Jiang Jianhua was teaching Aunt Zhang how to make fish balls in the kitchen. The snow-white fish paste rolled into round little balls on her fingertips and then jumped into the boiling water with a "plop".
“Look, you have to tighten your grip a little when squeezing out the meatballs,” she demonstrated, holding Aunt Zhang’s hand in her hand. “That way, the meatballs won’t collapse.”
Aunt Zhang studied diligently, fine beads of sweat appearing on her forehead: "This is much more refined than kneading dough, no wonder your fish balls are so bouncy."
Nian'an, wearing her newly made tiger bib, twirled around at the kitchen door.
The gold tiger stripes on the red cloth shimmered in the morning light, and the peacock blue star-patterned fabric looked like a starry sky.
"Tiger, roar!" he raised his little hand and imitated a tiger's roar, the silver longevity lock making the tassels on his bib jingle.
Song Yushuang was cutting a winter melon when she saw this and wiped her hands with her apron with a smile: "Come and let Grandma see, our Nian'an has become a majestic little tiger."
Fu Yuanshan was carrying a hoe and heading to the fields when Nian'an grabbed his leg as he passed the kitchen.
"Second Uncle, the car," the little guy said, looking up with his rosy cheeks and his knuckles still covered in bits of dried pumpkin.
Fu Yuanshan bent down and pinched his tiger-head hat: "The little wooden cart is finished. It's placed at the entrance of the woodshed. I'll take you to the threshing ground to play this afternoon."
Nian'an immediately let go of her hand and ran towards the woodshed, the tiger tail tassel on her bib swaying behind her.
When Xiaolan entered the house carrying a new bamboo basket, she bumped into Nian'an pushing a small wooden cart around in the yard.
A red string was tied to the bamboo ears of the rabbit basket, swaying gently with Xiaolan's steps.
“Nian’an, look what I brought,” she said, taking a cloth bag out of the basket. Inside were freshly steamed corn cakes. “My mother said they’re very sweet when soaked in wild jujube soup.”
Nian'an immediately stopped the car and reached for the corn cake. The little wooden cart slid to the stone table with a "glug" sound, causing the fish ball soup bowl to shake gently.
Fu Yucheng was squatting by the well washing wild vegetables when he heard the noise. He looked up and smiled, "Slow down, don't spill the soup."
He got up and looked into the bamboo basket. The rabbit's eyes were woven from black bamboo strips and looked very lifelike. "Xiao Lan, is this basket to your liking? If you think the ears are too pointed, I'll fix them."
Xiaolan quickly shook her head: "Perfect, perfect. My mother said it's even prettier than the patterns I buy in town."
She placed the corn cakes on the stone table, and the words "Xiao Lan" on the bottom of the bamboo basket were particularly clear in the sunlight.
By the time the midday sun reached the top of the locust tree, Jiang Jianhua and Aunt Zhang had already fried a whole plate of fish balls.
The golden meatballs, coated in sesame seeds, smelled so good that Nian'an circled the stove. "Give the children a bowl first," she said.
Song Yushuang scooped some into the white porcelain bowl, "Let it cool down before you eat it, don't burn your mouth."
Looking at the fruits of her labor, Aunt Zhang smiled so much that fine lines appeared at the corners of her eyes: "I'll make some for my grandson when I get home, so he can taste my cooking."
Fu Yuanshan returned from the fields with a bundle of plump ears of wheat on his shoulder.
“This is early-ripening new wheat,” he said, placing the ears of wheat beside the stone mill. “I’ll grind some new flour this afternoon to make wheat cakes for the children.”
Nian'an dropped the fish balls and ran over, grabbed the wheat ears with her little hands, rubbed out green grains of wheat, put one in her mouth, and immediately frowned and spat it out.
Everyone laughed at the sight, and Fu Yuanshan chuckled as he ruffled his hair: "Silly boy, this has to be ground into flour before you can eat it."
Taking advantage of the good sunshine, Jiang Jianhua spread out reed mats on the threshing ground and laid out wild dates on them to dry.
Xiao Lan squatted down beside her to help pick up the date pits. The bamboo basket was placed to the side and was already half full of dried pumpkin.
