Chapter 133: Hoping for a Son Soon
When they came back from the river, Erzhuzi was squatting at the gate weaving bamboo frogs. When he saw them, he held up the frog and jumped up: "Look! It jumps when you press it!"
A bamboo reed was stuffed into the frog's stomach, and it would croak when pressed.
Yun Tangyin stuffed a handful of dried mulberries into his pocket. "It's even more magical than the ones in the county toy store. By the way, the little duck you made is swimming in the river. Go and see if it's sunk."
Erzhuzi ran away, and Fu Yucheng suddenly grabbed Yun Tangyin's hand: "Let's go and take a look, don't let him fall into the water."
In the reeds by the river, Erzhuzi was using a bamboo pole to fish out ducklings. Fu Yucheng suddenly grabbed him from behind and said, "Be careful, you might slip."
He stuffed the child into Yun Tangyin's arms and said, "Watch him. I'll go get the duck."
The bamboo duck looks even more delicate in the water, and the red silk cloth floats in the water like a flower.
Yun Tangyin stroked the duck's wings and smiled: "I'll sew a small cloth bag for the duck later to hold peanuts."
Erzhuzi suddenly pointed at the water and said, "Brother Fu, look! There are fish over there! Can you make a fishing net for me?"
"Let's talk about it after you learn how to weave bamboo baskets." Fu Yucheng scratched his nose. "Let's go home and have pumpkin soup for a midnight snack."
At midnight snack time, Yuxia came in with a bowl of black bean porridge: "Yinyin, try it quickly. I added brown sugar to warm you up."
She glanced at the dragon and phoenix patterns on the wall. "Yuanshan said he wants to varnish the bamboo screen. What color do you think is suitable?"
"Just varnish it." Yun Tangyin smiled as she scooped up some porridge. "The natural color of the bamboo brings out the grain best, and it pairs perfectly with the gold thread."
She suddenly remembered something and said, "Tomorrow I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a can of gold powder to draw a gilded edge on the dragon scales."
Fu Yucheng put a piece of pumpkin in her bowl and said, "I'll go, you stay home and embroider the pillowcase."
At night, while Yun Tangyin was embroidering a pillowcase, Fu Yucheng was beside her, installing wheels on a bamboo horse. The wheels were wrapped with red ropes and turned silently.
"Do you think these wheels are flexible?" he asked, holding up the bamboo horse. "The child will definitely not fall when riding on it."
Yun Tangyin leaned over to take a look: "Wrap it with a blue strip of cloth to match the little tiger jacket."
She suddenly yawned, "The old Chinese doctor said we should go to bed early, let's take a rest."
Fu Yucheng had just put his childhood sweetheart away when he saw Yun Tangyin crawling into bed: "You smell like bamboo strips, go wash your hands."
"I've washed it." He lifted the quilt and lay down. "I washed it with the osmanthus soap you gave me. Doesn't it smell good?"
Yun Tangyin leaned into his arms and said, "It smells as good as the incense in the temple."
The next morning, just as Fu Yucheng was about to go to the supply and marketing cooperative, Zhou Mingniang came in holding a bamboo sewing basket. "Yinyin, do you see anything in this basket? I made you one with a drawer that can hold your scissors."
The edge of the basket is woven with twined branches, and a small ring is drilled into the drawer as a handle.
Yun Tangyin stuffed a piece of almond biscuit into Zhou Mingniang's hand and said, "It's a hundred times better than my old basket. I'll embroider a cloth cushion for you later."
Fu Yucheng suddenly remembered something: "Aunt Zhou, can you weave a small bamboo medicine box? I want to put medicine for Yinyin."
"Of course not." Zhou Mingniang patted her chest and laughed, "I'll weave it tomorrow. I guarantee it won't leak."
In the supply and marketing cooperative, Fu Yucheng had just picked up the gold powder jar when Director Wang came in holding a bamboo lampshade. "Comrade Fu, do you think this lampshade is well-woven? The department store wants to order fifty."
The lampshade is woven with thin bamboo strips and covered with gauze paper to reveal the pattern.
Fu Yucheng touched the edge of the lampshade: "It's perfect for a kerosene lamp."
He suddenly winked at Director Wang and said, "Let my wife embroider some flowers on the gauze paper. It will definitely be a hit."
Director Wang's eyes lit up. "That's great! I'll go measure the dimensions right away."
When I got home, Yun Tangyin was tying a red string to the bamboo wine cup.
She arranged the wine glasses into the shape of a Chinese character for "happiness" and tied red string around the handles to form a bow. "What do you think of this as a wedding gift?" she asked, holding it up.
Fu Yucheng stuffed a candy into her mouth. "It's more respectable than the enamel cups in the city. By the way, Director Wang wants to order an embroidered lampshade. What pattern do you want?"
