Chapter 180: Building a Rabbit Cage

From outside the courtyard came the voice of Director Wang's wife, mixed with the rustling of a broom sweeping snow: "Is Yinyin home?"

When Yun Tangyin lifted the curtain, she saw that she was holding a cloth bag in her arms. The frost on her blue cloth jacket shone like golden powder in the morning light. "I just made a tiger-head hat for the child. I had an extra piece of red velvet. I'll save it for embroidering the tip of your child's shoes."

She looked into the bamboo cage and saw two rabbits dozing in a pile of cotton wool. She suddenly laughed and said, "These two little ones really know how to enjoy themselves. They're even lazier than my wife."

Fu Yucheng stuffed a piece of locust flower cake into her hand: "Try the freshly made one, with some osmanthus sugar added."

Director Wang's wife, biting a piece of cake, glanced into the kitchen and saw Yun Tangyin's half-embroidered tiger-head shoes on the chopping board. She suddenly clapped her hands and said, "The stitching is much finer than last year's. It seems she put a lot of effort into it."

Yun Tangyin stuffed a handful of roasted pumpkin seeds into her pocket and said, "Take it back and eat it. You said you were greedy last time."

Director Wang's wife was walking out with some sunflower seeds in her pocket when she suddenly turned around and called out, "The regiment headquarters is distributing New Year pictures this afternoon. Remember to pick them up. The new ones say 'Year after year of abundance' and are perfect for your home."

Fu Yucheng responded and added a piece of coal to the stove. The flames shot up, making the old New Year pictures on the wall more vivid.

When the sun climbed up to the window frame, Fu Yucheng moved out pine wood and built a rabbit cage in the yard.

He was sanding the wooden board with a plane, and the sawdust fell in the sunlight like a handful of fine snow.

Yun Tangyin moved a small stool and sat beside her, sewing a shoe sole. The needle tip made neat little holes in the blue cloth. "Go slowly, don't scratch your hands."

Fu Yucheng suddenly stopped and stuffed a piece of rock candy into her mouth: "Hold it to moisten your throat."

As the rock sugar melted on the tip of her tongue, Yun Tangyin saw some sawdust on the tip of his nose, like a small black mole.

"Your craftsmanship is almost as good as that of a carpenter," she said, wiping off the sawdust for him. "In the spring, Director Wang will promote you and invite you to repair furniture for everyone."

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, and the white rabbit took it and burrowed into the cotton wool pile, as if hiding a treasure.

Yun Tangyin smiled and added a handful of alfalfa to the cage. "When the cub is born, it will definitely be as smart as this one."

Zhou Desheng passed by carrying a bundle of firewood, his military boots leaving deep marks in the snow. "Brother Fu! That rabbit cage you made is really well made!"

He looked into the yard and saw Fu Yucheng applying tung oil to the wooden boards. He suddenly smiled and said, "After applying tung oil, they won't be afraid of moisture. I plan to keep them here for a lifetime."

Fu Yucheng stuffed a piece of locust flower cake into his hand and said, "Take this and eat it. When you have a baby in the spring, I'll give you the fattest one."

Zhou Desheng peeked into the cage while biting a cake. He saw the gray rabbit snatching the white rabbit's dried carrots. He suddenly said, "My wife is just like me. She has to fight over everything to make it delicious."

Yun Tangyin stuffed a handful of brown sugar into his pocket and said, "Make some water for my sister-in-law. She said she was always dizzy last time."

Zhou Desheng walked out with the brown sugar in his pocket, and suddenly turned around and shouted, "We're making dumplings in the cafeteria tonight, remember to get flour!"

By evening, the new rabbit cage was finally ready. Fu Yucheng spread a layer of straw inside and added some old cotton padding, making it like a soft bed.

When he carried the two rabbits in, the gray rabbit suddenly rushed to the innermost part, and the white rabbit followed closely behind, its tail making a slight sound as it swept across the cotton.

"Now it's spacious," Yun Tangyin threw a cabbage leaf into the cage, "We don't have to squeeze in this bamboo cage anymore."

