Chapter 148 What You Feed Me Is Sweeter Than Anything Else
Fu Yucheng twisted the coarse cloth gloves in his hand, rubbing his fingertips over the fine stitches. "Your stitches are more even than those made by a machine, and ten times better than the labor protection gloves issued by the army."
He suddenly stuffed a mint candy into Yun Tangyin's pocket. "I just bought it at the supply and marketing cooperative. It's cool to the touch and more greasy than plums."
Yun Tangyin smiled sweetly: "Go and sweep the floor quickly, don't keep Mom waiting anxiously."
She watched him walk towards the bamboo workshop, his back as tall and straight as the bamboo in the yard, and couldn't help shouting, "Sweep slowly, don't choke on the dust!"
Fu Yucheng turned around and waved at her: "I know, you're even more nagging than my mom."
Having said that, his footsteps slowed down a lot, and the sound of the bamboo broom scraping across the ground was very light.
Song Yushuang sprinkled chili powder into the bamboo sieve and said to Yun Tangyin with a smile, "Look at him. He was a bossy guy in the army, but when he came back, he became a clingy guy. Even more clingy than when he first married you."
Yun Tangyin blushed as she peeled garlic: "He just can't sit still."
Her fingertips were stained with the smell of garlic, and Fu Yucheng grabbed her wrists from behind and pressed her into the bamboo basin: "I just boiled some hot water, it's more comfortable than washing your hands with cold water, don't sting your eyes."
He wrung out a hot towel to wipe her hands, the rough cloth making her palms itch. "I'll get you a new garlic mortar this afternoon so you can pound garlic without any trouble."
Yun Tangyin leaned on his arm and said, "Why do you want to weave everything? We can hardly store all the bamboo utensils at home."
"If it doesn't fit, weave another bamboo cabinet." Fu Yucheng lowered his head and kissed the top of her head. "As long as it's convenient for you to use, I'm happy to weave as many as you want."
At lunchtime, Yuxia came in with a bamboo lunch box filled with freshly braised chicken feet. "Yinyin, try it! I added star anise and cinnamon. It's more delicious than the braised food stalls in town."
She also put two in Fu Yucheng's bowl and said, "You eat it too, to replenish your bones and muscles."
Fu Yucheng was about to put the chicken feet into Yun Tangyin's bowl when she held his hand: "I don't like gnawing on bones, you eat it yourself."
She put a piece of tofu into his bowl and said, "This is softer and easier to chew than chicken feet."
Yuxia covered her mouth and laughed, "The other day I saw Yuanshan weaving a small bamboo winnowing basket. He said it was for storing diapers for babies. It's more breathable than your cloth basket."
Yun Tangyin's eyes lit up: "More thoughtful than I thought."
Fu Yucheng gnawed on a chicken claw and snorted, "His winnowing basket is loosely woven. I'll weave a dense one for the child. It's stronger than his, and it won't leak no matter how many diapers are in it."
In the afternoon, Yun Tangyin sat under the shade of a bamboo tree, embroidering tiger-head shoes. Fu Yucheng squatted beside her, whittling bamboo strips. Suddenly, he held up a piece of bamboo strips and asked, "We're making a bamboo cart for the child. Which do you think looks better, a lotus or a butterfly on the cart shed?"
"A butterfly," Yun Tangyin suggested, "it's more graceful than a lotus. If a child sees it, he'll definitely reach out to catch it."
"As you say." He lowered his head to whittle bamboo strips. "Once the braid is done, I'll wrap a red string around the handlebars. It'll look more festive than just leaving them bare."
In the evening, Fu Yucheng went to the vegetable cellar to get some cabbage. Yun Tangyin followed behind him, carrying a bamboo lantern. The cellar was very cool, so he quickly took off his coat and put it on her: "This coat has just been roasted in front of the stove. It's warmer than your jacket."
Yun Tangyin, wrapped in a coat that smelled of fireworks, smiled: "Aren't you cold?"
"I have a strong fire." He put cabbage into the bamboo basket. "This cabbage is tightly packed and firmer than the ones outside. It tastes sweet when stewed."
