Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, autumn has turned into winter.
On the winter solstice, Fu Yucheng had just taken off his military belt when the brass buckle jingled against the corner of the wardrobe.
Yun Tangyin was spreading a dried cashmere blanket on the sofa when she looked up and saw that he was covered in cold air. She couldn't help but put a hot water bottle in his hand: "Just came back from the training ground? Your hands are frozen like ice blocks."
"Yeah, we just finished a field training exercise, and it's windy outside today." He held the hot water bottle and moved closer to her. "Today, Director Liu from the Political Department had twins. He brought the babies to hand out wedding candies to everyone, the kind wrapped in red cloth."
Yun Tangyin paused as she poured hot water into the teacup, the steam making her eyelashes damp: "Oh? Well then, congratulations."
“His wife said that eating pine nuts from Changbai Mountain during pregnancy is good for the baby’s brain.” Fu Yucheng suddenly pulled a paper packet out of his pocket, which was full of plump pine nuts. “I had my guards steal these from a specialty store, saying that eating them every day will help me have a smart baby.”
The thermos flask landed with a thud on the coffee table. Yun Tangyin turned and walked toward the kitchen: "I'm going to make a pot of white fungus soup. I had someone bring me some white fungus from Gutian in the south the other day."
“I’ll start the fire.” Fu Yucheng got up, but she pressed him back into the dining chair. “You sit down. I want to try that new electric slow cooker.”
He watched her tying her apron as she walked away, and suddenly whispered, "After I finish handing over the defense of Jiangbei next month, I can be transferred back to the military compound to work. I won't have to go on long business trips for at least six months."
Before she could finish speaking, Yun Tangyin's hand trembled, and the silver ear fungus scattered all over the ground.
"Why are you suddenly bringing this up?" She squatted down to pick up the silver ear fungus, her voice muffled on the tiles.
She knew what Fu Yucheng meant, but she was too embarrassed to answer.
“It’s just that I’m always busy and not home.” Fu Yucheng also squatted down, his fingertips accidentally catching her apron strap, and the two separated as if they had been electrocuted.
He pulled a small notebook from his inner pocket, opened it to reveal a densely packed schedule, and said, "Look."
Yun Tangyin snatched the notebook and slammed it on the table. "How could I complain about your work?"
Lying on the newly changed cashmere blanket at night, the fragrance of wild chrysanthemum pillowcases mingled with the scent of cedar.
Fu Yucheng counted the plaster moldings on the ceiling and suddenly said, "I asked Mom to bring out the crib from our old house. It's the one I slept in when I was little. It's solid wood and sturdy."
"Who wants to sleep in your old bed?" Yun Tangyin snuggled closer to him.
“Then I’ll learn.” He placed his palm on her lower abdomen, his fingertips rubbing the warmth under the fabric. “Squad Leader Wang said that postpartum meals should be low in oil and salt, so I bought a ‘Nutritional Cookbook’ and am practicing in front of the kitchen stove.”
Yun Tangyin suddenly looked up at him, and the moonlight shone through the blinds, illuminating the brightness in his eyes.
“Fu Yucheng,” she said, tracing the stubble on his chin with her fingertips, “do you think if the baby is born in winter, it will have to wear three layers of cotton pants?”
“It has to be down-filled.” He pressed her hand to his chest. “I asked Old Zhang at the clothing factory to reserve the best white duck down. The tiger-head shoes you embroidered will go perfectly with the down-filled pants and keep you warm.”
These words made Yun Tangyin laugh. She turned around and took out a brocade box from the camphor wood chest. Inside were two silver longevity locks, with tiny dragons and phoenixes engraved on them.
"I went to the antique market with my mom the other day and found this. They said it's an old item from the Republican era. What do you think of the craftsmanship?"
Fu Yucheng picked up the longevity lock and compared it to his own; the palm-sized object looked exquisite in his hand.
His eyes suddenly reddened. "It's just... I'm sorry to have wronged you, we haven't been able to see each other much lately."
