“You’re the one who should go.” Yun Tangyin chased after him and grabbed his arm. “Erzhuzi’s father is concerned about his reputation, and Erge speaks bluntly. What if you hurt their enthusiasm? If you go, just say, ‘This basket is well-woven, and if you adjust the curvature a bit more, it will be even more perfect.’ I guarantee that will be to your liking.”
Fu Yucheng laughed: "You're the one who understands these intricacies."
He stuffed a handful of melon seeds into her hand. "When I come back, I'll bring you two strings of candied hawthorns, the kind with hawthorns coated in sesame seeds."
When he returned in the evening glow, he was indeed carrying two strings of candied hawthorns, the sesame seeds on the hawthorns glistening.
Just as Yun Tangyin was about to take it, he popped one into her mouth: "Try it first, it's not dusty."
"Does it taste sour?" he asked, staring at her lips.
As Yun Tangyin nodded, he suddenly lowered his head and kissed the corner of her mouth: "It is a little sour, you have to eat it with sugar."
While Fu Yucheng was cleaning his gun at night, Yun Tangyin was embroidering a tiger-head hat for a baby.
The pom-pom on the brim had just been sewn on when he picked it up and examined it closely: "Why are the ears embroidered as round? Tiger ears are pointed."
“Round hats look more adorable.” She snatched the hat and laughed. “When you have a day off tomorrow, let’s go to the supply and marketing cooperative and get a piece of flannel to line the hat with cotton, so your forehead won’t get cold in winter.”
He suddenly put the gun on the table: "No need to wait until tomorrow, go right now. I just asked Commander Zhang for leave, saying I need to accompany my wife to buy New Year's goods."
"It's only September, why are you buying New Year's goods?" Yun Tangyin poked his arm.
“Even if it’s for our child.” He picked up another small hat and gestured, “We have to finish embroidering two before it gets cold, so we can take turns wearing them.”
The next morning, as the two were having breakfast, Zhou Mingniang stood outside the courtyard with a bamboo basket on her shoulder. Inside the basket were six bamboo cricket jars: "Acheng, do you think the patterns on the mouth of these jars are good? Erzhuzi said that children love cricket fighting and wants me to make some to sell in the summer."
Fu Yucheng picked up the jar and looked at it. The mouth of the jar was decorated with a meander pattern, and there were small holes drilled in the bottom for ventilation. "Aunt Zhou's craftsmanship is even more exquisite than that of the general stores in the county town."
He suddenly winked at Yun Tangyin, "Have your sister-in-law embroider a layer of red cloth on the jar lid, it'll be a hot commodity."
Yun Tangyin smiled and nodded: "I have some leftover red silk cloth here, I'll embroider it this afternoon."
After Zhou Mingniang left, Fu Yucheng put a poached egg in her bowl: "You're so clever. As soon as you mentioned embroidering red cloth, Aunt Zhou's eyes lit up."
“This is called mutual assistance,” she said, scooping up some millet porridge. “By the way, Director Wang just sent someone to say that the army wants to order fifty bamboo file boxes, and he asked my second brother to hurry up and make them.”
Just as Fu Yucheng was about to respond, Fu Yuanshan rushed into the yard carrying a small bamboo wooden horse: "Acheng, do you think this wheel spins smoothly? Erzhuzi said he wants to make it a toy for his future nephew."
Yun Tangyin stroked the carvings on the wooden horse and laughed, "Second Brother's skills are almost on par with a carpenter's now."
Fu Yuanshan suddenly lowered his voice: "I heard from Jianhua that you two want to buy some velvet? I have a piece of blue velvet here, it's leftover from when the cultural troupe made curtains, it's perfect for making a padded jacket."
Just as Fu Yucheng was about to decline, Yun Tangyin pressed his hand down: "Then we shall accept it without hesitation. I'll embroider a tobacco pouch for Second Brother later, with the words 'Peace' embroidered in gold thread."
While making fried soybean paste at noon, Fu Yucheng squatted in front of the stove adding firewood. He watched Yun Tangyin sprinkle chopped green onions into the paste and suddenly said, "The head chef at the army canteen said that fried soybean paste needs two cloves of garlic to be fragrant."
"I've been preparing this for a while." She threw two cloves of crushed garlic into the pot. "I'll take a bowl to Erzhuzi's house later. His kids always say they want to eat my fried sauce noodles."
