That morning, just as the roosters in the locust tree courtyard crowed, Song Yushuang was awakened by a series of soft noises.
She put on her coat, got up, and went to the outer room. To her surprise, she saw Nian'an lying in the cradle, her little hands gripping the railing, trying to climb out, and humming "ah ah" as she did so.
"Oh my, my dear grandson, is he trying to climb out by himself?" Song Yushuang quickly went over and carefully picked him up. "He's so active at such a young age, he'll definitely be a restless child in the future."
Nian'an was held in Song Yushuang's arms, and her little hands immediately grabbed Song Yushuang's clothes. She grinned with her toothless mouth, and drool dripped down her chin.
Song Yushuang took out a handkerchief and gently wiped it clean, then said with a smile, "You little rascal, you even know how to make your grandma happy."
Just then, Jiang Jianhua walked in carrying millet porridge. Seeing this scene, he couldn't help but laugh and said, "Nian'an is awake? I thought he would sleep a little longer."
“This child has a lot of energy,” Song Yushuang said, holding Nian’an as they sat at the table. “Look at him, he climbs the railing by himself as soon as he wakes up in the morning. He’s even more mischievous than Acheng was when he was a child.”
Jiang Jianhua handed over the bowl of porridge and took a small spoon: "I made it a little thinner on purpose, so I can feed Nian'an some rice porridge later to help her get some nutrition."
Song Yushuang nodded in agreement, carefully scooped up the rice porridge with a spoon, blew on it to cool it down, and then brought it to Nian'an's lips.
Nian'an opened her mouth and took a sip, her eyes immediately lit up, and she even reached for the spoon, which made the two of them laugh.
After breakfast, Fu Yucheng picked some fresh cucumbers from the field and put them on the stone table in the yard. Nian'an pointed at the cucumbers and exclaimed "Eeya!"
Song Yushuang carried him over, picked up a cucumber and handed it to him: "This is a cucumber. I'll have your dad make cucumber puree for you later, okay?"
Nian'an reached out his little hand to grab the cucumber, but he didn't have the strength to hold it steady, and it fell onto the table with a "thud". He didn't make a fuss, but instead laughed even more happily.
Fu Yuanshan returned from the field carrying a hoe. Seeing this scene, he put down the hoe and walked over: "Nian'an, do you like cucumbers? I'll go to the field this afternoon and pick some more to make you cucumber soup."
He reached out to hug Nian'an, but Nian'an turned her head into Song Yushuang's arms and refused to go with him.
Fu Yuanshan deliberately feigned a wronged expression: "Oh dear, my dear nephew, why aren't you playing with your second uncle anymore? How about your second uncle makes you a little wooden horse?"
Nian'an then stretched out her little hands, allowing Fu Yuanshan to hold her.
In the afternoon, Fu Yuanshan actually found a piece of wood and made a small wooden horse for Nian'an in the yard.
He took a plane and smoothed the wood little by little. Song Yushuang sat beside him watching, occasionally reminding him, "Round the edges of the rocking horse a bit, so it doesn't hurt the child."
Fu Yuanshan smiled and nodded: "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Once it's done, I'll apply a coat of clear varnish, which will make it shiny and durable."
Jiang Jianhua sat under the eaves, embroidering small socks for Nian'an.
On the red fabric, she embroidered some small locust flower patterns, the stitches were fine and dense, making them exceptionally beautiful.
Yun Tangyin walked over, looked at the socks and said with a smile, "Second sister-in-law, they are even more exquisite than those bought in the city."
Jiang Jianhua smiled sheepishly: "It's just random embroidery, I just wanted to make Nian'an wear something festive. In a few days, I'll embroider a few pairs for Xiaolan and the others too."
By evening, the little wooden horse was finally finished.
Fu Yuanshan placed the wooden horse in the yard. When Nian'an saw it, she immediately broke free from Song Yushuang's arms, staggered over, grabbed the reins of the wooden horse, and tried to climb up.
Fu Yucheng quickly went over to help him up and lifted him onto the rocking horse: "Slow down, don't fall."
Nian'an sat on the wooden horse, her little hands gripping the reins, her eyes narrowed into slits with laughter.
