Xiao Lan held the bottom of the bamboo basket in her hands as if it were a rare treasure, her eyes shining with excitement: "Really? Brother Fu, you're not lying to me?"
Fu Yucheng put down the bamboo strips in his hand and gently smoothed the raised corners of the bottom of the bamboo basket: "Of course I'm not lying to you. The bottom of your basket is woven tightly, but the edges are a little crooked. Pay more attention to adjusting it next time you weave, and you will definitely be able to weave a complete small bamboo basket."
Yun Tangyin brought over a plate of locust flower cakes and placed it on the stone table: "Lan girl, take a break first, have a piece of cake before you study."
She picked up a piece of cake and handed it over, saying, "This was just steamed and is still warm. It'll give you energy."
Xiao Lan took the cake, took a big bite, and the sweet aroma mixed with the refreshing scent of locust blossoms spread in her mouth. She squinted her eyes in satisfaction: "Sister-in-law's locust blossom cake is the best! It's even more fragrant than the ones sold at the town's supply and marketing cooperative!"
Zhou Desheng carried a bundle of thatch into the yard, his military boots leaving deep footprints in the snow. The thatch was still covered with snow dust. "Brother Fu, I brought the thatch. Aunt Zhang said it's soft and perfect for making rabbit burrows."
He leaned the thatched roof against the corner of the wall and rubbed his hands, which were red from the cold. "My wife also asked me to bring you some freshly ground cornmeal to make porridge for your stomach."
Fu Yucheng handed him a cup of hot water: "Warm your hands quickly, it's so cold and you still went to all this trouble."
He pointed to the bottom of the bamboo basket in Xiaolan's hand, "Look at how well Lan girl wove it, she's already so good on her first try."
Zhou Desheng leaned over for a look, then nodded with a smile: "This girl is skillful, much better than my two sons, who can't even tie their shoelaces properly."
Xiao Lan was a little embarrassed by the praise, her cheeks turned red, and she lowered her head to continue eating the locust flower cake.
Yun Tangyin said with a smile, "Lan is not only skillful, but also thoughtful. Last night she stayed up all night cutting out pieces of cloth to make a small mat for the rabbit. Look how neatly these pieces of cloth are cut."
She picked up pieces of cloth from the stone table—blue, pink, and floral—and folded them neatly, trimming the edges cleanly.
Zhou Desheng's wife followed in carrying a cloth bag filled with cornmeal, which was still steaming: "It's freshly ground, I brought it to you while it's still hot."
She peeked into the cage and saw the rabbits still sleeping in their little bamboo baskets. She said softly, "These little guys are really enjoying themselves, sleeping so soundly."
She took a small cloth doll out of her bag. "It's a little tiger I made for the child. My mother taught me how to sew it. Although it's not as pretty as yours, Yinyin, it's still my heartfelt gift."
Yun Tangyin took the doll, her fingertips tracing the fine stitches. The tiger's eyes were embroidered with black velvet thread, exuding a cleverness: "It's really beautiful, even more lifelike than my embroidery. The child will definitely love it."
She put the doll into the wooden box that contained children's clothes, along with the rabbit doll and little hat she had previously kept. The box was full of the neighbors' good wishes.
Fu Yucheng and Zhou Desheng began to gather the thatch, intending to make a new burrow for the rabbit.
Fu Yucheng spread out the straw and carefully selected the softest parts, while Zhou Desheng used scissors to cut the overly long straw stalks shorter: "Brother Fu, let's make a double-layered burrow for the rabbit. We'll put straw on the bottom and the cloth pieces that Lan Yatou cut on top. It'll be warm and soft."
Fu Yucheng nodded: "Good idea, that way the rabbit won't get cold."
After Xiaolan finished eating the cake, she came over to help. She carefully laid the cloth on the thatch, afraid of messing it up: "Brother Fu, Uncle Zhou, do you think it looks good laid out like this?"
She laid the pink fabric in the middle and surrounded the edges with blue fabric, like lining a thatched cottage with a blue border.
