Chapter 226 This bellyband is really beautiful
In the yard, Song Yushuang was pouring cornmeal into a basin, intending to make some steamed cornbread.
Nian An squatted beside her, holding a small dough in his hand, kneading it like her, with flour all over his face.
"You little greedy cat," Song Yushuang smiled and wiped the flour off his face with her apron, "When the steamed buns are cooked, I'll spread some honey on them for you. It'll be sweet."
Nian An immediately clapped his hands and shouted, "Honey, sweet!"
After Fu Yucheng finished weaving the reed mats, he began to repair the fence of the threshing ground.
He tied the reeds into bundles and tied them securely to the wooden stakes with ropes, moving quickly and steadily.
Jiang Jianhua came over with a bowl of honey water: "Take a break and drink some water."
She looked at the neatly made fence and couldn't help but praise it: "Your craftsmanship is really good. It's even stronger than the one we hired last time."
Fu Yucheng took the bowl and took a sip: "I learned this from my father when I was a kid. I got used to it after doing it many times."
At noon, Fu Yuanshan came back carrying bamboo and chestnuts, with a few pheasant eggs in the bamboo basket.
"I picked these from a tree," he handed the pheasant eggs to Jiang Jianhua, "and made some steamed egg custard for Nian'an to nourish him."
Jiang Jianhua took the egg and carefully placed it in the bowl: "You have to save this. It's just enough for Nian'an to eat for two meals."
Song Yushuang smiled and said, "I'll add some minced meat to it, it will be more fragrant."
Xiaolan came with a basket of freshly picked peppers. The bright red peppers looked like strings of small lanterns.
"My mother said this chili pepper is spicy enough, so she asked Second Aunt to use it when cooking." She placed the chili pepper on the stone table. "Your yard smells so good. What delicious food are you making?"
Jiang Jianhua stuffed a piece of pumpkin cake into her hand and said, "I just made this pumpkin cake. Try it. I'll make you a bowl of fried snails later."
Nian An ran in the yard with the bamboo dragonfly made by Fu Yuanshan, and the silver longevity lock swayed in front of his chest.
Fu Yucheng picked him up and let him sit on his shoulders: "Look, this reed mat that your second uncle made for you. Isn't it soft?"
Nian'an patted the reed mat with his little hands and said with a smile, "It's soft, sit down." Fu Yucheng then put him on the mat, and the little guy immediately rolled over on it, making everyone laugh.
In the afternoon, Jiang Jianhua started frying chestnuts.
She washed the chestnuts, made a small cut on the shells, put them in the pot and stir-fried them, adding some sand so that the chestnuts would be heated more evenly.
Soon, the aroma of chestnuts filled the entire yard. Fu Yuanshan sniffed and said, "It smells really good! It smells even better than the sugar-roasted chestnuts sold in town."
Jiang Jianhua smiled and said, "When they're done, send some to Aunt Zhang first. She was talking about wanting to eat chestnuts last time."
Nian An stood on tiptoe to look into the pot, and tugged at Jiang Jianhua's clothes with her little hand: "Eat, chestnuts."
Jiang Jianhua picked up a roasted chestnut, peeled it, and stuffed it into his mouth: "Eat slowly, don't burn yourself."
The chestnuts were fragrant and soft. Nian'an's face turned red after eating them, and there were chestnut kernels on the corners of her mouth.
Song Yushuang wiped his mouth and said, "This kid doesn't care about anything when it comes to eating."
In the evening, Fu Yucheng went to the river to fetch water, and came back with a few small fish in his hands.
"I just caught this one from the river," he put the fish into the basin, "I'll make fish balls for Nian'an tomorrow. It's very tender and fresh."
Jiang Jianhua smiled and said, "Your fishing skills have improved. Before, I couldn't catch a single fish even after fishing for half a day."
Fu Yucheng scratched his head: "Isn't this just to let Nian An eat more good food?"
At dinner time, the aroma of fish ball soup wafted from the kitchen.
Nian An sat on a small stool and scooped the fish balls with a spoon. Although some still spilled, he was much more skilled than before.
