The evening glow bathed the locust courtyard in a warm gold. Fu Yuanshan and Fu Yucheng had just finished setting up the new bamboo frame. The frame was straight and sturdier than last year's. Fu Yuanshan patted the bamboo strips.
"This rack can dry a lot of things. In a couple of days, I'll bring up dried radishes and dried shepherd's purse. They'll dry thoroughly and taste better."
Fu Yucheng wiped the sweat from his forehead and nodded with a smile: "That's right, my second sister-in-law can use it as soon as she comes back, she'll definitely be happy."
He looked up and saw Yun Tangyin waving from under the eaves. He quickly went over and said, "Are you tired? Let me help you back inside to rest for a while."
Yun Tangyin shook her head and pointed to the cloth bag on the stone table: "I made a few pairs of tiger-head shoes for the children. Take them to Xiaolan and the others to try on and see if they fit."
Fu Yucheng opened the cloth bag, revealing pairs of small cloth shoes embroidered with tiger heads. The shoes had red soles with yellow and black tiger stripes, and small pom-poms adorned the toes, making them exceptionally cute.
“Your craftsmanship is getting better and better,” Fu Yucheng said, picking up a pair of shoes. “The kids will definitely not want to take them off.”
Just then, Xiaolan ran over with Zhou Ming and Zhou Liang, holding up the grasshoppers they had just woven: "Look at the grasshoppers we made! Second Uncle said he'll teach us how to make bamboo dragonflies tomorrow!"
Fu Yucheng handed them the tiger-head shoes: "Quickly try on the tiger-head shoes that Sister-in-law Yinyin made for you, and see if they fit."
Xiaolan couldn't wait to put them on. The soles were soft, and the tiger head design perfectly protected her ankles. "So comfortable! They fit even better than the shoes my mom bought! Thank you, sister-in-law!"
Zhou Ming and Zhou Liang also rushed to put them on, and ran around the yard twice. The little shoes made a "clattering" sound on the ground, which made everyone laugh.
After tidying up the embroidery thread, Jiang Jianhua walked over and said with a smile, "Lan girl looks really good in these tiger-head shoes. Yinyin, your stitches are so even. I used to learn how to make tiger-head shoes, but I always embroidered the tiger stripes crookedly. You have to teach me."
Yun Tangyin smiled and agreed, "Okay, once I feel better, let's make them together and make several pairs for the children so they can wear them in rotation."
At dinner time, the kitchen was filled with the aroma of stewed pork with winter bamboo shoots. When the casserole was brought to the table and the lid was lifted, the steam carrying the aroma of meat, bamboo shoots and mushrooms wafted out.
Fu Yuanshan served Yun Tangyin a bowl, and specially picked out a piece of lean meat that had been stewed until tender and a winter bamboo shoot: "Try it quickly. It's been stewed all afternoon, so it must be very tender. You're pregnant, so you should eat more."
Yun Tangyin tasted the winter bamboo shoot; it was sweet with a hint of meat, and had no astringency at all. "It's delicious! The way my second sister-in-law taught me is so effective. I can make it myself from now on."
Jiang Jianhua picked up a shiitake mushroom and said with a smile, "These shiitake mushrooms were dried last year. They're even more fragrant than fresh ones when soaked and stewed with meat. In a few days, we'll go up the mountain to pick some more, dry them, and save them for winter."
Aunt Zhang put a piece of meat into Fu Yuanshan's bowl: "Yuanshan, you should eat more. You must have suffered a lot in the city. You should make sure to nourish yourself when you come back."
Fu Yuanshan smiled and nodded: "Thank you, Aunt Zhang. Home-cooked meals are always the best, even better than those in city restaurants."
After the meal, Fu Yucheng boiled water and gave Yun Tangyin a foot bath.
He sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and gently massaged her ankles. Yun Tangyin's feet were a bit swollen in the later stages of her pregnancy, and massaging them after soaking her feet would make her feel better.
"Are you tired today?" Fu Yucheng asked, looking up. "If you're tired from embroidery, take it easy and don't keep pushing yourself."
Yun Tangyin shook her head, touched her belly and said softly, "I'm not tired. Just thinking about making little clothes and shoes for the baby makes me feel at ease."
