The dew in the pumpkin patch hadn't dried yet, but Fu Yucheng had already picked a full basket of old pumpkins.
“This pumpkin needs to be sun-dried,” he said, placing the pumpkin on a reed mat in the threshing ground. “It will keep longer if the skin is dry.”
Nian'an chased butterflies with a small pumpkin the size of a fist in her hand. The silver longevity lock cast tiny glints of light in the morning light, and the pumpkin blossoms on the tiger-striped bib were a bright yellow.
Xiao Lan squatted down beside them, helping to pick up pumpkin leaves. A bamboo pumpkin basket was placed to the side, already filled with some tender pumpkins.
"Can these leaves be used to feed rabbits?" she asked, holding up a palm-sized leaf.
Fu Yucheng nodded with a smile: "That's amazing! Your rabbit will definitely get fat if it eats that."
Xiao Lan immediately stuffed the leaves into the basket, and the bamboo rabbit ears were bent down, looking like a little rabbit with drooping ears.
The pumpkin flower rolls in the kitchen are ready. The snow-white dough is filled with orange-yellow pumpkin puree and steamed until fluffy and soft.
"Come and eat," Jiang Jianhua stuffed a piece into each of the children's hands, "It won't be sweet when it gets cold."
Nian'an took a bite of the steamed bun, the sweetness of the pumpkin mixed with the aroma of wheat spreading in his mouth, making him smack his lips. The crumbs of dough stuck to the corners of his mouth looked like white whiskers added to his tiger-striped bib.
Aunt Zhang sat under the eaves, holding pumpkin sauce, and used a small spoon to spread it on the steamed buns.
"This sauce with steamed buns is absolutely amazing!" she exclaimed, smacking her lips. "Jianhua, if you opened a shop in town with this skill, it would definitely be a hit."
Jiang Jianhua smiled and put a few steamed buns into her basket: "Take them back for your grandson; they taste best when they're hot."
Fu Yuanshan was weaving a pumpkin basket in the yard. The bamboo strips spun in his hands, and soon he had woven a round basket with a handle.
“This basket is specially for young pumpkins,” he said, securing the opening with a bamboo strip. “It’s more presentable to carry it when visiting neighbors than a cloth bag.”
Nian'an tried to put the small pumpkin into the basket, but she couldn't get it to sit steadily, which made Fu Yuanshan laugh: "Little darling, this is for filling pumpkins, not for throwing stones. Put it in gently."
The midday sun caused the pumpkin leaves to curl up. Jiang Jianhua cut the tender pumpkin into shreds and poured rapeseed oil into the pot.
"These shredded pumpkins need to be stir-fried quickly," she said, flipping them rapidly with a spatula, "otherwise they'll release water and won't be crispy."
Yun Tangyin walked in carrying pickled cucumbers: "I cut some cucumbers and stir-fried them with shredded pumpkin. They're sour, crisp, and refreshing."
Xiao Lan sat in the yard peeling pumpkin seeds; the bamboo rabbit basket was already half full.
“You have to pick the plump ones,” she said, tossing the empty shells aside, “they’ll be more fragrant when roasted.”
Song Yushuang walked over while sewing the soles of her shoes. When she saw the melon seeds in the basket, she nodded and said, "Once they're dried, I'll teach you how to soak them in salt water before frying them. The more you crack them, the more fragrant they become."
The evening glow painted the threshing ground a golden-red hue, and Fu Yucheng carried the dried pumpkins under the eaves.
“These pumpkins need to be arranged in a pyramid shape,” he said, placing the larger ones at the bottom and the smaller ones on top, “so that they can be well-ventilated and won’t spoil easily.”
Nian'an followed behind, carrying a pumpkin, her steps faltering, which made everyone laugh.
On the dinner table were stir-fried pumpkin shreds, pumpkin flower rolls, pickled cucumbers, and freshly cooked pumpkin porridge.
Nian'an held the bowl of porridge and drank it happily. The sweetness of the pumpkin mixed with the sourness of the cucumber melted in her mouth. Some porridge grains were stuck on her little face, making her look like a little kitten that had stolen some food.
Xiao Lan put some pumpkin shreds into his bowl: "These shreds are very crisp, eat more."
As the moonlight climbed to the top of the locust tree, Jiang Jianhua was sewing a pumpkin-shaped cloth doll for Nian'an.
“This doll is filled with pumpkin seeds,” she said, sewing pumpkin patterns onto the yellow cloth. “When you hold it in winter, it makes a rustling sound, like it’s singing.”
Song Yushuang sat beside her mending socks, the ball of yarn rolling around on her knees: "I put pumpkin fluff into Nian'an's cotton pants, they're softer than cotton, and they won't make your legs cold in winter."
