In the courtyard, Song Yushuang was pouring cornmeal into a basin, intending to make some steamed buns.
Nian'an squatted down beside her, holding a small dough ball in her hand, kneading it like she was doing, getting flour all over her face.
"You little glutton," Song Yushuang said with a smile, wiping the flour off his face with her apron. "Once the steamed cornbread is cooked, I'll put some honey on it for you, it'll be sweet."
Nian'an immediately clapped her hands and shouted, "Honey, sweet!"
After finishing weaving the reed mats, Fu Yucheng began repairing the fence of the threshing ground.
He bundled the reeds into bunches and tied them securely to the wooden stakes with rope, his movements quick and steady.
Jiang Jianhua came over with a bowl of honey water: "Take a break and have some water."
Looking at the neat fence, she couldn't help but praise, "Your craftsmanship is really good; it's even sturdier than the carpenter we hired last time."
Fu Yucheng took the bowl and drank a mouthful: "I learned these from my dad when I was little. I got good at it after making them a lot."
Around noon, Fu Yuanshan returned carrying bamboo and chestnuts, with a few mountain eggs lying in the bamboo basket.
“I got them from the tree,” he said, handing the mountain eggs to Jiang Jianhua. “I’ll make steamed egg custard for Nian’an to help her recover.”
Jiang Jianhua took the eggs and carefully placed them in a bowl: "We have to eat these sparingly. It's just right to give them to Nian'an for two meals."
Song Yushuang said with a smile, "I'll add some minced meat in, it'll be even more fragrant."
Xiao Lan brought over a basket of freshly picked chili peppers; the bright red peppers looked like strings of little lanterns.
“My mother said these chilies are spicy enough, and she told my second aunt to use them when she cooks,” she said, placing the chilies on the stone table. “They smell so good in your yard, what delicious food are you making?”
Jiang Jianhua stuffed a piece of pumpkin cake into her hand: "I just made this pumpkin cake, have a taste. I'll stir-fry some snails for you to take home later."
Nian'an ran around the yard with the bamboo dragonfly made by Fu Yuanshan, while the silver longevity lock swayed back and forth in front of her chest.
Fu Yucheng picked him up and let him sit on his shoulders: "Look, your second uncle wove this reed mat for you, isn't it soft?"
Nian'an patted the reed mat with his little hands and said with a smile, "It's soft, sit down." Fu Yucheng then put him on the mat, and the little guy immediately rolled around on it, making everyone laugh.
In the afternoon, Jiang Jianhua started roasting chestnuts.
She washed the chestnuts, made a small slit in the shell, put them in a pot to stir-fry, and added some sand so that the chestnuts would be heated more evenly.
Soon, the aroma of chestnuts filled the entire courtyard. Fu Yuanshan sniffed and said, "They smell so good, even better than the roasted chestnuts sold in town."
Jiang Jianhua said with a smile, "Once they're cooked, I'll send some to Aunt Zhang first. She mentioned wanting to eat chestnuts last time."
Nian'an tiptoed to look into the pot, her little hand tugging at Jiang Jianhua's clothes: "Eat chestnuts."
Jiang Jianhua picked up a roasted chestnut, peeled it, and stuffed it into his mouth: "Eat slowly, don't burn yourself."
The chestnuts were fragrant and soft, and Nian'an's face turned rosy as she ate them, with chestnut kernels still stuck to the corners of her mouth.
Song Yushuang wiped his mouth: "This child, he doesn't care about anything when he starts eating."
In the evening, Fu Yucheng went to the river to fetch water and returned carrying a few small fish.
"I just caught this by the river," he said, putting the fish into a basin. "I'll make fish balls for Nian'an tomorrow; it's very fresh and tender."
Jiang Jianhua said with a smile, "Your fishing skills have improved. Before, you couldn't catch a single fish even after fishing for half a day."
Fu Yucheng scratched his head: "I just wanted Nian'an to eat more good food."
At dinner time, the aroma of fish ball soup wafted from the kitchen.
Nian'an sat on a small stool and scooped fish balls with a spoon. Although some still spilled, she was much more skilled than before.
