Jiang Jianhua's fingertips traced the lining of the wooden box. The light blue and white floral fabric was as soft as a cloud. Then he touched the handkerchief embroidered with bamboo leaves. The fine stitches held a wealth of heartfelt sentiments. Tears fell onto the locust flower pattern on the wooden box, leaving small damp marks.
“Yinyin, the bamboo leaves you embroidered are even more exquisite than last time. And the scarf that Aunt Zhang knitted, I mentioned the pattern to you last time, and you still remember it now.”
Aunt Zhang smiled and wiped away her tears: "Silly child, why are you crying? It's good that you're back. Let Auntie see if you've lost weight while you were away."
She took Jiang Jianhua's hand and looked him up and down. "You look alright, you look pretty good, but your hands are a bit rough. It must be from working hard as a carpenter. You should rest more at home from now on. I'll make you some chicken soup to help you recover."
Fu Yuanshan put his luggage in the corner, which contained gifts for everyone. He took out a cloth bag from his bag and handed it to Zhou Desheng: "Desheng, this is some good wine from the city. I brought it for you specially. Let's have a good drink together tonight."
He took out another paper package and handed it to Xiaolan, saying, "Lan, this is a candy from the city. It's sweeter than the ones in our town. You, Ming'er, and Liang'er can share it."
Xiao Lan took the candy, her eyes crinkling with laughter. She quickly unwrapped one and popped it into her mouth, her eyes squinting with sweetness. "Thank you, Uncle! It's even sweeter than the candy my mom bought! I'll save two for Auntie!"
Jiang Jianhua patted her head and said with a smile, "Lan'er is so good. Your second aunt also brought you a gift. It's a flower hair tie from the city. There are red ones and pink ones. I'm sure you'll like it."
Zhou Desheng's wife brought over freshly brewed brown sugar water and handed a cup to Jiang Jianhua and Fu Yuanshan respectively: "Drink some sugar water to warm yourselves up. You must have caught a chill on the way."
She looked at Jiang Jianhua and said with a smile, "Jianhua, you're finally back! Yinyin has been looking forward to you every day, saying she's waiting for you to come back so we can do embroidery and make shepherd's purse dumplings together."
Yun Tangyin leaned against Fu Yucheng's chest, watching the lively scene before her. Suddenly, the little one in her belly moved gently, as if it was happy for this reunion.
"Second sister-in-law, look at the rouge I bought for you. It's a new peach-pink color that just arrived in town. You'll definitely look beautiful wearing it."
She asked Fu Yucheng to bring over the rouge and handed it to Jiang Jianhua, saying, "And there's the wooden box Fu Yucheng made for you. It's specially carved with locust flowers and lined with red velvet. It'll be perfect for storing your needles and thread."
Jiang Jianhua took the rouge box, opened it, and saw that the light pink color was elegant. She brought it to her nose and smelled it. It was full of sweet fragrance: "It looks so good. It makes my complexion look better than the ones sold in the city supply and marketing cooperative. Yinyin, you are always so thoughtful."
She put the rouge box back into the wooden box, then picked up the scarf and wrapped it around her neck, smiling at Fu Yuanshan, "Do you think it looks good? Aunt Zhang's knitting is really good."
Fu Yuanshan smiled and nodded: "It looks good."
As evening fell, the aroma of shepherd's purse dumplings filled the kitchen. Zhou Desheng's wife and Aunt Zhang were making dumplings together, and Jiang Jianhua joined in to help. She pinched the dumplings tightly and even pinched pretty frills on the edges.
“The shepherd’s purse at home is so fresh,” Jiang Jianhua said while making dumplings. “You can never find such tender shepherd’s purse in the city. I get so hungry just thinking about it.”
Fu Yucheng started a fire in the courtyard, set up an iron pot, and prepared to cook dumplings. Yun Tangyin sat in a rocking chair watching, occasionally reminding him, "Put the dumplings in after the water boils, don't let them break. Second Sister-in-law has finally come back, she should be able to eat a whole one."
Fu Yucheng smiled and replied, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing, I'll definitely cook it perfectly."