Fu Yucheng and Fu Yuanshan sat in the courtyard smoking, the glow of their pipes illuminating the pile of pumpkins in the corner.
"Roast the pumpkin seeds tomorrow," Fu Yucheng said, tapping his cigarette ash, "and put them in the basket Xiaolan wove, for the children to snack on."
Fu Yuanshan nodded: "I'll weave another melon seed tray and put it on the stone table so that people can crack melon seeds when they come to visit."
Nian'an lay on the small bed, hugging a pumpkin doll and clutching half a pumpkin flower roll in her hand.
"The melon is sweet," he mumbled indistinctly, his eyelids gradually drooping.
Jiang Jianhua covered him with a thin blanket and saw that Xiao Lan had secretly put a handful of roasted pumpkin seeds in the pumpkin basket beside his pillow. The plump seeds glistened in the moonlight.
The locust leaves outside the window rustled, as if telling the story of these ordinary yet happy days.
In the earthenware jars of the storage room, the sweet aroma of pumpkin sauce, the refreshing sweetness of candied water chestnuts, and the salty fragrance of sesame salt mingled together, brewing a unique warmth in the twilight.
This warmth comes from the care between family members and the mutual assistance between neighbors, which slowly settles over the years and brews the most authentic flavor of life.
As dawn broke, Fu Yuanshan squatted in the yard roasting pumpkin seeds. The seeds in the iron pot popped and crackled, and the salty aroma mixed with salt wafted over the fence.
"You have to keep turning them over," he said, stirring the pan with a wooden spatula, the white sunflower seeds rolling around in the pan like waves. "Otherwise they'll burn and become too bitter to eat."
Nian'an rubbed his eyes and ran out of the house, the pumpkin doll he was hugging was all crumpled.
“The seeds smell good,” he said, leaning close to the pot and inhaling deeply. The silver longevity lock hung from his clothes, swaying gently with his breath.
Fu Yuanshan poured a handful of lukewarm melon seeds into his hand: "These were fried yesterday. Use them to tide you over. They'll only be crispy when they're completely cooled down."
In the kitchen, Jiang Jianhua was cutting an old pumpkin into chunks, intending to make pumpkin puree.
“This pumpkin needs to be steamed until very soft,” she said, placing pieces of pumpkin into the steamer. The orange-yellow flesh glistened with moisture. “If you mash it into a puree and mix it with flour, you can make pumpkin steamed buns.”
Song Yushuang sat in front of the stove adding firewood, poking at the embers in the firebox with fire tongs: "I've boiled a pot of water, it'll be just right for kneading the dough later."
Xiao Lan brought freshly picked greens in a rabbit basket on her back; the spinach in the basket was still covered in dew.
“My mother says that pumpkin buns filled with vegetables are even more fragrant than meat buns,” she said, placing the basket on the stone table. The bamboo pumpkin basket contained a freshly woven bag of melon seeds. “This bag is just the right size for melon seeds; it’s breathable and won’t spill.”
Yun Tangyin took the greens and praised, "These spinach are so tender you could squeeze water out of them. I'll make spinach soup for the kids later and have them with steamed buns."
Fu Yucheng was drying pumpkin slices in the threshing ground. The pumpkin slices in the bamboo trays were already half-dried and had an amber sheen.
“Dry it until it’s not sticky to the touch,” he said, turning the melon strips over with his chopsticks. “Then put it in an earthenware jar and add some when cooking porridge in winter; it’ll make it sweet and delicious.”
Nian'an ran over holding a pumpkin doll. The pumpkin seeds inside the doll made a "rustling" sound, which made him shake his arm and say, "It sounds like singing."
The midday sun made the stone table scorching hot, and Jiang Jianhua poured the steamed pumpkin puree into a basin.
"You have to knead the flour while it's still hot," she said, kneading the dough with her hands. The sweet aroma of pumpkin puree mixed with the scent of wheat filled the yard. "That way, the dough will be soft and sweet."
Aunt Zhang came to borrow a steamer with a basket on her shoulder. When she saw the dough in the basin, she clicked her tongue and said, "This color is so beautiful, it looks like it's mixed with gold. Can you save me a couple of steamed buns too?"
Fu Yuanshan put the roasted pumpkin seeds into bags woven by Xiao Lan, and tied each bag with a red string.
“This bag is for Nian’an,” he stuffed a handful of sunflower seeds into the bag, “and this bag is for Xiaolan to take back to her parents to eat.”
Nian'an poured the bag into her mouth, scattering sunflower seed shells all over her, making the gold thread on her tiger-striped bib shine even brighter.
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