Chapter 224: Touching Some Snails

Fu Yuanshan's bamboo fan created a gentle breeze under the moonlight, filling the yard with the fragrance of locust flowers.

He suddenly remembered something and called towards the kitchen, "Jianhua, tomorrow I'll go to the ditch and get some snails. I'll fry them and give them to you guys to go with your wine."

Jiang Jianhua was sewing Nian'an's cuffs when he looked up and said, "Remember to touch it more often. Aunt Zhang said she wanted to eat some last time, so bring her a bowl."

Song Yushuang's rocking chair creaked softly, and she patted Nian'an's hand more slowly. "You have to go at dawn to catch snails; they're the fattest then. Yuanshan, take Nian'an's small bucket with you and fill it up with well water. It'll be fresh after the mud and sand are spitted out."

Fu Yucheng continued, "I'll go help out tomorrow morning, and see if I can cut some reeds by the river to make a small mat for Nian'an to put in the bamboo basket."

Nian'an moved in Song Yu's arms, and the crispy crumbs of snowflakes fell on her clothes, like a handful of broken stars.

He hummed a muffled "Luoluo" sound, his little hand clutching the tiger's tail tightly. Yun Tangyin smiled and wiped the sugar stains from the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief: "This child, he thinks about food even in his dreams."

Jiang Jianhua folded the sewn jacket neatly and placed it on the top of the bamboo basket: "Let Nian'an wear this tomorrow. I added elastic to the cuffs so it won't get dirty when you run."

She suddenly remembered the mugwort drying under the eaves and stood up to look through it. "It's almost done drying. I can fill my purse with it tomorrow morning."

As the moonlight moved over the wall, Fu Yuanshan replaced his bamboo fan with a cattail leaf fan, and the newly painted lotus on the fan was slowly drying.

"This fan is for you," he handed it to Jiang Jianhua. "It's convenient to use when mending shoe soles in the summer. The wind is softer than a bamboo fan."

Jiang Jianhua took it and examined it carefully. A red dragonfly was perched on the inky lotus leaf, almost as if it was about to fly out of the paper. "Second brother's painting skills are getting better and better. It's even more lifelike than the ones in the art shop in town."

Song Yushuang hummed the old tune to the end. She looked down and saw that Nian An was already asleep, so she quietly carried him back to the house.

The tiger doll's tail emerged from Nian An's arms, looking like a dancing golden color in the moonlight.

Yun Tangyin came in to make the bed and suddenly said, "Mom, the day after tomorrow is Nian'an's birthday. Shall we steam some longevity peach buns?"

"I've made a note of it," Song Yushuang glanced towards the kitchen. "We still have enough flour. I'll start making the dough tomorrow. Go get that jar of candied dates. They'll be perfect for the birthday peach filling."

She stroked Nian An's soft hair and said, "This child has been with us for almost a year. He has grown a lot and has two teeth now."

At dawn, Fu Yucheng and Fu Yuanshan were already carrying small buckets and heading to the river.

The dew soaked their trouser legs, but it couldn't stop the two men from moving forward.

Fu Yuanshan was thinking about the plump snails, while Fu Yucheng was thinking about the soft and tough material for weaving a reed mat for Nian An.

A thin layer of mist floated on the surface of the river, and the frogs among the water plants croaked, as if leading them.

Jiang Jianhua took advantage of the morning light to fill a wormwood pouch in the yard. The green wormwood was crushed, and the fragrance mixed with the warmth of the sun spread.

She stuffed a piece of dried hawthorn leaf into each purse: "Add this to stimulate your appetite. Nian'an has been picky about his food lately."

Song Yushuang was kneading dough, which gradually turned snow-white under her hands. "The birthday peaches should be plump to be festive. I need to knead more dough and give two to each of the neighbors."

When Nian An woke up, the yard was filled with the sweet aroma of longevity peach buns.

He ran barefoot to the kitchen and saw rows of plump pink longevity peaches in the steamer, their pointed tops dotted with rouge red. He immediately clapped his hands and shouted, "Peaches, eat!"

Song Yushuang pinched a piece of dough and gave it to him: "Play with this first. When the buns are cooked, I'll let you pick the biggest one first."

