Chapter 203: Dig some winter bamboo shoots and make some dumplings
Fu Yucheng looked at the neatly arranged lining and handkerchiefs in the wooden box, and gently brushed his fingertips over the locust flower pattern on the lid. "Once it's varnished, this wooden box will be more durable. It will be convenient for my second sister-in-law to store needlework and small items in the future."
He suddenly remembered something and turned to walk into the house. "I'll find another piece of red velvet to put on the bottom of the box. It's soft and won't rub against my second sister-in-law's things."
Yun Tangyin held the wooden box and looked at Fu Yucheng's busy back, her heart filled with warmth.
The branches of the old locust tree outside the yard were swaying in the setting sun. The snow had melted a little, revealing the dark brown branches, as if they were looking forward to the early arrival of the spring breeze.
She lowered her head and touched her belly, then said softly, "My child, your uncle and aunt will be back in early March. Then we can eat shepherd's purse dumplings together and watch aunt embroider."
As soon as she finished speaking, the little guy in her belly moved slightly, as if responding to her words.
Aunt Zhang finished knitting the last section of the scarf, put the ball of yarn into her cloth bag, and held up the scarf to the setting sun. "This color goes perfectly with the pattern of the locust flowers."
She folded the scarf and put it in Yun Tangyin's wooden box. "When she comes back, we'll sew a tassel on it together. Use light yellow silk thread to make it look more delicate."
Zhou Desheng's wife came out with sweet potato porridge. Steam was rising from the coarse porcelain bowl, and the sweet aroma mixed with the soft and sticky aroma of sweet potatoes filled the yard. "The porridge is ready. Let the children have some. After they finish drinking, they can help dry the radishes."
She handed the bowl to Xiaolan, "Drink more, little Lan. It's hard to dry radishes in the afternoon. Don't go hungry."
Xiaolan held the bowl and took a big sip of porridge. The sweetness made her eyes bend. "Auntie's sweet potato porridge is so sweet! It tastes better than my mother's! When Second Aunt comes back, I will let her try it too. She will say this is the taste of our home."
Zhou Ming and Zhou Liang also came over, holding the bowl and slurping down the drink. Their little mouths were so full that they could hardly speak clearly.
Fu Yucheng found some red velvet, carefully spread it on the bottom of the wooden box, and sewed the edges with a fine needle: "Do you think it's softer this way?"
He handed the wooden box to Yun Tangyin, "If Second Sister-in-law knew how much effort we put in, she would definitely be touched."
Yun Tangyin nodded and put the scarf that Aunt Zhang had knitted into the wooden box. "It's a good idea to put the scarf in there too. I'll give it to her when she comes back. There's a surprise for her when she opens the wooden box."
During dinner, the aroma of fried dried radish wafted through the kitchen. Zhou Desheng's wife had fried the dried radish she had dried last year, adding some chili peppers and minced garlic. It was so delicious that it made people drool.
Zhou Desheng took a sip from the wine bowl and said with a smile, "This fried radish is really tasty! When Yuanshan comes back, I can drink three bowls of wine with him just with this radish!"
Fu Yucheng put a piece of fried dried radish into Yun Tangyin's bowl and said, "Eat less spicy food. Just taste it. If you want to eat more, I'll ask my sister-in-law to make you something non-spicy tomorrow."
Yun Tangyin took a bite of the dried radish, which was crisp and salty. "It's delicious, more appetizing than the pickles bought in the city. When my second sister-in-law comes back, we'll teach her how to make it and let her take some to the city. She can stir-fry it whenever she wants."
At night, Fu Yucheng placed the wooden box on the cabinet beside the kang, and with the light of the oil lamp, he polished the edge of the box for fear that the burrs would scratch people.
Yun Tangyin leaned against him, looking at the locust flowers on the wooden box, and suddenly remembered the scene last year when Jiang Jianhua taught her to embroider locust flowers: "Last year, my second sister-in-law taught me how to embroider locust flowers. She said that the stitches should follow the grain of the petals so that the embroidery will look natural."
She picked up the needle and thread and gestured on the cloth. "When she comes back, I will learn how to embroider butterflies from her. It will definitely look beautiful on the child's quilt."
