Fu Yucheng chuckled as he chewed on the jujube cake, brown sugar crumbs sticking to the corners of his mouth. Yun Tangyin reached out and wiped them away, saying, "Look how fast you're eating."
"Who told you to feed me so deliciously?" He grabbed her wrist and brought it to his lips, gently biting her fingertip. "Sweeter than jujube cake."
Song Yushuang came in carrying a bamboo sieve to dry mung beans. Seeing this scene, she shook her head and said, "How old are you? You still can't behave properly. Yinyin, quickly give me those wild chrysanthemums. I'll sew them into a pillow stuffing for you."
Yun Tangyin blushed and handed over the flowers. Fu Yucheng quickly stuffed a piece of jujube cake into Song Yu's hands: "Mom, please try it. My sister-in-law added honey dates, so it's more moist than regular jujube cake."
"You're so sweet-talking." Song Yushuang sprinkled chrysanthemums into the sieve. "Yesterday I went to the supply and marketing cooperative and saw they were selling foreign cloth, a light red one. It would be perfect for making a little jacket for Yinyin, much prettier than the indigo one she's wearing now."
Fu Yucheng's eyes lit up: "I'll go buy some this afternoon, and I'll also get a piece of pale yellow cloth to make a little bib for the child. It'll look better than white cloth."
Yun Tangyin tugged at his sleeve: "You don't need to buy so much, I still have some cloth."
“That won’t do.” Fu Yucheng flicked her nose. “My wife and child have to wear new clothes.”
At noon, Fu Yucheng went to the supply and marketing cooperative and returned carrying a bamboo bundle containing several bolts of cloth. "Look at this bright red one," he said.
He held the bottle up to Yun Tangyin and said, "It suits you even better than I imagined. You'll look great in it."
Yun Tangyin touched the fabric and smiled.
"I earn money so you can spend it." Fu Yucheng opened another bundle, inside which was a bag of walnut shortbread. "I bought this for you, it's better than the sesame shortbread from last time."
He popped a piece into her mouth. "Is it crispy?"
"It's crispy, but a bit dry." Just as Yun Tangyin was about to drink some water, Fu Yucheng brought her a glass of honey water. "I already cooled it down for you; it's more soothing to the throat than boiled water."
In the afternoon, Yun Tangyin sat on a bamboo couch sewing shoe soles, while Fu Yucheng squatted beside her weaving a bamboo basket. Suddenly, he held up a bamboo strip and asked, "Do you think it looks better to weave a small bamboo rattle for the child with red or green string tied around it?"
“A red string, please,” Yun Tangyin said, threading the needle. “It’s more festive than a green string, and the children will surely smile when they see it.”
"I'll listen to you." He lowered his head and continued weaving the drum frame. "Once it's finished, I'll cover the drumhead with a layer of sheepskin."
Yu Xia came in carrying a bamboo tray with watermelons. The freshly cut crescent-shaped pieces, with their red flesh and black seeds, looked sweet: "Yinyin, eat up! These were picked from the back mountain; they're much juicier than the ones you buy in town."
Fu Yucheng handed over a piece first, then picked up a piece for himself, carefully eating only the edges and corners.
Yun Tangyin stuffed a piece of the center into his mouth: "Eat this, the sweetest part, it's not as sandy as the edges."
"You can eat as much as you want." He gently pushed her hand away. "You're with two people now, so you should eat more sweets."
Yu Xia covered her mouth and laughed: "The other day I saw Fu Yuan planing wood in the bamboo workshop, saying he was making a new dressing table for you two."
Yun Tangyin's eyes lit up: "Big brother can do carpentry? He's even better at it than the carpenters in town."
In the evening, Fu Yucheng went to the well to wash vegetables. Yun Tangyin followed behind him carrying a bamboo basket. Seeing that he washed the vegetables so clean, even picking off the mud from the roots, she couldn't help but laugh: "You washed them even more carefully than I did. Are you afraid I'll get an upset stomach?"
"Of course." He put the vegetables into the basket. "You're very precious now, more delicate than a peony."
He suddenly slipped a green plum into her pocket. "I just got this from Aunt Li. It's sour, it'll help you cut through the richness."
Yun Tangyin took a bite, her eyes narrowing from the sourness, when she saw Fu Yucheng lean over and say, "Let me try some too."
She popped half of it into his mouth. He grimaced from the sourness, but laughed and said, "It's more sour than a preserved plum, quite potent."
At dinner, Fu Yucheng ladled a bowl of crucian carp soup into Yun Tangyin's bowl: "The old Chinese medicine doctor said this soup can help with lactation, so I stewed it for you in advance. It's better than giving birth and then nourishing yourself."
Just as Yun Tangyin was about to speak, Yu Xia interrupted her: "He's right. I didn't supplement my milk supply beforehand, so I had very little breast milk."
She placed a piece of fish belly into Fu Yucheng's bowl, saying, "You should eat some too, to nourish your body so you can better take care of yourself during your postpartum period."
At night, Yun Tangyin lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), and Fu Yucheng was massaging her feet when he suddenly said, "Tomorrow I'll go to the mountain to pick some hazelnuts and roast them for you. They're more fragrant than walnuts."
"The mountain road is difficult to walk on, don't go." Yun Tangyin touched his arm. "You've worked hard weaving bamboo ware these past few days."
"I'm not tired." He lowered his head and kissed her ankle. "As long as you and the baby are okay, I'm not tired no matter what I do."
He suddenly remembered something, "Oh right, I've made another little cradle for the child, go and see if it's suitable?"
The cradle in the bamboo house hung from the roof beam, covered with red velvet, and made a soft, tinkling sound when it was rocked.
"I added bamboo springs, which make it more stable than a regular cradle, so the child will feel more secure sleeping in it."
Fu Yucheng gave it a gentle push, and the cradle creaked. "Listen to that sound," he said, "it's more soothing than a wind chime."
Yun Tangyin touched the bamboo pattern on the edge of the cradle: "It's even prettier than I imagined. How can you be so talented?"
"I'd learn anything for you two." He took out a small bamboo box from under the cradle, inside which was a pair of silver bracelets. "They're for the children, more durable than bamboo ones, and they can last until they grow up."
Just as Yun Tangyin was about to take it, he pressed her hand down: "Wait until the baby is born before you put it on. For now, I'll keep it safer than you keeping it."
Back inside, Yun Tangyin leaned against Fu Yucheng's chest and looked at the moon. Moonlight streamed in through the bamboo window, spreading out like a silver carpet on the floor.
Do you think our child might end up like you?
"It's better to be like you." Fu Yucheng put his arm around her waist. "You're skillful and dexterous, much better than a rough person like me."
He suddenly shoved a hot water bottle into her arms. "It's just been warmed up. It's hotter than during the day, but it'll get cool at night."
Yun Tangyin snuggled closer to him: "With you here, I'm not afraid of the cold."
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