Chapter 229: Little Ancestor, the Dew is Cool
"Wait for me! I want to go to the river too!" Xiaolan's clear voice was like a wind chime on the eaves. She put the rabbit basket on the stone table, and a sweet potato in the basket rolled out with a "gurgle".
Fu Yucheng turned around and smiled: "Come quickly, if it's any later the small fish will hide in the reeds."
Xiaolan picked up the sweet potatoes and stuffed them into the basket. The bamboo rabbit ears cast tiny shadows in the morning light, and the word "Xiaolan" on the bottom of the basket was soaked dark by dew.
Nian An ran very fast holding the fishing net rope. His tiger-head boots splashed water beads as he stepped through the puddles, and the tassels of his tiger bellyband brushed against the grass leaves and picked up a piece of cocklebur.
"Slow down," Fu Yucheng reached out and held him back. "Don't drag the fishing net on the ground. It will get worn out and you won't be able to catch any fish."
Nian'an pointed at the white ducks in the distance and chuckled. The silver longevity lock on his chest jumped happily, scaring the ducks so much that they quacked and jumped into the river.
Jiang Jianhua opened the steamer in the kitchen, and the fragrance of mung bean paste filled the air.
She mixed a spoonful of osmanthus sugar into the sand, and fine foam appeared when the wooden spoon stirred it.
"Mom, can you taste it and see if it's sweet enough?" She scooped up a spoonful and handed it to Song Yushuang's mouth. The mung beans in the bamboo tray glowed with emerald light in the sunlight.
Song Yushuang smacked his lips: "Add another half spoonful of sugar, children love sweet things."
Yun Tangyin was filtering the red bean paste through a fine sieve. Upon hearing this, she smiled and said, "When I make the mung bean cakes later, I'll carve some little tigers on the mold. They'll be perfect for Nian'an's bellyband."
The willow trees by the river hung green silk ribbons. Fu Yucheng showed Nian'an how to use the fishing net: "Hold this rope and scoop it into the water like this."
Nian An followed suit and threw the net into the river, splashing water all over his face, which made Xiaolan clap her hands.
Fu Yucheng took the opportunity to put down his fishing rod. With a light flick of the reed rod in his hand, he caught a small, silver fish.
"Put it in the fish tank for Nian," he put the fish into Xiaolan's bamboo basket, "It's called wheat ear fish, it's the smartest to keep."
Xiaolan squatted on the bank and drew circles with a branch: "Uncle, I still have the grasshopper cage you taught me to make last year."
She suddenly pointed at the water and exclaimed, "Look! Lots of little fish are gathering here!"
Nian'an waved the net wildly, which scared away the fish. He was so happy that he jumped for joy, and a few drops of river water fell off the pompom on his tiger-head hat.
When the sun rose to the top of our heads, the bamboo basket was already half full of small fish.
Fu Yucheng put away his fishing gear and said, "It's time to go back. If we're any later, we won't be able to eat hot mung bean cakes."
Nian'an, however, held on to a smooth pebble and refused to leave. The stone was soaked in the cold river water and reflected his rosy face.
"This is called Yuhua Stone," Fu Yucheng put the stone into his pocket for him, "Go back and wash it and put it under your pillow."
As the sweet aroma of mung bean cakes wafted through the yard, they walked into the house under the shade of the trees.
Jiang Jianhua was removing the steamed cake from the mold. A tiger head was printed on the emerald green square, and the tips of its ears were dotted with rouge red.
"Come and try it," she said, pushing a piece into each of the children's hands. "It's just out of the steamer, so soft."
Nian An took a bite of the cake, and the bean paste stuck to the corners of his mouth, just like adding a beard to a tiger's bellyband.
Aunt Zhang came by with a bamboo basket filled with freshly picked cucumbers. "I came here because I smelled the aroma. What delicious food do you have?"
Seeing the mung bean cake on the stone table, her eyes lit up, "This looks so handsome! Sister Jianhua, you can open a shop in town with your craftsmanship."