She suddenly remembered something, "Oh right, when you go to town tomorrow, could you buy some fine needles for Aunt Zhang? She said last time that the needles she used for embroidery weren't fine enough, and the patterns she made weren't delicate enough."
Fu Yucheng nodded: "Don't worry, I'll go first thing tomorrow morning and buy you some more osmanthus cakes, you love them, don't you?"
He added a piece of coal to the stove, and the flames leaped up. "My second brother said that there are also sesame candies in the city, which are delicious. I'll ask the supply and marketing cooperative tomorrow if they have any, and buy some for the kids too."
The next morning, Fu Yucheng went to town with his money bag in his pocket.
When the sales clerk at the supply and marketing cooperative saw him, she greeted him with a smile: "Comrade Fu, are you here to buy things for your family again?" Fu Yucheng nodded: "Comrade, give me some fine needles, and two catties of osmanthus cake. If you have sesame candy, give me a catty as well."
The sales clerk quickly packed the items, Fu Yucheng paid, and then walked towards the post office. Although he knew Fu Yuanshan had returned, he still habitually wanted to see if there was any mail.
On his way back from town, he made a special detour to the stream to pick up some smooth pebbles, thinking of making marbles for the children to play with.
When I got home, the yard was already bustling with activity. Jiang Jianhua was teaching Yun Tangyin how to embroider butterflies. On the light pink cloth, the wings of a butterfly were already embroidered, with layers of colorful silk threads, making it look as if it were really about to take flight.
“Look, when embroidering butterfly wings, you have to follow the lines of the pattern and go from light to dark colors to make it three-dimensional,” Jiang Jianhua said as he embroidered. “Try it, take your time, don’t rush.”
Yun Tangyin picked up the needle and thread and carefully embroidered according to the method taught by Jiang Jianhua. Although her movements were a little slow, her stitches were very even.
"That's really good," Jiang Jianhua said with a smile, looking at the silk thread she was embroidering. "It's much better than the first time I embroidered it. With a few more practice sessions, you'll definitely be able to embroider it just like the real thing."
Fu Yucheng handed the fine needle to Aunt Zhang: "Aunt Zhang, these are the fine needles I bought for you. Please see if they are suitable for you."
Aunt Zhang took the fine needle, compared it with the old needle in her hand, and said with a smile, "Perfect! This needle is fine, just right for embroidering small patterns. Ah Cheng, you're so thoughtful."
He then handed the osmanthus cake to Yun Tangyin and distributed the sesame candy to the children: "Try it quickly, the sesame candy from the city is very sweet."
Xiao Lan took the sesame candy, took a bite, and the aroma of sesame mixed with the sweetness of the candy made her eyes crinkle with laughter: "It's so delicious! Thank you, Brother Fu!"
The afternoon sun was warm and cozy. Fu Yuanshan was weaving bamboo baskets in the yard, preparing to use them to store dried radishes and shepherd's purse.
Jiang Jianhua went over to help, and the two worked together very well. Fu Yuanshan wove the bamboo strips, while Jiang Jianhua tied red rope around the edge of the bamboo basket, making it look more festive.
“Your bamboo basket is so beautiful,” Jiang Jianhua said with a smile. “It’s even more exquisite than the ones we buy in town. From now on, we won’t need to buy any more bamboo baskets for our family.”
Fu Yuanshan smiled and nodded: "I'm glad you like it. I'll weave more in the future and make a few small bamboo baskets for the children so they can carry some little things."
Yun Tangyin leaned back in the rocking chair, looking at everything in front of her. The little one in her belly moved gently, as if it was happy about this warm and cozy daily life.
She picked up the baby clothes beside her, which were embroidered with tiny locust flowers and butterflies, the stitches fine and delicate, full of her heartfelt sentiments.
As the sun set, the afterglow painted the courtyard a warm red. Fu Yucheng lit a fire in the courtyard, preparing to cook sweet potato porridge.
Jiang Jianhua and Yun Tangyin sat under the eaves, embroidering and chatting, while Aunt Zhang was sorting through dried radishes. The children played marbles in the yard, their laughter carrying far.
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