Chapter 171: In half a month it will be the Little New Year
Fu Yucheng's palm gently covered the back of Yun Tangyin's neck, and the warm touch seeped in through the velvet coat, like the charcoal fire simmering in the stove.
He looked at the light shadows cast by her eyelashes, and suddenly remembered the first time he met Yun Tangyin when he was young. She was also dozing against a tree trunk, with a dandelion tangled in the end of her hair, which fluttered down in the wind.
The pickled cabbage and pork ribs were bubbling on the stove, and the sour aroma mixed with the meaty fragrance spread out, making the icicles on the windowsill drip water.
When Yun Tangyin woke up, the sky was already a pale purple.
Fu Yucheng was squatting in front of the chicken coop, holding a handful of millet in his hand. The old hen was pecking at the millet in his palm. Its yellow feathers were covered with snow, like a moving lump of gold.
"It recognizes people," he smiled, his fingertips stained with rice, "I reached out to touch it just now, but it didn't peck me."
Just as she was about to stand up, she saw Fu Yucheng coming in with a bowl of spare ribs. There was a layer of oil on the edge of the porcelain bowl, which sparkled in the light.
"I added some rock sugar," he said, putting a piece of crispy bone in her bowl. "Director Wang said that adding rock sugar to stewed spareribs is the key to releasing the calcium."
The spareribs were stewed until they were tender and crispy, falling off the bones with a poke of chopsticks. The sourness of the sauerkraut mixed with the aroma of the meat exploded on the tip of the tongue, making it so warm that sweat broke out on the tip of one's nose.
While they were eating, they heard Mrs. Li's loud voice from outside the yard, and she rushed in wrapped in the wind and snow: "Yinyin! Is the light still on in your house?"
She came in through the curtains, the snow on her cotton shoes melting into small puddles on the ground. "I just changed the baby's diaper and heard some noise at your house, so I brought you two hot steamed buns."
Yun Tangyin served the child two pieces of pork ribs, but Mrs. Li quickly stopped her: "He's just teething, don't get stuck."
She glanced at the table and saw the ribs piled high in the bowl. She suddenly smiled and said, "Your Yucheng really treats you like a treasure. My wife is so lucky to remember to bring me a bag of salt."
Fu Yucheng added a spoonful of soup to Mrs. Li's bowl: "Drink it while it's hot to drive away the cold. Look at your face."
Mrs. Li sipped her soup and peered into the chicken coop. She saw the old hen squatting in the coop, dozing off. Suddenly, she clapped her thigh and laughed, "This chicken is more humane than the one at home! Look at how it's curled up, like a little old lady."
She stuffed a bag of Sichuan peppercorns into Yun Tangyin's pocket. "My parents sent them. Put two in when stewing meat. It's very fragrant."
After seeing Mrs. Li off, Fu Yucheng added a piece of coal to the stove, and the fire cast a swaying shadow on the wall.
He suddenly pulled out a wooden box from the cabinet. Most of the red paint had fallen off and the lock was covered with rust.
"I found it while cleaning the warehouse a few days ago. Mom asked me to give it to you."
He opened the box, which was covered with a red cloth. Song Yushuang came in at the right moment and, seeing this, she said, "My mother left this for her future grandchildren. She said she saved up money to make it when she was young. Now that she's found it, she's giving it to you."
The silver lock was engraved with the words "Long Life", and its edges were polished to a shine, obviously having been touched countless times.
Yun Tangyin held the silver lock, and the cool touch touched her palm.
"It's really beautiful." She hung the silver locket around her neck, close to her heart. "I'll put it on the baby when it's born."
Fu Yucheng hugged her from behind, his chin resting on the top of her head. His army green cotton jacket wrapped them both like a ball of warm cotton wool.
The wind got stronger in the second half of the night, making the window paper whistle.
Yun Tangyin was woken up by the cold and saw Fu Yucheng spreading hay on the chicken coop. His military boots made a slight squeaking sound as they stepped on the snow.
"The chicken coop is leaking," he stuffed a piece of cotton wool into the coop. "Don't let the chickens get cold. They still need to lay eggs in the spring."
