As soon as the news spread, the aunties all brought their small stools and crowded into the yard.
Someone even specifically pulled Gu Mingyue along: "Mingyue, the mooncakes you gave us to taste last time were the most authentic, you have to come and teach us!"
Gu Mingyue smiled and agreed, and went to the yard early in the morning with the rolling pin and gauze from home.
Flour, lard, and red bean paste were laid out on the long table. Several young military wives were struggling with the dough, but when they saw her, they immediately surrounded her.
"Mingyue, I can never get this dough evenly kneaded. Can you teach me?"
Gu Mingyue picked up the dough and demonstrated: "Add warm water slowly, and knead until you can stretch the dough into a thin gluten, just like 'stretching the muscles and bones' of the dough."
As she spoke, she helped adjust the pressure by hand, and before long, the originally rough dough became smooth and pliable.
On the other side, Qin Hongmei was struggling with the oil pastry when Gu Mingyue went over to give her some pointers: "The ratio of lard to flour in the oil pastry must be correct. Don't knead it too hard when you're kneading it, or it will easily become glutenous."
She also shared all her tips for making mooncakes: "When wrapping the filling, push the dough slowly, apply even pressure when pinching the edges, and brush two layers of egg wash before baking for a brighter color."
When Lu Lin returned from training, he could see smoke rising from the chimney in the yard from afar.
Gu Mingyue stood in front of the table wearing an apron, surrounded by a group of people, all holding dough and following along.
As he approached, the first batch of mooncakes came out of the oven. The golden mooncakes were steaming hot, and the aunties were laughing as they stuffed them into his hands.
"Try it! This is what Mingyue taught us to make!"
Lu Lin took a bite, the sweet aroma mixed with the smoky flavor spreading in his mouth. He looked up and saw Gu Mingyue helping to put red marks on the mooncakes, her forehead beaded with sweat, but a smile on her lips.
As the sun sets, the ovens in the courtyard are still running, and every household holds freshly made mooncakes in their hands, filling the air with a sweet aroma.
Everyone held Gu Mingyue's hand and said, "We'll have to ask you to be our teacher again next Mid-Autumn Festival."
Gu Mingyue smiled and nodded, looking at the joyful laughter filling the courtyard, her heart was sweeter than the mooncake in her hand.
The next day, Gu Mingyue went to the post office to carefully pack the mooncakes and egg yolk pastries.
Each mooncake was individually wrapped in oil paper, with a handwritten note at the bottom, filled with her instructions.
After mailing the package, she went to the phone booth in the camp. Holding the cold receiver, she listened to the busy tone from the other end of the line, and her heart jumped.
After finally getting through, a familiar voice came through the receiver. Gu Mingyue's eyes welled up with tears, and her voice softened: "Grandma, I've sent you the mooncakes. They should arrive before the Mid-Autumn Festival."
On the other end of the phone, Xia Huiying kept asking about her health and said that her family was looking forward to her returning home for a family reunion.
Gu Mingyue smiled and agreed, telling her about the fun she had making mooncakes in the family compound and getting along with her neighbors.
At the end of the conversation, Xia Huiying reminded her to take care of her health and told Lu Lin not to overwork herself.
Gu Mingyue agreed to everything, and when she hung up the phone, she could still hear her family laughing through the receiver.
Gu Mingyue was holding the phone receiver when she heard the good news coming from the other end of the line, who was laughing. She had just finished talking to Xia Huiying about sending mooncakes.
"By the way, Mingyue, Wanwan and He Xiao are getting engaged, and the date is set for October."
Gu Mingyue's eyes lit up, and she gripped the receiver tighter: "Really? That's wonderful! Wanwan and He Xiao have been together for so long, and finally, things are looking up!"
She still clearly remembered the last time she went back to her hometown, when Lu Wanwan secretly told her about her feelings for He Xiao, her eyes filled with undisguised joy.
Xia Huiying was rambling on about the trivial matters of preparing for the engagement, saying that she needed to make new bedding and invite relatives over for a lively celebration.
