Xiao Lan smiled so much her eyes crinkled when she heard Yun Tangyin say that. She grabbed the rabbit mat and ran to the rabbit cage, carefully placing the mat in the corner where Snowball usually stayed.
Snowball seemed to smell a familiar scent and immediately moved away from its mother rabbit. It scratched the mat with its little paws, then curled up and lay down, its little tail swaying gently.
"Look! It really likes it!" Xiao Lan shouted back towards the eaves, her voice full of joy. Zhou Ming and Zhou Liang also came over to look. The three children surrounded the rabbit cage, their chattering laughter filling the yard.
Zhou Desheng's wife put down her needlework and moved closer to Yun Tangyin, looking at the bamboo she had just embroidered on the handkerchief: "Yinyin, your bamboo embroidery is truly exquisite. The patterns on the bamboo leaves are so vibrant. If Jianhua received this handkerchief, he would definitely keep it in his pocket every day and wouldn't want to use it."
She picked up the handkerchief and shook it gently. The silk threads shimmered softly in the sunlight. "When they come back in the spring, you can teach me to embroider this pattern again. I also want to embroider a handkerchief for my husband. He always says I'm clumsy and can't embroider anything pretty."
Yun Tangyin smiled and handed over the spool of thread: "It's not difficult. You're good with your hands. You'll learn in a couple of days. We can embroider together then. I'll also embroider one for my second brother so that the two brothers can have something to remember him by."
She looked up at the old locust tree outside the courtyard. Some of the snow on the branches had melted, revealing dark brown branches. "When the locust flowers bloom, we can use the locust flower juice to dye the thread. The colors of the embroidery will be more special and even more beautiful than the dyes we buy."
Aunt Zhang came over with a bowl of freshly cooked corn porridge. Steam rose from the rough porcelain bowl, and the sweet aroma mixed with the fresh scent of corn made one feel warm just smelling it.
“Try it,” she said, handing the bowl to the children. “It’s freshly cooked corn porridge with a little sugar. You’ll definitely like it.”
Zhou Ming took the bowl, blew on it, and took a big gulp. It was so hot that he grimaced, but he still smiled and said, "Delicious! It's even sweeter than my mother's cooking!"
Zhou Liang nodded in agreement, his little mouth bulging so much that he could barely speak.
After Fu Yucheng finished polishing the bamboo strips, he picked up the newly woven feeding trough and looked at it. The edges were polished smooth and rounded, and a small pattern was woven around the outside, making it both beautiful and practical.
"Yinyin, what do you think of this feeding trough?" He handed it over. "Rabbits always spill their food when they eat. This trough is deep, so it should help."
Yun Tangyin took the food trough and touched the delicate bamboo texture with her fingertips: "It's so beautiful. Your skills are getting better and better. It's even more exquisite than what you can buy in town. Everyone will definitely praise you again."
At dinner time, the kitchen was filled with the aroma of stewing chicken soup. It was made from an old hen that Aunt Zhang had brought from home. It had been stewing all afternoon, and golden oil floated on the surface of the soup. Sprinkled with chopped green onions, it looked so delicious that it made one's mouth water.
Yun Tangyin ladled out a bowl of chicken soup and handed it to Aunt Zhang: "Aunt Zhang, try it quickly. This chicken soup is really delicious. Drink more to nourish your body."
Aunt Zhang took the bowl, scooped up a spoonful of soup, and felt the warmth slide down her throat into her stomach. She couldn't help but sigh, "Homemade chicken soup is still the best. The soup in city restaurants doesn't taste like this. If I could have a bowl of this when I come back from the mountains, I would definitely say I miss home."
Zhou Desheng took a sip of wine, then suddenly remembered something and said to Fu Yucheng, "Brother Fu, shall we go to the back mountain tomorrow? I heard from Old Wang the other day that the mountain spring has thawed. Let's go and fetch some spring water. My wife is pregnant, so drinking spring water is better than drinking well water."
Fu Yucheng put down his wine glass and nodded: "I'll go first thing tomorrow morning and check if the wild vegetables on the back mountain have sprouted yet. If there are shepherd's purse, I'll dig some up and make shepherd's purse dumplings for Yinyin."
