“Look how anxious it is,” Yun Tangyin said with a smile as she added firewood to the stove, the firelight reflecting the smile in her eyes. “It’s just like when it was fighting you for the locust flower cake.”
Fu Yucheng was scattering corn kernels into the cage when he heard this and suddenly turned around, snowflakes falling from his military green cotton-padded coat onto the ground: "When did I ever fight you for it?"
He held a kernel of corn between his fingers and offered it to Yun Tangyin's mouth, saying, "I only eat what you leave behind, that's called not wasting food."
Yun Tangyin opened her mouth and bit into a corn kernel, her teeth brushing against his fingertips, making his ears burn.
The kettle on the stove hissed and steamed. Fu Yucheng picked up the kettle and poured hot water into a basin. The steam blurred his features: "Soaking your feet will warm them up. Look at your toes, they're frozen like berries."
When he knelt down to take off her cotton shoes, he noticed a locust petal stuck to the shoe upper, probably from when they watched a movie that afternoon.
"Tomorrow, let's dry the locust flowers even more," Yun Tangyin said, dipping her feet into the warm water and squinting her eyes in comfort. "If we mix them into the flour to make steamed buns, they'll definitely smell delicious."
Fu Yucheng sprinkled a handful of dried mugwort into the water, the green-brown leaves swirling in the water: "Mugwort can dispel cold, you're pregnant, don't catch a cold."
He suddenly remembered something, rummaged through the cabinet and pulled out a cloth bag containing a piece of ginger with some dirt on its skin. "I dug this up from the back mountain. I'll make you ginger tea tomorrow."
The rabbit in the bamboo cage, having eaten its fill, curled up in a corner and dozed off, the alfalfa leaves clinging to its fur swaying gently with its breath.
Yun Tangyin threw a piece of cotton wool into the cage and said with a smile, "This is for you to use as a blanket, so you don't catch a cold."
Fu Yucheng squatted down beside her, his palm gently resting on her knees, the cuffs of his military green cotton-padded jacket stained with bits of grass: "When spring comes, I'll build it a new cage, made of pine wood, so it won't prick your hands."
Suddenly, the sound of snow sweeping came from outside the courtyard, accompanied by Zhou Desheng's loud voice: "Brother Fu! Training is canceled tomorrow morning, go help chop firewood in the canteen!"
Fu Yucheng lifted the cotton curtain and replied, "I understand!"
When I turned around, I saw Yun Tangyin putting locust flower cakes into an earthenware pot on the stove. The pot was wrapped neatly in oil paper. "This is for you. Heat it up and eat it tomorrow morning."
She stuffed the earthenware pot into the cabinet, then suddenly remembered something, "Oh right, I'll send some to the cafeteria tomorrow so everyone can try it."
Fu Yucheng added a piece of coal to the stove, the firelight casting a flickering shadow on the wall: "I was just about to tell you, Director Wang's little grandson keeps saying he wants to eat this, bring some more tomorrow."
He suddenly pulled a rock candy from his pocket and put it in Yun Tangyin's mouth, saying, "I just got this from Zhou Desheng. It will help you keep coughing if you hold it in your mouth."
The rock sugar slowly melts on the tip of the tongue, a sweet coolness spreads over the throat, carrying a hint of soapberry fragrance reminiscent of a military green cotton-padded jacket.
The snow started falling again at night, pattering softly against the window paper.
Yun Tangyin leaned against Fu Yucheng's chest, listening to him recount the interesting things that happened during training.
Yun Tangyin laughed so hard she hiccuped. Suddenly, the little one in her belly kicked her, as gently as a feather landing on her heart.
“Look,” she said, taking Fu Yucheng’s hand and placing it on her belly, “the baby is smiling too.”
Just as Fu Yucheng's palm touched the ground, the little guy kicked him again. He suddenly held his breath, his eyes gleaming with surprise like sparks exploding in a stove: "It really moved!"
He lowered his head and pressed his ear against her lower abdomen, the collar of his military green cotton-padded jacket brushing against her fleece. "He's saying hello to me."
Moonlight streamed through the frost-covered window, weaving a silver net on the ground.
Yun Tangyin touched Fu Yucheng's hair and suddenly noticed a white hair at his temple, like a snowflake.
