Chapter 183 Everyone is coming for the rabbit

Xiaolan's voice was like a pebble thrown into the silence of the early morning, startling a few flakes of snow from under the eaves.

Her hand holding the vegetables froze in mid-air, and the snow foam on the red hairband fell on the tip of her nose, making her shiver with cold, but she couldn't bear to look away, staring straight at the three little balls of fluff in the cage.

"Be quiet," Fu Yucheng stuffed a piece of freshly steamed locust flower cake into her hand, and the heat rose from her frozen red palm. "The female rabbit just gave birth and can't stand being frightened."

There was some stove ash on the shoulders of his army green cotton jacket, which was rubbed off when he was watching over the rabbits in the second half of the night, adding a bit of homely air.

Xiaolan squatted beside the cage holding the cake, nibbling it in small bites, but her eyes were always glued to the little rabbit.

The gray mother rabbit suddenly raised her head, glanced at her vigilantly with her red eyes, then lowered her head to lick the cub, and her furry tail made a tiny sound as it swept across the cotton wool.

"They haven't even opened their eyes yet," Xiaolan said, her voice as soft as a mosquito's hum. Her fingertips almost touched the cage bars before she jerked them back. "They look just like my kittens when they're first born."

Yun Tangyin came over with warm water and saw a snowflake stuck to Xiaolan's braid. She reached out and brushed it off for her: "Come into the house and warm up. You'll catch a cold standing in the yard."

She added a handful of soybeans into the cage, and the white rabbit immediately came over, chewing quickly with its three-lobed mouth, with some cotton wool on the tip of its ears.

"Look how sensible it is," Yun Tangyin pointed at Xiaolan with a smile, "It knows how to give in to the mother rabbit and only eats soybeans."

Fu Yucheng added a piece of coal to the stove, and the flames made the outline of his face clearer. "Aunt Zhang said that male rabbits will help take care of the cubs. It seems that this is true."

He suddenly remembered something and took out a wooden box from the cabinet. Inside was some scraps of cloth. "Xiaolan, help me cut these into small pieces. I'll use them to make a nest for the rabbit later. They're soft."

Xiaolan immediately jumped up, the red hairband on her braid swinging into a red arc in the morning light: "I can cut it! My mother taught me how to cut shoe patterns!"

She sat down on the kang holding the scraps of cloth, the scissors made a "clicking" sound on the cloth, and the scraps of cloth fell on the kang like a group of colorful butterflies.

"Brother Fu, what do you think we should name the little bunny?" She smiled, holding up a piece of blue cloth. "I think the white one should be called Snowball, and the gray one should be Coal Ball. They're a perfect pair!"

Yun Tangyin was embroidering the tiger's eyes on a pair of tiger-head shoes. Upon hearing this, she looked up and smiled, "What about the third one? It's gray and white."

Xiaolan bit the scissors and thought for a moment, then suddenly clapped her hands: "Beggar ball! My mother said anything with patterns on it is auspicious!"

Fu Yucheng threw a piece of cabbage leaf into the cage, and the white rabbit immediately picked it up and dragged it towards the cotton pile, as if storing food for its cubs. "That's a good name. It makes me feel more energetic just by hearing it."

From outside the yard came Aunt Zhang's loud voice, mixed with the creaking sound of the bamboo basket shaking: "Yinyin! I brought the cotton wool!"

When she lifted the curtain and came in, the bamboo basket was half filled with old cotton wool wrapped in a blue cloth, still emitting a little warmth from the sun. "I just took apart this cotton-padded jacket. The cotton wool inside is white and softer than a new one."

Seeing the little rabbits in the cage, he suddenly smiled until wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes. "Oh, these three little things really know how to choose the right time. They were born on a sunny day. They will definitely grow up strong in the future."

Fu Yucheng stuffed a bowl of hot sweet potato porridge into her hand: "Drink it while it's hot. Thank you for making this special trip."

Aunt Zhang sipped her porridge and glanced over to the kang. She saw Xiaolan cutting scraps of cloth and suddenly said, "Little Lan has really clever hands. She cuts pieces of cloth in perfect squares. She's much better than my boy."

