Yun Tangyin was awakened by the sound of bamboo sieves colliding.
When she opened her eyes, Fu Yucheng was squatting in the yard drying gauze on his bamboo medicine box. The morning light shone through the bamboo strips onto his back, like a layer of gold dust.
"Awake?" He turned around and smiled. "I made you some white fungus soup with red dates in it."
Just as Yun Tangyin sat up, Erzhuzi rushed into the room carrying a small bamboo wooden horse: "The wooden horse I made has a tail!"
The wooden horse's tail is made of thin bamboo strips, and it can swing left and right when pulled.
"Even more spirited than the ones your brother Fu made." She stuffed a handful of pumpkin seeds into the child's pocket. "Go play in the yard, but don't bump into the medicine box."
Just as Erzhuzi ran out, Jiang Jianhua came in carrying a bamboo winnowing basket: "Yinyin, come and see, I roasted some pumpkin seeds for you and Mom, and added some salt."
She stuffed a cloth bag into Yun Tangyin's hand, "This is the dodder seed I found. It's good for preparing for pregnancy if you soak it in water and drink it."
Fu Yucheng suddenly poked his head out from the kitchen: "Second sister-in-law, don't keep giving her random drinks. She hasn't finished the medicine prescribed by the old Chinese medicine doctor yet."
“This is genuine medicinal material.” Jiang Jianhua glared at him. “I drank this back then. Go ask Yuanshan.”
Yun Tangyin quickly smoothed things over: "I'll just brew it and drink it. Second sister-in-law, please sit down and rest."
She slipped a piece of cured meat into Jiang Jianhua's hand, saying, "This is from Sister Zhang. Take it back and stir-fry it with garlic sprouts."
In the morning, Fu Yucheng went to the military base to deliver lampshade samples, while Yun Tangyin sat in the courtyard embroidering paper.
Just as the bamboo branch pattern was halfway finished being embroidered, Zhou Mingniang came in carrying a small bamboo bookshelf: "Yinyin, do you think this bookshelf is suitable? It can hold medicine bottles and donkey-hide gelatin."
The bookshelf has three shelves, each with woven baffles to prevent the bottles from sliding down.
Yun Tangyin stuffed a piece of sesame candy into Zhou Mingniang's hand: "It looks better than the tin frame sold at the supply and marketing cooperative. I'll put a blue cloth on each layer later."
Zhou Mingniang suddenly lowered her voice: "When I was making your medicine box, I added a hidden compartment to put brown sugar in. Don't let Acheng see it. He always says you eat too much sugar."
Just as Yun Tangyin was about to thank him, she saw Fu Yucheng push his bicycle in, with a red cloth bag in the basket.
"It was given to me by Commander Zhang's wife." He dumped the cloth bag on the table, and a pile of small pieces of baby cloth rolled out. "She said these cut-out patterns can be used to make patchwork clothes for the child."
Yun Tangyin picked up a piece of tiger-head fabric and smiled, "It matches my embroidered jacket perfectly."
She suddenly remembered something, "Have the judges' badges for the bamboo weaving exhibition been issued yet?"
"It's done." Fu Yucheng took out two small bamboo tags. "Do you think the tassels are tied properly? I added bells."
In the afternoon, Erzhuzi ran in carrying a small bamboo bucket: "Brother Fu, look! The bucket I wove can hold water!"
The bottom of the bucket was soaked in tung oil, and sure enough, it didn't leak.
Fu Yucheng put a small bamboo spoon into the bucket: "If we weave a small carrying pole, we can carry water."
He suddenly winked at Yun Tangyin, "Have your sister-in-law sew a cloth band around the edge of the bucket so it doesn't rub against her shoulders."
Yun Tangyin smiled and nodded: "I have some leftover red cloth strips here, I'll sew them tomorrow."
At dinner, Fu Yuanshan came to deliver a bamboo screen. When he saw the pattern of fabric from a hundred families on the table, he clicked his tongue in amazement: "How spirited this tiger head is! I'll make a bamboo tiger head hat based on it, and I'm sure I'll win an award."
He slipped a small bamboo abacus into Fu Yucheng's hand, saying, "It's for the child to learn arithmetic; it's more refined than Erzhuzi's."
Yun Tangyin put a piece of cured meat into his bowl: "Second brother, try it quickly. It was given to you by Sister-in-law Zhang. It's especially delicious."
Fu Yuanshan chuckled as he chewed on his meat: "Reporter Li just called and said the sample copies of the magazine have been printed and we can pick them up tomorrow."
Lying on the kang at night, Yun Tangyin touched the amulet on Fu Yucheng's chest: "When we pick up the magazine tomorrow, can we buy Erzhuzi a sugar tiger? He stared at it for a long time last time."
"I remembered." He snuggled closer to her. "I'll buy you two more boxes of face cream. Look how dry your hands are from embroidering paper."
Yun Tangyin pinched his arm, then suddenly yawned, "The old Chinese medicine doctor said we should go to bed early, let's rest."
Just as Fu Yucheng blew out the oil lamp, he heard Yun Tangyin laugh out loud: "Do you think our child would think he was made of bamboo if he saw a room full of bamboo utensils?"
"That's good." He kissed her forehead in the darkness. "May the bamboo bring peace and prosperity."
The next day, when Fu Yucheng went to the county town to pick up the pictorial, he made a special detour to the sugar painting stall.
Just as the master chef handed over the sugar tiger, Erzhuzi popped out from behind: "Brother Fu, I'm here too!"
He held up a small bamboo kite, saying, "The kites I make can fly!"
The kite's tail was made of bamboo strips and red silk cloth, and it swayed in the wind like a small snake.
Yun Tangyin stuffed a handful of pumpkin seeds into his pocket: "Quickly put the kite away, we're at the magazine office."
Reporter Li held up a sample copy and laughed, "Look how well these photos are taken! The bamboo crib as a backdrop looks even better than the sets in the city."
In the photo, Yun Tangyin is wearing a blue cotton jacket, her silver hairpin gleaming in the sunlight, and Fu Yucheng's hand is on her shoulder. The smiles in their eyes seem to be overflowing.
On the way back, Yun Tangyin touched the sample magazine and laughed, "I should have gotten a new jacket."
“This one is the best looking.” Fu Yucheng pedaled his bicycle. “The bamboo branch pattern you embroidered on the cuffs is so eye-catching.”
He suddenly reached into the bicycle basket and said, "I forgot to take the face cream I bought for you. I'll have to go to the county town again later."
"No need," Yun Tangyin said, tugging at his sleeve. "There's still half a box at home."
As they neared home, Erzhuzi suddenly pointed to the sky and shouted, "My kite is flying!"
The bamboo kite, trailing a red silk tail, floated far away in the blue sky.
Fu Yucheng suddenly stopped the car: "Let's make a big kite for the child, even taller than this one."
Yun Tangyin looked up at the kite and smiled: "Let's embroider a little tiger on it, so it can carry the child's name as it flies."
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