Chapter 37: Sweet Fragrance of Winter Wine, Warmth Fills the House
The morning dew in the courtyard hadn't yet dried, but Liu Hong was already standing on a wooden stool, hanging cotton-padded clothes under the eaves. The morning breeze lifted the hem of her moon-white cotton jacket, and she reached up to secure the last of her blue cotton-padded jackets. Her fingertips were red from the cold, but she smiled as she looked at the quilted clothes lined up on the clothesline. The old corn stalks under the eaves swayed against her, bringing with them the dry, crisp scent of the autumn harvest.
"Sister Liu Hong, let me help you!" Xiaoyanzi ran in from outside, holding a bamboo basket. Her ginger-colored jacket was stained with grass debris, and the red silk ribbon at the end of her braid swept across the wild chrysanthemums in the corner. In the basket were scraps of cloth she had just brought from the mansion. "My mother asked the embroiderer to cut some silk and satin scraps. They're very soft, perfect for making hand warmers for the children."
Liu Hong jumped off the wooden stool, took the bamboo basket and looked through it, her fingertips stroking a piece of pink satin scraps: "This material is really soft, the hand warmers sewn out of it will definitely be comfortable." Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she picked up a cloth bag from the stone table, "I practiced the characters you taught me for half the night last night, look..." In the cloth bag were several sheets of hemp paper with the words "warmth", "safety" and "home" written on them with charcoal. Although the strokes were crooked, they were much neater than last time.
Xiaoyanzi took a closer look and immediately clapped her hands. "What great progress! This '家' character is the most realistic. The roof of the character looks like the roof of our compound, and the '豕' at the bottom looks like a small bean rolling around!" She picked up the charcoal pencil and held Liu Hong's hand. "Look, the horizontal lines should be flat and the vertical lines should be straight, just like being upright..."
A sizzling sound came from the direction of the kitchen. Liu Qing came out carrying a large porcelain basin. The sleeves of his blue shirt were rolled up to his elbows, and his face was covered in flour. "Come and try some freshly made multi-grain pancakes! They're sweet with sweet potato flour!" He placed the basin on the stone table. The pancakes in the coarse porcelain bowl were still steaming, the edges toasted to a golden and crispy golden color. "I gave two to Uncle Zhang this morning. He said they were better than the ones sold in the shops in the city."
Xiao Jian walked into the courtyard carrying a food box. A thin layer of frost fell on his long blue cloth gown. He opened the box to reveal four ceramic jars. "Mother asked the kitchen to brew some rice wine and some osmanthus sugar. We'll seal the jars and bury them next to the stove. We'll be able to drink them in a few days when the weather gets cold." He glanced at the cotton-padded clothes hanging on the clothesline, then at the rags on the stone table. Warmth welled up in his eyes. "The chimneys in the compound are busier than usual. Just looking at them makes me feel warm."
"That's right!" Liu Qing picked up a multi-grain pancake and stuffed it into his mouth, mumbling, "Shopkeeper Wang from East Street ordered another thirty pancakes yesterday. He said the guys on the construction site are so used to our sweet noodle sauce that they don't want to go to other shops anymore." He wiped the flour from the corner of his mouth and pulled out a purse from his pocket, shaking it with the sound of copper coins. "This is the income from the past few days, enough to buy cotton shoes for grandpa and grandma!"
Liu Hong took the purse, her fingertips stroking the coarse cloth bag of flour, her eyes a little warm. "After work, let's go to the old shoe shop in the West Market. Shopkeeper Zhang's cotton shoes are so sturdy that they last winter didn't even fall apart." She suddenly remembered something and took Xiaoyanzi's hand. "By the way, Xiaoyanzi, I tried to make a small jar of the pickled radish recipe you mentioned last time. Would you like to try it?"
Xiaoyanzi's eyes lit up, and she followed Liuhong into the house, the red ribbon on her braid nearly catching on the clothesline. "Take me there! My mom says pickled radish is the most delicious with porridge in winter. If it's good, we'll pickle a few more jars for New Year's!"