Yun Tangyin put a piece of chicken into Fu Yucheng's bowl: "Wear more clothes when you go. The spring water in the back mountain will definitely be slippery. Be careful not to fall."
The next morning, Fu Yucheng and Zhou Desheng carried buckets of water and walked towards the back mountain. Their footprints were deep in the snow, and when the wind blew, the snow on the branches fell down in a flurry.
Sure enough, the mountain spring behind the mountain thawed, and the spring water flowed down through the cracks in the rocks. It was crystal clear and was even steaming slightly.
“This spring water is so sweet,” Zhou Desheng scooped up a handful and took a sip. “It’s sweeter than well water.”
Fu Yucheng took out a bucket and carefully filled it with spring water. Once the bucket was full, the two of them went to look for shepherd's purse nearby. The lush green shepherd's purse had just sprouted and was so tender that you could squeeze water out of it. In no time, they had dug up a full basket.
Yun Tangyin was busy embroidering handkerchiefs at home, while Zhou Desheng's wife helped her with the stitches. Xiao Lan, along with Zhou Ming and Zhou Liang, were feeding shepherd's purse to the rabbits in the yard.
"Sister-in-law, look how much Snowball loves to eat shepherd's purse!" Xiaolan shouted, holding up a shepherd's purse. "After eating shepherd's purse, it will definitely grow stronger. When Uncle and Aunt come back, they will see a plump Snowball!"
Yun Tangyin nodded with a smile: "Yes, when Second Uncle and Second Aunt come back, we'll make dumplings with shepherd's purse so they can taste the flavors of home."
When Fu Yucheng and Zhou Desheng returned, it was already noon. The two of them carried heavy buckets on their shoulders and baskets full of shepherd's purse in their hands.
Yun Tangyin quickly went over and took the basket from them: "This shepherd's purse is so fresh. Let's make shepherd's purse dumplings this afternoon and let the children have a taste."
Fu Yucheng put down the bucket and wiped the sweat from his forehead: "I tasted this spring water, it's very sweet. You can make some jujube tea this afternoon, using the spring water, it will definitely taste better."
The afternoon sun shone warmly in the courtyard. Yun Tangyin and Zhou Desheng's wife were making dumplings under the eaves, Fu Yucheng was playing hopscotch with the children, and Aunt Zhang was sitting on a stone bench basking in the sun, knitting a scarf for Fu Yuanshan.
"Yinyin, do you think the pattern on this scarf is okay?" Aunt Zhang held up the scarf, which was made of dark blue yarn with simple stripes. "I thought that Yuanshan works outside, so the scarf should be thicker, so I knitted two extra layers. It will definitely keep him warm."
Yun Tangyin looked up and smiled, saying, "This pattern is beautiful and it's thick. Second Uncle will definitely be warm wearing it. He'll be overjoyed if he knew you knitted him a scarf."
After Xiaolan finished making a dumpling, even though it was crooked and uneven, she still held it up to show everyone: "Look at the dumpling I made! Doesn't it look like a little gold ingot? When Uncle and Aunt come back, I'll make dumplings for them too!"
Fu Yucheng chuckled and coaxed her, "They're just like that! Our Lan girl's dumplings are the most delicious!"
Zhou Ming and Zhou Liang also joined in making dumplings, and soon the cutting board was filled with all kinds of dumplings, some shaped like ingots, some like crescent moons, and some like small steamed buns, exuding a strong sense of home cooking.
At dinner time, the aroma of shepherd's purse dumplings wafted from the kitchen. Once the dumplings were cooked and served, a bite into one of the plump white dumplings revealed a filling of shepherd's purse that was so delicious it made one squint their eyes.
Yun Tangyin ladled out a bowl of dumplings and handed it to Aunt Zhang: "Aunt Zhang, try some, these shepherd's purse dumplings are so delicious, please have some more."
Aunt Zhang took the bowl, took a bite of a dumpling, and the fresh aroma of shepherd's purse filled her mouth. She couldn't help but nod and say, "It's so delicious, even fresher than cabbage dumplings. If I could eat this when I come back from the mountains, I would definitely eat a big bowl of it."
As the sun gradually set, it dyed the sky orange-red, and the red lanterns in the courtyard were lit. The warm red light reflected off the snow, as if coating the courtyard with a layer of sugar.
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