Just as dawn was breaking, Yun Tangyin was awakened by the chirping of birds on the windowsill.
She opened her eyes and saw Fu Yucheng sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) cleaning his gun. The morning light shone through the window paper onto the back of his hand, making the gun shine.
"Awake?" Fu Yucheng put down his gun and stuffed a hot water bottle into her bed. "There's some millet porridge on the stove, and I added some red dates, your favorite."
Yun Tangyin chuckled, curled up in bed: "Didn't you say yesterday you were going to the army base this morning? Why aren't you there yet?"
"I'll wait for you to have breakfast together." Fu Yucheng tidied her bangs. "Old Zhang told me to bring over the batch of military water bottle covers that Second Brother made. The soldiers are waiting to use them."
He suddenly pulled a red silk pouch from his pocket. "This is for you."
Inside the cloth bag was a pair of silver bracelets, engraved with intertwined branches, which perfectly matched Yun Tangyin's silver hairpin.
Just as Yun Tangyin was about to put it on, Fu Yucheng pressed her hand down: "I'll do it."
He slipped the bracelet onto her wrist, his fingertips brushing against her skin as if an electric current were running through him.
“I made this myself,” Fu Yucheng said in a low voice. “It’s heavy, but it’s durable.”
Yun Tangyin shook her wrist, and the bracelet made a crisp sound: "It's prettier than gold."
She suddenly remembered something, threw off the covers and got out of bed. "I almost forgot, the handkerchief I embroidered for you has dried. It has an eagle embroidered on it, which suits you perfectly."
When the handkerchief was handed to Fu Yucheng, he suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms.
Yun Tangyin bumped into his arms, her nose brushing against the button on his chest, and smelling the faint scent of soap on him.
"Yinyin." Fu Yucheng rested his chin on the top of her head. "After we're done with this busy period, I'll take you to the county town to see a movie. I heard that 'The Red Detachment of Women' has just been released."
Yun Tangyin buried her face in his clothes and replied sullenly, "Okay."
At the breakfast table, Fu Yucheng suddenly put a piece of cured meat into Yun Tangyin's bowl: "I'm off work this afternoon, let's go to the back mountain to pick wild hawthorns, and I'll make you hawthorn soup when we get back."
"Didn't you say the army has been busy lately?" Yun Tangyin chuckled as she scooped up some porridge. "Don't let it interfere with important matters."
"No matter how busy I am, I'll still spend time with you." Fu Yucheng put down his chopsticks and took out a small notebook from his pocket. "This is the account I keep. I've saved most of the money from the bamboo workshop for you. I'll buy you some new cloth in the spring so you can make a spring outfit."
Looking at the neat handwriting in the ledger, Yun Tangyin put a poached egg in his bowl: "Stop thinking about buying me things, you should get yourself some new clothes too."
On the way to the back mountain in the afternoon, Fu Yucheng held Yun Tangyin's hand the whole time.
The mountain path was difficult to walk, so he protected her on the inside. When they encountered rocks blocking the way, he would bend down and carry her over.
"If you keep spoiling me like this, I'll become so spoiled that I won't know anything." Yun Tangyin laughed, leaning on his shoulder, her skirt brushing against his trouser leg.
“I just want to spoil you.” As Fu Yucheng put her down, he suddenly picked a bunch of wild chrysanthemums from behind the tree. “Look at these flowers, they’re bright yellow, just like the color on the handkerchief you embroidered.”
Yun Tangyin tucked the flower into her hair and was about to speak when she saw Fu Yucheng squat down and wrap straw rope around her shoes: "The mountain road is slippery, this way you won't slip."
His fingers were twirling the rope around her ankle, his movements as meticulous as if he were handling some rare treasure.
On their way back after picking hawthorns, the setting sun cast long shadows of the two of them.
He suddenly stopped and took out a small bamboo box from his pocket. "This is for you."
Inside the box was a ring, bound with a red string to a bamboo band, on which was engraved a tiny character for "city".