She stuffed a cloth bag into Yun Tangyin's hand and said, "I made a little bellyband for the child. It's made of red silk. I embroidered it overnight with a Qilin-delivering-child pattern. It's guaranteed to ward off evil."

When the sun climbed up to the window frame, Zhou Desheng came with a broom to sweep the snow, and his military boots made a "crunching" sound as he stepped on the snow in the yard.

"Brother Fu, I heard the rabbits gave birth?" He glanced into the cage, then suddenly scratched his head and laughed, "They're much more delicate than my chicks. Mine look like little vultures when they hatch."

Fu Yucheng stuffed a piece of locust flower cake into his hand and said, "Come, share in the good luck. Your chickens will give birth to more chickens in the spring."

Zhou Desheng's wife came in carrying a clay pot filled with freshly pickled radish strips. The aroma of sourness and garlic filled the air. "I'm bringing you some pickles. They'll go perfectly with the sweet potato porridge."

She added a handful of alfalfa to the cage and suddenly said, "My sister-in-law said that mother rabbits need to drink brown sugar water after giving birth, just like women in confinement. I'll go home and get you some."

Yun Tangyin couldn't stop her even if she wanted to. She had already run away on the snow. The shadow of her blue cloth jacket on the snow looked like a blooming February orchid.

When Mrs. Li came to visit with her child in her arms, the child was holding a red cloth tiger in his hand, which was embroidered by Yun Tangyin the day before.

"Look at this child, he's holding on to the tiger and won't let go," Mrs. Li smiled as she sat down on the kang. The child immediately stretched out his arms to grab the rabbit in the cage. "He just learned to call 'rabbit, rabbit,' and he's already running after the rabbit."

Yun Tangyin stuffed a biscuit into the child's hand, and he immediately threw away the tiger. He held the biscuit in his little hand and stuffed it into his mouth. There were some biscuit crumbs at the corners of his mouth, like a little cat stealing food.

The afternoon sun shines through the ice-flowered windows, weaving a glittering web on the ground.

Fu Yucheng was squatting in the yard putting new cotton wool in the pine cage, while Xiaolan was squatting beside him to help pass the rags. Their shadows were stretched long on the snow, like a warm painting.

Yun Tangyin sat on the edge of the kang, watching Aunt Zhang helping to cut a small cotton-padded jacket. The blue cloth was folded into neat pleats in her hands, and when the scissors "clicked" to cut, it was like cutting out a warm moment.

"This cloth is so thick," Aunt Zhang smiled as she touched the blue cloth. "Daughter-in-law Zhou Desheng really knows how to choose. This cloth is perfect for making a cotton-padded jacket for early spring. It keeps out the wind without being heavy."

She stuffed a piece of chalk into Yun Tangyin's hand and said, "Draw a pattern and I'll cut it accordingly. It will definitely fit you." Yun Tangyin drew with the chalk, and her fingertips left faint white marks on the cloth, as if outlining a soft dream.

The flower ball in the bamboo cage suddenly came out from the cotton pile and staggered towards the white rabbit. It stumbled before its short legs could stand firmly, which made everyone laugh.

"Look how anxious it is," Xiaolan added some soybean powder to the cage, "it's already looking for food."

Fu Yucheng threw a piece of carrot into the cage, and the white rabbit immediately picked it up and put it to the flower ball's mouth, with a smile in its red eyes.

In the evening, Zhou Desheng's wife came with brown sugar and millet cakes made by her mother, which were golden yellow and dipped in osmanthus.

"Make some brown sugar water for the mother rabbit," she said, scooping brown sugar into the bowl. "My mother said this method is very effective and guarantees a sufficient milk supply."

Fu Yucheng added a piece of coal to the stove. The firelight made the brown sugar gradually dissolve in the water, like a blooming red rose.

When Yun Tangyin poured brown sugar water into the cage, the gray rabbit stared at her vigilantly until it smelled the sweetness and came over to drink. The little cubs huddled in its arms, closing their eyes and looking for milk, like three moving little pearls.

"It's really interesting," Aunt Zhang said with a smile, "It's just like a baby feeding. You can find it even with your eyes closed."

Mrs. Li held the child and moved closer to the cage. The child reached out to touch it, but she gently held him back: "Be gentle, don't scare them."