Since Fu Nian'an was born, the mornings at Huaiyuan have become a bit more lively than usual.
As dawn broke, Song Yushuang carried freshly cooked millet porridge into Yun Tangyin's room, walking very quietly so as not to wake the sleeping grandmother and granddaughter.
She gently lifted a corner of the curtain and saw Nian'an curled up next to Yun Tangyin, his little face flushed and his eyelashes like two small fans. She couldn't help but gently touch his cheek with her fingertips and whispered with a smile, "This little guy, his sleeping posture is exactly the same as Acheng's when he was a child. He likes to raise his little hands above his head."
Yun Tangyin was awakened by the noise, rubbed her eyes and smiled, "Mom, you're up so early?"
Song Yushuang quickly placed the bowl of porridge on the bedside table and helped Yun Tangyin sit up: "You just gave birth, so you need to take good care of yourself. I specially cooked millet porridge and added some red dates. Drink it while it's hot."
She pointed at Nian'an again, "Was this child well-behaved last night? Did she cause you any trouble?"
"He's being very good. He only woke up twice to nurse, and then went back to sleep afterward." Yun Tangyin said, reaching out to touch Nian'an's forehead. "Look at his little face, the more you look at him, the more adorable he becomes."
Song Yushuang sat on the edge of the bed, carefully holding Nian'an in her arms. Her movements were clumsy but exceptionally gentle: "That's right, our Fu family finally has an heir. I feel more at ease than anything else."
At this moment, Fu Yucheng walked in carrying hot water. Seeing Song Yushuang holding Nian'an, he smiled and said, "Mom, your way of holding the baby is much more skilled than yesterday."
Song Yushuang glared at him: "Do you think I'm senile? You can learn to hold your grandson after just a couple of tries."
She lowered her head to tease Nian'an, her voice softening, "Look at this child, he's smiling as soon as he wakes up, he must know that Grandma is holding him."
After breakfast, Song Yushuang placed Nian'an in a cradle lined with soft cotton padding, sat beside her, rocking the cradle while humming an old tune.
Jiang Jianhua walked in carrying freshly dried diapers, smiling as he said, "You sang that tune so beautifully, Nian'an listened without blinking."
Song Yushuang stopped humming, took the diaper and folded it neatly: "This is the tune I used to coax Acheng when I was little. I didn't expect Nian'an to like it too."
She suddenly remembered something, "Jianhua, can you help me check how well these diapers are folded? I'm afraid they'll be too tight on the baby if I don't fold them properly."
Jiang Jianhua smiled and nodded: "It's folded very well, don't worry."
Looking at Nian'an in the cradle, she said, "Nian'an is such a good child, unlike other children who always cry and fuss. She will definitely grow up to be a sensible child."
Song Yushuang smiled so much her eyes narrowed: "That's right, our Nian'an is a blessed child. Even the locust flowers smelled sweet on the day he was born."
At midday, the sun was warm and cozy, and Song Yushuang held Nian'an in her arms as they basked in the sun in the courtyard.
Aunt Zhang came over with a bowl of freshly steamed egg custard: "It's good for Nian'an to get some sunshine; it helps with calcium absorption. This egg custard is for Yinyin; you can try some too."
Song Yushuang took the bowl, scooped out a spoonful, blew on it to cool it down, and fed it to Yun Tangyin. She then said, "Aunt Zhang, thank you for your hard work. You make this and that for us every day."
Aunt Zhang waved her hand and laughed, "Why are you being so polite? Nian'an is so cute, it makes me happy to see her too."
Fu Yuanshan returned from the field carrying a hoe. Seeing Song Yushuang holding Nian'an, he quickly put down the hoe and came over: "Mom, let me see my nephew."
He leaned over and gently touched Nian'an's little hand. Nian'an suddenly grabbed his fingers, and Fu Yuanshan said in surprise, "Hey, he grabbed my hand! This child is quite strong."
Song Yushuang smiled and said, "That's right, he takes after his father; he's been sturdy since he was little."