Fu Yucheng held her hand and put the needle and thread back into the sewing basket: "Stop working now, be careful not to hurt your eyes."
He added a piece of coal to the stove, and the flames jumped up. "Tomorrow I'll go to the back mountain to see if I can dig up some winter bamboo shoots. Winter bamboo shoots are very delicious when stewed with meat. I'll use them to nourish you and save some for my second sister-in-law. She used to love eating winter bamboo shoots."
The next morning, Fu Yucheng carried a small hoe and walked towards the back mountain, leaving deep footprints on the snow.
In the bamboo forest on the back mountain, the snow pressed down on the bamboo branches. He carefully dug away the snow and looked for traces of winter bamboo shoots at the roots of the bamboo.
After a while, three plump winter bamboo shoots were dug out. They were wrapped in brown skin and looked fresh.
"Now I can stew meat for Yinyin." Fu Yucheng put the winter bamboo shoots into the bamboo basket and picked some fresh bamboo leaves. "Wrapping the winter bamboo shoots in bamboo leaves and stewing them will add a bit of bamboo fragrance, which will definitely taste better."
On the way back, he picked up some smooth pebbles by the stream, thinking of making slingshots for the children, and waiting for Fu Yuanshan to come back and take the children to play with them.
When I got home, Yun Tangyin was drying radishes with Aunt Zhang. The bamboo racks were covered with chopped radishes, which glowed light yellow in the sunlight.
"You're back! Did you dig up the winter bamboo shoots?" Yun Tangyin came over and looked at the bamboo shoots in the bamboo basket. Her eyes lit up. "Such big bamboo shoots! They'll be delicious when stewed with meat!"
Fu Yucheng placed the winter bamboo shoots on the stone table, took out pebbles and handed them to Xiaolan: "Lan girl, these stones are smooth. Ask your uncle Fu to make slingshots for you. When your second uncle comes back, I will take you to the back mountain to shoot birds."
Xiaolan took the stone and jumped up with laughter: "Great! Thank you, Brother Fu! I will make a beautiful slingshot and wait for Uncle Er to come back and play with him!"
Aunt Zhang looked at the winter bamboo shoots and said with a smile, "I'll go to town and buy some meat. We'll stew the winter bamboo shoots for lunch to nourish Yinyin."
She put the money in her pocket and said, "By the way, buy some red dates. They are more nutritious when stewed in soup. The children will also like them."
At noon, the aroma of winter bamboo shoots stewed with meat wafted through the kitchen. The sweetness of the winter bamboo shoots mixed with the aroma of the meat made people drool.
Fu Yucheng came out with a pot. The bamboo shoots inside were stewed until they were soft and the aroma of meat was overflowing. "Try it quickly. How are the bamboo shoots stewed?"
Yun Tangyin picked up a piece of winter bamboo shoots, took a bite, and squinted her eyes at the delicious taste. "It's delicious! It's even more fragrant than the ones in the city restaurants! Your cooking skills are getting better and better."
Aunt Zhang also nodded and said, "Yes, this winter bamboo shoot stewed with meat is really delicious. When Yuanshan and Jianhua come back, we will stew it again and let them have a taste."
After dinner, Fu Yucheng began to make slingshots for the children. He used mulberry branches from the back mountain, which were of just the right thickness and polished to be smooth and round.
He tied rubber bands on both ends of the slingshot and made a sling bag out of cloth: "Try it and see if it fits your hand."
Xiaolan took the slingshot, aimed at the old locust tree in the yard, and with a "pop", the stone fell on the trunk, causing the children to cheer.
Yun Tangyin sat under the eaves and continued to sew a small quilt for the child. She embroidered a small locust flower on the light pink floral cloth. The stitches were fine and tender.
Aunt Zhang sat beside her, sewing tassels on the scarf. The light yellow silk thread turned in her hands, and soon she had sewn a beautiful tassel.
Zhou Desheng's wife was sorting the shepherd's purse dumplings frozen in the cellar, dividing them into small portions and wrapping them with oil paper. "This way, when Yuanshan and Jianhua come back, we can cook them whenever we want to eat them, without having to go through the trouble of wrapping them."
She put some sweet potatoes and potatoes into the cellar. "These are long-lasting. When spring comes and vegetables are scarce, I can make some delicious food for the children."
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