Chapter 238: Always Sweet

When Fu Yucheng was putting the dried pumpkin into a ceramic jar, Nian An was chasing chickens in the yard with a bag of pumpkin seeds.

The silver longevity lock hit the pumpkin doll, making a "ding-dong" sound, which startled the chickens and made them fly over the fence, with chicken feathers falling on his shoulders.

"Little Ancestor, stop chasing me," Fu Yucheng said, grabbing him with a smile. "The chickens are so scared that they won't lay eggs. We won't have soft-boiled eggs to eat tomorrow."

Nian An, however, held up the melon seed bag and stuffed it into the chicken coop, muttering, "Chicken, eat the seeds."

Fu Yuanshan squatted beside him, weaving a melon seed plate. The bamboo strips formed a fine pattern in his hands. "I'll weave this plate for you to put the melon seeds in, so you don't have to stuff them into the chicken coop."

The rustling sound of the bamboo threads mixed with Nian An's laughter, spreading into a warm atmosphere under the sunlight.

The pumpkin buns in the kitchen had already risen, and Jiang Jianhua used a knife to cut three marks on the top of the buns.

"This is how they turn out to look like pumpkins," she said, placing buns in the steamer. The flour on her fingertips fell onto her apron like a layer of snow. "I'll give two to Aunt Zhang later. Her little grandson will love them."

Song Yushuang added a handful of corn stalks to the stove, and the flames shot up, making the white hair at her temples glow golden. "This dough has risen just right, it's so soft and springy."

Xiaolan squatted in the yard to help Yun Tangyin pick spinach. The green leaves piled up into a small mountain in the bamboo basket.

"Can these spinach roots be eaten?" she asked, holding up the muddy spinach roots. The melon seed bag in the bamboo rabbit basket was bulging, and the red rope knot was dangling at the corner of the basket.

Yun Tangyin smiled and pinched off the roots: "Wash them clean, blanch them in water and mix them with sesame salt. They are even crispier than vegetable leaves."

The midday sun climbed to the top of the locust tree, and the sweet aroma of pumpkin buns filled the entire street.

Aunt Zhang's little grandson ran in, pulling at the corner of his grandmother's clothes, his tiger-toe shoes making a "thump thump" sound on the bluestone slabs.

"Are the steamed buns cooked?" the little guy asked with his round face tilted up, saliva dripping from the corners of his mouth.

Jiang Jianhua had just opened the steamer when white steam wafted out, mingled with a sweet aroma. She picked up a steamed bun and stuffed it into the child's hand: "It's fresh out of the pot. Eat slowly and don't burn yourself."

The three cracks on the top of the steamed bun opened up like a golden flower.

The little guy took a bite and smacked his lips. The sweetness of pumpkin mixed with the aroma of wheat spread on his tongue, making him jump up and down: "Sweeter than a candy man!"

Aunt Zhang patted his back and said, "Chew slowly. No one is going to snatch it from you."

Jiang Jianhua put four steamed buns in her basket and said, "Take two to Desheng's house. His kid was still talking about it yesterday."

When Fu Yucheng was carrying a hoe to the vegetable garden, he saw Zhou Desheng spreading wood ash on the pumpkin field.

"This ash can prevent pests," Zhou Desheng said, grabbing some ash and sprinkling it on the roots of the vines. "Next year, your pumpkins will definitely be bigger."

Fu Yucheng handed him the dried pumpkin in his hand: "Second sister-in-law made it, soak it in water and drink it to relieve the greasiness."

Zhou Desheng took it and laughed: "Your family changes the food every day. My kid almost stays at your house."

Nian'an squatted by the vegetable patch holding a pumpkin doll, watching ants moving pumpkin seed shells.

Xiaolan squatted beside him and used branches to build a bridge for the ants: "Look how capable these ants are. They know how to live better than you."

Nian'an, however, grabbed a handful of melon seeds and poured them into the ant hole, causing Xiaolan to slap the back of his hand: "Silly Nian'an, feeding them so much will make them sick."

The laughter of the two scared away the sparrows on the locust tree, and a few leaves fell and covered the ant hole.

The evening glow dyed the pottery jar orange-red, and Jiang Jianhua sprinkled a handful of osmanthus flowers into the dried pumpkin.

"Seal it in a jar like this," she said, wiping the mouth of the jar with a cloth. "Open it in the winter and it will be filled with the fragrance of osmanthus flowers, sweeter than honey."

