Chapter 195: Chop some firewood for the winter
Seeing that Yun Tangyin liked scallion pancakes, Zhou Desheng's wife took out an oil-paper bag from her cloth bag, which contained freshly fried sesame salt: "This is fried by my mother. It tastes better when sprinkled on the pancakes. Your second sister-in-law used to like to eat it this way. She said it was salty and fragrant, and it goes perfectly with porridge."
She stuffed a spoonful of sesame salt into Yun Tangyin's hand and said, "When they come back in the spring, I'll fry some more and let Jianhua take some to eat on the road. You can't buy such authentic sesame salt in the city."
Yun Tangyin took the sesame salt, sprinkled some on the pancake, and took a bite. The fragrance of sesame mixed with the freshness of chopped green onions filled her mouth with the warmth of home.
"It's delicious," she said, putting a piece of sweet potato into Zhou Desheng's wife's bowl. "Try this sweet potato now. It's steamed perfectly and is even sweeter than roasted sweet potatoes. Your second sister-in-law said last time that she wanted to learn how to steam sweet potatoes from me because the ones in the city are never cooked through."
After Aunt Zhang finished sewing the last stitch of the cloth jacket, she bit off the cotton thread with her teeth and shook the jacket open to take a look. The blue coarse cloth was sewn with neat stitches, and the collar and cuffs were specially sewn with a white edge, making it look particularly smart.
"Does this coat fit you?" She handed it to Fu Yucheng. "I made it according to the size Yuanshan wore last year. He's been working outside, so he might have grown stronger. If it's too tight, I'll take it apart and make it looser."
Fu Yucheng took the coat, compared it to his body, and said with a smile: "It's just right. You got the size right. It will definitely fit my second brother."
He folded the coat and put it in the closet. "When he comes back and wears it, it will definitely look smarter than the suits he bought in the city. My second brother likes the cloth coats you made the most. He says they are very comfortable to wear."
Xiaolan squatted beside the rabbit cage, holding a carrot in her hand and playing with Snowball.
Snowball came over, rubbed his little nose against her palm, and suddenly snorted loudly, making Xiaolan laugh.
"Sister-in-law, look how naughty Snowball is!" She turned around and called out, "When Uncle and Auntie come back, let Snowball perform a nose-sweeping show for them, okay? It's sure to make them laugh!"
Yun Tangyin smiled and nodded: "Okay, your second aunt loves small animals the most. Last time she said she wanted to sew a small piece of clothing for Snowball to keep him warm in winter."
She stuffed a biscuit into Xiaolan's hand and said, "Hurry up and feed Snowball some too. Don't tease him all the time, or he'll get angry and ignore you."
Zhou Ming and Zhou Liang ran around in the yard with the small bamboo swords that Fu Yucheng made for them. There were red cloth strips wrapped around the bamboo swords, which fluttered like flames when they ran.
"Uncle Fu, do you think I look like a great general?" Zhou Ming shouted majestically, holding up his bamboo sword. Fu Yucheng smiled and clapped his hands, "Yes! We will be the most powerful general tomorrow!"
Zhou Liang also came over, holding a bamboo sword. "Uncle Fu, when Second Uncle comes back, ask him to make me an iron sword, okay? One that's even more powerful than a bamboo sword!"
Fu Yucheng squatted down and helped Zhou Liang straighten the crooked red cloth strips: "When you grow taller, Second Uncle will definitely make it for you, but you have to use a bamboo sword now. The iron sword is too heavy and you can't lift it."
He stuffed a piece of candy into each of the two children's hands and said, "Don't run too far. It's time to eat soon. Your mother will be worried if she can't find you."
At dinner time, the aroma of stewed radish with vermicelli wafted from the kitchen. Fu Yucheng also fried a plate of eggs. The golden eggs were wrapped in chopped green onions, which made people's appetites whetted just by looking at them.
Yun Tangyin served a bowl of carrot stewed with vermicelli and passed it to Aunt Zhang: "Aunt Zhang, try it quickly. These vermicelli are made from sweet potato vermicelli bought in town. They were stewed all afternoon and have absorbed the broth. They are delicious."
