Chapter 138 Yu Xia is envious

Yun Tangyin was embroidering tiger paws on her bellyband when she suddenly heard the sound of a bamboo basket falling to the ground at the gate of the courtyard.

Looking up, Yuxia was standing outside the fence, with the bamboo basket in her hand tilted on the ground, and the vegetables inside were scattered all over the ground.

"What's wrong, sister-in-law?" Yun Tangyin quickly stood up. Fu Yucheng had already gone over to help her. "Did you slip?"

Yu Xia waved her hand, her fingertips whitening from pinching the edge of the bamboo basket: "No, nothing, I just tripped over a rock."

Her eyes fell on Yun Tangyin's lower abdomen, and her Adam's apple moved, "Yuanshan said you... are pregnant?"

"Yes." Yun Tangyin stuffed a handkerchief into her hand, "Come in and sit down. I'll make you some brown sugar tea."

Yuxia didn't move, staring at the vegetables on the ground in a daze.

Jiang Jianhua just came out of the east wing carrying a bamboo dustpan. Seeing this scene, he laughed out loud: "Sister-in-law, why are you standing there in a daze? I just steamed some pumpkin cakes. Come and try them."

She lifted her slightly bulging belly and said, "Yesterday the old Chinese doctor said that this pregnancy seems to be very stable and stronger than my first one."

These words were like a needle, which made Yuxia clench the handkerchief in her hand tightly, but a smile still appeared on the corner of her mouth.

Fu Yucheng quickly tried to smooth things over: "Sister-in-law, come in quickly. Yinyin has embroidered a tiger-head handkerchief. Take a look at the stitches to see if they are on point."

After entering the room and sitting down, Yuxia held the teacup but did not drink it, her eyes fixed on the bamboo crib in the corner.

That was something Fu Yucheng had just woven a few days ago. There was a red rope wrapped around the bed rails, and you could hear the bells ringing when you shook it.

"It's really beautiful." She suddenly said, her voice hoarse, "It's much more refined."

Jiang Jianhua bit into a pumpkin pie and smiled, "Acheng is getting better and better at weaving bamboo objects. When my child is born, I'll have him weave a little wooden horse to pair with Erzhuzi."

Yuxia's fingers traced circles on the rim of the teacup, and she suddenly asked, "Is Yinyin a bad drinker? I heard someone always wanted to eat sour apricots, so they had to run all over the mountains to pick half a basket."

"It's okay. I just like to eat some plums." Yun Tangyin put a piece of cake on her plate. "Sister-in-law, try this. It has osmanthus sugar."

Yuxia didn't answer. She suddenly stood up and said she wanted to go back to feed the chickens.

When Fu Yucheng walked her to the door, he heard her whisper, "Ah Cheng, tell me...is it because my body is not good enough?"

"Sister-in-law, don't let your imagination run wild." Fu Yucheng picked up the vegetables on the ground and stuffed them into her bamboo basket. "You and brother are still young, take your time."

Yuxia didn't say anything. Her back was a little hunched as she carried the bamboo basket, and the sound of the bamboo basket colliding was much deeper than usual.

In the afternoon, Yun Tangyin was sewing the soles of baby shoes when Jiang Jianhua came over to embroider the uppers. "Look, sister-in-law is acting strangely today. I just mentioned I wanted to make patchwork quilts for the child, and her eyes suddenly got red."

"Maybe she's tired." Yun Tangyin threaded the last stitch. "A few days ago, I saw her running to the temple all the time. She said she was praying to Guanyin for fertility."

Just as he finished speaking, Yuxia came in again with a bamboo food box containing two bowls of red date soup.

"I just made this stew. It's for you two to nourish yourself." Her hands trembled slightly as she placed the bowl on the table. "I heard from the monk at the temple that eating more red dates can help with pregnancy."

Jiang Jianhua was about to thank her when he saw Yu Xia turn around and leave. The handle of the bamboo lunch box caught on the tablecloth, causing the sewing basket to fall to the ground, and the bamboo thimble and scissors inside rolled all over the floor.

"Oh!" Jiang Jianhua hurried to pick it up, but Yu Xia got there first.

As she squatted on the ground to pick up the thimbles, her shoulders shrugged slightly, and she didn't notice that the palms of her hands were red from the thimbles.

"Sister-in-law." Yun Tangyin held her hand, "Let me do it."