Fu Yucheng hugged her from behind, his palm pressed against her belly and gently rubbed it. "When the cubs are born in the spring, we'll use this cage as a nursery, and we'll build a bigger one as an activity area."

The clay pot on the stove was bubbling, and the aroma of chicken soup with angelica gui was wafting out.

Yun Tangyin filled a bowl and handed it to Fu Yucheng. Oil was floating on the surface of the soup, like a thin layer of gold foil. "Drink it quickly to replenish your energy. You've been busy all day."

The moonlight at night is exceptionally bright, weaving a silver net on the ground through the ice-flowered windows.

Yun Tangyin leaned in Fu Yucheng's arms, listening to him talk about the time when he robbed bird nests when he was a child. Suddenly, the little guy in her belly kicked her, gently like a feather brushing across her heart.

"Look," Yun Tangyin grabbed Fu Yucheng's hand and pressed it against her lower abdomen. Her fingertips could clearly feel the slight tremor, like a small fish leaping in spring water. "It's listening too. Maybe it's trying to figure out how high the bird's nest you dug when you were a kid was."

Fu Yucheng held his breath, his palms against her warm fleece, the cuffs of his army green cotton jacket rubbing against her waist.

After waiting for a long time, the little guy kicked again, with more force than before, as if saying hello to him.

He suddenly chuckled, his voice trembling slightly. "You're complaining that I'm speaking too slowly."

The rabbit in the bamboo cage woke up at some point. The gray rabbit was lying on the white rabbit's back, and its two red eyes shone like two cherries in the moonlight.

Yun Tangyin added a handful of dry straw to the cage. The rustling sound startled the rabbit and made it twitch its ears. "Do you think they are whispering to each other now?"

Fu Yucheng hugged her from behind, resting his chin on the top of her head. The scent of soapberry mixed with the scent of straw filled the air. "Maybe they're discussing having a few cubs in the spring, to keep our children company."

In the celadon vase on the stove, the fragrance of wintersweet became stronger. A thin layer of dew condensed on the tender yellow petals, shining brightly in the moonlight.

Yun Tangyin suddenly remembered the red velvet that Director Wang's wife had given her. It was as red as a small flame, perfect for embroidering a majestic tiger claw on the tiger-head shoes. "Find the red velvet tomorrow and add some spirit to the toes of the child's shoes."

Fu Yucheng added a piece of coal to the stove, sparks flying on the blue bricks, "I'll help you thread the needle, don't prick your hand."

A thin layer of snow fell in the second half of the night, making a rustling sound as it hit the window paper.

When Yun Tangyin woke up from the cold, she found that Fu Yucheng was not around, but there was a faint light in the kitchen.

She put on her coat and walked over to see him squatting in front of the new rabbit cage, stuffing a piece of cotton wool into the cage. There was some snow on the shoulders of his army green cotton jacket.

"Why did you wake up?" He turned around, the frost on his eyelashes gleaming in the light. "I heard the rabbits digging in their cages, and I was worried they'd get cold."

Yun Tangyin put an old cotton-padded jacket on him and touched his cold ears with her fingertips: "You care more about them than I do. If I had known earlier, I shouldn't have asked you to find companions for them."

Fu Yucheng grabbed her hand and blew air to his mouth. The warmth in his palm made people feel itchy. "You are the apple of my eye. These are your treasures to relieve boredom. They must be cherished."

The next morning, just as Yun Tangyin was putting the locust flower cakes into the steamer, Xiaolan's loud voice came from outside the yard: "Sister-in-law! Have you got the New Year pictures? My mother said the new one, 'Lian Nian You Yu', is so beautiful!"

When she lifted the curtain, she saw Xiaolan running into the yard holding two New Year pictures. The snow foam on the red hairband fell on the picture paper, making the carp in the fat baby's arms look even more red.

"The new rabbit cage that Brother Fu made is so beautiful!" Xiaolan pasted the New Year pictures on the wall, but her eyes were fixed on the pine wood cage. "It's even sturdier than my chicken coop, and the pine wood smells so good."

Fu Yucheng was adding firewood to the stove when he heard this. He turned around and smiled, "I'll make a new coop for your chickens in the spring. I'll use fir, which is more moisture-resistant than pine."