Aunt Zhang took the bowl and took a bite of vermicelli with her chopsticks. It was soft and tasty. She couldn't help but nod, "It's delicious. Yinyin, your cooking skills will surely bring good food to our children in the future."
Zhou Desheng took a sip of wine and suddenly remembered something. He said to Fu Yucheng, "Brother Fu, let's go to the back mountain to chop some firewood tomorrow. It snowed a few days ago and the firewood is all wet. Let's dry it so that we can heat the kang for my sister-in-law. She's pregnant and can't get cold."
Fu Yucheng put down his wine glass and nodded: "Okay, I'll go there early tomorrow morning. If you're free, come with me and chop more, enough for us to burn until spring."
Yun Tangyin put an egg into Fu Yucheng's bowl and said, "Wear more clothes when you go. The snow on the back mountain is thick and the road is slippery. Be careful not to fall."
She pointed to the cloth bag in the corner and said, "I made you a pair of cotton gloves. They'll keep you warm. Wear them tomorrow."
The next morning, Fu Yucheng and Zhou Desheng carried hatchets and walked towards the back mountain, leaving two rows of deep footprints on the snow.
The snow on the back mountain was above the ankles, and snow was hanging on the branches. When the wind blew, the snow foam fell down.
"Brother Fu, look at that pine tree," Zhou Desheng pointed to a pine tree not far away. "It has a thick trunk and the firewood is durable. Let's cut down this one."
Fu Yucheng nodded, raised the hatchet and chopped it down. With a "bang", the hatchet was embedded in the tree trunk, causing the accumulated snow to fall down.
Yun Tangyin was busy sewing clothes at home, holding a small cotton-padded jacket she made for her child. It had a red cloth surface and a blue inner lining, and the stitches were dense and even.
Zhou Desheng's wife came over with some freshly brewed locust flower tea and handed her the cup: "Yinyin, take a break before sewing. You can hardly open your eyes. You can't be so tired while you're pregnant."
Yun Tangyin put down her needlework, took the teacup, drank a sip of hot tea, and said with a smile: "It's okay, I want to finish all the children's clothes before the spring, so that my second brother and his wife can come back and see them."
Xiaolan took Zhou Ming and Zhou Liang to the yard to change the cotton wool for the rabbit. Xiaolan carefully spread the cloth on the thatch, Zhou Ming helped to pass the cotton wool, and Zhou Liang fed the rabbit with soybeans next to her.
"Look, Huaqiu likes the pink piece of cloth the most. She always lies on it," Xiaolan said with a smile, pointing at Huaqiu curled up on the pink piece of cloth. "When Uncle and Auntie come back, we'll show them Huaqiu's little nest. They'll definitely like it."
It was already noon when Fu Yucheng and Zhou Desheng came back carrying firewood. The bundles of firewood on their shoulders were higher than them, and their faces were covered in sweat.
Yun Tangyin quickly went over and handed them towels: "Wipe off your sweat quickly, don't catch a cold. I made corn paste for you, drink it while it's hot."
Fu Yucheng took the towel, wiped the sweat off his face, and said with a smile: "It's okay, this little work is nothing. The firewood we cut is enough to burn until spring, so you don't have to freeze in the winter."
Zhou Desheng put down the firewood bundle, drank a sip of corn paste, and said with a smile: "Brother Fu, let's chop the firewood this afternoon. Chop it into small pieces so that it can be dried. Otherwise, wet firewood will produce a lot of smoke when burned, which is not good for choking."
Fu Yucheng nodded: "Okay, let's chop wood after dinner and try to finish chopping all the wood today."
The afternoon sun shone warmly in the yard. Fu Yucheng and Zhou Desheng were chopping wood in the yard. The "dong, dong" sound of chopping wood mixed with the children's laughter filled the yard.
Yun Tangyin sat under the eaves, holding a handkerchief embroidered for Jiang Jianhua. There were two locust flowers embroidered on it, with fine stitches and bright colors.
She looked at the scene in the yard, listened to the sound of chopping wood and laughter, and held the small silver bell in her hand, her heart full of anticipation.
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