Yu Xia suddenly pulled her hand back, wiped her face and stood up: "I'm going back. There's still corn drying at home."

She walked to the door and stopped, turned her back and said, "If you need anything, tell me."

After she walked away, Jiang Jianhua frowned and said, "Do you think sister-in-law is unhappy? I was born at the same time as Yinyin, and she..."

Yun Tangyin touched the lotus petals in her hand and sighed: "I'll go see my sister-in-law tomorrow and give her a peace amulet I embroidered."

The next morning, Yun Tangyin had just walked to the gate of the courtyard when she heard the sound of bamboo swords chopping coming from the courtyard.

When I pushed the door open, I saw Yuxia squatting in the yard chopping wood. The bamboo sticks were broken into pieces in her hands, and her knuckles were red from the shock.

"Sister-in-law, take a break." Yun Tangyin snatched the bamboo sword from her hand, "How can I let you do this job? Where's my brother?"

"I went shopping." Yu Xia lowered her head. "I was thinking of making a bamboo cradle cover for your child to keep out mosquitoes."

Yun Tangyin stuffed a bamboo hand guard into her hand and said, "Fu Yucheng made this. Try it. It's not uncomfortable."

She suddenly took Yuxia's hand and walked into the house, "I want to show you something."

He took out a small bamboo tag from the cloth bag. It was engraved with the words "May you have a baby soon" and had a red string wrapped around the corners.

"I asked the master in the temple to carve this. He said it would be effective if I wore it."

Yuxia's tears fell on the sign, hitting the bamboo pattern of the word "expensive".

"Yinyin, am I useless?" She choked up, "Jiang Jianhua is already pregnant with their second child, and there's still no movement in my stomach. Yuanzheng doesn't say anything, but he tosses and turns at night and can't sleep."

"How can you say that?" Yun Tangyin wiped her tears. "How much suffering have you endured? Take your time now. There's no rush."

She suddenly smiled. "A few days ago, I was embroidering a bellyband, and I felt like something was missing. Can you help me see if the color combination is right?"

Pulling Yuxia to sit on the kang, Yun Tangyin spread out the embroidery thread and asked, "Look at the tiger's eyes. Is it made of gold or silver thread?"

Yuxia's fingertips traced the silk thread, and she suddenly said, "Gold thread, like the golden Buddha statues in the temple, auspicious."

When the two of them gathered together to pick the thread, Yuxia's fingers gradually stopped shaking.

Yun Tangyin took the opportunity to say, "Sister-in-law, you're very skillful. Can you help me hem the bellyband? I can never get it straight."

Yu Xia picked up the needle and thread, and turned the bamboo thimble between her fingers. The stitches were indeed neater than Yun Tangyin's.

"Your needle is too thin. You have to use mine."

She took out a bamboo syringe from her pocket, which contained silver needles of different lengths.

As he was talking, Fu Yuanzheng came in carrying a bundle of bamboo strips. Seeing this scene, he was stunned: "Why are you guys together?"

Yuxia held up the bellyband in her hand and smiled: "Yinyin's tiger is embroidered beautifully. I'm helping her with the hem."

Fu Yuanzheng put down the bamboo strips and stuffed an oil-paper bag into Yu Xia's hand: "I bought you some sour plums from Li Ji in town. They're sweeter than those in the mountains."

Yu Xia's face suddenly turned red, and she pinched the sour plum and stuffed it into Yun Tangyin's hand: "You are pregnant, you eat it."

Yun Tangyin smiled and pushed it back: "Sister-in-law, eat it. I have a big bag here."

When I walked out of Yuxia's house, Fu Yucheng was squatting outside the fence weaving a bamboo dragonfly.

Seeing Yun Tangyin coming out, he held up the dragonfly and smiled: "Look at this dragonfly, are its wings even? It can fly better than Erzhuzi's."

Yun Tangyin touched the dragonfly's wings and said, "Sister-in-law is much more open-minded now. She just said she would prepare a gift for the child."

Fu Yucheng put the dragonfly into her hair and said, "I told you that sister-in-law isn't such a stingy person." He suddenly leaned closer and said, "When our child is born, she will definitely love him like a treasure."

The bamboo dragonfly swayed in her hair, and the sunlight shone through its wings onto Yun Tangyin's face, making her feel warm.

Yuxia's laughter could be heard in the distance, mixed with the sound of splitting bamboo strips, like a slowly unfolding bamboo woven with fine marks but still revealing its toughness.