Chapter 179: Didn’t you say you would make new cages for them?

Fu Yucheng grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. He rubbed his nose against her palm, feeling a little itchy like rabbit fur. "Which of the things you mentioned is not a big deal?"

The aluminum kettle on the stove hummed, and white steam came out from the spout, weaving a layer of gauze in the morning light.

When he turned around to pick up the pot, his military boots stepped steadily on the blue brick floor, as if he was counting some happy beat.

Yun Tangyin watched him pour hot water into the basin, and suddenly found that there was still some flour on his ears, probably from when he was steaming cakes in the morning.

"You," she took out a handkerchief and wiped his hair, her fingertips tracing his taut jawline, "why didn't you look in the mirror before going out? Aunt Zhang would definitely laugh at you if she saw you."

Fu Yucheng grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms. The scent of soapberry from the army green cotton jacket mixed with the warmth of rabbit fur filled her nose. "She can laugh as long as she likes. It's fine as long as my wife doesn't laugh."

The two rabbits in the bamboo cage suddenly started fighting. The gray female rabbit snatched the dried carrots from the white rabbit and ran into the cotton pile as if having fun. Her round body hit the cage, making it creak.

Yun Tangyin threw a piece of cabbage leaf into the cage and said with a smile: "You're bullying me as soon as we meet. You're as domineering as Fu Yucheng."

Fu Yucheng was adding coal to the stove. When he turned around after hearing this, the flames danced happily in his eyes: "When did I bully you?"

Xiaolan's footsteps were heard outside the yard, rolling into the yard like a string of little bells.

"Sister-in-law! I've finished making a rabbit cage!" She rushed into the house, holding a bamboo cage with a snowflake wrapped around her red hair string. "Look at this flower bottom, made with the pink thread you gave me. Isn't it beautiful?"

Xiaolan looked into the cage and saw two rabbits huddled together chewing straw. "Brother Fu, you really found a companion for it! My mother said even numbers are auspicious, so now you can have twins."

Yun Tangyin stuffed a handful of fried peanuts into her pocket and said, "Take it back and eat it. You were talking about wanting to eat it last time."

When the sun climbed up to the window frame, Zhou Desheng's wife came to visit, carrying a jar of spicy cabbage, with a thin layer of frost on her blue cloth jacket.

"Freshly pickled," she put the jar on the table, the aroma of spicy and garlic spreading, "pair it with your sweet potato porridge. I guarantee you'll have two more bowls."

She looked into the bamboo cage and saw the gray female rabbit napping on the white rabbit's back. She suddenly laughed and said, "These two are so good, they are even closer than a young couple."

Fu Yucheng stuffed a bowl of locust flower cake into her hand: "Try the freshly made one, with some fermented rice wine added."

Zhou Desheng's wife, biting a piece of cake, glanced into the kitchen and saw Yun Tangyin's half-embroidered tiger-head shoes piled on the chopping board. She suddenly clapped her hands and said, "The tiger's eyes are embroidered so vividly. When the child wears them, they will definitely scare away evil spirits."

She stuffed a piece of blue cloth into Yun Tangyin's hand and said, "Make a small jacket for the child. My Desheng said that this cloth is wear-resistant and can withstand climbing trees and rolling around."

In the evening, Fu Yucheng squatted in the yard chopping pine wood, his military boots stepping on the snow, and his trouser legs were stained with sawdust.

Yun Tangyin moved a small stool and sat next to him, peeling peanuts in his hands, stuffing the kernels into his mouth, and throwing the shells into the bamboo basket. The "crackling" sound was like a string of small firecrackers.

"Chop slowly," she wiped the sweat from his forehead, "don't tire yourself out, there's plenty of pine wood."

Fu Yucheng smiled, holding a peanut in his mouth, and spun the axe in his hand. "What's this little work? In the army, I could run five kilometers with a gun on my shoulder without even breathing hard."

The rabbit in the bamboo cage probably smelled the fragrance of pine wood and suddenly jumped up from the railings.

Fu Yucheng threw a piece of pine sawdust into the cage. The white rabbit held it in its mouth and burrowed into the cotton pile, as if it was hiding a treasure.

"I'll build them a new cage in the spring," he said, knocking on the pine wood with his axe. "Put two layers of straw underneath and open a small window. It'll be perfect for some sunshine."

