Fu Yucheng finished laughing and ran his fingertips across Yun Tangyin's reddened nose: "Silly wife, of course we each wash our own."
Seeing Yun Tangyin's expression, Fu Yucheng smiled: "I mean, from now on you won't have to go far away in the cold weather, you can take a comfortable bath right here in the yard."
He gestured with his chin toward the stage, "Listen, the old gentleman has started singing. Let's find a sheltered spot to sit and listen."
The area in front of the stage was already crowded with people. The wives of soldiers sat on small stools with their children in their arms, most of them holding sunflower seeds in their hands.
Zhou Desheng's wife was distributing candy to the children when she saw Yun Tangyin coming over, so she quickly made room for her.
She slipped a piece of blue cloth into Yun Tangyin's hand. "How about this color for a bellyband? My husband says he wants another daughter."
Just as Yun Tangyin took the cloth, she saw Aunt Li squeezing over with her child in her arms.
The little one in my arms stared with his big, dark eyes, his little hand still clutching a half-eaten cookie, crumbs stuck to the corner of his mouth.
Aunt Li slipped a piece of floral fabric into Yun Tangyin's hand. "I just brought this from the textile factory. Here's a piece for you to make a little jacket. It'll be perfect for spring."
On the stage, the old gentleman Zhou struck the gavel, his voice as loud as a bell: "It is said that when Bao Gong was sitting in Kaifeng Prefecture, he suddenly heard the sound of drums shaking the heavens outside the hall!"
The audience fell silent immediately, even the toddlers who had just learned to run nestled obediently in their mothers' arms.
Director Wang stood in the front row holding his grandson, occasionally feeding the child a piece of baby formula.
Fu Yucheng carried over a charcoal brazier and placed it next to Yun Tangyin's feet: "You're still pregnant, warm your feet so they don't get cold."
He added a piece of charcoal to the basin, and the sparks crackled and jumped, warming his eyes and brows.
"There will be braised pork for lunch. I'll ask the cooks to stew it a little longer so it's very tender."
Yun Tangyin was listening intently when she suddenly felt her sleeve being tugged.
Looking down, I saw a little girl holding a rag doll: "I don't know how to sew this. The rabbit's ears are crooked. Can you sew them for me?"
The little girl's nose was red from the cold, and the cuffs of her coarse cotton-padded jacket were worn shiny, but they were clean.
Yun Tangyin took the doll and smiled, "Okay, I'll try. Whose little girl are you?"
The girl was quite young; she only approached Yun Tangyin because she felt a connection with her.
The two huddled around the charcoal brazier, busy with their work. The little girl's fingers were stiff from the cold, but she was learning very diligently. If the thread was crooked, she would take it apart and sew it again. Clearly, she valued this rag doll rabbit very much.
When the sun was directly overhead, the cooks carried over a large steamer.
Steaming white vapor, carrying the aroma of meat, filled the courtyard, and the military wives all got up to help set the table.
Zhou Desheng carried a octagonal table toward the stage: "Brother Fu, lend a hand! The table legs are a bit wobbly, we need to put a brick under them."
His loud voice startled several sparrows from the branches, which fluttered and landed on a distant woodpile.
Yun Tangyin followed Director Wang to pick up bowls and plates from the basket, the blue and white porcelain bowls clinking together with a crisp sound.
The director stuffed a red cloth bag into her hand: "There's twenty yuan in here, please keep it for me. After the baby's one-month celebration, we'll build a new well for the compound. The water from this well always has a slightly earthy taste."
A smile played on her lips as she looked at the wrinkles around her eyes. "People in the compound have mentioned it to the regiment several times, saying that it's too much trouble for the military wives to carry water."
Fu Yucheng was helping to lift the steamer when he heard this and turned around to call out, "Yinyin, remember to steam two more batches of brown sugar buns. Old Zhang's teeth aren't good, he can't eat hard ones."
The moment the steamer lid was lifted, plump white steamed buns released steam, and the red dots on them looked like newly blooming plum blossoms, attracting the children to circle around them.
When the banquet began, twenty tables were set up in the courtyard, and the glistening oil from the braised pork reflected the smiling faces of the military wives.
