Fu Yucheng grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips, his nose brushing against her palm, a ticklish sensation like rabbit fur: "Which of these things you mentioned isn't a big deal?"
The aluminum kettle on the stove hummed, and white steam billowed out from the spout, weaving a thin veil in the morning light.
As he turned to pick up the jug, his military boots trotted out steady steps on the blue brick floor, as if counting some happy rhythm.
Yun Tangyin watched him pour hot water into the basin and suddenly noticed that there was still some flour stuck to the back of his ear, probably from when he was steaming cakes that morning.
“You,” she said, taking out a handkerchief to wipe his face, her fingertips tracing his tense jawline, “why didn’t you look in the mirror before you went out? Aunt Zhang would definitely laugh at you if she saw you.”
Fu Yucheng grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms. The scent of soap from his military green cotton-padded jacket mingled with the warmth of rabbit fur, spreading to her nose: "Let her laugh all she wants, as long as my wife doesn't laugh."
The two rabbits in the bamboo cage suddenly started fighting. The gray female rabbit snatched the white rabbit's dried carrot and frantically burrowed into the pile of cotton wool, her round body making the cage creak.
Yun Tangyin threw a cabbage leaf into the cage and said with a smile, "You're bullying people as soon as we meet, just like Fu Yucheng, so domineering."
Fu Yucheng was adding coal to the stove when he heard this and turned around. The flames danced in his eyes: "When did I ever bully you?"
Xiao Lan's footsteps came from outside the courtyard, like a string of small bells rolling into the yard.
"Sister-in-law! I've finished weaving the rabbit cage!" She rushed into the house holding a bamboo cage, a snowflake adorning the red ribbon. "Look at the floral pattern, woven with the pink thread you gave me, isn't it pretty?"
Xiao Lan peeked into the cage and saw two rabbits huddled together eating straw: "Brother Fu, you really found them a companion! My mother said even numbers are lucky, so they can have twins now."
Yun Tangyin stuffed a handful of roasted peanuts into her pocket: "Take these home and eat them. You were saying you wanted some last time."
As the sun climbed to the window frame, Zhou Desheng's wife came to visit, carrying a jar of spicy cabbage; a thin layer of frost clung to her blue cotton jacket.
"It's freshly pickled," she said, placing the jar on the table. The aroma of chili and garlic filled the air. "It'll go perfectly with your sweet potato porridge; I guarantee you'll have two more bowls."
She peered into the bamboo cage and saw the gray mother rabbit dozing on the white rabbit's back. Suddenly, she laughed and said, "These two are quite something, even closer than a young couple."
Fu Yucheng stuffed a bowl of locust flower cake into her hand: "Try this freshly made one, I added some fermented rice wine."
Zhou Desheng's wife, munching on a cake, glanced into the kitchen and saw a half-embroidered tiger-head shoe by Yun Tangyin piled on the cutting board. She suddenly clapped her hands and said, "The tiger's eye is so well embroidered. When the child wears it, it will surely scare away evil spirits."
She stuffed a piece of blue cloth into Yun Tangyin's hand: "Make a little jacket for the child. My Desheng said this cloth is durable and can withstand climbing trees and rolling around."
In the evening, Fu Yucheng squatted in the yard chopping pine wood, his military boots crunching on the snow, his trouser legs covered in wood shavings.
Yun Tangyin moved a small stool and sat down next to him, peeling peanuts in her hands. She stuffed the kernels into his mouth and threw the shells into the bamboo basket, making a "crackling" sound like a string of small firecrackers.
"Chop slowly," she said, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Don't tire yourself out. There's plenty of pine wood."
Fu Yucheng chuckled, a peanut dangling from his mouth, and twirled the axe in his hand. "This little bit of work is nothing. In the army, I can run five kilometers carrying a gun without even breaking a sweat."
The rabbit in the bamboo cage must have smelled the fragrance of pine wood, because it suddenly started hopping and pawing at the bars.
Fu Yucheng threw a piece of pine wood shavings into the cage, and the white rabbit picked it up and burrowed into the pile of cotton wool, as if it were hiding a treasure.
“I’ll build them a new cage when spring comes,” he said, tapping the pine wood with his axe. “I’ll put two layers of straw underneath, and add a small window so they can bask in the sun.”