Yun Tangyin walked over and said with a smile, "It's so pretty. Lan'er has such good taste. The rabbit will definitely love this flower nest."
As the sun gradually slanted westward, golden sunlight filtered through the branches of the old locust tree, weaving dappled patterns of light on the ground.
The new rabbit hutch is finally finished, lined with soft straw and brightly colored cloth, placed in a corner of the rabbit cage, complementing the old bamboo basket.
Fu Yucheng opened the cage door and carefully placed the new nest inside. The mother rabbit immediately came over, sniffed it with her nose, and then crawled into the nest, comfortably curling up.
“It seems to like it very much,” Fu Yucheng said with a smile, closing the cage door. “We’ll bring the little bunnies in later so they can get warm too.”
Xiao Lan lay on the edge of the cage, her eyes fixed on the mother rabbit. She watched as the rabbit circled the new nest twice, smoothing out the straw and cloth. Suddenly, she clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Look, it can even tidy up its nest! Just like my mother makes the bed!"
She gently touched the cage bars with her fingertips, and the flower ball poked its head out of the bamboo basket, its little nose nuzzling against her fingertips, the soft down tickling her.
Fu Yucheng handed a piece of fresh green vegetable into the cage, and the mother rabbit immediately raised her head, chewing quickly with her three-lobed mouth, while a pink cloth thread was still stuck to the tip of her ear.
“When it gets cooler at night, we’ll add another layer of cotton batting to the nest,” he said to Yun Tangyin, his military green cotton-padded jacket stained with bits of straw. “Aunt Zhang said that mother rabbits with their babies are afraid of the cold, so we need to add more warm stuffing.”
Yun Tangyin nodded in agreement and reached out to brush the grass clippings off his shoulder: "I took apart the old cotton-padded jacket, and there was some soft cotton wadding. I'll put it on the bed tonight."
Zhou Desheng's wife squatted at the kitchen door, peeling corn. The golden corn kernels fell into the bamboo basket with a soft "tap-tap" sound.
“Yinyin, your belly is getting bigger and bigger,” she said, looking up and smiling, her eyes full of warmth. “My mother says that babies carrying boys show early, and they will definitely be strong boys in the future, as strong as Brother Fu.”
Yun Tangyin touched her lower abdomen, her face flushed: "Thank you for your kind words. As long as the child is healthy, it doesn't matter if it's a boy or a girl."
Zhou Desheng was carrying an empty carrying pole home when he stopped by the rabbit cage and added a handful of soybeans to the feed trough: "I'll go to the back mountain to cut some thatch tomorrow. This new nest is nice, but it's always good to have more fodder."
He slipped a paper packet into Fu Yucheng's hand. "These are some sunflower seeds my wife roasted. You two can eat them to pass the time."
Fu Yucheng took the paper package and stuffed a piece of locust flower cake into his pocket: "Take this and eat it on the way. It's still warm from being steamed."
The setting sun dyed the old locust tree in the courtyard golden red, and the snow on the branches melted into water droplets, which dripped onto the blue brick ground, leaving small wet marks.
Xiao Lan skipped and hopped home, carrying the bottom of a bamboo basket she had woven herself. The red ribbon in her hair looked like a dancing flame in the twilight. "Sister-in-law! Brother Fu! I'll come first thing tomorrow morning to help you lay out the cotton quilts! I'll also bring some red bean buns that my mother steamed!"
Yun Tangyin waved from the courtyard gate: "Take care on the road, don't fall!"
The oil lamp in the room was lit, and its dim light reflected the New Year's picture of "abundance year after year" on the wall, making the carp in the chubby baby's arms seem to come alive.
Fu Yucheng sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) polishing bamboo strips, preparing to make another mold for Xiaolan to weave a bamboo basket. The bamboo strips spun rapidly in his hands, and wood shavings fell to the ground like a handful of fine snow.
Yun Tangyin sat beside her, dismantling an old cotton-padded coat. The cotton threads snapped with a "rustling" sound, and the soft cotton wadding piled up on her knees like a cloud.
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