Yun Tangyin leaned into his arms, listening to the "dong dong" sound of the axe chopping wood, as if she was listening to a down-to-earth song.

The moonlight at night shines through the ice-flowered window, weaving a layer of silver net on the kang.

Yun Tangyin leaned in Fu Yucheng's arms, her fingertips sliding across the calluses on his palms, which were the marks from years of holding a gun.

"How many puppies do you think a rabbit will give birth to?" She suddenly laughed. "If it gives birth to five, we'll give one each to Xiaolan, Mrs. Li, and Director Wang's family. We'll raise the remaining two ourselves."

Fu Yucheng kissed the top of her head, the collar of his army green cotton jacket rubbing against her fleece: "I'll do as you say. I'll give you as many as you want."

In the celadon vase on the stove, another wintersweet flower has bloomed. The tender yellow petals are covered with moisture, and the fragrance is so sweet that it makes one's bones soften.

Yun Tangyin suddenly remembered the kimchi that Zhou Desheng's wife had given her during the day. The red peppers at the mouth of the jar looked like a string of small lanterns.

"I'll make sweet potato porridge tomorrow morning and eat it with kimchi," she snuggled into Fu Yucheng's arms, "You have to eat more. You must be hungry after chopping firewood all afternoon."

Fu Yucheng added a piece of coal to the stove, and the flames cast dancing shadows on the wall. "When the rabbits give birth, let's learn from Aunt Zhang and pickle some rabbits and send some to my second sister-in-law."

The rabbit in the bamboo cage woke up at some point and was squatting on the cotton wool, chewing on dried carrots. Its three-lobed mouth moved rapidly, like a small millstone.

Yun Tangyin added some alfalfa to the cage and suddenly found a locust flower petal hidden in the straw. It was probably dropped into the cage by the petal while it was on her hand during the day.

"Even you like locust flowers," she smiled and pointed to Fu Yucheng, "When spring comes, I'll build a pinewood cage for you and place it under the old locust tree in the corner of the yard so you can smell the fragrance of the flowers every day."

The snow started falling outside the window again, landing lightly on the lanterns, and the red silk surface looked like a burning fire against the snow.

Fu Yucheng added the last piece of coal to the stove, and the flame gradually weakened, casting a gentle shadow on the wall.

Yun Tangyin listened to the steady breathing of the person next to her, and suddenly felt that the smell of fireworks in the yard and the rustling sound of falling snow were like being kneaded into cotton, so warm that she didn't want to wake up.

At dawn, Yun Tangyin was awakened by the commotion in the bamboo cage.

She got up and put on her clothes. In the dim light coming through the window paper, she saw two rabbits circling around a piece of dried carrot. The tips of the gray rabbit's ears were covered with a little white frost, probably the snow foam that had sneaked in through the cracks in the cage at night.

Fu Yucheng also woke up, rubbing his eyes and looking into the cage: "Are you starving?"

He put on his army green cotton-padded jacket and went out. When he came back, he was holding a coarse porcelain bowl filled with diced carrots soaked in warm water. "Aunt Zhang said that female rabbits need to eat fine food, otherwise they won't be able to get pregnant."

Yun Tangyin watched him squatting beside the cage to feed the baby, the heels of his military boots making slight sounds as they rubbed against the blue brick floor.

"Where's the pine wood we chopped yesterday?" She added a handful of pine needles to the stove, and the delicate fragrance of pine resin filled the air. "Didn't you say you were going to make them a new cage?"

Fu Yucheng replied without even looking up: "I'll make it after breakfast. I'll steam the locust flower cake for you first."

The aluminum kettle on the stove soon began to buzz, and the white steam formed a layer of gauze in the morning light.

Yun Tangyin poured freshly ground flour into the basin and suddenly found a piece of rabbit hair on Fu Yucheng's military cap, like a piece of silver thread.

"You need to shake your hat off," she said, smiling, taking it off for him. "Otherwise, when you go to the cafeteria to get food, everyone will think you're wearing a rabbit fur scarf."

Fu Yucheng snatched the hat and put it on his head, his ears flushed: "What do you care?"

But when he turned around to add grass to the cage, the corners of his mouth were raised high.

The white rabbit in the bamboo cage suddenly jumped up, shaking its front paws on the railings, as if defending him.