"Second Aunt, do you think these wild dates will be sweeter if they get wrinkled from drying?" Xiao Lan asked, holding up a wilted date.
Jiang Jianhua paused in his hand as he was turning over the jujubes to dry: "Yes, just like mulberries become sweeter when dried, the sun locks in all the sweetness."
As evening fell, the aroma of freshly baked wheat cakes wafted from the kitchen. Fu Yucheng's cakes, made with fresh wheat flour, were golden brown on both sides and filled with pumpkin bits. Nian'an ate two in one go because they were so sweet.
"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you," Yun Tangyin handed him the wild jujube soup. "Have a sip of soup to soothe your throat, or you might choke."
Nian'an held the bowl and drank the soup. Some crumbs of bread stuck to the tiger's bib, like adding a whisker to the tiger.
When Aunt Zhang said goodbye, Jiang Jianhua put some fish balls and wheat cakes into her bamboo basket.
“Take these home and try them,” she said with a smile, handing over the basket. “Have you remembered how to make the fish balls? If you forget, just come and ask me again.”
Aunt Zhang, carrying the basket, thanked her repeatedly: "I've remembered it, I've remembered it, it's written down on paper."
She walked to the door and then turned back, saying, "I'll bring some freshly harvested mung beans tomorrow, and we'll make mung bean cakes."
As the moonlight climbed over the fence, Fu Yuanshan was repairing Nian'an's small wooden cart.
He dripped some rapeseed oil into the wheel axle, making the cart easier to push.
"I'll take you to the riverbank tomorrow," he said, wiping the oil off his hands. "I'll have your second uncle weave a small fishing net for you and catch some small fish fry to raise in the water tank in the yard."
Nian'an leaned on the handlebars, half a wheat cake in her mouth, and mumbled, "Fish, raise."
Jiang Jianhua sat under the lamp sewing tiger-head boots for Nian'an. The tiger stripes on the boots matched the patterns on the bib perfectly.
Song Yushuang sat beside her sewing shoe soles, occasionally reminding her, "If the tiger's tail is embroidered more curved, it will look more alive."
The locust leaves rustled outside the window as Fu Yucheng and Fu Yuanshan tidied up their farm tools in the yard, occasionally exchanging a few whispered words.
Nian'an lay on the small bed, hugging the tiger plush toy. The light of the silver longevity lock flowed gently under the moonlight, like a gentle river, carrying the warmth of the courtyard, slowly flowing into the deeper night.
Just as dawn was breaking, Nian'an was awakened by the chirping of birds outside her window.
He sat up, holding the tiger plush toy, and touched the tiger head bib on his belly with his little hands. Suddenly remembering something, he ran barefoot to the kitchen.
Jiang Jianhua was adding firewood to the stove, and the flames crackled as they licked the bottom of the pot, where newly harvested mung beans were cooking.
"Little darling, why did you run out without shoes?" She quickly put down the fire tongs and carried Nian'an to the small stool in front of the stove. "The mung beans that Aunt Zhang gave us have just gone into the pot. Once they've been cooked into mung bean paste, we'll make you mung bean cakes."
Nian'an pointed to the small wooden cart next to the stove and muttered, "Cart, fish."
Fu Yucheng came in from outside carrying a fishing net on his back. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "I'll take you to the riverbank now. The fishing net is all woven."
He unfolded the fishing net for Nian'an to see. The mesh was fine, and the edges were decorated with red rope: "This is a small net specially made for you. It's perfect for catching small fish."
Nian An immediately slid off the bench, grabbed Fu Yucheng, and walked out, her tiger-head boots making a "thump-thump" sound on the ground.
Song Yushuang sat under the eaves shelling mung beans, the emerald green beans piling up like a small mountain in the bamboo tray.
Yun Tangyin came over with a sieve to help: "Look how plump these mung beans are. Aunt Zhang said these are the first batch of new beans this year."
Song Yushuang picked out a shriveled bean: "We have to pick out all these empty shells, otherwise the mung bean paste won't be smooth."
She glanced at the small wooden cart in the yard and said, "Later, put Nian'an's tiger doll on the cart so he can push it around and play with it, so he won't keep thinking about catching fish."
When Xiaolan entered the house carrying a rabbit basket, she bumped into Fu Yucheng leading Nian'an towards the river.
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