He suddenly stuffed a frozen pear into her pocket and said, "I put it in the cellar this morning. It's more thirst-quenching than the ice cream sold in town."
Yun Tangyin took a bite of the frozen pear and gasped for air because it was so cold. Then she saw Fu Yucheng coming over and said, "Let me have a taste too."
She stuffed half a piece into his mouth. He grimaced because it was so cold, but he smiled and said, "It's tastier than candied haws, and perfect for cooling off in the summer."
At dinner, Fu Yucheng poured a bowl of millet porridge into Yun Tangyin's bowl: "I added some pumpkin, it's more fragrant than white porridge, you try it."
There was only white porridge in his own bowl. Yun Tangyin poured half a spoonful of pumpkin porridge into his bowl: "Don't just give it to me, you need to eat it too."
Fu Yucheng hurriedly started eating. Song Yushuang and Yu Xia smiled at each other. In the light of the bamboo lamp, the food on the table was steaming, just like the day, warming people's hearts.
At night, Yun Tangyin was lying on the kang. Fu Yucheng was massaging her feet when he suddenly said, "Tomorrow I'll go to town and buy you two pounds of raisins. I'll make you some steamed cakes. They're sweeter than red dates and less irritating to the teeth."
"You don't have to go so far. The supply and marketing cooperative sells it, right?" Yun Tangyin touched his hand. "You can just buy it there."
"That won't work," Fu Yucheng lowered his head and kissed her ankle. "The raisins at the supply and marketing cooperative aren't as plump as the ones in town. I'll buy you the best ones, they're very sweet."
Yun Tangyin tugged at his collar and laughed, "You always treat me like a greedy girl."
"You are my greedy girl," Fu Yucheng hugged her in his arms, "I love you more than a child."
He suddenly stuffed a small bamboo box into her hand and said, "This is for you. I carved it while I was making the cart this afternoon."
The box was lined with tissue paper and contained a silver necklace. The pendant was a small locket engraved with the word "peace." "It's more plain than the earrings I wore last time, so it won't stand out."
Just as Yun Tangyin was about to put it on, he held her hand back and said, "Wait until the baby is born. Don't strain your neck now."
He suddenly kissed her neck.
The bamboo wind chimes outside the window rang twice, as if responding to the sweetness in the house.
Yun Tangyin touched the red agate on her wrist and listened to Fu Yucheng's heartbeat. Suddenly, she felt that this warmth could spread out and warm the years to come.
The next morning, Fu Yucheng came in holding a small bamboo gadget. "Do you like this little bamboo kite? I tied a bell to the tail. It makes a sound when it flies. It looks better than ordinary ones."
Yun Tangyin took it and shook it, the bells jingling. "It's even more exquisite than the ones I buy in town. How come you can weave everything?"
She stuffed a piece of peanut candy into his mouth and asked, "Is it sweet?"
"Sweet," Fu Yucheng smiled while chewing the candy, "What you feed me is sweeter than anything else."
He suddenly stuffed a small bamboo pen holder into her hand and said, "It's for you to use as an embroidery needle. It's sturdy and won't break if you drop it."
There was a small orchid engraved on the pen holder. Yun Tangyin touched the pattern and smiled, "You even thought of this."
"If I don't pay attention to you, who else should I pay attention to?" Fu Yucheng hugged her in his arms, "But you are my wife."
As he was speaking, Song Yushuang called from the courtyard, "Yinyin, come quickly. Yuxia brought you some freshly steamed red bean paste buns. They're even sweeter than the last ones. Oh, and the fish I bought is here too."
Just as Yun Tangyin was about to stand up, Fu Yucheng held her back: "I'll go, you sit down."
He went out and didn't come back for a long time.
Yun Tangyin got up and went out to see. As soon as she walked out of the door, she saw Fu Yucheng busy moving a large basket of small yellow croakers.
Maybe it’s because pregnant women have a more sensitive sense of smell, but the fishy smell in the basket made her retching.
Yun Tangyin quickly covered her mouth and turned away, trying to suppress the discomfort in her stomach.
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