Chapter 227: The craftsmanship is becoming more and more refined
Fu Yucheng was squatting in the yard chopping wood. When he heard Xiaolan's words, he straightened up and laughed: "Your second aunt's craftsmanship is so good that she can embroider a phoenix, let alone a rabbit."
He piled the chopped firewood neatly and said, "Wait until your second aunt makes you a bellyband. I'll weave you a rabbit-shaped bamboo basket to go with it."
Xiaolan clapped her hands happily, "Really? That's great! I'm going to carry my bamboo basket and go play with Nian'an every day."
Song Yushuang came out of the kitchen carrying the fish ball soup. Upon hearing this, she smiled and said, "You two are singing the same tune and filling up Jianhua's work."
She placed the bowl of soup on the stone table and said, "Eat it while it's hot. The fish balls won't be fresh and tender if they get cold."
Jiang Jianhua came out of the house, holding a small jacket in his hand: "Nian'an, put on your jacket quickly, don't catch a cold. This fish ball soup is delicious, you should drink more."
As soon as Nian An finished a bowl of soup, he pulled Fu Yuanshan into the yard, shouting "Car, car".
Fu Yuanshan smiled and said, "You want your uncle to make you a small wooden cart, right? I'll make it once I finish chopping this pile of firewood. I guarantee it'll be even better looking than the wooden horse you made last time."
Nian An immediately stopped and helped Fu Yuanshan pick up firewood with his little hands. Although he picked it up crookedly, he learned it well.
After Jiang Jianhua cleaned up the dishes, he sat under the eaves and made things difficult for Nian An.
She picked up the sole and compared it with Nian'an's feet, then changed to a thicker thread: "This sole needs to be stitched more densely, so it will be warmer in winter."
Song Yushuang sat beside her, picking vegetables and looking at the needlework in her hands. "Your stitches are even better than an embroiderer's. When the shoes are finished, I'll pair them with the tiger-head hat that Zhou Desheng's wife gave him. He'll look like a little tiger."
Fu Yucheng came back from the field, holding a large winter melon in his hand: "This winter melon was given by Aunt Zhang. She asked us to make winter melon meatball soup to change Nian'an's taste."
He placed the winter melon on the stone table. "Aunt Zhang also asked if Nian'an's fish ball soup was delicious. I said it was better than the one in the town restaurant. She said she wanted to come and learn how to make it tomorrow."
Jiang Jianhua smiled and said, "She's welcome anytime. I'll teach her step by step."
The sun was getting hotter at noon. Jiang Jianhua went to the well to fetch water and saw Xiaolan squatting in the yard watching Nian'an playing with a small wooden car.
"Xiaolan, would you like to try the dried pumpkin I made?" Jiang Jianhua said with a smile, "I dried it yesterday. It's sweet."
Xiaolan nodded quickly: "Yes! Second Aunt's dried pumpkin is the best."
Jiang Jianhua took out a small bag of dried pumpkin from the house and handed it to Xiaolan: "Eat slowly, don't choke."
Nian An saw the dried pumpkin in Xiaolan's hand and clamored for some. Fu Yuanshan picked up a piece and fed it to him: "This child wants to eat everything he sees."
He touched Nian'an's head and said, "Wait till this afternoon, Second Uncle will take you to the back mountain to pick wild jujubes. They are sweeter than dried pumpkins."
Nian An immediately clapped his hands and shouted, "Pick the dates!"
In the afternoon, Fu Yuanshan took Nian An to the back mountain as expected.
Nian'an grabbed the wild dates with his little hands and ate until his mouth was red, like a little squirrel.
Fu Yuanshan picked a basket full of wild dates and dug up some wild vegetables: "These wild vegetables can be fried and eaten in the evening. They are very refreshing."
Nian An raised a wild date and put it into Fu Yuanshan's mouth: "Second uncle, it's sweet."
Fu Yuanshan smiled and opened his mouth to catch it: "How sweet, our Nian An is really sensible."
Jiang Jianhua was busy making a bellyband for Xiaolan at home. She had already embroidered a little rabbit on the red fabric. The rabbit had snow-white fur and long ears, and it looked extremely cute.
"This rabbit is so lifelike," Song Yushuang came over to take a look, "it's even better than the painting."
Jiang Jianhua smiled and said, "After I finish embroidering this one, I'll embroider a tiger one for Nian'an. It will be perfect with his tiger-head shoes."
In the evening, Fu Yucheng came back from town with a paper bag in his hand: "I bought some rock sugar for Nian'an to make wild jujube soup to moisten his lungs."
He handed the rock sugar to Jiang Jianhua, "Aunt Zhang said she will come to learn how to make fish balls tomorrow, you have to teach her well."
Jiang Jianhua nodded: "I'll write down the steps right away so I don't forget them later."
