Fu Yucheng held the coarse cloth glove and twirled it, his fingertips tracing the fine stitches on it: "Your stitches are even better than machine-made ones, ten times better than the work gloves issued by the army."
He suddenly slipped a mint into Yun Tangyin's pocket. "I just bought it at the supply and marketing cooperative. It's refreshing and cuts through the greasiness better than preserved plums."
Yun Tangyin smiled sweetly, "Go sweep the floor quickly, don't keep Mom waiting."
She watched him walk towards the bamboo grove, his back as straight as the bamboo in the yard, and couldn't help but call out, "Sweep slowly, don't get choked by the dust!"
Fu Yucheng turned around and waved at her: "I know, you're even more nagging than my mom."
Even so, their steps slowed considerably, and the sound of the bamboo broom slicing across the ground was very soft.
Song Yushuang sprinkled chili powder into the bamboo sieve and said to Yun Tangyin with a smile, "Look at him, he used to be so bossy in the army, but now he's become such a clingy person, even more so than when he first married you."
Yun Tangyin peeled garlic, her face flushed: "He just can't sit still."
Her fingertips smelled of garlic, and Fu Yucheng grabbed her wrist from behind and pressed it into the bamboo basin: "I just boiled some hot water, it's more comfortable to wash your hands than with cold water, don't let it sting your eyes."
He wrung out a hot towel to wipe her hands, the rough cloth making her palms itch: "I'll get you a new garlic mortar this afternoon, so you won't have any trouble pounding garlic."
Yun Tangyin leaned against his arm: "Why do you always want to make things up? The bamboo ware at home is almost overflowing."
“If there’s not enough room, we’ll make another bamboo cabinet to hold it,” Fu Yucheng said, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. “As long as it’s convenient for you to use, I’m happy to make as many as you want.”
At lunchtime, Yu Xia brought in a bamboo food box containing freshly braised chicken feet: "Yinyin, try this! I added star anise and cinnamon; it's more fragrant than the braised food stalls in town."
She put two more into Fu Yucheng's bowl, saying, "You should eat some too, to strengthen your bones and muscles."
Just as Fu Yucheng was about to put the chicken feet into Yun Tangyin's bowl, she stopped him, saying, "I don't like gnawing on bones, you eat them yourself."
She put a piece of tofu in his bowl, saying, "This is soft and easier to chew than chicken feet."
Yu Xia covered her mouth and laughed: "The other day I saw Yuanshan weaving a small bamboo winnowing basket, saying it's for storing diapers for babies, and it's more breathable than your cloth basket."
Yun Tangyin's eyes lit up: "Even more thoughtful than I thought."
Fu Yucheng gnawed on a chicken foot and snorted, "His winnowing basket is loosely woven. I'll make a finely woven one for the child, which will be sturdier than his. It won't leak no matter how many diapers I put in it."
In the afternoon, Yun Tangyin sat under the shade of bamboo embroidering tiger-head shoes, while Fu Yucheng squatted beside her, whittling bamboo strips. Suddenly, he held up a bamboo strip and asked, "When we're making a bamboo stroller for the child, do you think it would be prettier to weave a lotus flower or a butterfly on the canopy?"
“A butterfly,” Yun Tangyin suggested, “is more graceful than a lotus flower; children would surely reach out and grab it.”
"I'll listen to you." He bent down and whittled the bamboo strips. "After it's woven, I'll wrap a red rope around the handlebars. It'll look more festive than bare handlebars."
In the evening, Fu Yucheng went to the cellar to get cabbage, and Yun Tangyin followed behind carrying a bamboo lantern. The cellar was very cool, so he quickly took off his coat and put it on her: "This coat was just dried in front of the stove, it's warmer than your padded jacket."
Yun Tangyin smiled, her coat still smelling of smoke, "Aren't you cold?"
“I have plenty of energy.” He put cabbages into the bamboo basket. “This cabbage is wrapped tightly, more solid than the other one. It’ll be sweet when stewed.”
