Yun Tangyin hung the silver lock back around her neck, the cold metal against her heart, when suddenly Fu Yucheng's palm covered her.
"Don't let it get cold," his palm, warmed by the heat of the stove, warmed the silver lock. "Mom said this lock should be worn close to the body to protect the child."
The snowflakes outside the window pattered against the paper windowpane, their crackling sound mingling with his breathing, like a gentle whisper in his ear.
“Mom stewed sauerkraut today,” Yun Tangyin snuggled closer to Fu Yucheng, “meaning she’ll make dumplings for you tomorrow, with your favorite shrimp.”
Fu Yucheng rubbed his chin against the top of her head. The scent of soap on her military green cotton-padded jacket mingled with the crispness of the snow, making her feel at ease.
“I’ll go home early tomorrow after training,” he suddenly laughed, “to help Mom chop the filling.”
Just as dawn was breaking, the sounds of snow sweeping could be heard outside the courtyard.
When Fu Yucheng returned, Yun Tangyin was squatting in front of the chicken coop picking up eggs, her sleeves covered with a thin layer of frost.
"Mom said to pickle these eggs into salted eggs,"
He placed a blue cloth bag on the stove; inside was a piece of pork belly, with oil stains forming small yellow circles on the cloth. "I just got it from the canteen. Mom said you like braised pork belly with preserved mustard greens, so I made a lot."
Yun Tangyin pinched the eggs and put them into the jar, then suddenly laughed: "How does Mom know everything? I just told Aunt Li yesterday that I wanted to eat braised pork."
The New Year's market was set up on the regimental headquarters' playground, with canvas tents forming long lines in the snow.
Fu Yucheng clutched the cloth coupons as he weaved through the crowd. His military green cotton-padded coat was squeezed out of shape, but he tightly protected the floral cloth in his arms.
"Light blue with small floral print," Fu Yucheng said, sweat still clinging to his forehead as he shoved the fabric into Yun Tangyin's hands. "It took me ages to get it, and it's even prettier than Zhou Desheng's wife said."
The daisies on the fabric, speckled with snowflakes, shimmered softly in the sunlight, as if spring had fallen prematurely upon the cloth.
Yun Tangyin was stroking the floral fabric and smiling when she heard Aunt Li's loud voice: "Yinyin! Come quick! Aunt Wang's tiger-head shoes are amazing!"
Aunt Wang's stall was surrounded by military dependents. The tiger-head shoes in the bamboo baskets were neatly arranged, and the tiger eyes on the toes were embroidered with black thread, making them look as if they could blink.
"I saved you the smallest pair," Aunt Wang said, stuffing them into Yun Tangyin's hands. "They're soft-soled, so you can wear them right after you're born."
The tiger stripes on the shoes were finely stitched. Yun Tangyin suddenly remembered the tiger head hat she had half-embroidered and said with a smile, "It'll make a perfect set, and the children can wear it in the spring."
When Fu Yucheng squeezed through the crowd carrying a bag of rice, his shoulders were covered in snow, making him look like he was wearing a white cotton-padded coat.
“The canteen said this rice is freshly milled,” he said, putting the rice on the scale, his military boots making a deep dent in the snow. “It will make a very thick porridge.”
Yun Tangyin stuffed a roasted sweet potato into his hand, the sugar syrup on the charred skin sticking to his fingertips, it was sickeningly sweet: "Warm your hands up, look how cold you are, you look like a snowman."
On his way home, Fu Yucheng suddenly turned into a small alley. Hidden in the snow at the base of the wall was a cluster of winter plum blossoms. The tender yellow petals, covered in snow, smelled so sweet that they made one's bones melt.
"I'll pick a few branches for you," Yun Tangyin said with a smile, holding a flower branch. The fragrance of plum blossoms mixed with the scent of soap on his body gave a sense of reassurance.
As soon as I entered the courtyard, I saw Song Yushuang squatting in front of the chicken coop, holding a broken egg in her hands, frowning.
“What’s wrong with this chicken today?” she said as she walked toward the kitchen. “The eggs it laid had blood on them. I wonder if it’s sick. Oh well, I’ll take it and make you some brown sugar eggs to help it recover.”