Just then, Erzhuzi ran in carrying a small bamboo cart: "Aunt Fu, look at the cart I made, can we push Niannian around to play?"
There was also a small bamboo stool woven in the back of the cart, just big enough for a baby to sit on.
Yun Tangyin stuffed a handful of candy into his pocket: "Not only can it push Niannian, but it can also push your future little brother."
Erzhuzi tilted his head and asked, "Brother Fu, when are you going to give me a little brother? I want to teach him how to make bamboo dragonflies."
Fu Yucheng put his arm around his neck and laughed: "When you can weave a bamboo dragonfly that makes a sound, your little brother will come."
In the evening, Fu Yucheng helped his second brother deliver a file box to the army base. When he returned, he was carrying a red cloth bag.
Upon opening it, one finds a set of silver longevity locks with the four characters "岁岁平安" (peace and safety year after year) engraved on the lock body.
"It was given to me by Commander Zhang. He said his daughter wore it, so it's guaranteed to be effective."
He held the lock up to Yun Tangyin's neck, "I'll put it on when the baby is a month old."
Yun Tangyin touched the pattern on the lock and smiled: "We should return the favor. I'll embroider a banner tomorrow with the words 'The Army and the People are as Close as Fish and Water' written on it, and send it to the unit's activity room to hang up."
Lying on the kang at night, Fu Yucheng touched the soft cloth on her belly and said, "Don't you think the baby looks like a little hawthorn? Round and plump."
"Now? Don't even mention it, even if it were, it would be like a sour date at best." She snuggled closer to him.
The next morning, as soon as Fu Yucheng pushed his bicycle out of the yard, he saw Yun Tangyin chasing after him with a cloth bag: "Take this with you, give two pairs of tiger-head shoes to the daughter of Commander Zhang, as I promised her last time."
The tiger embroidered on the shoe is majestic, and the upper is also decorated with two pom-pom flowers.
Fu Yucheng put it in the bicycle basket: "With this skill, I'm afraid the families of soldiers will be scrambling to order it."
"Don't talk nonsense." Yun Tangyin straightened his clothes. "Go and come back soon. I'll cut up the blue velvet and sew the jacket for you when you get back."
Around noon, Fu Yucheng pushed his bicycle in, the basket overflowing with items.
Just as Yun Tangyin was about to help unload the things, he stopped her: "Don't move them, some are fragile."
He took a celadon jar out of the basket: "This is osmanthus sugar, I'll make you some water to drink."
He then pulled out a piece of floral fabric, saying, "Look at this peony pattern; it'll be perfect for making a padded jacket."
Yun Tangyin touched the fabric and smiled, "Not bad."
He turned and walked towards the kitchen. "Hurry up and wash your hands and eat. I've saved some noodles with soybean paste for you."
Fu Yucheng had just sat down when Erzhuzi rushed into the courtyard holding a bamboo whistle: "Brother Fu, listen to this sound! The whistle I made can play 'The East Is Red'!"
Although the whistle was a little off-key, it had a clever and quick-witted quality to it.
Fu Yucheng popped a piece of candy into his mouth: "Keep it up."
Erzhuzi chewed on his candy and said, "My mother asked me to ask you if the red cloth for the cricket jar is finished yet? Director Wang of the supply and marketing cooperative said he wants to order twenty."
"It's finished, it's finished." Yun Tangyin carried a bamboo basket out of the house. The red cloth on the lid of the jar was embroidered with intertwined branches, and the edges were decorated with tassels. "Doesn't it look more presentable like this?"
Erzhuzi exclaimed in surprise, "It's even prettier than the New Year's pictures! I'll take it to my mother right away!"
After the child had run far away, Fu Yucheng suddenly pulled a small box out of his pocket: "This is for you."
Upon opening it, one finds a silver hairpin with a plum blossom carved on the head and a small red bead embedded in the stamen.
Just as Yun Tangyin was about to put it on, he pressed her hand down: "I'll do it."
As the cool silver hairpin pierced through his hair, his fingertips inadvertently brushed behind his ear, causing Yun Tangyin to shrink back.
“Commander Zhang’s daughter said that it’s fashionable to wear this now.” He took two steps back to examine it. “It suits you better than the one you wore last time.”
Yun Tangyin smiled at the bronze mirror: "If I keep wearing it, I'll become the silversmith's living advertisement."
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