"Who's wronged?" She put the longevity lock away. "At the last military family meeting, Sister Li even envied me."
When the rooster crowed for the first time, Yun Tangyin was awakened by the sound of the wind outside the window and saw Fu Yucheng reading a thick book under the lamp.
"What is this?" She leaned closer to look; the cover read "300 Questions about Pregnancy."
"Dr. Zhang recommended it, saying you should start learning during pregnancy." He pointed to one of the pages, "Look, you should listen to piano music in the second trimester and feel for fetal movement in the third trimester..."
"Isn't it too early to look at it now?" Yun Tangyin snatched the book and put it on the bedside table.
"I'm not even pregnant yet!"
He suddenly rolled over and pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head: "Isn't that just a matter of time? I'm just getting impatient."
Yun Tangyin was almost breathless from his embrace, her fingertips pressed against his firm chest, and she could clearly feel his steady and powerful heartbeat.
"You have to wait, whether you can't wait or not," she said deliberately, her face serious, but her eyes were full of laughter. "Do you think having a baby is like planting crops, where you can just sow the seeds and expect a harvest?"
Fu Yucheng chuckled softly, the vibrations of his chest coming through his thin pajamas like the wind rolling across a wheat field in spring.
“Then I’ll fertilize and water them properly.” He suddenly lowered his head, his nose brushing against the top of her head. “The cook, Wang, said that pregnant women crave sour foods, so I had the guard bring two boxes of hawthorns home, the kind that are so sour they could make your teeth fall out.”
"Who wants to eat that stuff?" Yun Tangyin retorted verbally, but her heart was filled with warmth.
She recalled seeing Aunt Li enjoying a sour orange a while ago, and she had laughed at her for being greedy. Now, she thought that perhaps that was the sweet taste of motherhood.
The snow outside the window had stopped sometime ago, and moonlight filtered through the gaps in the blinds, casting dappled shadows on the carpet.
Fu Yucheng suddenly got up, rummaged through the wardrobe and pulled out a bulging cloth bag. Inside was a small military green cotton coat with a delicate wild chrysanthemum embroidered on the collar.
"This is..." Yun Tangyin's eyes widened in surprise.
"I had it made by Old Zhang from the clothing factory, cut to the smallest size." Fu Yucheng picked up the cotton-padded coat and held it up to her chest. "Look, when the child is one year old, it will fit him perfectly, making him look like a little soldier."
Yun Tangyin stroked the soft cotton, her fingertips touching the fine stitches. Suddenly, her eyes welled up with tears. She sniffed, but couldn't help but smile.
"Then I'll tell Lao Zhang to be more careful next time." Fu Yucheng scratched his head, then suddenly seemed to remember something and took out a small gadget from his cloth bag. "And this, for the kids to play with."
It was a small wooden fish tied with a red string. The carving wasn't particularly exquisite, but it was endearingly simple.
Yun Tangyin took it in her hand and shook it; the "thump-thump" sound was crisp and pleasant. "When did you learn wood carving?" she asked curiously.
"I would think about carving it when I had nothing to do at night during the training camp," Fu Yucheng said somewhat embarrassedly. "At first, it didn't look very good, and I ruined several wooden blocks. This is the best one I've ever made."
Yun Tangyin carefully placed the small wooden fish into the brocade box, along with the two longevity locks.
"Once the baby is born, let him hold this to learn to talk; he'll definitely learn quickly."
"Of course, our child is bound to be smart," Fu Yucheng said proudly, then suddenly leaned closer to her and lowered his voice, "Yinyin, what do you think we should name our child?"
"Isn't it too early to think about this now?" Yun Tangyin gave him a reproachful look, but she was seriously pondering it in her heart.
"If it's a girl, we'll name her Fu Yutong, with 'Tong' from wutong (梧桐), which symbolizes nobility and beauty. If it's a boy, we'll name him Fu Chengyu, with 'Cheng' from 'Cheng' and 'Yu' from 'Yuzhou' (宇宙), hoping he will be responsible and broad-minded."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com