Yun Tangyin leaned closer to him, listening to the "thump-thump" sound of the axe chopping wood, as if she were listening to a reassuring song.
The moonlight shone through the frost-covered window at night, weaving a silver net on the kang (a heated brick bed).
Yun Tangyin leaned against Fu Yucheng's chest, her fingertips tracing the calluses on his palm, marks from years of holding a gun.
"How many kittens do you think a rabbit will have?" she suddenly laughed. "If it has five, we'll give one to Xiaolan, one to Aunt Li, and one to Director Wang, and we'll raise the other two ourselves."
Fu Yucheng kissed the top of her head, the collar of his military green cotton-padded jacket brushing against her sweater: "I'll do whatever you say, however many you want, we'll get them."
In the celadon vase on the stove, the wintersweet has bloomed again, its tender yellow petals glistening with moisture, its fragrance so sweet it makes one's bones melt.
Yun Tangyin suddenly remembered the spicy cabbage that Zhou Desheng's wife had given her during the day; the red chilies on the jar looked like a string of small lanterns.
"I'll make sweet potato porridge tomorrow morning, and we'll eat it with kimchi," she snuggled closer to Fu Yucheng. "You need to eat more; you must be hungry after chopping firewood all afternoon."
Fu Yucheng added a piece of coal to the stove, the firelight casting a flickering shadow on the wall: "When the rabbits have babies, let's learn from Aunt Zhang and make some preserved rabbit, and send some to Second Sister-in-law."
The rabbit in the bamboo cage had woken up sometime earlier and was squatting on the cotton wool, munching on dried carrots. Its three-lobed mouth was moving very fast, like a small millstone.
Yun Tangyin added a handful of alfalfa to the cage and suddenly noticed a locust petal hidden in the straw pile, probably from when it fell into her hand during the day.
“Even you like locust flowers,” she said with a smile, pointing to them for Fu Yucheng. “When spring comes, I’ll build you a pine cage and put it under the old locust tree in the corner of the yard so you can smell the fragrance of the flowers every day.”
The snow started falling again outside the window, landing lightly on the lanterns, making the red silk surface look like a burning fire.
Fu Yucheng added the last piece of coal to the stove, and the flames gradually died down, casting a gentle shadow on the wall.
Listening to the steady breathing of the person beside her, Yun Tangyin suddenly felt that the warmth of the courtyard and the soft sound of falling snow were like cotton, so warm that she didn't want to wake up.
Just as dawn was breaking, Yun Tangyin was awakened by the commotion inside the bamboo cage.
She put on her coat and got up. By the dim light filtering through the window paper, she saw two rabbits circling around a piece of dried carrot. The tips of the gray female rabbit's ears were covered with a bit of white frost, probably snowflakes that had crawled in through the cracks in the cage during the night.
Fu Yucheng also woke up, rubbing his eyes and peering into the cage: "Are you starving?"
He put on his military green cotton-padded coat and went outside. When he came back, he was holding a rough porcelain bowl with carrot cubes that had been soaked in warm water. "Aunt Zhang said that female rabbits need to eat more refined food, otherwise they won't be able to get pregnant."
Yun Tangyin watched him squatting by the cage feeding the animals, the heels of his military boots making a soft sound as they scraped against the blue brick floor.
"Where's the pine wood I chopped yesterday?" She added a handful of pine needles to the stove, and the sweet scent of pine resin wafted out. "Didn't we say we were going to make them new cages?"
Fu Yucheng replied without looking up, "I'll make it after breakfast. I'll steam locust flower cakes for you first."
The aluminum kettle on the stove soon began to hum, and white steam wove into a thin veil in the morning light.
Yun Tangyin was pouring freshly ground flour into the basin when she suddenly noticed a rabbit hair stuck to Fu Yucheng's military cap, like a silver thread.
“You need to shake that hat off properly,” she said with a smile as she took it off for him. “Otherwise, when you go to the cafeteria, everyone will think you’re wearing a rabbit fur scarf.”
Fu Yucheng snatched the hat and put it on his head, his ears turning red: "Mind your own business."
But when it turns around to add hay to the cage, the corners of its mouth turn up really high.
The white rabbit in the bamboo cage suddenly jumped up, its front paws gripping the bars and shaking, as if it were defending him.
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