“You’ve got gray hairs,” she said, plucking one out of his hair, a few specks of hair clinging to her fingertips. “Is it because you’re training too hard?”
Fu Yucheng straightened up and added a piece of coal to the stove: "I'm not old yet. When the child grows up, I can still teach him to shoot a gun."
The rabbit in the bamboo cage had woken up sometime earlier and was scratching at the bars with its front paws, looking in their direction.
Yun Tangyin punched him in the chest, her laughter mingling with the sound of snow falling outside the window.
As dawn approached, Yun Tangyin was awakened by the cold and discovered that Fu Yucheng was not beside her.
She got up and put on her coat, and saw him squatting in front of the chicken coop, holding a freshly laid egg in his hand, while the old hen clucked at his feet.
"It's freshly made, still warm," he said, putting the egg into her hand. "I'll make you a soft-boiled egg."
When Fu Yucheng brought over the soft-boiled egg, a thin layer of frost had formed on the rim of the porcelain bowl.
“I added some brown sugar,” he scooped a spoonful of milk into her bowl. “Director Wang said pregnant women should drink more milk to supplement calcium.”
As Yun Tangyin ate her egg, she suddenly noticed a red date at the bottom of her bowl, just as round and plump as the one in the chicken soup she had at her second sister-in-law's house yesterday.
"Did you put this there on purpose?" She looked up at him, her smile like the flickering flames in a stove.
Fu Yucheng added a piece of firewood to the stove, his ears turning slightly red: "Second sister-in-law said that red dates are good for replenishing blood, so I'm giving you some."
He suddenly remembered something, rummaged through the cabinet and pulled out a cloth bag. Inside was a piece of floral fabric, light blue with small floral patterns, just like the one he bought last time.
“It’s for making swaddling clothes for the baby,” he said, stuffing the floral fabric into her hand, his fingertips dusted with flour. “I saw some new ones at the supply and marketing cooperative yesterday, and they’re even prettier than the last one.”
Yun Tangyin touched the small floral print on the fabric and suddenly laughed out loud: "Have you bought up all the floral fabrics in the supply and marketing cooperative?"
Fu Yucheng scratched his head, the collar of his military green cotton-padded jacket brushing against his reddened earlobe: "Prepare more, just in case it's not enough."
The snow outside the window has stopped, and the sunlight makes the snow-covered ground appear white. The icicles under the eaves sparkle in the sunlight, like strings of crystals.
Yun Tangyin spread the floral fabric on the kang (a heated brick bed). The light blue daisies glowed softly in the morning light, like sparse spring sunshine spread on cotton wool.
“This is just the right amount to make two swaddles,” she said, measuring the fabric with her fingers. Suddenly, she looked up and smiled. “When the baby turns one month old, we’ll wrap them in this and show it to Mom. I guarantee she’ll praise you for your good shopping skills.”
Fu Yucheng was adding firewood to the stove when he heard this and turned around. His nose was covered in coal dust, and the front of his military green cotton-padded jacket was stained white. "Mom will definitely say that I'm biased, only buying things for the kids and not for you."
He suddenly pulled out a piece of crimson silk from the cabinet, with lotus vines embroidered on the edges. He had bought it in town last time. "I'll make you a padded jacket with this. It'll be perfect for spring. It'll look great with your black cloth shoes."
Xiao Lan's voice called from outside the courtyard, like a pebble dropped into the morning silence. "Sister-in-law! Brother Fu!"
She rushed into the courtyard carrying a bamboo basket, the red ribbon in her braid wrapped with fine snowflakes. "My mother steamed some sticky rice cakes and asked me to bring you a few!"
The steaming bean buns in the bamboo basket were covered with red bean grains, their golden glutinous rice skins resembling scattered pieces of agate.
Yun Tangyin stuffed a piece of locust flower cake into Xiaolan's hand, watching her tiptoe and peek into the bamboo cage. The rabbit was munching on the alfalfa that Fu Yucheng had added, its three-lobed mouth moving rapidly.
"It seems to have gotten fatter," Xiaolan reached out to touch it, then timidly withdrew. "My mother says that rabbits are better able to have babies when they're plump. Sister-in-law, how many do you think it will have?"
Fu Yucheng threw a carrot into the cage: "At least three, I'll give you the fattest one later."
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