Yun Tangyin smiled, a preserved plum in her mouth: "You're the one who strains your eyes. The bamboo strips are so thin, they're more irritating than an embroidery needle."
She placed a cup of chrysanthemum tea next to him, saying, "It's freshly brewed; it's better for cooling down than plain water."
Fu Yucheng, weaving a bamboo mat, replied, "I trained my eyesight in the army; I can even see mosquitoes while on guard duty at night."
He suddenly held up the edge of the mat to show her, "Look at this pattern. I added a swastika pattern, which makes it look better than ordinary bamboo mats, and it won't hurt your skin when you lay it down."
Yun Tangyin touched the mat: "It's even more even than what you get at the supply and marketing cooperative. With your skills, you should open a bamboo ware shop."
“Nothing is more important than being with you.” Fu Yucheng put down the bamboo strips and put a piece of preserved plum into her mouth. “After the baby is born, I’ll weave you a bamboo rocking chair, which will be even more comfortable than Mom’s. You can hold the baby and sunbathe in the yard. That will be more beautiful than anything else.”
At lunchtime, Yu Xia brought in a bamboo steamer, and the aroma of glutinous rice wafted out as she lifted the lid: "Yinyin, eat these pearl dumplings quickly. I added lotus seeds, which are less greasy than pure glutinous rice."
She put two more into Fu Yucheng's bowl, saying, "You should eat more too; weaving bamboo mats is hard work."
Just as Fu Yucheng was about to serve some to Yun Tangyin, she stopped him with her chopsticks, saying, "Eat it yourself, this bowl has enough."
She put a piece of braised pork into his bowl, saying, "Eat more meat so you'll have the energy to weave this afternoon."
Yu Xia looked at them and smiled: "Yesterday I saw Yuanshan's wife embroidering a tiger-head hat. She said it was for your child. The stitches were even finer than mine."
Yun Tangyin's eyes lit up: "Really? Second sister-in-law is really skillful."
Fu Yucheng chewed on a glutinous rice ball and hummed, "The bamboo hat I made for the child is cooler than the tiger-head hat, perfect for summer."
In the afternoon, Yun Tangyin sat under the shade of bamboo embroidering baby socks, while Fu Yucheng squatted beside her, whittling bamboo strips. Suddenly, he held up a bamboo strip and asked, "If I were to weave a small bamboo basket for the child to hold his diapers, do you think it's better to weave a double-layered basket or a single-layered one?"
“Two layers,” Yun Tangyin suggested, “one layer for clean items and one layer for dirty items. It’s much more efficient than mixing them together.”
"I'll listen to you." He bent down and began whittling bamboo strips. "Once it's finished, I'll install four small bamboo wheels on the bottom of the basket. Pushing it will be less strenuous than carrying it."
In the evening, Fu Yucheng went to the kitchen to cook rice. Yun Tangyin peeked through the door frame and saw him add a handful of red beans to the rice: "The old Chinese medicine doctor said that red beans replenish qi and blood and are more nourishing than white rice. You should eat more of them."
Yun Tangyin leaned over and smelled it: "It smells so good, even better than the red bean rice in the cafeteria."
She slipped a piece of maltose into his hand, saying, "I just got it from Aunt Li; it's sweeter than white sugar."
Fu Yucheng took a bite of maltose and smiled, "You still care about me the most, you know me better than my own mother."
He suddenly added a bamboo stick to the stove, saying, "This bamboo stick burns brightly, and the rice cooks faster than firewood."
At dinner, Fu Yucheng ladled a bowl of red bean rice into Yun Tangyin's bowl: "Look how well these red beans are cooked, they're much softer than last time."
His own bowl only contained white rice, but Yun Tangyin scooped half a spoonful of red bean rice into his bowl: "You can't just give me the food, you need to eat too."
Fu Yucheng quickly ate, while Song Yushuang and Yu Xia exchanged smiles. In the glow of the bamboo lanterns, the food on the table steamed, just like the warmth of the day, making people's hearts flutter.
As Yun Tangyin lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) at night, Fu Yucheng was massaging her back when he suddenly said, "Tomorrow I'll go to town and buy you two catties of red dates to make you red date porridge, which is more nourishing than white sugar porridge."