In the evening, Fu Yucheng returned from town with some fabric and handed it to Song Yushuang: "Mother, do you think this fabric is soft? I want to make some little clothes for Nian'an. Could you help me cut out some patterns?"
Song Yushuang took the fabric and touched it, her eyes full of joy: "This fabric is so soft, it'll fit perfectly against the skin. I'll cut it tonight and try to sew it up by tomorrow."
Then she remembered something, "Oh right, when you go to town tomorrow, buy some fine cotton thread. I want to embroider a longevity lock pattern for Nian'an to bless him with peace and safety."
At night, Song Yushuang sat under the oil lamp, wearing her reading glasses, cutting out patterns for Nian'an's clothes.
Yun Tangyin leaned against the headboard, looking at her, and said with a smile, "Don't stay up too late, be careful not to hurt your eyes."
Song Yushuang didn't even look up: "It's nothing, I'm so happy, I don't feel tired at all. Look at how these little clothes look, they'll definitely look good on Nian'an once they're sewn up."
She cut out a piece, placed it by the bedside to compare, and muttered to herself, "It seems a bit big. I'll alter it a bit more. The child grows quickly, so it can still be worn for a while even when it's a little bigger."
A few days later, Song Yushuang finished sewing all the little clothes for Nian'an, including light blue, light yellow, and a red dress embroidered with a longevity lock.
She held Nian'an in her arms and carefully dressed him in red clothes, saying with a smile, "Our Nian'an looks just like a little lucky baby in red."
Song Yushuang said proudly, "That's right. When I was young, I made clothes for the children in the neighborhood, and everyone praised my skills."
Looking at Nian An in red, Fu Yucheng couldn't help but take out the rattle drum he had just bought and shake it gently.
The drumbeats rang out, and Nian'an's eyes lit up. She reached out her little hands to grab it, and made "ee-ya" sounds.
Song Yushuang laughed even harder: "Look at this child, he gets happy as soon as he hears the drum. He'll definitely be someone who loves excitement when he grows up."
Yun Tangyin leaned against the eaves, looking at the three generations of the family in front of her, her heart filled with warmth.
Jiang Jianhua came over with a cup of freshly brewed jujube tea and handed it to her: "Have some tea to warm yourself up. You just gave birth, so you can't catch a cold."
Yun Tangyin took the teacup, took a sip, and the sweet and fragrant red date flavor spread in her mouth: "Thank you, Second Sister-in-law. Don't always be so busy taking care of us, you should rest more."
Jiang Jianhua smiled and shook his head: "I'm not tired. Seeing how cute Nian'an is makes me happy. By the way, I embroidered a tiger head hat for Nian'an. Do you think it suits her?"
She took out a small hat embroidered with a tiger's head from the house. The tiger's head was embroidered round on the light yellow fabric, with eyes embroidered with black thread and two small pom-poms.
Song Yushuang quickly took the tiger-head hat and carefully put it on Nian'an: "It looks so good! Jianhua, your craftsmanship is really good."
Jiang Jianhua smiled sheepishly: "You flatter me. I just learned a little bit from Aunt Zhang. I'll be happy if Nian'an can wear it."
Before long, it was the day of Nian'an's full moon celebration. Song Yushuang got up early to busy herself, killing an old hen and boiling a large pot of red eggs.
Fu Yucheng and Fu Yuanshan set up a pergola in the courtyard to entertain their neighbors.
Aunt Zhang also came over to help, steaming some buns and dumplings, and making a big pot of braised pork, the aroma filling the whole yard.
Neighbors arrived one after another, bringing gifts for Nian'an, including small shoes for the children, rattles, and red envelopes.
Zhou Desheng's wife held Nian'an and said with a smile, "This child is so handsome, with big, bright eyes. He will definitely be successful in the future."
Song Yushuang beamed from ear to ear, busily handing out red eggs to everyone: "Thank you all for coming to support Nian'an. Please try these red eggs and share in the good fortune."
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