Fu Yuanshan picked up a fish ball and put it in his bowl: "Nian'an, eat more, and you will grow stronger."
Nian An raised the spoon and put the fish balls into Fu Yuanshan's mouth: "Uncle, eat."
Fu Yuanshan smiled and took it, feeling warm in his heart.
After dinner, the family sat in the yard to enjoy the cool air.
Fu Yuanshan was waving a palm-leaf fan, and the lotus flowers on the fan were faintly visible in the moonlight.
Jiang Jianhua took out the red cloth bellyband he had just made and had Nian'an try it on. "It's the perfect size. Look at the longevity lock embroidered with gold thread. It's so beautiful."
Nian An looked down at the pattern on the bellyband, touched it with his little hand, and said with a smile: "Lock, light."
Song Yushuang leaned back in the rocking chair, watching Nian'an playing, her heart filled with joy.
She knew that days like this would continue, like the moonlight in the locust tree courtyard, gentle and long-lasting, illuminating every ordinary moment.
The shadows of the locust leaves swayed on the ground, as if someone was gently patting the tranquility that filled the yard. The air was filled with the sweet fragrance of chestnuts and the deliciousness of fish ball soup. Everything was so warm and beautiful.
At night, Nian'an's little face was red. Maybe he ate too many chestnuts during the day, so he slept uneasily and smacked his lips from time to time.
Song Yushuang sat by the bed, fanning the child with a palm-leaf fan in the moonlight. The shadow of the lotus flowers on the fan was cast on the wall, swaying gently with the fanning.
Yun Tangyin walked in with a cup of warm water: "Mom, you should take a rest too. I'll look after him."
Song Yushuang waved his hands: "It's okay, I feel at ease, and I won't feel sleepy after fanning myself. Look at this child, his brows are still furrowed, he must be snatching chestnuts in his dream."
Jiang Jianhua got up when the rooster crowed for the first time.
She cleaned the small fish that Fu Yucheng had caught, picked out the tender fish meat, and pounded it slowly in a stone mortar.
The morning dew fell on the ends of her hair, like a layer of scattered silver, but she was completely unaware of it. She was only concentrating on pounding the fish paste, and from time to time she added some onion and ginger water to remove the fishy smell.
"I have to pound it more thoroughly," she said to herself, "so that Nian An can digest it better."
By daybreak, the fish balls had been squeezed into round little balls, floating up and down in the boiling water like a school of snow-white little fish.
Song Yushuang walked into the kitchen and sprinkled some green leaves into the pot: "Add some tofu, the soup will be more delicious."
She looked at the dark shadows under Jiang Jianhua's eyes and said distressedly, "Don't get up so early in the future. I can do it. You still have to mend clothes during the day."
Jiang Jianhua smiled and scooped up a fish ball and tasted it: "It's okay, I sleep deeply, so it won't be a problem if I sleep a little less. Look at this fish ball."
When Nian An woke up, the yard was filled with the fragrance of fish ball soup.
He kicked off the quilt and ran to the kitchen. As soon as he reached the door, he was stopped by Fu Yuanshan: "Wait, put on your clothes first."
Fu Yuanshan carried him back to the house, picked up the red cloth bellyband that Jiang Jianhua had just made, and put it on him. The silver longevity lock fit perfectly into the longevity lock pattern on the bellyband.
"Your second aunt's craftsmanship is amazing!" Fu Yuanshan marveled, "It's like a bellyband made specifically for this lock."
At the breakfast table, Nian An held a small bowl and scooped fish balls with a spoon. The soup flowed down the corners of his mouth, and he didn't bother to wipe it off.
Xiaolan came in carrying a bamboo basket filled with freshly baked scallion pancakes. "My mom said it would be perfect with fish ball soup."
When she saw Nian'an's red cloth bellyband, her eyes lit up: "This bellyband is so beautiful! Second aunt, please make one for me too. I want one with a rabbit embroidered on it."
Jiang Jianhua smiled and agreed: "I will make you some shoes after I finish making Nian'an's shoes. I guarantee they will be even better looking than these."
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