Yun Tangyin slipped a sprig of wintersweet into her hand: "It was just picked. Put it on the windowsill; it'll make the room look brighter."
Song Yushuang touched the flower petals and smiled: "You're so thoughtful, knowing that I love this fragrance."
At night, when Yun Tangyin placed the winter plum blossoms into the celadon vase that Song Yushuang had specially found, Fu Yucheng was laying a new mattress on the kang (a heated brick bed).
Fu Yucheng made the bed, then hugged her from behind, resting his chin on the top of her head. The military green cotton-padded jacket wrapped around the two of them, like a warm and cozy wad of cotton.
“After the baby is born,” he said, his voice hoarse, tinged with the fragrance of plum blossoms, “we’ll move this wintersweet to the yard, to be with the locust tree, so it can bloom every year.”
The snow was still falling outside the window, the lanterns swayed in the wind, casting a warm glow, and the silver lock on my chest felt slightly warm, as if it too had a heartbeat.
The wintersweet in the porcelain vase was in full bloom, its tender yellow petals glistening with moisture, softening the coldness of the celadon.
Yun Tangyin ran her fingertips along the downy hairs on the petals when she suddenly heard Fu Yucheng cough softly behind her.
"Tomorrow, insert the wintersweet branches deeper," she said as she turned around. Fu Yucheng had already let go of her hand and was pouring millet into the pot. "Mom said that soaking the flower branches in warm water will make them bloom for another half month."
Fu Yucheng stirred the rice in the pot, the steam blurring his features: "When spring comes, I'll go to the back mountain to dig some soil, and we'll strengthen the roots so that it will bloom even more profusely in winter."
The oil lamp by the kang (a heated brick bed) flickered on and off, making the New Year pictures on the wall appear even more vivid.
The chubby baby's koi fish had its tail sticking up high, its red scales shimmering in the light, as if it were about to jump off the paper.
Yun Tangyin touched her slightly protruding belly and suddenly laughed: "Do you think if this child looks at too many New Year pictures, will he like to eat fish in the future?"
Fu Yucheng shoved a hot water bottle into her hand; the orchids embroidered on the cloth cover softened from his body heat. "Whatever you like to eat, he'll definitely like to eat it too."
He suddenly lowered his voice and poked her stomach with his fingertip, "But just don't be picky about food."
The snow outside the window stopped sometime ago.
The rabbit in the bamboo cage had probably woken up and was nibbling at the cabbage.
Yun Tangyin put on her coat and got up to add hay to the cage. Suddenly, she noticed a thin layer of frost on the cage wall and quickly stuffed some old cotton wool into the quilted cloth: "Don't let you get cold. We're counting on you to have baby rabbits in the spring."
After saying that, she poked the rabbit's head, which was soft and warm, and extremely well-behaved.
Fu Yucheng followed and came over to take a look.
Startled by Fu Yucheng's footsteps, the rabbit suddenly stood up and sniffed at the back of his hand with its three-lobed mouth, the snowflakes on its fur tickling him.
Fu Yucheng liked the rabbit more and more as he looked at it, and patted its little head: "Alright, I won't use you to make hats anymore."
The rabbit seemed to understand but also seemed not to understand. Its ears twitched twice, and it looked up at Fu Yucheng. After looking at him for a while, it shrank closer to Yun Tangyin.
Yun Tangyin chuckled and pinched the rabbit's ears: "Alright, little guy, be good~"
Fu Yucheng helped Yun Tangyin stuff the cotton batting into the quilted cloth and lay it out properly. After the two of them looked at the rabbit together for a while, they were really afraid that Yun Tangyin, who was pregnant, would get cold, so Fu Yucheng practically carried her back into the house.
"Rabbits won't freeze to death, but I'd be heartbroken if you did. Let's go."
Yun Tangyin was carried into the house by Fu Yucheng. She didn't know if it was because the way he was being carried wasn't comfortable or what, but she felt a churning in her stomach.
As soon as she sat down, she couldn't help but clutch her chest, bend over, and dry heave.
This startled Fu Yucheng!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com