Xiaolan came over with a basket of freshly picked cherries. When she saw the longevity peaches in the steamer, her eyes lit up: "These longevity peaches look just like the real ones!"

She poured the cherries onto a plate, with water droplets still hanging on the purple-red fruits. "My mother said these cherries are sweet, perfect for Nian'an's birthday."

Jiang Jianhua stuffed a handful of snowflake crisps into Xiaolan's pocket and said, "Take these to eat on the way. I'll save two for you to take back when the longevity peaches are ripe."

She suddenly saw Nian'an stuffing dough into his mouth and quickly pulled him back: "This is raw dough, you can't eat it. Second Aunt will make you a dough figurine to play with."

As he spoke, he pinched a little tiger, and its ears and tail were lifelike.

As soon as the longevity peach buns came out of the pot at noon, Zhou Desheng's wife came over with a bowl of braised pork: "I'm adding a dish for Nian'an. I specially added more rock sugar. The child loves it."

She looked at the birthday peaches on the table and praised them, "Aunt Song's cooking skills are so good, it would be a shame if she didn't open a steamed bun shop in town!"

Song Yushuang smiled and stuffed two longevity peaches into her pocket: "Eat them while they're hot, they won't be soft when they get cold."

Nian An held a longevity peach bun that was bigger than his face and nibbled it in small bites, the rouge-red tip of the peach getting all over his face.

Fu Yucheng took out a red cloth bag, which contained a longevity locket he had bought specially. The words "Peace every year" were engraved on the shiny silver locket: "This is a birthday gift for our Nian'an. Wear it to keep you safe."

Jiang Jianhua put a longevity lock on Nian'an, and the silver lock jingled as it touched the tassel of the tiger purse.

"This lock looks really nice with the purse," she said with a smile. "Later I'll make Nian'an a red cloth bellyband and sew the lock on it so it doesn't fall off all the time."

As the setting sun dyed the locust tree courtyard golden red, Nian'an lay on the reed mat, holding a longevity peach bun in his arms and a longevity lock in his hand, his eyelids gradually drooping.

Song Yushuang sat beside him, fanning herself with a palm-leaf fan, and the lotus flowers on the fan swayed gently in the wind.

Jiang Jianhua and Yun Tangyin were embroidering something under the lamp, and the silver thread was weaving tiny stars on the cloth.

Fu Yucheng and Fu Yuanshan sat on a stone bench drinking newly brewed mulberry wine, the sunset reflected in the wine.

"By this time next year," Fu Yucheng took a sip of his wine, "it will be time to teach Nian'an how to read."

Fu Yuanshan nodded and covered Nian'an's reed mat with a thin blanket. "I'll make him a walker. It's made of wood, so it's stable."

The shadows of the locust leaves swayed on the ground, as if someone was gently patting the tranquility in the yard.

Nian'an smacked his lips in his dream, the sweetness of the longevity peach still lingering on the corners of his mouth. The silver glow of the longevity lock mixed with the moonlight, flowing into a gentle river on his chest.

This ordinary birthday is like every day in Huaiyuan. It does not have the earth-shaking excitement, but it has the long-lasting warmth that slowly turns into honey over the years.

The next morning, just as the sky was getting light, Fu Yuanshan and Fu Yucheng returned from the river carrying small buckets.

The snails in the bucket were spitting bubbles, and their blue-gray shells were glowing moistly in the morning light.

"The snails are really plump today," Fu Yuanshan put the bucket by the well. "Let them grow for a day, and then you can fry them and eat them tonight."

Fu Yucheng walked into the yard holding a bundle of reeds. Dew still hung on the tender green leaves. "These reeds are just the right strength. I'll weave a small mat for Nian'an now."

Song Yushuang was already busy in the kitchen, cooking millet porridge in the pot and steaming the longevity peach buns left over from last night in the steamer.

"Are you back?" She poked her head out and smiled, "Hurry up and wash your hands. It's time to have some porridge."

Nian An heard the noise and ran out of the house. He stepped on the bluestone slabs with his bare feet and went straight to Fu Yuanshan's bucket: "Snail, snail!"

Fu Yuanshan quickly picked him up and said, "You can't touch this now. I'll give you one to try when it's cooked tonight."