Just as Yun Tangyin was about to put it on, Fu Yucheng stopped her: "When I come back from my next business trip, I'll get you a gold one."
“I like this one.” Yun Tangyin slipped the ring onto her ring finger, the red string making her fingers appear even whiter. “I think the bamboo one is better than the gold one.”
When they got home, Fu Yucheng went to the kitchen to cook hawthorn soup, while Yun Tangyin sat under the lamp embroidering peonies.
She had just finished two stitches when Fu Yucheng came in carrying soup, with a piece of rock sugar in his hand: "I added two pieces of sugar for you, just in case it was too sour."
As Yun Tangyin sipped her soup, watching him sit opposite her cleaning his gun, she suddenly felt that this kind of life was truly wonderful.
It wasn't anything spectacular, but like this hawthorn soup, it was sweet and sour, warming my heart.
Lying in bed at night, Yun Tangyin listened to Fu Yucheng's breathing and suddenly said, "Let's have a child next year, either a lively one like Erzhuzi or a quiet one like Zhou Ming."
Fu Yucheng suddenly turned around and hugged her: "Okay, it would be best if we had a daughter like you, with big eyes, who could embroider, who could smile, anything would be fine."
He snuggled closer to her, saying, "I will cherish her just as much as I cherish you."
Yun Tangyin laughed and punched him lightly: "We haven't even met yet, and you already know how to pamper the girl."
Although he said that, his heart was pounding like a rabbit's.
The next morning, Fu Yucheng went to the army base.
She stuffed a paper bag into his backpack. "There are some freshly baked pancakes inside. Eat some if you get hungry."
After Fu Yucheng left, Yun Tangyin sat in the courtyard basking in the sun. Looking at the "Fu" character that Fu Yucheng had pasted on the wall, she suddenly thought of embroidering a peace charm for him.
She found a red cloth and was about to start sewing when she saw Fu Yuanshan and Jiang Jianhua arrive with baskets.
"I brought you some newly woven bamboo baskets." Fu Yuanshan put the baskets in the yard. "Jianhua said you love her pickled vegetables, so I filled a whole basket for you."
Jiang Jianhua touched Yun Tangyin's hand and smiled, "Look at this bracelet, it's really beautiful. Acheng really cares about you."
Yun Tangyin stuffed a handful of melon seeds into her hand: "How are you guys doing? Has Erzhuzi been naughty?"
"He's mischievous, but he learns quickly," Fu Yuanshan said with a smile. "Yesterday he made a bamboo rifle that looks quite decent. Reporter Li came over again and said he wanted to write a report about the child."
Just then, Fu Yuanzheng suddenly returned, holding a newspaper in his hand: "Second brother, you're in the regional newspaper! Look at this photo, it's so well taken."
The newspaper article featured a large portion of the page with photos of Fu Yuanshan teaching children to weave bamboo crafts, accompanied by a photo of Jiang Jianhua making shoe soles.
Yun Tangyin looked at the photo and smiled: "This photo makes you look really young."
Jiang Jianhua leaned closer to look and suddenly burst out laughing: "Is the amulet in your sewing basket something you embroidered for Acheng? I think the stitches are even more meticulous than the tiger-head shoes you embroidered for Niannian last time."
Yun Tangyin slipped a piece of candy into her hand: "You have such a sharp eye. He always says that military training is tough, so I only feel at ease when he brings a good luck charm."
She suddenly remembered something, "Oh right, I bought a piece of red silk the other day. Let's use it to frame my second brother's 'The Army and the People Are as Close as Fish and Water' bamboo screen. It will definitely be more eye-catching at the exhibition."
Fu Yuanshan scratched his head: "No need to be so particular."
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Jianhua glared at him and said, "What do you know? This is called adding flowers to brocade."
The courtyard was filled with laughter.
Yun Tangyin looked around, feeling a mix of emotions.
If life just continues like this, it doesn't seem so bad.
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