Yun Tangyin tugged at his arm and shook it: "I'll wait for you at the foot of the mountain. It's more reassuring than sitting at home."
She slipped a bamboo whistle into his pocket. "Blow it if you need to. It's less tiring than shouting."
Fu Yucheng chuckled, holding the bamboo whistle: "I know, this is even more effective than a bugle call."
He suddenly slipped a lucky charm into her hand, saying, "It was prayed for by my mother; it's more effective than anything else. Keep it safe."
The next morning, as Fu Yucheng was about to leave with a bamboo basket on his back, Yun Tangyin stuffed two vegetable dumplings into his bag: "Have a snack for lunch."
She tied a red string around his waist, saying, "It's more effective than a talisman; the sooner you go, the sooner you'll come back."
Fu Yucheng pinched her cheek: "You'll be back before sunset, more punctual than a clock."
The bamboo basket swayed as it went out the door, the red rope swaying like a thin thread in the morning light.
Song Yushuang was drying green beans in a bamboo tray when she smiled and said to Yun Tangyin, "He's been to the back mountain to pick them so many times, he knows the place better than anyone else, so don't worry."
Yun Tangyin nodded as she sewed the shoe soles, but the stitches were three times denser than usual.
As the sun climbed to the top of the bamboo, she looked towards the courtyard gate eight times. The path was deserted, without even a stray dog in sight.
"They should be picking wild jujubes," Yu Xia said, bringing in a bamboo sieve to dry sesame seeds. "The wild jujubes on the back hill grow densely, making them harder to pick than elsewhere. It's normal to be back later."
She slipped a piece of sesame candy into Yun Tangyin's hand, saying, "Sweetness will calm your nerves, it's better than overthinking."
Yun Tangyin had sugar in her mouth, but her tongue tasted bitter.
As the sun began to set, the path outside the bamboo fence was still empty. She suddenly stood up and said, "I'll go to the mountain pass to wait for him."
Song Yushuang quickly stopped her: "The mountain road is slippery, you'll only cause trouble if you go."
She glanced in the direction of Yuanshan's house. "Let Yuanzheng and Yuanshan search for them. They're better than you and me."
Fu Yuanzheng had just entered the house carrying a hoe when he heard that Fu Yucheng hadn't returned. He immediately ran towards the bamboo workshop, saying, "I'll take a flashlight; it'll be brighter than a lantern."
Yu Xia chased after him and stuffed a sickle into his bag, saying, "Chopping tree branches to clear a path is better than using your bare hands."
Yun Tangyin slipped a bamboo whistle into Fu Yuanzheng's hand: "Just respond when you hear him whistle; it's less effort than shouting."
Her fingertips trembled more violently than leaves in the autumn wind.
As dusk fell, Fu Yuan returned with several people. Their bamboo baskets were empty, and their trouser legs were covered in mud.
"I searched most of the back mountain," he said, wiping his sweat. "I walked two miles more than usual, but I didn't find anyone."
Yun Tangyin's face turned pale instantly, colder than the moonlight in the courtyard.
Song Yushuang popped a candy into her mouth: "Don't panic, he's probably just staying at someone's house. Don't worry."
Even so, his voice trembled like a leaf.
Yu Xia ran to the kitchen: "I'll make a pot of ginger soup, it's warming better than anything else, and he can drink it when he gets back."
The clinking sound of the spoon hitting the bottom of the pot was more unsettling than a blow to the heart.
At midnight, Yun Tangyin sat on the doorstep, holding a bamboo pillow woven by Fu Yucheng, her eyes wide open.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of bamboo sticks rustling. She jumped up and didn't even feel pain when her knee hit the bamboo stool.
"It's me." Fu Yucheng's voice came out from the shadows, panting. "We encountered a landslide on the way and had to take a longer route. We're later than expected."
Yun Tangyin rushed over and hugged him, touching the scrapes on his arm. Her tears fell like a broken string of pearls: "Why did you only come back now?! You...you scared me to death!"
Fu Yucheng pulled her into his arms, and the sour dates in the bamboo basket rolled out, as red as blood: "I picked some big ones, they're sweeter than last time."
He suddenly shoved a wild lingzhi mushroom into her hand, saying, "I picked this as soon as I saw it. It's even more nourishing than ginseng. I'll make you some soup."
When Song Yushuang came out and saw that his arm was bleeding, her eyes immediately reddened: "You're injured like this and you're still thinking about sour dates!"
