Chapter 182 Three Little Balls of Fluff were Born
Fu Yucheng added a piece of coal to the stove. Sparks flew onto the blue bricks, illuminating the corners of his army-green cotton-padded jacket with a warm glow. "Director Wang's little grandson is spinning around with a cake in his arms."
He took off his snow-covered combat boots, the soles of which scraped fine straw against the ground. "He also said he wanted to be friends with rabbits and asked me to bring him to see the bunnies in the spring."
Yun Tangyin was wiping the flour off her chopsticks with a cloth. She laughed out loud when she heard this: "This kid is just like Xiaolan. He can't move his feet when he sees a rabbit."
She stacked the chopsticks wrapped in red cloth into the chopstick cage. The red cloth swayed in the morning light like a string of small lanterns. "When the rabbits give birth in spring, let them take turns feeding them. I won't have to worry about them every day."
Zhou Desheng's wife walked towards the kitchen, carrying an empty bowl. The cuffs of her blue cloth jacket were stained with vinegar. "My two boys should be counted as one too. Yesterday they were clamoring to learn how to weave rabbit cages, saying they wanted to compete with Brother Fu."
She suddenly turned around and pointed at the locust flower cake on the chopping board. "Is there any cake left? I'll take two pieces back and let the children have a taste."
Yun Tangyin stuffed the oil-paper bag into her pocket and said, "Take more. Fu Yucheng steamed a large tray of food. It's enough for two or three days."
Mrs. Li sat down on the kang holding the child. The child was holding a piece of uneaten dumpling wrapper in his hand and was stuffing it into his mouth.
"Yinyin, the red ribbon you wrapped around your chopsticks looks really nice," she smiled as she touched the ribbon on the chopsticks. "My husband's chopsticks should have been replaced a long time ago. I'll have him wrap some around them too. It'll look festive."
Fu Yucheng added a handful of pine needles to the stove, and the fragrance of pine resin mixed with the lingering smell of dumplings filled the air. "Ask Desheng to find a piece of red cloth. I have some glue here. I'll help you wrap it tomorrow."
The snow outside the window started falling again at some point, rustling onto the windowsill like a handful of crushed salt.
Zhou Desheng glanced into the yard, his military boots making a dull sound on the blue brick floor. "It's snowing quite heavily. I'm afraid we'll have to clear the snow tomorrow."
Fu Yucheng stuffed a hot roasted sweet potato into his hand: "Keep it to warm your hands. I'll get up early tomorrow."
Zhou Desheng smiled and waved his hands: "How can I let you, Brother Fu, trouble yourself? I can do this job myself."
When we finished cleaning up the dishes, the sun had already set behind the treetops in the west, and the snow illuminated the yard brightly.
Mrs. Li walked out holding the sleeping child, a thin layer of snow on the back of her blue cotton jacket. "I'll come and help you cut out the child's cotton jacket tomorrow. The blue cloth Mrs. Zhou gave me is just right."
Yun Tangyin stuffed a handful of roasted pumpkin seeds into her pocket and said, "Go slowly, the snow is slippery."
Mrs. Li turned around and smiled, "Don't worry, my feet are very steady. I never stumbled when I walked on the ice track back home."
As Zhou Desheng's wife was carrying the empty vinegar bottle out of the house, she suddenly remembered something and pulled out a piece of ginger from her cloth bag: "Save this for you to make chicken soup. My mother said eating ginger in winter can keep away the cold and is good for pregnant women."
Fu Yucheng stuffed a piece of locust flower cake into her hand: "It's a snack for the journey, don't go hungry."
She walked on the snow towards the alley entrance, the shadow of her blue cloth jacket stretched long on the snow, like a floating cloud.
The yard finally became quiet, with only the occasional crackling sound of firewood in the stove.
Yun Tangyin sat on the edge of the kang, watching Fu Yucheng wipe the tung oil on the pine wood cage with a cloth. The brush moved across the wood, leaving shiny marks.
"The carvings on this cage door are so beautiful," she said, reaching out to touch the winding branches on the door, her fingertips scented with tung oil. "It's even more exquisite than the ones sold in carpentry shops."
Fu Yucheng put down the brush and stuffed a piece of cotton cloth into her hand: "Wipe your hands. Tung oil is hard to wash off."