He suddenly slipped a frozen pear into her pocket. "I put it in the cellar this morning. It's more thirst-quenching than the popsicles sold in town."
Yun Tangyin took a bite of the frozen pear, gasping for breath from the cold, when Fu Yucheng leaned over and said, "Let me try some too."
She popped half of it into his mouth. He grimaced from the cold, but smiled and said, "It's tastier than candied hawthorn, perfect for cooling off in the summer."
At dinner, Fu Yucheng ladled a bowl of millet porridge into Yun Tangyin's bowl: "I added some pumpkin, it's more fragrant than plain porridge, you should try it."
His own bowl only contained plain porridge, so Yun Tangyin scooped half a spoonful of pumpkin porridge into his bowl: "Don't just give me the food, you need to eat something too."
Fu Yucheng quickly ate, while Song Yushuang and Yu Xia exchanged smiles. In the glow of the bamboo lanterns, the food on the table steamed, just like the warmth of the day, making people's hearts flutter.
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 town and buy you two catties of raisins to make steamed cakes. They're sweeter than red dates and won't hurt your teeth."
“You don’t need to go that far, the supply and marketing cooperative sells them.” Yun Tangyin touched his hand. “You can just buy them there.”
“That won’t do,” Fu Yucheng lowered his head and kissed her ankle. “The raisins from the supply and marketing cooperative aren’t as plump as those from town. I’ll buy you the best ones, they’re very sweet.”
Yun Tangyin tugged at his clothes and laughed, "You always treat me like a greedy little girl."
"You're my sweet little darling," Fu Yucheng pulled her into his arms, "I love you more than my own child."
He suddenly slipped a small bamboo box into her hand. "This is for you. I carved it while weaving the cart this afternoon."
The box was lined with cotton paper and contained a silver necklace with a small locket pendant engraved with the word "Peace": "It's simpler than the earrings from last time, and it won't be too flashy to wear."
Just as Yun Tangyin was about to put it on, he stopped her hand: "Wait until after the baby is born before you wear it. Don't strain your neck now."
He suddenly kissed her neck.
The bamboo wind chimes outside the window rang twice, as if echoing the sweetness inside the room.
Yun Tangyin touched the red agate on her wrist, listening to Fu Yucheng's heartbeat, and suddenly felt that this warmth spread out and could warm the years to come.
The next morning, Fu Yucheng came in holding up a small bamboo gadget: "Look at this little bamboo kite, isn't it nice? I tied a bell to the tail, so it makes a sound when it flies. It's prettier than the ordinary ones."
Yun Tangyin took it and shook it, the bells jingling: "It's even more exquisite than the ones you buy in town, how come you can weave everything?"
She popped a piece of peanut candy into his mouth. "Is it sweet?"
“Sweet,” Fu Yucheng said with a smile, chewing on a candy. “What you fed me was sweeter than anything else.”
He suddenly shoved a small bamboo pen holder into her hand. "It's for you to hold your embroidery needles. It's sturdy, so you won't be afraid if it falls on the ground."
There was a small orchid engraved on the pen holder. Yun Tangyin touched the pattern and smiled, "You even thought of this."
"If I'm not being considerate to you, who will I be?" Fu Yucheng pulled her closer. "You're my wife."
Just then, Song Yushuang called from the courtyard: "Yinyin, come quick! Yuxia brought you some freshly steamed red bean buns, they're even sweeter than the last ones. Oh, and the fish I bought has also been delivered."
Just as Yun Tangyin was about to get up, Fu Yucheng pressed her down: "I'll go, you sit down."
He hasn't come back for a long time.
Yun Tangyin got up and went out to see what was happening. As soon as she stepped out of the house, she saw Fu Yucheng busy carrying a large basket of small yellow croakers.
Perhaps it's because pregnant women have a more sensitive sense of smell, but the fishy smell in the basket made her gag.
Yun Tangyin quickly covered her mouth and turned away, trying to suppress the nausea and vomiting in her stomach.
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