Seeing her grandson's happy expression, Song Yushuang felt a surge of joy.
She walked over to Fu Yuanshan and patted him on the shoulder: "You're so skillful, you finished it so quickly. Nian'an will definitely love it."
Fu Yuanshan said with a smile, "As long as Nian'an likes it, I will make him some more small toys in the future, such as small wooden cars and small bows and arrows. I guarantee he will have more than enough to play with."
At dinner, Fu Yucheng made cucumber puree for Nian'an, as well as braised pork, stir-fried greens, and a pot of winter melon and pork rib soup.
Everyone sat around the table, eating and chatting. Nian'an sat in Song Yushuang's lap, holding a small spoon in his hand, occasionally putting a spoonful of cucumber puree into his mouth. Although most of it spilled on his clothes, he ate with great pleasure.
At night, after Nian'an fell asleep, Song Yushuang sat under the oil lamp and sewed a small cotton-padded jacket for Nian'an.
On the light blue fabric, she embroidered some small tiger patterns, which were very lifelike.
Yun Tangyin leaned against the headboard and looked at her, smiling as she said, "Mother, you haven't rested much these past few days. Don't stay up too late. It's not too late to sew tomorrow."
Song Yushuang smiled and said, "It's alright, I'm so happy, I don't feel tired at all. Once the little cotton-padded jacket is sewn up, and it gets colder in a few days, Nian'an will be able to wear it."
The moonlight streamed into the room through the window, falling on Song Yushuang and on the face of the sleeping Nian'an.
Yun Tangyin took the cotton-padded coat and touched it. The fabric was delicate and soft, and the stitches were so fine that they were almost invisible. "Mother, your craftsmanship is getting better and better. This cotton-padded coat is even more exquisite than those made by tailors in the city."
Song Yushuang folded the cotton-padded jacket and put it into the wooden box: "When it gets cold, let Nian'an wear it, and pair it with the tiger-head hat embroidered by Jianhua. She'll look just like a little tiger, and everyone will definitely like her."
The next morning, just as dawn broke, Nian'an woke up, lying in her cradle babbling and patting the blankets with her little hands.
As soon as Song Yushuang entered the house and picked him up, he pointed to the door and shouted.
Song Yushuang smiled and said, "You want to play with the little wooden horse that your second uncle made, right? Come on, Grandma will take you to play."
Carrying Nian'an into the yard, Fu Yuanshan was already applying clear varnish to the little wooden horse. Sunlight shone on the horse, giving it a faint sheen.
"Nian'an's awake?" Fu Yuanshan looked up and said with a smile, "Once the varnish dries, you can ride the rocking horse. I guarantee it will be even smoother than yesterday."
Nian'an reached out her little hand to touch the rocking horse, but Song Yushuang gently pressed it down: "Wait until the paint dries before touching it, otherwise you'll get your little hands dirty."
Jiang Jianhua walked over with a bowl of freshly boiled soy milk and handed one to each of Song Yushuang and Fu Yuanshan: "Have some soy milk to warm yourselves up. I added some sugar to it, it's sweet."
She looked at Nian'an and said with a smile, "Nian'an, would you like some soy milk? I'll get you some warm some."
Nian'an nodded, her little mouth agape, looking eager.
After breakfast, Fu Yucheng was going to the market in town. Song Yushuang specifically instructed him, "Buy some candied hawthorns for Nian'an. He stared at Xiaolan eating them yesterday. Also, buy some colorful threads. I want to make a small sachet for Nian'an to wear to ward off evil spirits."
Fu Yucheng smiled and agreed, "Don't worry, I'll remember everything and make sure I buy you the best candied hawthorns and colorful threads."
After Fu Yucheng left, Song Yushuang held Nian'an and sat under the eaves, teaching him to recognize the flowers and plants in the yard.
"This is a rose. When it blooms, it will be red and fragrant. This is mint. In summer, you can pick a leaf and steep it in water to drink. It's refreshing and helps to cool you down."
Song Yushuang pointed to the plants in the yard and taught Nian'an word by word. Although Nian'an couldn't speak clearly, she followed along with "ee-ya" and learned to speak, looking extremely serious.
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