Chapter 173: Start preparing for the New Year

Yun Tangyin put the silver lock back on her neck. The cold metal against her heart was suddenly covered by Fu Yucheng's palm.

"Don't get cold." His palm, warmed by the warmth of the stove, warmed the silver lock. "Mom said this lock should be worn close to the body to protect the child."

The snow seeds outside the window hit the window paper, and the crackling sound mixed with his breathing, as if they were whispering about family matters in his ear.

"Mom made some pickled cabbage today," Yun Tangyin snuggled into Fu Yucheng's arms, "which means I'm going to make dumplings for you tomorrow with your favorite shrimp."

Fu Yucheng rubbed his chin against the top of her head. The scent of soapberry from his army green cotton jacket mixed with the coolness of snow made people feel at ease.

"I'll be home early after training tomorrow," he suddenly smiled, "and help mom chop the stuffing."

As soon as the sky was getting light, the sound of sweeping snow could be heard outside the yard.

When Fu Yucheng came back, Yun Tangyin was squatting in front of the chicken coop picking eggs, with a thin layer of frost on her sleeves.

"Mom said this basket of eggs should be pickled into salted eggs,"

He placed a blue cloth bag on the stove. Inside was a piece of pork belly. Oil spots formed small yellow circles on the cloth. "Just got some from the canteen. Mom said you like pork belly with preserved vegetables, so I'll give you some more."

Yun Tangyin pinched the eggs and put them into the jar. Suddenly she laughed, "How come you know everything, Mom? I just told Sister Li yesterday that I wanted to eat braised pork belly."

The New Year’s goods market was held in the regiment’s playground, with canvas tents lined up in a long queue in the snow.

Fu Yucheng was walking through the crowd holding the cloth coupons. His army green cotton jacket was squeezed out of shape, but he was still holding the flowered cloth in his arms tightly.

"It's a light blue with small floral patterns," Fu Yucheng said, sweat still dripping from his forehead as he stuffed the cloth into Yun Tangyin's hands. "I fought for it for a long time before I finally got it. It's even better than what Zhou Desheng's wife said it was."

The daisies on the cloth were covered with a little snow, and they glowed softly in the sunlight, as if spring had fallen on the cloth early.

Yun Tangyin was just touching the floral cloth and smiling when she heard Sister Li's loud voice: "Yinyin! Come quickly! Aunt Wang's tiger-head shoes are amazing!"

Aunt Wang's stall was crowded with military families. The tiger-head shoes in the bamboo basket were neatly arranged. The tiger eyes on the toes of the shoes were embroidered with black thread in a round shape, as if they could blink.

"I saved the smallest pair for you," Aunt Wang stuffed them into Yun Tangyin's hands. "They have soft soles and can be worn right after birth."

The tiger pattern on the shoe was stitched with fine stitching. Yun Tangyin suddenly remembered the half-embroidered tiger-head hat she had finished, and said with a smile, "It's perfect to make a set. I can give it to the child in the spring."

When Fu Yucheng squeezed over carrying a bag of rice, his shoulders were covered with snow, like he was wearing a white cotton jacket.

"The canteen said this rice is freshly milled," he added, his boots digging deep holes in the snow as he placed the rice on the scale. "It makes very thick porridge."

Yun Tangyin stuffed a piece of roasted sweet potato into his hand. The sugar juice on the burnt skin stuck to his fingertips, and it was so sweet that it was cloying. "Warm your hands quickly. You look so cold that you look like a snowman."

On the way home, Fu Yucheng suddenly turned into an alley. There was a cluster of wintersweets hidden in the snow at the foot of the wall. The tender yellow petals were stained with snow, and the fragrance was so sweet that it could make one's bones soften.

"I'll pick a few for you," Yun Tangyin smiled as she pinched the branches. The fragrance of plum blossoms mixed with the scent of soap on his body gave her a sense of security.

As soon as I entered the yard, I saw Song Yushuang squatting in front of the chicken coop, holding a broken egg in her hand and frowning.

