Zhou Desheng's wife sat down next to Yun Tangyin, looking at the handkerchief in her hand, her fingertips gently brushing over the locust flower embroidery: "Yinyin, your embroidery is getting more and more exquisite. Look at the patterns on these petals, they look just like the real thing."
She slipped a spool of thread into Yun Tangyin's hand. "This is silk thread my mother gave me. It's bright in color and strong. If you don't mind, you can use this to embroider the remaining patterns. Jianhua will definitely be even happier when he sees it."
Yun Tangyin took the spool of thread, twirling the silk thread around her fingertips. The soft thread shimmered with a pale golden light in the sunlight: "This thread is really good. It's much softer than the coarse cotton thread I use. It will definitely look more exquisite when embroidered on a handkerchief."
She looked up towards the kitchen and said, "I'll embroider another bamboo later."
Xiao Lan hugged the old cotton quilt she had just taken off and went to bask in the sun under the eaves. A few rabbit furs were still stuck to the quilt, like a handful of snowflakes.
"Sister-in-law, what should we do with these old cotton wadding?" She poked at the wadding. "It's such a waste to throw them away. It would be great if we could make a little mat for the rabbit."
Yun Tangyin put down the handkerchief, smiled and nodded: "Let's take apart the old cotton wadding, fluff it up again, and sew a small pad for Snowball. It's very delicate and will definitely like something soft."
Zhou Ming and Zhou Liang were tired from chopping wood, so they squatted down and watched Xiao Lan fiddling with cotton wadding. Suddenly, Zhou Ming remembered something and tugged at Fu Yucheng's sleeve: "Uncle Fu, when Second Uncle comes back, can you teach me how to fluff cotton? I want to fluff a new cotton wadding for my mother. She always says that old cotton wadding isn't warm enough."
Fu Yucheng put down the wood-chopping knife and wiped the sweat from his forehead: "When your second uncle comes back, let him teach you how to recognize the tools first. You need to use skill to fluff cotton. You're not strong enough right now, so you'll have to learn slowly."
Aunt Zhang came over with freshly dried peanuts, the shells still warm from the sun. She stuffed a handful into each of the children's hands: "Try them, these peanuts are dried so they're fragrant. Your second uncle loved my roasted peanuts when he was little, he could eat a whole plate of them every time."
She sat on the stone bench, watching Fu Yucheng chopping wood, and suddenly sighed: "Yuanshan has been sensible since he was a child. He knows how to help with chores at home. Now he is working so hard outside. It's all for this family."
Upon hearing this, Fu Yucheng stopped what he was doing and said with a smile, "Second brother wants to earn more money so that second sister-in-law and future children can live a good life. He always says that he can't let second sister-in-law suffer with him."
He picked up a piece of chopped firewood and handed it towards the kitchen, saying, "Yinyin, take this piece of firewood to start a fire. It'll be perfect for cooking some sweet potatoes; the kids will definitely love it."
Yun Tangyin took the firewood and walked towards the kitchen. As she passed the rabbit cage, she saw the mother rabbit holding her baby rabbits in her arms, their little paws pawing at the cotton wadding as if protecting a precious treasure.
“Look how affectionate they are,” she whispered to Xiaolan, who had followed her. “When my second brother and sister-in-law come back in the spring, let’s show them this heartwarming scene. It will surely remind them of how good it is to be at home.”
At dinner time, the kitchen was filled with the sweet aroma of sweet potato porridge. Fu Yucheng also stir-fried a plate of green vegetables. The bright green vegetables were coated with oil, which looked very appetizing.
Yun Tangyin ladled out a bowl of sweet potato porridge and handed it to Aunt Zhang: "Aunt Zhang, please try it. This porridge has red dates and longan in it, which are good for replenishing qi and blood. You are getting old, so you should eat more."
Aunt Zhang took the bowl, scooped up a spoonful of porridge, and as the sweet aroma spread in her mouth, she couldn't help but nod: "It's so delicious. Yinyin, with your skills, if you opened a small restaurant, it would definitely be a hit."
