As night deepened, Fu Yucheng carried a bundle of firewood and stuffed it into the stove. The flames crackled and licked the firewood, making the small house warm and cozy.
Yun Tangyin sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), mending Fu Yucheng's torn cuffs by the light of the oil lamp. Her stitches were crooked, but she sewed with great care.
"Don't strain your eyes, let Old Zhang's wife help you with it tomorrow." Fu Yucheng leaned closer, his nose brushing against the top of her head.
"No way." Yun Tangyin pursed her lips and tugged at the thread. "Only when you wear clothes I sewed will you look like a proper person with a family."
Fu Yucheng chuckled softly, wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, and rested his chin on her shoulder as he watched her sew: "The stitches are crooked like earthworms."
“That’s an earthworm I embroidered too.” Yun Tangyin poked his arm with the needle. “If you laugh at me again, I’ll prick you.”
He grabbed her wrist and brought it to his mouth, gently biting the needle tip: "Go ahead and prick me, I'll gladly endure it as long as it's you who pricks me."
Yun Tangyin's face turned red again, and she pushed his hand away: "You're being indecent, let go of me, the thread is about to get tangled."
After the two joked around for a while, Fu Yucheng suddenly remembered something, took out a tin box from his luggage bag, and opened it to find osmanthus cake wrapped in oil paper.
"Here, this is what you like to eat." He pinched a piece and fed it to her.
Yun Tangyin took a small bite, the sweet fragrance of osmanthus spreading on her tongue, and her eyes felt a little hot.
She finished sewing the last stitch, lifted the sleeve to look at it, and said, "Look, does it look like the real thing?"
Fu Yucheng took it, examined it over and over, and suddenly slipped it onto his arm, straightening his back: "My wife sewed this. Wearing it out will surely make the whole regiment envious."
"You're so sweet-talking." Yun Tangyin pushed the remaining osmanthus cake to him. "You should have some too."
He leaned closer, took the crumb from her lips into his mouth, and his warm breath brushed against her lips: "It tastes sweeter this way."
The oil lamp crackled and sparked, casting the shadows of the two people close together on the wall, indistinguishable from one another.
The next morning, Old Zhang came to pick them up in his fishing boat: "The wind is good today, I'll take you to the middle of the river to see if you can catch big fish there."
It was Yun Tangyin's first time riding a fishing boat, and she was so nervous that she clung tightly to Fu Yucheng's arm. She closed her eyes in fright whenever the boat rocked.
He pulled her into his arms and chuckled softly in her ear, "Don't be afraid, I'll cushion your fall."
"Pah, pah, pah, what nonsense are you talking about?" Yun Tangyin punched him lightly, but hugged him even tighter.
When the boat reached the middle of the river, Fu Yucheng helped her adjust the fishing rod: "Give it a try? The fish here are stupid, you can catch them every time."
As soon as Yun Tangyin cast her fishing line, the float was pulled down, and she exclaimed, "A fish! It's so strong!"
Fu Yucheng quickly grabbed her hand and pulled together. The fishing rod bent into a bow, and a splash erupted on the water's surface. A half-meter-long carp was pulled up and jumped around on the boat deck.
"My goodness!" Yun Tangyin patted her chest and laughed, "Even better than me!"
Fu Yucheng threw the fish into the fish hold, then suddenly pointed into the distance: "Look over there."
Yun Tangyin looked in the direction he pointed and saw a flock of white birds flying close to the water, their wings cutting through the morning mist, a scene as beautiful as a painting.
She was so engrossed in watching that Fu Yucheng touched her face and asked, "Are you mesmerized?"
"Mmm." She leaned on his shoulder. "I always heard people say that the Northeast is bitterly cold, but I never imagined it would be so beautiful."
“I’ll bring you here often from now on.” He squeezed her hand. “After I’m discharged from the army, I’ll build a small house by the river and fish with you every day.”
"What about your military medals?" Yun Tangyin teased him. "Aren't these what you value most?"
“Military medals are nothing compared to you.” He lowered his head and kissed the top of her head. “I used to think that protecting the country was the most important thing, but now I realize that protecting you is the most real thing.”
When the fishing boat docked, Yun Tangyin's basket was full of fish. Fu Yucheng, carrying the heavy fish basket, grinned from ear to ear: "I'll make you some fried small fish tonight, sprinkled with salt and pepper. It'll be so fragrant you'll want to swallow your tongue."
"When did you learn to do this?" Yun Tangyin asked, her eyes widening in surprise.
"I asked Old Zhang's wife last time and wrote it down in my notebook." He pulled a small notebook out of his pocket, on which recipes were scrawled in crooked handwriting. "I guarantee it will taste even better than hers."
As evening fell, the aroma of fried small fish wafted from the small house. Yun Tangyin sat by the stove, adding firewood for him. Watching him toss the wok with his apron on, he looked a little comical, but it warmed her heart.
"Want to try some?" He picked up a small fish and held it to her lips.
Just as Yun Tangyin was about to open her mouth, he suddenly withdrew his hand, took a bite himself, and smacked his lips: "Hmm, it's cooked."
"Fu Yucheng!" Yun Tangyin glared at him angrily, but he laughed and pulled her into his arms, feeding her a small fish from his mouth. "Just kidding, here you go."
The small fish were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a light salt and pepper flavor. Yun Tangyin nodded as she ate, "It's really delicious, much better than what the cafeteria chef makes."
"From now on, I'll take care of all the meals at home." He gently pinched her nose, "as long as you don't mind my clumsiness."
"I'm not stupid." Yun Tangyin wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth. "My man is good at everything."
After dinner, the two sat by the river looking at the stars. Fu Yucheng suddenly started humming a song, a little off-key, but very earnestly.
Yun Tangyin sang softly along, the evening breeze carrying the dampness of the river, making the song go far.
"Did you used to sing for others often?" Yun Tangyin suddenly asked.
"How could that be?" Fu Yucheng laughed. "I only know this one song. I heard an old soldier sing it when I was in recruit training, and I specially wrote it down to sing it for you."
Yun Tangyin's heart felt filled with something, and she turned around and hugged him: "Fu Yucheng, it's so good to have met you."
He tightened his arms around her, pulling her into his embrace, his voice slightly hoarse: "Me too, I'm so lucky."
On the way back, the car drove slowly. Yun Tangyin dozed off in Fu Yucheng's arms, still clutching the plum blossom silver hairpin in her hand.
He looked down at her sleeping face, quietly covered her with his military overcoat, and planned to clean up the empty room when he got back and use it as her embroidery room.
As the car approached the military dependents' compound, Yun Tangyin woke up, rubbing her eyes and asking, "Are we almost there?"
"Hmm." Fu Yucheng tidied her hair. "Do you want to sleep a little longer?"
"I'm not going to sleep anymore." She sat up, then suddenly remembered something. "Oh right, you said you'd teach me how to shoot, don't forget."
"I won't forget it." He nodded with a smile. "We'll go to the shooting range tomorrow, and I guarantee you'll hit the bullseye every time."
Looking into the light in his eyes, Yun Tangyin suddenly felt that the days ahead would be like the road this carriage had traveled; there might be bumps, but it would always move towards warmth and continue on.
Because he's by my side, there's laughter, warmth, and countless days we could never get enough of, and endless sweet nothings to say to each other.
Yun Tangyin leaned against Fu Yucheng's chest, her arms wrapped around his waist, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up.
She felt truly happy during those days.
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