Zhou Desheng took the locust flower cake, his fingertips touching the warm cake, which still carried the residual warmth of the steamer.
He took a big bite, the sweetness of brown sugar mixed with the fragrance of locust blossoms spreading in his mouth, even warming his frozen teeth.
“Yinyin’s cooking is still the best,” he mumbled with a piece of cake in his mouth, glancing at the rabbit cage. He saw Snowball scratching at the cage bars with its paws and suddenly laughed, “This little thing is just like my two boys. They can’t move when they see food.”
Fu Yucheng leaned the axe against the door frame, turned around and fetched a kettle of hot water from the kitchen: "Drink some hot water first to warm yourself up. It's easy to catch a cold when chopping wood in the snow."
He handed Zhou Desheng an enamel mug. The words "Serve the People" printed on the mug were somewhat faded, but it was an old item that Fu Yucheng had brought back from the army.
“Your cup is the same as mine,” Zhou Desheng said with a smile, holding the cup. “My son has already chipped my cup, but I still can’t bear to throw it away.”
As the two were talking, Zhou Desheng's wife's voice came from outside the courtyard. She walked quickly over carrying a cloth bag, her blue cotton jacket collar stained with snowflakes: "I knew you'd be here. I brought you some freshly steamed sweet potatoes."
She placed the cloth bag on the stone table, lifted a corner of the cloth, and the golden sweet potatoes were steaming, their sweet aroma mingling with the snowy air.
"Leave two for the rabbits too," she said, glancing into the cage. She saw the mother rabbit licking the fur of the flower ball. "Aunt Zhang said sweet potatoes can help with milk production, so let the mother rabbit have some too."
Hearing the noise, Yun Tangyin came out of the house carrying the freshly changed cotton quilt: "Come in and sit down quickly, it's snowing heavily outside."
She draped the cotton wool over the clothesline in the yard. The snow fell on the cotton wool and melted quickly, leaving only damp spots.
“This cotton wadding won’t be dry until noon,” she said, patting the snow off the wadding. “It’ll be very soft to put back on the rabbit tonight.”
Zhou Desheng's wife followed Yun Tangyin into the room and saw an unfinished tiger-head shoe placed by the kang (a heated brick bed). She picked up the shoe upper and examined it closely: "Yinyin, your craftsmanship is truly amazing. The tiger eyes are embroidered so realistically they look alive."
She slipped a piece of blue cloth into Yun Tangyin's hand. "My mother gave it to me. She said to make a little hat for the child. This cloth will block the wind, and it will be perfect for wearing in the spring."
Yun Tangyin took the cloth, her fingertips tracing the fine texture: "Thank you for thinking of this. The color of this cloth is really beautiful. The child will definitely look radiant wearing it."
In the courtyard, Fu Yucheng and Zhou Desheng had already started chopping wood.
As the axe fell, the fragrance of pine wood wafted through the air, and sawdust piled up in small heaps on the snow.
“Brother Fu, you’re really strong,” Zhou Desheng said, wiping the sweat from his brow. The snow on his military cap had melted, and the brim was damp with moisture. “I get tired after chopping three logs, but you can chop ten without even breaking a sweat.”
Fu Yucheng smiled and handed over the axe: "You take a break, I'll chop it. You just need to help me move the wood over."
After Xiaolan finished her porridge, she squatted down by the cage and fed the rabbit soybeans.
Snowball ate the fastest, his little mouth moving rapidly. Occasionally, he would glance up at her, his bright black eyes full of dependence. "Snowball, eat slowly, no one will take it from you."
Xiaolan smiled and gently patted Xueqiu's head, "When you grow up, I'll take you to play in the back mountain, there's lots of green grass there."
By the time the sun reached the top of the bamboo, Fu Yucheng had finally finished chopping the wood.
He picked up a polished wooden board and began to draw the shape of the feeding trough. The pencil made faint marks on the wood, and soon the outline of the feeding trough was sketched out.
“This feeding trough needs to be made deeper,” he told Zhou Desheng, “otherwise the rabbits will easily spill their food.”