The rabbits in the bamboo cage woke up at some point. The grey female rabbit was picking at the cotton wool with her front paws, and the white rabbit was squatting beside her watching like a sensible little follower.
Yun Tangyin added a handful of soybeans to the cage: "Looking at how they look, I'm afraid they really need to build a nest."
Fu Yucheng threw a piece of carrot into the cage and said, "Aunt Zhang asked me to send some old cotton wool tomorrow. Her grandson's cotton-padded jacket is too small to be used."
He suddenly sat down on the kang, his palm pressed against her belly and gently rubbed it: "When the rabbits give birth, the babies should be able to crawl. Then let them play together in the yard."
Yun Tangyin leaned into his arms, listening to his steady heartbeat. The scent of soapberry from his army green cotton jacket mixed with the scent of tung oil filled her nose. "Do you think the child will look like you or me?"
Fu Yucheng lowered his head and kissed the top of her head, his stubble tickling her: "It's best to be like you, with bright eyes and dexterous hands, unlike me."
Yun Tangyin punched him on the arm: "Who said that?"
In the celadon vase on the stove, a thin layer of frost condensed on the petals of the wintersweet, shining brightly under the light.
Fu Yucheng added some warm water to the bottle: "Aunt Zhang said that wintersweets like moisture, so they can bloom longer."
He suddenly dug into the cupboard and pulled out a cloth bag. Inside was a piece of light pink fine cloth. "It's for making swaddling clothes for the baby. It's new from the supply and marketing cooperative. It's even softer than the blue cloth I bought last time."
Yun Tangyin touched the dark patterns on the cloth and smiled: "Have you prepared all the cloths needed for the child from birth to adulthood?"
Fu Yucheng stuffed a piece of rock candy into her hand: "It's always a good idea to prepare more. My wife and children's things can't be made up."
In the second half of the night, Yun Tangyin was awakened by the noise of the rabbits. In the moonlight, she saw the gray rabbit circling around a pile of cotton wool, with the white rabbit squatting beside it, rubbing its back with its nose from time to time.
She nudged Fu Yucheng beside her. He sat up dazedly, a bit of her hair stuck to the collar of his army green cotton jacket. "What's wrong?"
Yun Tangyin pointed at the rabbit cage and said, "Look, is she about to give birth?"
Fu Yucheng got out of bed, put on his clothes, and put a small oil lamp into the cage. The dim light cast the shadows of the two rabbits on the cage wall.
"Aunt Zhang said that before giving birth, the mother rabbit will pull out her fur to make a nest." He threw a piece of clean cotton cloth into the cage. "It looks like she's going to be there soon. I'll watch over her. You go to sleep first."
Yun Tangyin put an old cotton-padded jacket on him and said, "I'll wait with you. Maybe we can see the baby rabbit being born."
The light from the oil lamp flickered, casting shadows of the two people swaying gently on the wall.
Fu Yucheng added a piece of coal to the stove, and the flames leaped up, making Yun Tangyin's face red.
The laughter of the two startled the rabbit and made it shake its ears. The gray rabbit suddenly burrowed into the pile of cotton and stopped moving.
When the sky turned pale, a faint squeaking sound suddenly came from the cage.
Fu Yucheng leaned over to take a look, then suddenly turned back and waved at Yun Tangyin, his voice lowered to a whisper: "They've given birth! Three! Both white and gray!"
Yun Tangyin tiptoed over and saw three furry little rabbits lying in the cotton pile, like three moving little balls of fluff.
The gray female rabbit was licking them with her tongue, and the white rabbit was squatting beside it, its red eyes shining like two rubies.
"It's so small," Yun Tangyin's voice trembled a little, "it's even smaller than a finger."
Fu Yucheng added a handful of soybeans to the cage, moving gently as if he wasn't afraid to disturb them. "Although it's a little, at least she gave birth. Aunt Zhang said not to touch her for the first three days. She will protect her babies."
He suddenly stuffed a hot roasted sweet potato into Yun Tangyin's hand: "Eat it quickly, you've been freezing for half the night."
As the morning light shone through the icy window, Xiaolan rushed into the yard, holding a bunch of green vegetables. The snow flakes on her red hairband sparkled in the light: "Sister-in-law! I'm giving Rabbit..."
Before he could finish his words, he saw the little rabbit in the cage. Suddenly, he covered his mouth with his hands, his eyes wide open, "It's born! It's really born!"
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