Jiang Jianhua was biting into a steamed bun when he heard this and laughed so hard he slapped the table: "Big brother has finally figured it out! The other day I saw him squatting in the bamboo workshop thinking about how to make a dressing box with a mirror for sister-in-law, which is lighter than the wooden boxes in town."
Fu Yuanzheng's ears turned bright red, and he shoveled two spoonfuls of chicken soup into Yu Xia's bowl: "Eat yours, don't listen to your sister-in-law's nonsense."
Yu Xia smiled and stuffed a piece of floral fabric into Yun Tangyin's hand: "Look at this pink one, how about making a little cape for the child? I'll embroider two little butterflies on the collar, it'll look beautiful when it flies."
Just as Yun Tangyin took the cloth, Erzhuzi rushed in holding a small bamboo pair of scissors: "Aunt Fu, look! I can use scissors now! I can cut cloth patterns for my little brother!"
The handles of the scissors were wrapped with red cloth strips, which Fu Yucheng had deliberately dulled.
"Be careful not to hurt your hands." Yu Xia quickly put the scissors away. "When you grow a little taller, I'll teach you how to sew."
Erzhuzi immediately straightened his back: "I'm very tall now! I can reach Aunt Fu's waist!"
He stood next to Yun Tangyin, and sure enough, his waist reached hers, making everyone laugh.
In the afternoon, Fu Yuanshan carried in a small bamboo wooden horse with a small bell woven on its head.
“Ah Cheng, do you like this rocking horse? I added bamboo foot pedals so the child can rock it by himself.”
He spread a piece of velvet on the horse's back. "Erzhuzi said he would be the test rider for his little brother."
Erzhuzi immediately climbed onto the wooden horse, making the bells jingle as he shook it: "Master Fu's wooden horse is more comfortable than the iron horse in town! Little brother will definitely like it!"
Jiang Jianhua smiled as he embroidered tiger-head shoes: "If my baby is a girl, I'll arrange a marriage between her and Yin Yin's son, making our families even closer."
Yu Xia paused in her needlework, then laughed out loud: "Then my family should choose first. If I also have a son, I'll have them become sworn brothers and your daughter become siblings."
Yun Tangyin stuffed a preserved plum into her hand: "Sister-in-law, this is a new society now, we don't care about those things anymore."
Fu Yucheng had just finished weaving a small bamboo rattle drum when he heard this, and said, "Boy or girl is fine, as long as she looks like Yinyin, with round eyes and a sweet smile."
Yun Tangyin blushed and pinched his arm: "You're so sweet-talking."
As Yu Xia finished work in the evening, she hung the three tiger-head hats she had embroidered into the bamboo wardrobe. Suddenly, she pointed to the top of the hat and laughed, "Look at these tiger ears. I embroidered pointed ones for Yin Yin's family and round ones for my second sister-in-law's family. When my family is born, I'll embroider one with a pom-pom, so you can tell them apart at a glance."
Jiang Jianhua held up the newly sewn socks and laughed: "I also marked these socks. The blue stripe is from Yinyin's family, the red stripe is from mine, and my sister-in-law's family used a green stripe to match the bamboo in the yard."
Just then, Fu Yuan came in carrying a bamboo food box: "I bought you osmanthus cake, newly made by Li Ji."
He slipped a piece into Yu Xia's hand, saying, "Try it, it's sweeter than last time."
Yu Xia took a bite and suddenly stuffed it into Yun Tangyin's mouth: "You're pregnant, eat more sweets."
Just as Yun Tangyin swallowed, Fu Yucheng brought out a bowl of white fungus soup from the kitchen: "I added lotus seeds, it's refreshing. Sister-in-law and second sister-in-law, come and have some too, you've been busy all day."
Four adults sat around a bamboo table drinking soup. Erzhuzi was leaning on a bamboo wardrobe counting little clothes. As he counted, he yawned and said, "Aunt Fu, when will the little brother come out? The little bucket I wove is almost dry."
Yun Tangyin patted his head: "Soon, when the osmanthus flowers in the yard bloom, little brother will come."
Yu Xia was putting needlework into the bamboo basket when she heard this and looked up at the osmanthus tree in the corner of the yard: "This tree has a lot of buds this year, it's probably going to bloom more profusely than in previous years. We'll pick some osmanthus flowers then to make osmanthus cakes and brew osmanthus wine for the children."
After finishing the last stitch of the tiger-head shoe, Jiang Jianhua held it up and laughed: "When the osmanthus flowers fall, I'll use them to make a small pillow for the children; it'll smell even better than lavender."
She suddenly nudged Yu Xia's arm. "Sister-in-law, smell it! Acheng's stewed rock sugar pears are ready. You can smell the sweetness even through the window."
When Fu Yucheng brought in the casserole, there were three white porcelain bowls on the bamboo tray.
"It's freshly stewed, with fritillaria cirrhosa added to soothe the throat." He served everyone a bowl, "Erzhuzi, come here quickly, I saved the sweetest bowl for you."
Erzhu jumped down from the wardrobe, holding the bowl and smacking his lips: "It's even sweeter than the desserts at the town's dessert shop! Uncle Fu, how come you can cook everything?"
“I learned it from the veteran cooks.” Fu Yucheng flicked his nose. “When your little brother is born, I’ll teach you how to make steamed egg custard. I guarantee it will be as tender as tofu.”
Lying on the kang at night, listening to the soft rustling of bamboo branches in the wind outside the window, Yun Tangyin suddenly nudged Fu Yucheng's arm: "Do you think that when your sister-in-law was embroidering the tiger-head hat today, she made sure to embroider the green strip extra big?"
“That’s right.” Fu Yucheng tucked a small bamboo pillow behind her waist. “This afternoon I saw my older brother splitting bamboo strips in the bamboo workshop and weaving an adjustable crib. He said we should prepare one in case he has a big, healthy boy.”
Yun Tangyin couldn't help but laugh: "They've hidden all their hopes in the stitches and bamboo strips."
She suddenly touched the bamboo peace lock beside her pillow, the character "安" (peace) engraved on it shining from being rubbed. "When the osmanthus blooms, let's invite an old Chinese medicine doctor to take my sister-in-law's pulse and ask about the babies' gestational signs."
The next morning, Erzhuzi rushed into the yard carrying a small bamboo basket: "Aunt Fu, look! I've collected half a basket of osmanthus buds! We can make cakes when they bloom!"
There was a crooked "福" (fortune) character carved on the edge of the basket, which he had learned from Fu Yuanshan the night before.
She lined the basket with a layer of cotton paper, "This will preserve the aroma, and once it's fully opened, it will surely make a good sweet wine."
Jiang Jianhua came out carrying a bamboo winnowing basket, inside which were freshly peeled lotus seeds drying: "Look at these lotus seeds, my mother sent them from our hometown, saying that they are for the children to boil into a drink to clear away internal heat."
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