At dinner time, the kitchen was filled with the aroma of stir-fried meat with wild vegetables and a pot of wild date soup.
Nian An sat on a small stool, scooped up the date soup with a spoon, and spit out the date pits all over the floor.
Fu Yuanshan picked up the date pits for him and said, "This kid is so careless when it comes to eating."
Nian An raised the spoon and put the jujube soup into Fu Yuanshan's mouth: "Uncle, drink it."
Fu Yuanshan smiled and opened his mouth to catch it: "How sweet, thank you Nian An."
After dinner, the family sat in the courtyard to enjoy the cool air. Fu Yuanshan fanned himself with a palm-leaf fan, the lotus flowers on the fan faintly visible in the moonlight.
Jiang Jianhua took out the finished bunny bellyband and handed it to Xiaolan: "Do you like it? The bunny's eyes are embroidered with black beads, and they sparkle."
Xiaolan took the bellyband and jumped for joy: "I like it! I like it very much! Thank you, Second Auntie!"
Nian An looked at Xiaolan's new bellyband and also clamored for it.
Jiang Jianhua smiled and said, "Your tiger bellyband will be ready tomorrow. It will look even better than this one."
Nian'an immediately calmed down, touching her red cloth bellyband with her little hands, waiting for the new bellyband tomorrow.
The moonlight shines in the yard, and the leaves of the locust trees rustle, as if telling the story of this ordinary and happy day.
Song Yushuang leaned back in the rocking chair, watching the children 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.
Xiaolan was spinning around in the yard holding the rabbit bellyband. The moonlight stretched her shadow long, and the white rabbit on the red cloth seemed to come alive, dancing gently in the halo of light.
"I'll go back and show it to my mother right now," she skipped towards the door, then suddenly stopped and looked back. "Second Aunt, can I bring a new bamboo basket to collect wild dates tomorrow?"
Jiang Jianhua smiled and waved his hand: "Of course, I'll dry some more pumpkins, just enough for your rabbit basket."
Fu Yucheng squatted at the door of the woodshed, cutting bamboo strips, planning to weave a rabbit basket for Xiaolan overnight.
He spun the bamboo stick in his hand and soon carved it into the shape of a pointed rabbit ear.
"The bottom of this basket must be woven more tightly," he said to himself, "so that the wild dates won't fall through the cracks."
Fu Yuanshan brought a bamboo stool over and sat down: "I'll help you split some thin bamboo strips, which will be perfect for weaving rabbit eyes."
One of them was cutting the bamboo into strips while the other was chopping it into shreds. The bamboo chips floated in the moonlight like broken silver.
Jiang Jianhua sat under the lamp, making a tiger bellyband. He embroidered tiger patterns on red cloth with gold thread and left a tassel at the tip of the tail.
"Mom, do you think these tiger stripes are too dense?" She held it up to the oil lamp. "Will it make it look heavier?"
Song Yushuang put on her reading glasses and took a closer look. "Not too dense, not too dense. That way it looks majestic. You can embroider a small plum blossom next to the tiger's claws to add a touch of joy."
Yun Tangyin was sewing shoe soles when she heard this and interrupted, "I have a piece of peacock blue cloth here. I can cut some little stars and stick them on it. It will be very bright at night."
Nian'an lay on the table, chewing a piece of pumpkin in his little hands, his eyes fixed on the bellyband in Jiang Jianhua's hand.
"Yes, Tiger," he mumbled vaguely, saliva dripping from the corners of his mouth.
Jiang Jianhua put down his needlework and held him on his lap. "I'll give it to you to try after I finish embroidering this tiger's eye. Sit still and don't move, or you'll prick your hand with the needle."
Nian'an immediately put his hands behind his back, like a held kitten, daring only to follow the needle and thread with his eyes.
When the rooster crowed for the second time, Fu Yucheng had finally finished weaving the rabbit basket.
The bamboo basket exudes a faint bamboo fragrance, and there is a red rope wrapped around the rabbit's ears. The two words "Xiao Lan" are woven with fine bamboo silk on the bottom of the basket.
"The craftsmanship is getting more refined," Fu Yuanshan said, touching the edge of the basket. "It's even better than the bamboo horse I made for Nian'an last year."
Fu Yucheng put the basket into the house and said, "Let Xiaolan try it tomorrow. If it's too small, I'll make a bigger one."
As soon as it was daybreak, Aunt Zhang came with a bamboo basket filled with freshly ground soy milk and fried dough sticks.
"I can tell you're up by the aroma," she said, placing the basket on the stone table. "I brought some hot food, perfect with the fish ball soup."
Seeing the rabbit basket on the table, her eyes lit up: "This basket is so beautifully woven! Yucheng, can you also weave one for my grandson? I want one in the shape of a puppy."
Fu Yucheng smiled and agreed: "I'll make it up after I'm done with this. I guarantee it will be more exciting than this."
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