Xiao Lan immediately put the New Year picture on the table, ran to Fu Yucheng, and smiled with her rosy cheeks up: "Really? Then I'll ask my brother to go to the back mountain to cut cedar trees. He's strong and can chop wood fast!"
She suddenly remembered something, took a frozen hawthorn out of her pocket, and stuffed it into Fu Yucheng's hand. "Here, this is for you. My mother pickled it. It's so sour that it can refresh you. You can suck on it while chopping wood to keep yourself awake."
Yun Tangyin ladled the steamed locust flower cakes onto a plate, brown sugar dripping onto the surface like tiny streams: "Xiao Lan, try it quickly, the new ones have osmanthus sugar added, they're even sweeter than last time."
Xiao Lan, holding a cake, approached the new rabbit cage. She saw the gray mother rabbit pawing at the cotton wadding with her front paws and suddenly clapped her hands: "Is it going to build a nest? My mother said that pregnant mother rabbits all do this."
Fu Yucheng threw a carrot into the cage: "Aunt Zhang said we have to wait a few more days. We have to feed them soybeans every day for a while, otherwise the cubs won't grow strong."
From outside the courtyard came Aunt Li's shouts, mixed with the sound of the wooden bucket turning: "Yinyin! Can I borrow your stone mill? Mine is stuck!"
She pushed a half-bag of soybeans into the yard, the front of her blue cotton jacket stained with soybean powder, like a layer of snow. "Grind some soybean flour to make bean buns for the baby. You should eat more while you're pregnant."
Seeing the New Year picture on the wall, she suddenly stopped and said, "This 'Abundant Harvest Year After Year' painting is really beautiful. The chubby baby's face is as red as an apple, and he is even more energetic than my son."
Yun Tangyin stuffed a piece of locust flower cake into her hand: "Try it quickly, it's the new recipe that Fu Yucheng learned."
Aunt Li, munching on a cake, glanced at the new rabbit cage and saw two rabbits circling around a piece of cabbage leaf. Suddenly, she laughed and said, "This pine cage is even more exquisite than my rice cabinet. Even the cage door is carved with patterns. Yucheng's craftsmanship is truly undeniable."
Fu Yucheng added a piece of coal to the stove, the flames licking the bottom of the pot, casting his shadow on the wall, flickering between light and shadow: "Just some random thought, as long as the rabbits are comfortable."
As the sun climbed to the top of the bamboo, Zhou Desheng came to visit, carrying a sack of flour. His military boots left deep marks on the snow, and his wife followed behind him, carrying a cloth bag in her arms.
“I got some flour from the canteen, I’ll send some to your family,” Zhou Desheng said as he put the flour bag on the stove. When he saw the new rabbit cage, he suddenly laughed, “Brother Fu, you’re raising rabbits like treasures! My wife said she wants to learn how to make cages from you so we can improve the living conditions for our chickens.”
His wife stuffed a piece of blue cloth into Yun Tangyin's hand, "Make a little jacket for the child. My husband Desheng said this cloth is windproof and will be perfect for spring."
Zhou Desheng's wife, holding a handful of melon seeds, peeked into the cage and saw the gray mother rabbit snatching carrots from the white rabbit. She suddenly said, "Just like my Desheng, he only tastes good when he fights for it."
Fu Yucheng stuffed a piece of locust flower cake into Zhou Desheng's hand: "We're making dumplings tonight, come over and eat with us."
Zhou Desheng immediately nodded: "Okay! I'll have my wife bring a bottle of vinegar, freshly pickled, and it'll be sour enough."
The afternoon sun shone through the frost-covered windows, weaving a shimmering net on the ground.
Yun Tangyin sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) embroidering tiger-head shoes. A majestic tiger claw was embroidered on the toe of the shoe with red velvet, and the stitches were as fine as fish scales.
Fu Yucheng squatted down beside the pine cage and brushed it with tung oil. The brush left shiny marks on the wood, like a layer of amber.
“This tung oil smells really good,” Yun Tangyin said, looking up and smiling. “It’s even more refreshing than the wax sold at the supply and marketing cooperative.”
Fu Yucheng popped a rock candy into her mouth: "If you hold it in your mouth, you won't feel the choking. Aunt Zhang said this oil needs to be brushed on three times, otherwise it will get moldy in the spring."