The moonlight shone through his shoulders, stretching his shadow very long, like a silent mountain.
She put on her clothes, stood up, and stuffed a hot water bottle into his hand: "Just filled it with hot water, keep warm."
Fu Yucheng stuffed the hot water bottle into his arms, and suddenly grabbed her hand and touched the chicken coop: "Look, it laid eggs."
There was a white egg lying in the haystack, still a little warm, looking like a piece of jade in the moonlight.
Yun Tangyin put the egg into the pocket of her cotton-padded jacket and suddenly smiled: "I'll make you some fried eggs tomorrow with chopped green onions."
When it was almost dawn, the snow started falling again, fluttering like crumpled cotton wool.
Fu Yucheng added some firewood to the stove, and the flames leaped up, illuminating the calendar on the wall.
In half a month it will be the Little New Year.
He stuffed a piece of red paper into Yun Tangyin's hand and said, "I just got this from the clerk. I'll give it to you to cut into paper-cuts. It will also make the window brighter if you stick it on it."
The red paper glowed warmly in the firelight, like a melting sunset glow.
Yun Tangyin picked up the scissors and twirled the red paper in her hands. Soon, she cut out a fat baby, imitating the New Year picture, with a carp in its arms. It was exactly the same as the New Year picture on the wall, but not as exquisite as that one, but at least it looked the same.
"It's cut more lively than New Year pictures," Fu Yucheng leaned in to look, his nose almost touching the top of her head, and praised her seriously, "I'll borrow some glue later and stick it on the window. I'm sure all the soldiers' families in the regiment will come and learn."
As she was talking, Xiaolan ran in holding a stuffed animal. The snow on her braids hadn't melted yet, and it looked like it was covered in icing sugar. "Sister-in-law! Look at the rabbit I made this time!"
The doll had its head tilted and its eyes were sewn with red beans. It was much more neat than the one Xiaolan gave me last time.
"My mother said that this rabbit should have three red bean eyes," she pointed at the puppet's forehead, "and the middle one is the third eye, which can see monsters."
Yun Tangyin stuffed a candy figurine into Xiaolan's hand and said, "I just got this from the supply and marketing cooperative. It's a Monkey King figurine. Have fun with it."
Xiaolan was chewing on the candy man, and suddenly pointed at the window grilles and shouted, "This fat baby looks just like the baby in my sister-in-law's belly!"
Fu Yucheng added a piece of coal to the stove. The flames licked the bottom of the pot, making the rice porridge in the pot bubbling loudly.
He poured a spoonful of porridge into Yun Tangyin's bowl. The rice oil floated on top like a thin layer of jade. "Eat more. We'll go to the regiment headquarters later to get the New Year's goods. I heard that there are more melon seeds distributed this year than last year."
Yun Tangyin drank porridge and listened to the sound of falling snow outside the window. Suddenly, she felt that the day was like the porridge in the pot, simmering over a slow fire.
When receiving New Year’s goods, the military family compound is like a bustling market.
Yu Xia ran over, holding a string of candied haws, the sugar coating gleaming in the sun. "I've saved this for your family. I've asked the doctor, and it's okay if you eat one or two this month, just don't eat too much."
Zhou Desheng's wife held a piece of bacon, the oil staining her blue cloth jacket to create a small yellow spot. "My mother sent it to you. I'll stew it with cabbage for you."
Fu Yucheng was carrying a bag of flour, Yun Tangyin was carrying a bag of melon seeds, and Song Yushuang was not idle either, but she walked slowly behind them, looking at the shadows of Yun Tangyin and Fu Yucheng pressed closely together on the snow, and she smiled so much that her eyes formed crescents.
On the way home, Fu Yucheng suddenly stuffed a red hairband into Yun Tangyin's hand.
Yun Tangyin smiled, pinching her red hairband. Seeing his ears reddened from the cold, she suddenly stood on tiptoe and blew into his ears: "Why are you giving me this? You want me to wear a big pigtail?"
Fu Yucheng's ears turned even redder. He held her hand and walked home. His military boots stepped on the snow, leaving two sets of side-by-side footprints, extending all the way to the lit light in the yard.
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