sprinkle chopped green onions into the sauce and suddenly said, "The chef in the army cafeteria said that you need to put two cloves of garlic in the fried noodle sauce to make it fragrant."

"I've prepared it a long time ago." She threw two cloves of crushed garlic into the pot. "I'll send a bowl to Erzhuzi's house later. His children always say they want to eat the noodles with soybean paste that I make."

As he was talking, Erzhuzi ran in holding a small bamboo cart. "Aunt Fu, look at the cart I made. Can Nian Nian push it around?"

There is also a small bamboo stool in the truck bed, which is just big enough for a baby to sit on.

Yun Tangyin stuffed a handful of candy into his pocket: "Not only can it push Nian Nian, it can also push your future little brother."

Erzhuzi tilted his head and asked, "Brother Fu, when will you give me a little brother? I can teach him how to weave bamboo dragonflies."

Fu Yucheng put his arm around his neck and laughed, "When you can weave a bamboo dragonfly with a sound, your little brother will come."

In the evening, Fu Yucheng helped his second brother deliver a file box to the army, and when he came back he was holding a red cloth bag in his hand.

When I opened it, I found it was a silver longevity lock with the words "Peace every year" engraved on the lock.

"Captain Zhang gave it to me. He said his daughter wore it, so it's guaranteed to work."

He put the lock on Yun Tangyin's neck and said, "Wait until the baby is one month old to put it on."

Yun Tangyin touched the pattern on the lock and smiled, "This should be a return gift. I'll embroider a banner tomorrow and write 'The Close Relationship Between the Military and the People' and send it to the army activity room to hang it."

Lying on the kang at night, Fu Yucheng touched the soft cloth on her belly and said, "Do you think the baby looks like a small hawthorn now? It's round and plump."

"Now? Not to mention there is no one, even if there is, it would just look like a sour date." She snuggled into his arms.

The next morning, just as Fu Yucheng pushed his bicycle out of the yard, Yun Tangyin chased him out with a cloth bag in her hand: "Take this with you. Give two pairs of tiger-head shoes to the daughter of Captain Zhang. I promised her last time."

The tiger embroidered on the upper is majestic, and the upper is decorated with two pompom flowers.

Fu Yucheng put it in the basket and said, "This craft will probably be snapped up by the families of soldiers."

"Don't talk nonsense." Yun Tangyin straightened his clothes. "Go early and come back early. I'll cut the blue velvet and sew a small jacket for you when you come back."

At noon, Fu Yucheng pushed his bicycle in with the basket full of things.

Just as Yun Tangyin was about to help unload the things, he stopped her: "Don't move, there are fragile things."

He took out a celadon jar from the basket and said, "This is osmanthus candy. I'll make some water for you to drink."

She took out another piece of floral cloth and said, "Look at this peony pattern, it's perfect for making a padded jacket."

Yun Tangyin touched the fabric and smiled, "Not bad."

Turning around and walking towards the kitchen, he said, "Hurry up and wash your hands and have dinner. I've left some noodles with soybean paste for you."

Fu Yucheng had just sat down when Erzhuzi rushed into the yard holding a bamboo whistle. "Brother Fu, listen to this! The whistle I made can play "The East is Red"!"

Although the whistle was a little off-tune, it revealed a sense of cleverness.

Fu Yucheng stuffed a piece of candy into his mouth: "Spirit."

Erzhuzi chewed some candy and said, "My mother asked me to ask you, are you done embroidering the red cloth for the cricket pot? Director Wang from the supply and marketing cooperative said they want to order twenty."

"It's done, it's done." Yun Tangyin brought out a bamboo basket from the house. The red cloth on the lid of the jar was embroidered with twined branches and the corners were decorated with tassels. "Doesn't it look more respectable this way?"

Erzhuzi was amazed: "It's even better than the New Year pictures! I'll send it to my mother right away!"

After the child ran away, Fu Yucheng suddenly took out a small box from his arms: "This is for you."

When I opened it, I saw it was a silver hairpin with a plum blossom carved on the head and a small red bead embedded in the pistil.

Just as Yun Tangyin was about to put it on, he held her hand back and said, "I'll do it."

As the cold silver hairpin passed through her hair, his fingertips accidentally brushed behind her ear, causing Yun Tangyin to shrink her neck.

"Captain Zhang's daughter said this is the new fashion out there." He took two steps back to examine it. "It suits you better than the one you wore last time."

Yun Tangyin smiled at the bronze mirror: "If I keep wearing it, I'll become the silversmith shop's walking sign."