Gu Mingyue listened attentively, occasionally chiming in with a few words, a smile always on her lips.
After hanging up the phone, Gu Mingyue turned around and bumped into Lu Lin standing not far away. She quickly grabbed his hand and shared, "Wanwan is getting engaged to He Xiao! Grandma said she's busy preparing for the days starting in October."
Lu Lin was also happy: "These two should have been engaged long ago. We'll ask someone to send them a congratulatory gift later."
After dinner, Gu Mingyue took out the red silk cloth she had treasured at home, and also found the colorful silk threads. She sat under the lamp and began to ponder them.
“Wanwan likes bright colors, so the double happiness character needs to be embroidered more fully to look better.”
As she spoke, she gently traced the outline on the silk with chalk, then held the embroidery needle between her fingertips, threaded the bright red silk thread, and meticulously outlined the design stitch by stitch.
When Lu Lin finished washing the dishes, he saw her embroidering intently with her head down and stray hairs falling across her forehead. So he moved a small stool over and sat down beside her, picking up a spool of thread to help her organize the threads.
“I remember when Wanwan was little, that boy He Xiao would follow behind her and carry her little schoolbag.”
Lu Lin recalled with a smile, his fingers clumsily trying to thread the needle for her, failing several times to get the thread through the eye of the needle, which made Gu Mingyue laugh out loud.
"Who would have thought that these two would end up together?"
Gu Mingyue's needles didn't stop, and the "double happiness" character on the red silk cloth gradually took shape, with a few strands of gold thread adorning the edges, shimmering softly under the lamplight.
As night deepened, Gu Mingyue finally finished the last stitch of her embroidery and laid the handkerchief out on the table to examine it.
The red silk, adorned with gold-threaded double happiness characters, looked especially festive. She carefully folded it and placed it into the prepared brocade box.
The next day, Gu Mingyue calculated Lu Wanwan's work hours and, on a whim, dialed Lu Wanwan's workplace.
After a short wait, a familiar yet cheerful voice came through the receiver: "Hello?"
"Wanwan, it's me," Gu Mingyue said with a smile.
No sooner had she finished speaking than a cheerful response came from the other end: "Sister-in-law! Why did you think of calling my workplace?"
The voice on the other end of the line carried an undisguised smile, and even its tone was lighter than usual.
Lu Wanwan chattered on about the trivial matters of engagement preparations: "He Xiao specially took leave to accompany me to choose fabrics and make new clothes. Mom is still sewing the wedding quilt, saying that it will be auspicious to embroider mandarin ducks on it."
When she spoke of He Xiao, her voice softened involuntarily, "He secretly bought me a plum blossom watch yesterday, saying it was a betrothal gift."
Gu Mingyue listened quietly, occasionally responding with a few words. From her cheerful tone, one could almost see the girl on the other end of the phone with her eyes crinkling.
"Hearing you say that, I know you're doing well." Gu Mingyue smiled and reminded him, "Don't wear anything too thin on your engagement day, it'll be chilly in the mornings and evenings."
Lu Wanwan readily agreed and then inquired about her daily life during her pregnancy.
They talked on the phone for a long time until someone called Lu Wanwan to do something, and she reluctantly hung up.
After hanging up the receiver, Gu Mingyue felt a sense of relief.
The undisguised happiness emanating from Lu Wanwan through the receiver was more reassuring than any words.
Time passed quietly, and Gu Mingyue's pregnancy was already three months over.
After enduring the initial days of feeling weak all over, she was finally able to leave the house for some fresh air.
On the day of the follow-up examination, I carried a small wish with me, and my steps were lighter.
Lu Lin still took her to the hospital on his bicycle, always keeping her in a less crowded corner while they waited.
When it was time for the follow-up examination, the doctor smiled and said that the fetus was developing steadily.
Gu Mingyue's anxiety subsided, and after a moment's hesitation, she asked softly, "Doctor, I've been craving spicy food lately. Can I have a little bit now?"
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