Zhou Desheng took a sip of wine, then suddenly remembered something and said to Fu Yucheng, "Brother Fu, shall we go to town tomorrow to buy some brown sugar for my wife? She's pregnant and needs to eat more nourishing foods. Brown sugar can warm her body and is better than white sugar."
Fu Yucheng put down his wine glass and nodded: "Okay, I'll go first thing tomorrow morning and ask the post office if the package for my second brother has arrived yet, so they won't worry about it."
Yun Tangyin put a piece of green vegetable into Fu Yucheng's bowl: "Don't buy too much brown sugar when you go. There's still some at home, enough for me to eat until spring."
She then pointed to the cloth bag in the corner, "I sewed a little cotton-padded jacket for my second sister-in-law. When you go to town, please find a tailor to make the collar smaller so it will fit you better."
The next morning, Fu Yucheng and Zhou Desheng headed towards the town, their footprints quickly covered by the newly fallen snow.
As soon as the town's supply and marketing cooperative opened, Fu Yucheng went inside. The brown sugar, which was stored in a rough porcelain jar and had a dark red sheen, was bought two jin (1 kg). He also bought some fruit candies for the children before heading to the post office.
When Fu Yucheng arrived, the post office staff smiled and handed him a notification slip: "The package you sent to Comrade Fu Yuanshan has arrived. He has signed for it and asked me to pass on a message to you, saying that he is very pleased with the contents and thanks his family."
Fu Yucheng took the notification slip, and a weight was finally lifted from his heart: "Thank you, comrade, thank you for your trouble."
When Fu Yucheng and Zhou Desheng returned home, the yard was already bustling with activity. Zhou Desheng's wife was sewing a little cotton-padded jacket for Yun Tangyin, while Xiao Lan, along with Zhou Ming and Zhou Liang, were feeding the rabbits fresh green vegetable leaves.
"Has the package arrived?" Yun Tangyin rushed over to greet Fu Yucheng when he returned. Fu Yucheng nodded and handed her the notification slip: "It has arrived. Second sister-in-law said the contents are just what she wanted and told us not to worry about it."
Yun Tangyin took the notification slip. Although the handwriting was messy, it was warm. She couldn't help but smile: "That's great. I was worried that the cured meat would spoil on the way. Now I can rest assured."
She handed Fu Yucheng a cup of hot tea, saying, "Warm your hands quickly, it must be very cold outside."
As the afternoon sun gradually slanted westward, it cast a warm yellow glow on the old locust tree in the courtyard. The snow on the branches slowly melted, dripping onto the ground and leaving small damp marks.
Yun Tangyin sat under the eaves, holding the handkerchief she had embroidered for Jiang Jianhua, and continued to embroider the remaining bamboo pattern. The silk threads moved across the fabric, quickly outlining the shape of the bamboo.
Fu Yucheng sat to the side, polishing bamboo strips, preparing to weave a new feeding trough for the rabbit. The bamboo strips spun rapidly in his hands, and wood shavings fell to the ground like a handful of fine snow.
“When Second Brother comes back in the spring, we’ll move the rabbit cage under the locust tree,” he suddenly said. “We’ll also set up a small table under the tree. When you’re tired from embroidery, you can sit and drink tea. I’ll play with the children and the rabbits. If Second Sister-in-law likes it, she can also sunbathe with us.”
Yun Tangyin looked up, her eyes full of anticipation: "Great! I also want to plant some sunflowers under the locust tree. When they bloom in the summer, the whole yard will be golden yellow. It will definitely look beautiful."
She looked down at the locust blossoms and bamboo on the handkerchief and suddenly felt a sense of peace in her heart.
Although Fu Yuanshan and Jiang Jianhua were not by their side, every concern and every handmade item brought everyone's hearts together.
Xiao Lan, holding the newly sewn rabbit mat, leaned under the eaves and said, "Sister-in-law, do you think this rabbit mat is pretty? I sewed some lace on the edges, Xueqiu will definitely like it."
Yun Tangyin took the rabbit mat. The lace on it was crooked, but it revealed the child's heart. She couldn't help but nod: "It's so pretty. If Snowball knew that you sewed this, he would definitely lie on it every day."
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