Aunt Li put a piece of spare rib in Yun Tangyin's bowl: "Eat quickly, these spare ribs are stewed until they fall off the bone."
She stuffed a piece of meat into her child's mouth, and the little guy chewed it until his face was covered in grease, making everyone around him laugh.
After a few rounds of drinks, Zhou Desheng's wife pulled Yun Tangyin toward the woodshed.
Lifting the coarse cloth curtain, strings of cured meat hung inside, oil droplets dripping from the rope. "These were sent from my family home."
She stuffed half a piece into Yun Tangyin's hand, saying, "You're pregnant, you need to have meat with every meal."
The cabbages piled in the corner were covered in frost, yet looked fresh and juicy, as if they had just been taken from the cellar.
As they returned to their seats, the old gentleman was singing about Bao Gong beheading Chen Shimei, and the military wives in the audience clapped their hands and cheered.
The little girl squeezed next to Yun Tangyin again, holding up a half-eaten meat bun, and stuffed the bun into Yun Tangyin's hand with her other hand: "Sister-in-law, this meat bun is even more delicious than my mother's! I'll share one with you, to thank you for helping me sew the rabbit..."
The little girl ate quickly, and bits of meat stuck to the corners of her mouth, making her look like a little kitten stealing food.
Yun Tangyin already knew her name.
Xiao Lan.
He also lived in the compound and was related to Yu Xia by blood.
As the setting sun cast its slanting rays upon the stage pillars, the guests gradually dispersed.
Fu Yucheng helped dismantle the stage, the wooden planks clanging together with a dull thud.
Fu Yuanzheng came over carrying a hoe: "The foundation of the bathhouse is almost leveled, and we can start building the walls in the spring."
He stuffed a sweet potato into Fu Yucheng's hand, saying, "It's fresh from the stove, very sweet."
Yun Tangyin followed Director Wang to clear the dishes and saw Xiao Lan squatting on the ground picking up rice grains. The rice grains were covered in dust, but she picked them up one by one into the winnowing basket.
"Don't pick them up anymore," Yun Tangyin handed over a piece of steamed bun. "Here, take this."
Xiaolan blushed as she took the steamed bun, her hands fidgeting with it because it was so hot, but her eyes shone like stars: "Thank you!"
When I got home, dusk had already fallen into the yard.
Fu Yucheng added a piece of coal to the stove, and the firelight licked the bottom of the pot, casting swaying shadows of the two people on the wall.
Yun Tangyin folded the fabric into the basket, placing the peony red piece on top. Moonlight streamed through the window lattice, illuminating it like a layer of shattered silver.
“Look,” Fu Yucheng suddenly pointed out the window, “Director Wang’s lanterns are up.”
Lanterns in the distance swayed in the twilight, and the laughter of military wives drifted on the wind, mingling with the footsteps of patrolling soldiers, like a soothing melody.
Yun Tangyin leaned on his shoulder and heard the rabbit in the bamboo cage chewing on green vegetables; the crunching sound was particularly clear in the quiet night.
“When spring comes,” she said softly, “we’ll plant some sunflowers in the yard, and they’ll bloom just as the baby is born.”
Fu Yucheng placed a hot water bottle in her hand; the warm touch spread from her fingertips to her heart, warmer than a charcoal brazier.
The moonlight rose higher and higher, shining on the woodpile in the yard, the ball of yarn on the windowsill, and this ordinary night filled with the warmth of everyday life.
The distant barking of dogs gradually faded, leaving only the occasional cough, which gently drifted into my dreams in this peaceful courtyard.
Yun Tangyin stroked her still relatively flat stomach and looked at the night view on the windowsill.
Fu Yucheng was lying right next to me, breathing steadily.
It carries a reassuring power...
Yun Tangyin smiled, leaned on Fu Yucheng's shoulder, and gently traced his facial features with her fingertips.
Fu Yucheng noticed Yun Tangyin's movement and suddenly opened his eyes.
The moment their eyes met, the two couldn't help but laugh out loud, and Fu Yucheng hugged Yun Tangyin even tighter.
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