Chapter 209: Making a Little Bellyband
The early morning sunlight streamed into the house through the window lattice. When Jiang Jianhua woke up, he could hear the sound of Fu Yucheng chopping wood outside the yard.
She got up to wash up, and just as she walked under the eaves, she saw Aunt Zhang coming over with a bowl of steaming egg custard. There were two tender yellow eggs in the porcelain bowl, sprinkled with some chopped green onions.
"Jianhua, eat it while it's hot," Aunt Zhang handed the bowl to her. "I put less salt in it on purpose. You're feeling weak right now, so it's better to eat something light."
Jiang Jianhua took the bowl, and the aroma of egg custard hit her face. She scooped a mouthful with a spoon. It was soft, tender and smooth, and melted in her mouth.
"Thank you, Aunt Zhang. It's delicious." Her eyes were slightly warm. "I feel embarrassed that you worry about me every day."
Aunt Zhang smiled and waved her hand: "Silly child, why are you being so polite to me? Just take good care of yourself, that's better than anything else."
Yun Tangyin also woke up and walked out slowly, holding her waist. Fu Yucheng quickly put down his axe and walked over to bring her a rocking chair: "Why don't you sleep a little longer? Is it too noisy outside?"
Yun Tangyin shook her head and said with a smile: "No, I feel at ease listening to the noise in the courtyard."
She looked at Jiang Jianhua, "Second sister-in-law, is the egg custard delicious? Aunt Zhang's cooking skills are very good. I was pregnant these days, thanks to Aunt Zhang for taking care of me."
Jiang Jianhua nodded: "It's delicious, even better than what I ate in the city."
She suddenly remembered something and said to Yun Tangyin, "Yinyin, I'll teach you how to embroider a tiger-head pillow later. We agreed yesterday to make a tiger-head pillow for the child to keep him healthy."
Yun Tangyin smiled and agreed: "Okay, I'm just thinking about learning. With your guidance, I'm sure I can embroider beautifully."
After dinner, Jiang Jianhua took out an old embroidery book from her bag, which contained a tiger head pattern she had drawn before.
"Look, the tiger head should be embroidered in a rounder shape, the eyes should be embroidered with black silk thread, and then outlined with gold thread, so it looks more lively."
She pointed at the pattern and said to Yun Tangyin, "Let's draw the pattern on the cloth first, and then embroider it slowly. There's no rush."
Yun Tangyin picked up the pen and lightly sketched on the light yellow cloth according to Jiang Jianhua's painting.
Her hands were a little heavy during her late pregnancy, so she painted slowly, but her lines were steady. "Very good," Jiang Jianhua said with a smile as he looked at her tiger head. "It's much better than my first attempt. You have a natural talent for embroidery, and you'll definitely become a master in the future."
Fu Yuanshan and Fu Yucheng were setting up a wooden frame in the yard, preparing to make a cradle for Yun Tangyin.
Fu Yuanshan was measuring the dimensions with a ruler, while Fu Yucheng was planing wood. Sawdust fell to the ground, carrying with it the fragrance of pine wood.
"The cradle needs to be made more stable, and the railings shouldn't be too wide apart to prevent the child from getting stuck," Fu Yuanshan said as he measured. "And carve some locust flower patterns on the railings, which will look nice too."
Fu Yucheng nodded: "Okay, I'll remember that. When it's done, I'll apply a layer of varnish. It will be bright and durable."
He looked up at Yun Tangyin and Jiang Jianhua under the eaves and said with a smile, "If you're tired from embroidery, take a break. Don't keep working on it. Wait until the cradle is done and see if it's comfortable."
At noon, Zhou Desheng's wife came over with a basket of fresh vegetables, including spinach and Chinese cabbage, still moist with morning dew.
"My mother brought you some freshly picked vegetables from the garden," she said with a smile. "Yinyin is pregnant, so she needs to eat more fresh vegetables to replenish her vitamins. Jianhua, you should eat more too. Light food is good for your health."