"What's wrong with this chicken today?" She walked towards the kitchen. "It laid eggs with blood. I wonder if it's sick. Never mind. I'll use it to make brown sugar eggs for you to nourish you."

Yun Tangyin stuffed a branch of wintersweet into her hand: "I just picked it. Put it on the windowsill to make it bright."

Song Yushuang touched the petals and smiled: "You are so thoughtful. You know I love this fragrance."

At night, when Yun Tangyin put the wintersweet into the celadon vase that Song Yushuang had specially found, Fu Yucheng was spreading a new mattress on the kang.

Fu Yucheng made the bed, hugged her from behind, and rested his chin on the top of her head. His army green cotton jacket wrapped them both like a ball of warm cotton wool.

"When the baby is born," he said, his voice a little hoarse, buried in the fragrance of the plum blossoms, "we'll move this wintersweet into the yard, along with the locust tree, so that it will bloom every year."

The snow was still falling outside the window, the lanterns were emitting a circle of warm light in the wind, and the silver lock felt slightly warm against my chest, as if it also had a heartbeat.

The wintersweet in the porcelain vase is in full bloom, and the tender yellow petals are covered with a little moisture, which makes the coldness of the celadon warm.

Yun Tangyin's fingertips brushed across the fluff on the petals, and suddenly she heard Fu Yucheng coughing softly behind her.

"Put the wintersweet branches deeper tomorrow." When she turned around, Fu Yucheng had already let go of her hand and was pouring millet into the pot. "Mom said that soaking the branches in warm water can extend the blooming period by half a month."

Fu Yucheng stirred the rice in the pot, his eyes blurred by the steam. "When spring comes, I'll go dig some soil in the back mountain. We'll strengthen the roots so they can bloom more vigorously in winter."

The oil lamp on the kang flickered, making the New Year pictures on the wall more vivid.

The carp in the fat baby's arms had its tail raised high, and its red scales sparkled in the light, as if it was really going to jump off the paper.

Yun Tangyin touched her slightly bulging belly and suddenly laughed out loud: "Do you think this child will like eating fish in the future if he looks at New Year pictures too much?"

Fu Yucheng stuffed a hot water bottle into her hand. The orchid embroidered on the cloth cover softened by his body temperature. "It's up to you. He will definitely like whatever you like to eat."

He suddenly lowered his voice and poked her belly with his fingertips, "Just don't be picky about food."

I don't know when the snow outside the window stopped.

The rabbit in the bamboo cage must have woken up and was munching on the cabbage.

Yun Tangyin got up and put on her clothes to add more grass to the cage. Suddenly, she saw a thin layer of frost on the cage wall. She quickly stuffed another handful of old cotton wool into the quilted cloth and said, "Don't let you get cold. We're counting on you giving birth to little rabbits in the spring."

After saying that, he poked the rabbit's head. It felt soft and a little warm, and very well-behaved.

Fu Yucheng came over to take a look.

The rabbit was startled by Fu Yucheng's footsteps. It suddenly stood up and put its three-petaled mouth close to the back of his hand to sniff. The snow residue on its fur made him itchy.

The more Fu Yucheng looked at the rabbit, the more he liked it. He patted its little head and said, "Okay, I won't use you to make hats anymore."

The rabbit seemed to understand and not understand. Its ears twitched twice, and it tilted its head to look at Fu Yucheng. After looking for a while, it shrank back to Yun Tangyin.

Yun Tangyin was amused and pinched the rabbit's ears: "Okay, little guy, be good~"

Fu Yucheng helped Yun Tangyin stuff the quilted cloth with cotton wool and laid it out. After the two of them looked at the rabbit for a while, Fu Yucheng was really afraid that Yun Tangyin, who was pregnant, would catch a cold, so he almost carried her back into the house.

"Rabbits can't be frozen to death, but I'd be heartbroken if you froze to death. Let's go."

Yun Tangyin was carried into the house by Fu Yucheng. She didn't know if it was because the holding position was not comfortable enough or what, but she felt her stomach churning.

As soon as she sat down, she couldn't help but bend over, holding her chest and retching.

This scared Fu Yucheng!