Zhou Desheng leaned over to take a look: "Brother Fu, your drawing is really neat, even more professional than the carpenters in the carpentry shop."
Yun Tangyin brought out hot water and saw the two of them busy making food troughs. She handed them enamel cups and said, "Have some water and take a break."
She added a sweet potato to the cage, and the mother rabbit immediately came over, chewing it quickly with her three-lobed mouth, the sweet aroma of the sweet potato spreading out.
“Look how much the mother rabbit loves to eat,” Yun Tangyin said with a smile. “We’ll give her another piece later so she can get some more nutrition.”
Zhou Desheng's wife came out of the house, holding a small hat she had just sewn: "Yinyin, look, I've finished sewing the hat. Try it on to see if it fits."
The hat was made of blue cloth, with a small locust flower embroidered on the brim, the stitches were very fine.
Yun Tangyin took the hat and held it up to her wrist: "It fits perfectly. It will definitely be a good fit for the child. You have excellent craftsmanship."
Fu Yucheng put down the wooden board in his hand and came over to look at the hat: "This hat is really nice, even more exquisite than the ones sold at the supply and marketing cooperative."
He stuffed a piece of locust flower cake into Zhou Desheng's wife's hand: "Try it quickly, it's freshly steamed and still warm."
Zhou Desheng's wife took the cake, took a bite, and the sweet aroma spread in her mouth: "This cake is so sweet, even better than the ones my mother makes. Yinyin, you have to teach me how to make it."
Seeing that everyone was busy, Xiaolan wanted to help.
She took out scissors and scraps of cloth from inside the house, squatted down by the kang (a heated brick bed) to cut pieces of cloth, intending to make a small mat for the rabbit. "Sister-in-law, do you think the pieces of cloth I cut are pretty?"
She held up a piece of floral fabric and smiled. Yun Tangyin walked over and touched the fabric: "It's so pretty. Lan'er is so skillful. The rabbit will definitely like it."
By evening, the feeding trough was finally ready.
Fu Yucheng put the feeding trough into the cage and even carved a small locust flower on it. The wood grain was particularly clear under the light.
“This feeding trough is so pretty,” Yun Tangyin said, smiling as she touched the locust flower pattern. “It will make it easier for the rabbits to eat in the future, and they won’t have to fight for food all the time.”
The mother rabbit seemed to really like the new food trough; she went over to sniff it and even licked the acacia flower pattern, which made everyone laugh.
When Zhou Desheng and his wife said goodbye, Fu Yucheng slipped a piece of locust flower cake into their hands: "Take it back for the children to try, it's freshly steamed."
Zhou Desheng's wife took the cake and stuffed a cloth bag into Yun Tangyin's hand: "It contains my mother's pickled vegetables, which are perfect to eat with porridge. You should eat more while you're pregnant."
Yun Tangyin took the cloth bag, the fresh scent of pickled vegetables lingering in her nostrils: "Thank you for always bringing us things."
The courtyard returned to quiet. Fu Yucheng added a piece of coal to the stove, and the flames licked the bottom of the pot, making the room warm and cozy.
Yun Tangyin sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), holding a newly sewn little hat in her hand, gently shaking it to coax the baby in her belly: "Look, this is a hat that Aunt Zhou made for you. When you come out, you'll wear this hat and play with Snowball and the others. You'll definitely be the most dashing little baby in the yard."
Fu Yucheng walked over, hugged her from behind, and gently rubbed her lower abdomen with his palm: "Tomorrow I will polish the feeding trough again to make it smoother so that it doesn't scratch the rabbit."
He popped a rock candy into Yun Tangyin's mouth: "Hold it in your mouth to soothe your throat. You must be tired after a busy day."
Yun Tangyin leaned against him, listening to the soft rustling of the rabbit in the cage, and suddenly felt a sense of peace: "With you here, I'm not tired at all."
In the latter half of the night, the snow began to fall again, gently landing on the window paper like countless tender hands tapping softly.
When Yun Tangyin woke up, she found that Fu Yucheng was not beside her. When she got out of bed, she saw him squatting in front of the rabbit cage, holding a piece of cotton cloth and gently wiping the feeding trough.
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