Yun Tangyin took the vegetables and said with a smile, "Thank you, sister-in-law. I just wanted to have vegetable and tofu soup for lunch. With the vegetables you sent, I don't have to go to town to buy them."
Jiang Jianhua also said: "Yes, the vegetables grown at home are fresh and much tastier than those bought in the city."
At lunch, the kitchen was filled with the aroma of vegetable and tofu soup, as well as the braised pork made by Fu Yucheng, which was fatty but not greasy and melted in the mouth.
Fu Yucheng picked up a piece of lean meat for Yun Tangyin: "Eat some meat quickly to replenish your nutrition so that the child can grow strong."
She picked up another piece of tofu for Jiang Jianhua and said, "Second sister-in-law, you should eat more tofu. It's soft and easy to digest, and it's also good for your recovery."
Jiang Jianhua took the tofu, took a bite, and squinted his eyes in delight: "It's delicious."
Fu Yuanshan smiled and said, "This is tofu from Lao Wang's house in town. It's made with brine, and it tastes better than the one made with gypsum. If you want to eat it in the future, I'll buy it again."
In the afternoon, the sun was warm, and Jiang Jianhua and Yun Tangyin sat under the eaves with an embroidered tiger-head pillow.
Yun Tangyin was embroidering tiger ears with fine stitches, while Jiang Jianhua was embroidering tassels on the side. The light yellow silk thread was turning in her hands, and soon she had embroidered beautiful tassels.
"Look, the tassels should be embroidered longer so that when the child lies down, the tassels will sway gently and entertain the child."
As she embroidered, Jiang Jianhua said, "After the embroidery is finished, I will sew a small bell on the pillow. When the child moves, the bell will ring. How interesting."
Yun Tangyin smiled and nodded: "Okay, you are very thoughtful. The child will definitely like it."
She suddenly felt the little guy in her belly move, and quickly pulled Jiang Jianhua's hand and placed it on her belly: "Second sister-in-law, feel it, the child is moving, he must be looking forward to the tiger head pillow being ready soon."
Jiang Jianhua gently placed his hand on Yun Tangyin's belly, feeling the baby's gentle movements. His eyes warmed slightly, but a smile appeared on his face: "It's really moving. This child is so lively. He will definitely be a healthy baby in the future."
The cradles for Fu Yuanshan and Fu Yucheng are almost ready. The wooden frame has been set up and the locust flower pattern is being carved.
Fu Yuanshan took the carving knife and carefully carved on the railing. The petals of the locust flowers were layered and lifelike.
"What do you think of this locust flower?" Fu Yuanshan asked Fu Yucheng, "Is it the same as the old locust tree in the yard?"
Fu Yucheng nodded: "It really looks like it, second brother, your craftsmanship is really good, it's more exquisite than the ones made by the carpenters in town."
He touched the railings of the cradle and said, "It's polished very smoothly. The baby will definitely be comfortable lying there without any scratches."
By the evening, the main body of the tiger-head pillow had been embroidered. On the light yellow cloth, the tiger's head was round, with black and bright eyes and golden tassels, which looked particularly cute.
Yun Tangyin held the tiger-head pillow in her arms and said with a smile, "It's really beautiful. When the baby is born, let him use this as a pillow. He will definitely sleep well."
Jiang Jianhua looked at the tiger head pillow and was filled with joy: "Yes, this tiger head pillow looks festive. The child will definitely be healthy if he uses it."
She suddenly remembered something and said, "In a few days, let's make a small bellyband for the child and embroider the words 'Long Life and a Hundred Years' on it to bless the child to be safe and sound."
At dinner, Fu Yucheng made Yun Tangyin's favorite pumpkin pancakes and stewed chicken soup to nourish Jiang Jianhua.
Everyone sat around the table, eating, chatting, and laughter filled the yard.
Jiang Jianhua looked at the lively scene in front of her, and her heart was warm. She knew that although she was very sad about losing her child...
But with so many people around her who care about her, things will slowly get better, just like the old locust tree in the yard, which, after experiencing the cold winter, will always sprout new buds in the spring and bloom with new hope.
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