Yun Tangyin placed the pickled spinach roots on a porcelain plate. The sesame salt shone white on the emerald green roots. "Come and try it! These spinach roots go really well with steamed buns. The more you chew them, the more delicious they become."

At the dinner table, Nian An held up a pumpkin bun and stuffed it into his mouth. The bun skin stuck to the tip of his nose like a piece of yellow gem.

Xiaolan put some spinach roots into his bowl and said, "Eat this. My mom said it will make you stronger."

Nian An opened his mouth to take it. The crispy vegetable roots mixed with the sweetness of the steamed buns made him nod his head, and the silver longevity lock bounced happily against his chest.

Fu Yucheng and Fu Yuanshan sat in the yard smoking, the flames of their pipes flickering in the twilight.

"Cut the pumpkin vines tomorrow," Fu Yucheng tapped off the ash from his cigarette. "We can use them as firewood after drying them. They're more durable than corn stalks."

Fu Yuanshan used bamboo thread to trim the edge of the melon seed plate: "I will also weave a small bamboo basket and put a pumpkin doll in it for Nian, so that he won't throw it into the chicken coop all the time."

When the moonlight climbed up the fence, Jiang Jianhua was sewing a melon seed bag for Nian An.

A round pumpkin was embroidered on the blue cloth, and a small grasshopper was sitting on the pumpkin leaves.

"This bag is for you to put the melon seeds in." She tightened the bag and tied the red string into a bow at the end. "Don't put it in the chicken coop anymore, you hear me?"

Nian An held the pumpkin doll and nodded, with pumpkin bun crumbs still on the corners of his mouth, like a little squirrel stealing food.

The clay pots in the storage room breathe gently in the night. The sweetness of dried pumpkin, the freshness of spinach roots, and the fragrance of sesame salt mix together to create the unique autumn flavor of Huaiyuan.

Fu Yucheng covered the pumpkin pile with a layer of straw and watched the moonlight flowing like a river on the orange pumpkin skin. Suddenly he remembered that in spring, these pumpkin seeds would sprout in the soil and grow green vines that would climb all over the fence, just like these days, winding down generation after generation, and the pumpkins they produced would always be sweet.

Nian An tossed and turned in his little bed, and the seeds in the pumpkin doll made a rustling sound.

Jiang Jianhua sat by the bed and fanned him, watching the moonlight leaking in through the window lattice, weaving a fine web on his face.

"Can't sleep?" she asked softly, brushing the bread crumbs on the tip of his nose with her fingertips. "Are you still thinking about Ant?"

Nian An mumbled vaguely, "Ants, move the seeds." Jiang Jianhua smiled and patted his back, "We'll check tomorrow. Now go to sleep."

The leaves of the locust trees outside the window rustled, as if they were counting the bamboo weavings, pottery jars, and steamers in the yard, and counting the days immersed in fireworks.

In the kitchen, the uneaten pumpkin buns were still on the table. The sweet fragrance mixed with the night drifted in, wrapping Nian An's breath. In his dream, pumpkin vines grew all over the yard, and the vines were covered with round moonlight, as sweet as his smiling face.

Just as the sky was getting light, Nian An was awakened by the clucking sound from the chicken coop.

He ran barefoot into the yard holding the pumpkin doll, only to see chickens pecking at the melon seeds he had stuffed in their food last night, with eggshells rolling all over the floor beside the chicken coop.

"Chicken, lay eggs!" He clapped his hands and jumped, and the silver longevity lock hit the doll, making a crisp sound.

Fu Yuanshan was squatting at the door of the woodshed, weaving a bamboo basket. The bamboo strips were green in the morning mist.

"This basket is for you to put your stuffed dolls in," he said, tying the opening of the basket tightly with bamboo thread. "If you put it in the chicken coop, the chickens will peck at your palms."

Nian'an put the doll into a bamboo basket and ran to the kitchen holding it. The bamboo fibers at the bottom of the basket rustled against the bluestone slabs, as if they were racing with him.

In the kitchen, Jiang Jianhua was cracking eggs into the pot, and the golden egg liquid floated like clouds in the boiling water.

"Come quickly, Nian'an," she scooped up the soft-boiled egg with a spoon, "The reed chicken laid three eggs this morning, and I saved the softest one for you."

Song Yushuang sat in front of the stove and added firewood. The firelight illuminated the pumpkin buns in her hand: "I'll heat up the buns. They're perfect to eat with eggs."