“You don’t need to go that far. Aren’t there jujube trees?” Yun Tangyin touched his hand. “You can just pick some and bring them back. They’re fresher than the ones you buy.”
"That won't do." Fu Yucheng lowered his head and kissed her forehead. "The dates in the yard aren't ripe yet, they're more sour than the ones we buy. I'll buy you ripe ones, they'll be very sweet."
Yun Tangyin tugged at his clothes and laughed, "You always treat me like a child."
"You are my child." Fu Yucheng hugged her tighter. "I love you more than my own child."
He suddenly slipped a small bamboo box into her hand. "Here you are. I carved it while weaving bamboo baskets this afternoon."
The box was lined with cotton paper and contained a pair of silver earrings with small apple pendants that jingled when shaken: "They're lighter than the bell earrings from last time, so they're not tiring to wear."
Just as Yun Tangyin was about to put it on, he stopped her hand: "Wait until after the baby is born before you wear it. Don't strain your neck now."
He suddenly kissed her earlobe. "Keep this safe for me first."
The bamboo wind chimes outside the window rang twice, as if echoing the sweetness inside the room.
Yun Tangyin touched the red agate on her wrist and listened to Fu Yucheng's heartbeat. Suddenly, she felt that life was like the bamboo basket he had woven, which looked simple but was tightly bound by fine bamboo strips.
The next morning, Fu Yucheng came in holding up a small bamboo trinket: "Look at this little bamboo waterwheel, don't you think? I added a small bell inside the wheel, so it makes a sound when it spins. It's prettier than the ordinary ones."
Yun Tangyin took it and turned it around, the bells jingling: "It's even more exquisite than the ones you can buy in town, how come you can weave everything?"
She popped a piece of sesame candy into his mouth. "Your second sister-in-law gave it to me. Is it sweet?"
“Sweet,” Fu Yucheng said with a smile, chewing on the candy. “Sweeter than the fruit candies from the supply and marketing cooperative.”
He suddenly shoved a small bamboo basket into her hand. "It's for you to carry embroidery thread. It's more convenient than your cloth bag."
There was also a piece of blue-printed cloth lining the basket. Yun Tangyin touched the cloth and smiled, "You even thought of this. You're more thoughtful than I am."
"If I'm not attentive to you, who will I be attentive to?" Fu Yucheng pulled her closer to him. "My wife deserves my pampering."
Just then, Song Yushuang called from the courtyard: "Yinyin, come quickly! Yuxia brought you some freshly steamed corn cakes, they smell even better than the last ones."
Just as Yun Tangyin was about to get up, Fu Yucheng pressed her down: "I'll go get it, you sit down."
He ran out and came back in a short while later, carrying a bamboo tray with several steaming hot cornbreads on it.
“My sister-in-law said she added soybean flour,” Fu Yucheng stuffed a piece into her hand, “It’s softer than pure cornmeal.”
Yun Tangyin took a bite, and the aroma of corn mixed with the fragrance of beans filled the air. She suddenly stuffed half a piece into Fu Yucheng's mouth: "You eat some too, to replenish your strength so you can weave bamboo ware."
Sunlight streamed through the bamboo window, illuminating their faces with a warm glow, just like the sweetness of the days in the courtyard.
Song Yushuang was drying chili powder on a bamboo sieve when she heard this. She tapped the sieve with a smile and said, "If you two keep being so lovey-dovey, the chili powder will become too sweet. Yinyin, come and help me turn it over. This stuff needs to be turned frequently; it's more tiring than drying sesame seeds."
Yun Tangyin ran over with a blush on her face, and Fu Yucheng stuck behind her like a piece of rice cake, squatting down next to her and holding the handle of the bamboo sieve: "I'll help you two shake it."
Song Yushuang stuffed a handful of chili powder into Yun Tangyin's hand: "Smell this freshly ground chili powder. It's spicier than last year's. It's perfect for pickling vegetables in winter."
She suddenly patted Fu Yucheng on the back, "Go sweep up the broken bamboo strips in the bamboo workshop, so they don't prick Yinyin."
Just as Fu Yucheng picked up the bamboo broom, Yun Tangyin chased after him, saying, "Wear gloves when you sweep; the bamboo strips are very sharp."
She slipped a pair of coarse cloth gloves into his hands. "I sewed these overnight. They're more durable than your single-layer cloth gloves."
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