Fu Yucheng had just sent Erzhuzi home when he turned around and saw Yun Tangyin slumped on the kang (a heated brick bed), her hair spread out on the pillow like a soft cloud.
He sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear: "You're already exhausted? Erzhuzi was good today, he didn't climb the tree to steal bird nests."
Yun Tangyin hummed with her eyes closed, "He ran all afternoon, and I chased after him all afternoon. My legs are almost not my own anymore."
She suddenly grabbed Fu Yucheng's hand, "Feel it, your palms are all sweaty."
"I'll get you a basin of hot water to wipe you down." Fu Yucheng got up to leave, but she grabbed his clothes.
"Don't go." She moved a little closer to the kang (a heated brick bed). "Lie down with me for a while, just a little while."
Fu Yucheng took off his shoes and lay down. Just as he was about to speak, Yun Tangyin snuggled into his arms and said, "You feel cool and comfortable."
She suddenly burst out laughing. "Erzhuzi said he's going to weave a bamboo toilet for his little brother, saying it's lighter than porcelain and won't break if dropped."
"This child is quick-witted." Fu Yucheng lowered his head and kissed the top of her head. "I'll ask my second brother to make a cloth cover for the bamboo toilet so it won't be cold in winter."
Yun Tangyin punched his chest lightly: "You're getting more and more frivolous."
She suddenly yawned. "The old Chinese medicine doctor said that being tired makes you lazy. I'm afraid I won't be able to get up tomorrow."
"If you can't get up, then don't." Fu Yucheng covered her with the quilt. "I'll bring breakfast to the kang (heated brick bed) and give you four eggs."
The next morning, Yun Tangyin was awakened by the aroma.
She opened her eyes and saw Fu Yucheng squatting by the kang (a heated brick bed), holding a small bamboo tray with a bowl of red date porridge on it and two poached eggs on top.
"Awake?" He handed over the tray. "I added brown sugar. Try it and see if it's sweet enough."
Yun Tangyin had just scooped up a spoonful of porridge when she saw Fu Yucheng take out a small bamboo mirror box from behind his back: "Do you think this mirror box is well-made? Aunt Zhou said to put it on your dressing table so you can put your rouge box there."
The mirror box was decorated with lotus scrolls, and the edges were inlaid with fine bamboo strips. Yun Tangyin touched the lid of the box: "It's prettier than my wooden box. Just don't let Erzhuzi see it, or he'll definitely take it apart and make a toy train."
"It's been stored on top of the cabinet for a while now." Fu Yucheng fed her a bite of egg. "Eat it quickly, it'll get fishy if it gets cold."
In the morning, Yun Tangyin sat in the courtyard embroidering a gauze curtain, while Fu Yucheng was next to her installing a backrest on an old bamboo cart.
The bamboo strips were shaved thin and bent into a comfortable curve. "Is this height alright?"
He held it up to show the angle, saying, "It won't hurt the child's neck when leaning against it."
Yun Tangyin looked up and glanced at it: "Add another layer of cotton wadding and sew on a piece of blue cloth, and it'll look brand new."
She suddenly shoved a piece of hawthorn cake into Fu Yucheng's hand, saying, "Take a break, don't keep working."
Just as Fu Yucheng was about to take a bite, Yun Tangyin suddenly coughed twice. He quickly put down the bamboo stick: "Did you choke? I'll get you a bowl of water."
"No need." She grabbed his hand and laughed. "It's just that the hawthorn cake was too sour. The old Chinese medicine doctor said that eating too much sour food can cause heartburn, so you should eat less of it too."
"Okay, housekeeper." Fu Yucheng pinched her cheek. "Where do you want to go this afternoon? I'll take you for a walk by the river; it's cool there."
“I’m not going.” Yun Tangyin lowered her head to embroider bamboo branches. “I walked too much yesterday, and my legs are still sore. It’s fine to stay home and embroider gauze curtains. You can weave your bamboo cart, and I’ll embroider my flowers. We won’t interfere with each other.”
Fu Yucheng suddenly leaned close to her ear: "How about I massage your legs tonight? I learned massage in the army, and I'm even better than the blind masseur in town."
Yun Tangyin blushed: "Who wants you to knead it?" But the needle and thread in her hands slowed down a beat.
At noon, Jiang Jianhua brought in a bowl of pork rib soup: "Yinyin, drink up! I've been stewing it for two hours, the bone marrow is practically dissolved."
She shoved a small bamboo spoon into Fu Yucheng's hand, saying, "Serve meat to your wife, don't always make her do it herself."
Fu Yucheng had just scooped up a piece of pork rib when Yun Tangyin stopped him: "You eat too. You were running around all afternoon yesterday."
She popped a piece of meat into his mouth. "Does it taste good?"
"It smells good." Fu Yucheng chuckled as he chewed on the meat. "It smells even better than the braised pork in the army canteen."
In the afternoon, Yun Tangyin was halfway through embroidery when she suddenly discovered that the spool of thread was empty.
Just as she was about to get up, Fu Yucheng took out a bamboo wick from the house: "I've already wrapped it for you. Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple—you name it, I can make it."
The threads on the board were neatly wound, like a rainbow.
Yun Tangyin picked up the red thread and smiled, "You're so thoughtful, I always forget to wind the thread."
She suddenly remembered something, "Have the invitations to the bamboo weaving exhibition been sent out yet? We need to save two for Director Zhang."
"It's here." Fu Yucheng tied a bell to the power strip. "It'll ring when you move it, so you won't always be looking for it."
In the evening, Fu Yuanshan came to deliver a small bamboo table. Seeing Yun Tangyin embroidering a gauze curtain, he clicked his tongue in amazement: "The bamboo branch pattern is so realistic. I wove bamboo branches for the cradle canopy, and it will definitely match."
He slipped a small bamboo tweezer into Fu Yucheng's hand, "It's more delicate than your big pliers, you can use it to pick up loose threads from the child's clothes."
Yun Tangyin stuffed a piece of pork rib into his hand: "Second brother, try it quickly, it's stewed by your second sister-in-law, it's especially fragrant."
Fu Yuanshan chuckled as he bit into a piece of meat: "Reporter Li said the magazine is selling like hotcakes, and many people are asking where our bamboo workshop is, wanting to order bamboo products."
Lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) at night, Yun Tangyin touched the thread board Fu Yucheng had braided and laughed: "Don't you think our lives are like this thread, colorful and vibrant?"
“That’s right.” Fu Yucheng snuggled closer to her. “The red one is brown sugar cake, the green one is bamboo pattern, and the yellow one is the little tiger you embroidered.”
He suddenly lowered his head and kissed the corner of her lips. "And there's something sweet, it's you."
Yun Tangyin pinched his arm: "You're getting better and better at talking."
But my heart felt as sweet as if I had a piece of candy inside.
She suddenly remembered something: "Tomorrow when you go to the army, ask Commander Zhang's daughter if her schoolbag is suitable. If it's not, I'll adjust it."
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