"Just embroider bamboo branches." Yun Tangyin picked up the needle and thread, "It will match our crib."
In the afternoon, Fu Yuanshan came to deliver a bamboo rice spoon. Seeing the lampshade paper, he smiled and said, "I'll paint a layer of varnish on the bamboo frame. When you embroider again, I guarantee that the ink won't seep through."
He stuffed a small bamboo clip into Fu Yucheng's hand and said, "Use it to hold the baby's diaper."
Yun Tangyin stuffed a piece of sesame candy into his pocket and asked, "Second brother, how come you think of everything?"
"I'm looking forward to seeing my nephew." Fu Yuanshan smiled. "By the way, reporter Li said the pictorial will be printed at the beginning of next month and asked us to go get a sample copy."
Lying on the kang at night, Yun Tangyin touched Fu Yucheng's chest and asked, "Do you think the pictures in the magazines make me look fat?"
"It would look better if she was a little fatter." He snuggled into her arms, "like the Goddess of Childbirth in the temple."
Yun Tangyin twisted his arm and said, "If you keep talking nonsense, I won't sew socks for you."
"No, no, no." Fu Yucheng begged for mercy, "My wife is the most beautiful, even prettier than the movie stars in the magazines."
Yun Tangyin couldn't help but laugh: "You're just sweet-talking. By the way, I'm going to the army tomorrow to deliver pillowcases. By the way, I'll ask the girl from Captain Zhang's family what color schoolbag she likes."
"No need to ask." Fu Yucheng patted his chest, "I've seen the schoolbag she carries. It's army green. Let's embroider a green five-pointed star with silver thread."
The moonlight outside the window fell on the bamboo railings of the crib, casting tiny shadows.
Yun Tangyin suddenly felt that such days were like a bamboo net. It looked simple, but it made all the daily necessities sweet.
The next day after delivering the pillowcases, Captain Zhang insisted on inviting them to dinner.
At the dinner table, Mrs. Zhang held up a pillowcase and laughed, "This mandarin duck embroidery looks so real! It's even better than the quilt cover I bought in the county town."
She stuffed a piece of bacon into Yun Tangyin's hand and said, "To nourish you, my parents brought some."
Fu Yucheng was about to refuse when Captain Zhang stopped him and said, "Take it! Sister Yinyin is pregnant, she needs to eat something good."
Yun Tangyin blushed: "I haven't..."
"It's almost there." Captain Zhang waved his hand. "Looking at the energy and spirit you two have, you're sure to have a big fat boy."
On the way back, Yun Tangyin touched her hot face and smiled: "Why did Captain Zhang say I was pregnant?"
"He's hoping we'll have a baby soon. When we do, I'll treat everyone in the group to red eggs."
Yun Tangyin hit him on the back and said, "You are the only one who can brag." But the corners of his mouth were raised high.
When I got home, Jiang Jianhua was sitting in the yard varnishing a bamboo screen. "You two are finally back."
She held up the brush and smiled, "You have to apply this varnish three times to bring out the brilliance of the gold thread."
The dragon and phoenix on the bamboo screen shone in the sunlight, and the dragon scales embroidered with gold thread seemed to be shining.
Yun Tangyin touched the bamboo screen and smiled, "This will definitely win the first prize."
Fu Yucheng stuffed an oil-paper bag into her hand and said, "This is the bacon that Mrs. Zhang gave me. I'll stew some radish for you tomorrow."
He suddenly remembered something, "Is Aunt Zhou's medicine box ready? I'll go get it."
Zhou Mingniang's medicine box was indeed exquisite. It was divided into two layers, the upper layer for medicine bottles and the lower layer for gauze. There was also a small lock buckle on the edge of the lid.
Yun Tangyin put a piece of velvet in the medicine box: "Now I don't have to worry about the medicine bottles breaking."
At night, when Fu Yucheng was tying a red rope to the medicine box, Yun Tangyin suddenly covered her mouth and yawned.
"Are you tired?" He put down the rope. "An old Chinese doctor said that spring brings fatigue and autumn brings on sleepiness. You need to rest more."
Yun Tangyin leaned into his arms: "I'm just a little tired."
She suddenly looked up and smiled, "Do you think our children will love weaving bamboo objects like Erzhuzi?"
"It doesn't matter what she looks like." Fu Yucheng lowered his head and kissed her forehead. "As long as she's our child, even if she loves to play the flute."
The chirping of insects outside the window mixed with the rustling of bamboo branches is like a gentle lullaby.
Yun Tangyin rubbed Fu Yucheng's chest and soon fell asleep.
In her dream, she was holding a fat baby, who was holding a small bamboo rattle in his hand and smiling like a sugar painting at a temple fair.
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