Fu Yuanshan placed a fish ball in his bowl: "Nian'an, eat more so you can grow strong."
Nian'an raised her spoon and fed the fish ball to Fu Yuanshan's mouth: "Second Uncle, eat."
Fu Yuanshan smiled and opened his mouth to catch it, feeling a warm glow in his heart.
After dinner, the family sat in the yard to enjoy the cool evening air.
Fu Yuanshan waved a palm-leaf fan, and the lotus flowers on the fan surface were faintly visible in the moonlight.
Jiang Jianhua took out the finished red cloth bib and had Nian'an try it on: "The size is just right. Look how beautiful this longevity lock embroidered with gold thread is."
Nian'an looked down at the pattern on the bib, touched it with her little hand, and said with a smile, "Lock, light."
Song Yushuang leaned back in her rocking chair, watching Nian'an play, her heart filled with joy.
She knew that such days would continue, like the moonlight in the locust tree courtyard, gentle and lingering, illuminating every ordinary moment.
The shadows of the locust tree leaves swayed on the ground, as if someone was gently patting the tranquility of the courtyard. The air was filled with the sweet aroma of chestnuts and the delicious taste of fish ball soup. Everything was so warm and beautiful.
At night, Nian'an's little face was flushed, perhaps because she had eaten too many chestnuts during the day and was not sleeping well, smacking her lips from time to time.
Song Yushuang sat by the bed, fanning the child with a palm-leaf fan by the moonlight. The shadow of the lotus flower on the fan was cast on the wall and swayed gently with the fan.
Yun Tangyin walked in carrying a cup of warm water: "Mother, you should rest for a while too. I'll take care of him."
Song Yushuang waved her hand: "It's alright, I feel at ease now. I'll wake up from my sleepiness as I fan myself. Look at this child, his brows are still furrowed. He must still be dreaming about fighting over chestnuts."
Jiang Jianhua got up when the rooster crowed for the first time.
She cleaned the small fish that Fu Yucheng had caught, removed the tender fish meat, and slowly pounded it in a stone mortar.
The morning dew fell on her hair like scattered silver, but she was oblivious, focused only on pounding the fish paste, occasionally adding some scallion and ginger water to remove the fishy smell.
"It needs to be pounded more thoroughly," she muttered to herself, "so that Nian'an can digest it better."
By daybreak, the fish balls had been squeezed into round little balls, floating and sinking in the boiling water, like a group of snow-white little fish.
Song Yushuang went into the kitchen and sprinkled some green leafy vegetables into the pot: "Add some tofu, and the soup will be even more delicious."
Looking at the dark circles under Jiang Jianhua's eyes, she said with heartache, "Don't get up so early in the future. I can do it. You still have to sew and mend clothes during the day."
Jiang Jianhua smiled, scooped up a fish ball and tasted it: "It's okay, I sleep soundly, a little less sleep won't hurt. Look at this fish ball."
When Nian'an woke up, the courtyard was filled with the aroma of fish ball soup.
He kicked off the covers and ran to the kitchen, but was stopped by Fu Yuanshan as soon as he got to the door: "Wait, put on your clothes first."
Fu Yuanshan carried him back to the house, picked up the red cloth bib that Jiang Jianhua had made and put it on him. The silver longevity lock was perfectly embedded in the longevity lock pattern on the bib.
"Your second aunt's craftsmanship is amazing!" Fu Yuanshan exclaimed in amazement. "It's like a bellyband made specifically for this lock."
At the breakfast table, Nian'an held a small bowl and scooped fish balls with a spoon. Soup dripped down his chin, but he didn't bother to wipe it away.
Xiao Lan came in carrying a bamboo basket filled with freshly baked scallion pancakes: "My mother said they go perfectly with fish ball soup."
When she saw Nian'an's red cloth bib, her eyes lit up: "This bib is so pretty! Second Aunt, could you make one for me too? I want one with a rabbit embroidered on it."
Jiang Jianhua smiled and agreed, "I'll make you shoes after I finish making Nian'an's little shoes. I guarantee they'll be even prettier than these."
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