The room was filled with the delicate aroma of pickles. A small clay pot sat in the corner. Liu Hong lifted the lid, and the sour, spicy aroma immediately filled the air. She plucked a bright red radish with her chopsticks and passed it to Xiaoyanzi. "I added Sichuan peppercorns and rock sugar, and marinated it for three days. It should be crispy enough."
Xiaoyanzi took a big bite, and the crisp sound echoed in the room. "Delicious! Even better than what the chef back home makes! Liu Hong, with your cooking skills, you could open a pickle shop in the future!" She mumbled with a radish in her mouth, "Teach me how to make it later. I'll go back and ask the kitchen to learn how to pickle it too, and send more jars to the compound."
The sound of children's laughter came from outside the yard, and Xiaodouzi ran in holding a rag doll. The doll was a rabbit sewn by Liu Hong with scraps of cloth. Its ears were crooked, but it looked very proud: "Sister Xiaoyanzi! Sister Liu Hong! Look at the slingshot that my second brother made for me!" Liu Qing followed behind, holding a wooden fork slingshot in his hand. The wood was polished smooth and wrapped with a red cloth strip.
"Be careful not to break the glass!" Liu Hong smiled and patted Xiao Douzi's head. She picked up a piece of pink satin scraps from the bamboo basket and said, "I'll sew a new scarf for your rabbit later. It needs to stay warm even when it's cold."
Xiao Jian squatted beside the stone table, helping Liu Qing count the cotton they had just bought. His fingertips traced the snow-white cotton wool. "I asked Zheng Biaotou to bring some chilblains. Have the grandparents apply them tonight." He looked at Liu Qing. "Have the wheels on the stall been repaired? Did you push it smoothly this morning?"
"Smooth! So smooth!" Liu Qing rubbed his hands and smiled, revealing two rows of white teeth on his dark face. "The wooden wedge you gave me is just right. It doesn't wobble at all when I push it. It saves a lot of effort than before. I want to go to the lumber shop this afternoon to see if they can add a small drawer to the stall cart so that I can store sauces."
"I'll go with you!" Little Swallow ran out of the house, clutching half a pickled radish in her hand. "There's a sugar painting stall opposite the lumber shop. I saw one with little rabbit paintings last time. I'll buy a few for Xiaodouzi and the others!"
As the sun crested the treetops, the courtyard gradually became bustling with activity. Grandma Zhang sat on a bamboo chair, basking in the sun, turning the walnuts Xiaoyanzi had given her in her hands. Liu Qing and Xiao Jian were repairing the chicken coop, the thump-thump of their wooden mallets mingling with their laughter. Liu Hong and Xiaoyanzi squatted by the stone table, sewing hand warmers, scraps of fabric twirling between their fingers: red ribbons, blue strips, and pink satin corners, creating tiny dots of warmth. The children chirped around Liu Qing's slingshot, their pigeons pinned with tiny flowers Liu Hong had made from scraps of fabric.
Smoke rose from the kitchen, mingling with the sweet aroma of multi-grain cakes, the sour fragrance of pickled radish, and the soft, fresh scent of cotton, spreading in the warm late autumn sun. Little Swallow finished sewing the last hand warmer and held it up to the sun. The little rabbit made of scraps of fabric shone a warm yellow in the light, like a little sun held in her hands.
"Look, carrying it like this in winter is like carrying a charcoal brazier." She stuffed the hand warmer into Liu Hong's hand, and the touch of her fingertips was warm.
Liu Hong clutched her hand warmer tightly, watching her brothers busy around the yard, the elderly basking in the sun, and the children playing. Suddenly, she felt that winter in this compound wasn't cold at all. Xiao Jian handed her the freshly warmed rice wine, and the coarse porcelain bowls made a crisp sound as they clinked together. As the warm wine went down her throat, the sweetness spread from the tip of her tongue to the depths of her heart.
The cotton-padded jackets under the eaves are still swaying, and the wild chrysanthemums in the corners are still blooming. The days in the courtyard are like this jar of newly brewed rice wine, which slowly precipitates the most mellow warmth over the years, and turns the friendship of the four young people into the most touching sweet fragrance in the cold winter.
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