Xiao Lan was playing with slingshots with Zhou Ming and Zhou Liang in the yard when Fu Yuanshan joined in, teaching the children how to aim: "Don't pull the rubber band too hard. Aim before you release, or the pebble will fly off course."
He picked up his slingshot, aimed at the old locust tree in the yard, and with a "thud," the pebble landed right on the scar on the tree, making the children cheer: "Second Uncle is so amazing!"
The dumplings are cooked and served hot. They are plump and cute. Take a bite and the aroma of shepherd's purse mixed with the freshness of meat fills your mouth with the warmth of home cooking.
Jiang Jianhua took a bite and squinted his eyes in satisfaction: "Homemade dumplings are still the best, even more fragrant than those in city restaurants. I'll have to eat them a few more times since I'm back."
Fu Yuanshan put a dumpling into her bowl: "Eat more, we'll cook more if you're still hungry. We have plenty of shepherd's purse at home, you can eat your fill."
He added another dumpling to Yun Tangyin's bowl, saying, "Yinyin, you should eat more too. You need to nourish yourself while you're pregnant. These dumplings are nutritious."
Aunt Zhang watched everyone enjoying the meal and felt a surge of joy: "In a few days, we'll go to the back mountain to dig up winter bamboo shoots, make a stew with winter bamboo shoots and meat, so that Yuanshan and Jianhua can also have a taste, and Yinyin can also get some nourishment."
Zhou Desheng's wife nodded: "Okay, I'll steam some more pumpkin cakes. It'll be better if our whole family is together and having a lively time."
At night, the moonlight spilled into the courtyard, and the buds on the old locust tree shone with a tender green light.
Fu Yucheng and Fu Yuanshan sat in the courtyard drinking, while Jiang Jianhua and Yun Tangyin sat embroidering nearby. Aunt Zhang and Zhou Desheng's wife were clearing away the dishes. The children were already fast asleep, and the courtyard was filled with a warm and cozy atmosphere.
“Ah Cheng, I’m not leaving this time,” Fu Yuanshan said softly, taking a sip of wine. “I always miss home when I’m in the city. Now that Yinyin is about to give birth, our family needs to be together so we can take care of each other.”
Fu Yucheng's eyes lit up, and he patted him on the shoulder: "That's great! I've been looking forward to your return for a long time. Things will definitely get better and better."
Jiang Jianhua held Yun Tangyin's hand and said with a smile, "Yinyin, after you have your baby, I'll help you take care of it. We can embroider together, dry radishes, and let the children play in the yard. It will be so lively."
Yun Tangyin nodded: "Okay, then we can embroider a big handkerchief together, covered with locust flowers and bamboo, and hang it in the house as decoration. It will definitely look beautiful."
Under the moonlight, everyone chatted about everyday things, their laughter carrying far. The old locust tree outside the courtyard seemed to rejoice as well, its buds swaying gently, as if anticipating a tree full of blossoms soon to come.
Yun Tangyin leaned against Fu Yucheng's chest, touching her belly, feeling completely at ease.
She knew that the days to come would be as warm as the moonlight on this spring night, as deeply rooted and evergreen as the old locust tree in the courtyard, and that the happiness full of everyday life would forever remain in this small locust courtyard.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Fu Yuanshan woke up Fu Yucheng with a hoe on his shoulder: "Acheng, let's go dig bamboo shoots in the back mountain. Aunt Zhang said yesterday that the bamboo shoots in the back mountain are growing well, which is perfect for making stewed meat for Yinyin to nourish her body."
Fu Yucheng rubbed his eyes and nodded with a smile: "Okay, I've wanted to go for a long time. I can learn from you how to find winter bamboo shoots. I could never find any good ones before."
The two walked towards the back mountain through the morning dew. The mountain path was still a bit slippery. Fu Yuanshan walked in front, bending down from time to time to check the roots of the bamboo: "To find winter bamboo shoots, you have to look at the direction of the bamboo rhizomes. Generally, the bamboo rhizomes extend in the direction that the bamboo leans. Winter bamboo shoots grow at the end of the bamboo rhizomes."
He pointed to a mound of earth at the base of a bamboo stalk, "Look at this mound, there are cracks on it, there must be winter bamboo shoots underneath."
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