She shoved a bottle of ointment into his hand. "It works better than the wound medicine in town. Apply it quickly."
Yu Xia brought out ginger soup, her hands trembling even more than Yun Tangyin's: "Drink it quickly, it's better than anything else to warm you up."
Seeing that he was drinking too quickly, she put another piece of brown sugar in his mouth, saying, "Slow down, no one's going to take it from you."
After finishing the ginger soup, Fu Yucheng suddenly pulled out a small bamboo trinket from his pocket. It was a little bamboo rabbit with red string tied around its ears: "I made this for you. It took more effort than making jujubes. I made it while we were resting on the way."
Yun Tangyin pinched the little rabbit, tears falling onto the bamboo ears: "You're not allowed to go there anymore."
Fu Yucheng simply smiled and popped a sour jujube into her mouth: "Is it sweet? Sweeter than anything else."
He snuggled closer to her, saying, "I'll never dare to come home late again. Your tears are more frightening than military orders."
The bamboo wind chimes swayed in the night, carrying the cool air from the mountains, but unable to dispel the warmth that filled the courtyard.
Yun Tangyin touched the gauze on his arm and suddenly felt that life was like the bamboo crafts he had woven. It looked solid, but in reality, it was full of delicate branches that made her heart ache. If she wasn't careful, it would make her heart clench.
The next morning, just as Fu Yucheng was about to sit up, Yun Tangyin pressed him down: "Lying down to recover is better than anything else."
She popped a candied fruit into his mouth, saying, "Sweetness heals better than bitter medicine."
Fu Yucheng smiled, holding a candied fruit: "Your presence is more effective than any medicine."
He suddenly shoved something into her hand. “These are jujube pits I picked yesterday. I strung them into a bracelet. It’s lighter than silver. You can wear it for fun.”
Yun Tangyin touched the jujube pit bracelet and suddenly blew on his arm: "Get better quickly, that's better than anything else."
Sunlight streamed through the bamboo window, casting warm, dappled patterns on his wound, much like her heart, which had been hanging in suspense all night, finally settled back into place.
He suddenly reached for the headboard and said, “I saw some mint plants when I was picking jujubes yesterday. They’re fresher than the ones in the yard. I made you a sachet of them. The smell is more invigorating than anything else.”
Yun Tangyin held the mint packet to her nose, the cool, refreshing air filling her lungs, even more so than rock sugar water: "It's more effective than the mint balm from the town's pharmacy."
She stuffed a piece of soft cake into his mouth, "Steamed by my second sister-in-law."
Fu Yuanzheng carried a hoe into the room and saw Fu Yucheng leaning against the headboard. He immediately laughed and said, "I heard you've become a key protected person? More precious than Yinyin, who's pregnant."
He placed a bundle of herbs on the table. "These are the hemostatic herbs I picked for you. I'll mash them into a paste and apply it to your face now."
Yun Tangyin slipped a piece of brown sugar into Fu Yuanzheng's hand: "Adding a little sweetness to the herbs is better than letting them taste bitter."
She suddenly remembered that there were still wild chestnuts in Fu Yucheng's bamboo basket yesterday. "These chestnuts are quite plump. I'll cook you chestnut porridge."
Fu Yucheng quickly pulled her back: "Sitting and resting is better than anything else."
He winked at Fu Yuanzheng, "Big brother, please ask your sister-in-law to come and help. It's better than Yinyin doing it herself."
Yu Xia came in carrying a bamboo basket. Seeing that Yun Tangyin was about to get up, she immediately stopped her, saying, "Let me do it, you sit down and give directions."
She poured some millet into the pot, saying, "It's more nourishing than plain porridge; Acheng needs some to recover from his injury."
Song Yushuang was drying peanuts with a bamboo sieve, and she smiled as she looked into the house: "These chestnuts are a wild variety from the back mountain, Yinyin should eat more of them too."
As she spoke, she stuffed a handful of roasted peanuts into Yun Tangyin's hand, saying, "They're crispy and more fragrant than boiled ones."
Yun Tangyin peeled peanuts and fed them to Fu Yucheng, saying, "You should eat some too; it's better than just drinking porridge."
Seeing that the herbal mud on his arm was almost dry, he quickly dampened a cotton cloth with warm water and said, "Wipe it slowly, it's more comfortable than picking at it."
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