The rabbits in the bamboo cage must have smelled the tung oil. Suddenly, they huddled in a corner and dozed off. The white rabbit rested its head on the gray mother rabbit's belly, like a snowball pressing down on a ball of gray fur.
Yun Tangyin added a handful of alfalfa to the cage: "Look how affectionate they are, even more so than when we first met."
Fu Yucheng put down the brush and sat down next to her. The snow on his military boots melted on the ground, making a small puddle. "We're not bad off now. After the baby is born, the three of us can squeeze onto the kang (heated brick bed), which will be warmer than those."
In the evening, Zhou Desheng's wife brought a bottle of vinegar to make dumplings, and Aunt Li also brought a basin of cabbage filling, making the courtyard lively.
Zhou Desheng's wife was rolling out dough. The rolling pin spun rapidly on the cutting board, and the dough looked like a blooming white lotus flower.
As Li Sao mixed the filling, she sprinkled in chopped green onions and minced ginger, filling the entire courtyard with a fragrant aroma.
Yun Tangyin sat by the kang (a heated brick bed) making dumplings. Her fingertips were covered in flour, and the dumplings she made looked like little gold ingots.
Fu Yucheng squatted in front of the stove adding firewood, the firelight reflecting off his profile, the collar of his military green cotton-padded jacket smeared with flour.
"Yinyin, you made these dumplings so beautifully," Zhou Desheng's wife said as she put dumplings into the pot. The white dumplings rolled in the boiling water like a group of small silver fish. "They're even more perfectly shaped than those made by the cafeteria chef. When the baby turns one month old, we'll definitely have to invite you to cook the feast."
Yun Tangyin stuffed a piece of locust flower cake into her hand: "Try it quickly, fill your stomach, making dumplings takes a lot of effort."
Aunt Li peeked into the cage while biting into a cake. She saw two rabbits munching on the soybeans that Fu Yucheng had given them and suddenly laughed, "These two little things really know how to enjoy life. They eat better than my children."
"You need to cook them a little longer," Yun Tangyin reminded, sitting on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed), still holding an unfinished dumpling in her hand. "Vegetarian dumplings need to be boiled three times, and meat dumplings need to be boiled four times, otherwise they won't be cooked through."
Aunt Li added a handful of pine needles to the stove, and the fragrance of pine resin mingled with the aroma of dumplings: "Yinyin knows so much. My husband always breaks the dumplings when he cooks them, and he still doesn't accept it."
Fu Yucheng squatted in front of the stove, gently pushing the dumplings with a long-handled spoon to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
"You have to turn the dumplings over frequently when boiling them," he said with a smile. "It's like folding blankets in the army; you have to be patient and meticulous to make them look decent."
Zhou Desheng leaned over to take a look and saw that the dumplings were all round and plump. He suddenly swallowed and said, "They smell so good, even more tempting than the pork and cabbage dumplings in the cafeteria."
Yun Tangyin handed each person a pair of chopsticks, which were wrapped with red cloth strips, which she had just tied a few days ago.
"Try it," she said, placing a dumpling into Zhou Desheng's wife's bowl. "It's still warm."
Zhou Desheng's wife took a bite, and the delicious broth spread in her mouth: "This filling is absolutely delicious, much better than what my husband makes. Yinyin, you have to teach me how."
Aunt Li stuffed a dumpling into her mouth and said indistinctly, "I want to learn too. When my son turns one month old, I'll make dumplings with this filling for him."
Yun Tangyin smiled and nodded: "It's not difficult. You just need to squeeze the water out of the cabbage, otherwise the filling will be too runny. Add some dried shrimp to enhance the flavor. It's even more fragrant than adding meat."
Fu Yucheng put a dumpling in her bowl, but picked up a piece of locust flower cake and ate it himself: "Eat more, it'll help you recover."
The loud voice of Director Wang came from outside the courtyard, mixed with the crying of his little grandson: "Are you home? My little rascal is insisting on eating locust flower cake!"
Yun Tangyin stuffed a piece of cake wrapped in oil paper into Fu Yucheng's hand: "Take it to him quickly, don't let the child cry."
By the time Fu Yucheng returned, the dumplings were almost all gone.
Zhou Desheng's wife was clearing away the dishes, while Li Sao was wiping the table. The two were chatting and laughing, like sisters.
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