Jiang Jianhua smiled and put a few pieces into her basket: "Take them back for your grandson. Eat them with freshly brewed chrysanthemum tea to relieve the greasiness."
Fu Yuanshan carved a wooden basin in the yard, intending to make it a new home for the little fish.
He planes the wood smooth and carves wavy patterns along the edge. "Drill a few small holes in the bottom of this basin, just enough to drain in fresh water."
Nian'an leaned over to take a look, and his finger was pricked by a sawdust. His mouth pursed, and he was about to cry. Fu Yuanshan quickly took out a wild date and stuffed it into his mouth: "Don't cry if you are a real man. Look, your uncle will make you a fish tank with wheels, and you can push it around."
Under the locust tree in the afternoon, Song Yushuang told stories to the children.
Nian'an lay on her knees and fiddled with the Yuhua stones, while Xiaolan used a rabbit basket to dry small fish.
"Once upon a time, there was a little tiger," Song Yushuang said slowly, "It loved eating mung bean cakes. One day, it ate too much and turned into a round ball..."
Nian An immediately patted his belly, causing everyone to laugh.
Fu Yucheng was grinding new wheat next to the millstone, and the wheat grains turned into snow-white powder under the millstone.
"I'll make wheat porridge this afternoon," he said, wiping the sweat off his face. "The aroma of new wheat can't be compared to old wheat."
Yun Tangyin brought the mung bean soup: "Rest for a while before you get busy. This soup has rock sugar in it, it's very cool."
She looked at the flour that Fu Yucheng had ground. "It's enough to make two baskets of steamed buns. Send some to Zhou Desheng's house. His wife even sent pumpkin pie last time."
The evening glow dyed the fence red, and Nian'an's small fish tank was finally finished.
Fu Yuanshan put some water plants into the tank, and the little fish swam happily in it.
"Let's go get some duckweed tomorrow," he said, wiping sawdust from his hands. "That's where the fish and worms hide. We don't have to keep feeding them steamed bread crumbs."
Nian An lay on the edge of the tank and lightly touched the water surface with his fingers, scaring the small fishes away. The shadow of the silver longevity lock swayed into pieces of silver in the water.
The wheat porridge for dinner was cooked thickly, and Jiang Jianhua sprinkled a handful of osmanthus flowers into it.
Nian'an held the bowl and drank sweetly, occasionally taking a bite of fried cucumber, his little face as red as a ripe wild date.
Fu Yucheng picked up a fish ball for Yun Tangyin and said, "Eat more. These fish balls are made by Aunt Zhang. They taste pretty good."
Yun Tangyin smiled and nodded: "Tomorrow I will also learn to make some pickles, which will be perfect with the porridge."
As the moonlight climbed up to the top of the locust tree, Nian An yawned while holding the tiger doll.
Jiang Jianhua took off his shoes and found a small mark on the Yuhua stone in his pocket: "Why don't you put this stone in the fish tank?"
Nian'an said vaguely, "Sleep, accompany me." Song Yushuang placed the stone next to his pillow for him: "Let it accompany our Nian'an and have a sweet dream."
In the kitchen, Jiang Jianhua and Yun Tangyin were cleaning up the dishes. The crisp sound of porcelain bowls colliding mixed with the chirping of insects outside the window.
Fu Yucheng and Fu Yuanshan sat in the yard smoking. The flickering light of their pipes reflected on the small fish tank in the corner, where the brown sturgeons were still swimming among the water plants.
The leaves of the locust tree rustle, as if saying that this is how the day should be, wrapped in sweet fragrance, soaked in warmth, slowly flowing through every ordinary morning and evening.
At dawn, Nian An was awakened by the splashing of fish in the fish tank.
He rubbed his eyes and sat up. The Yuhua Stone beside his pillow was illuminated by the moonlight and looked like a piece of jade soaked in water.
"Fish, fish," he ran to the yard barefoot. The brown gudgeon in the small fish tank was circling around the water plants, its tail stirring up tiny silver waves.
Fu Yuanshan came out with his clothes on to fetch water. Seeing him barefoot, he laughed: "Little ancestor, the dew is cold, put on your tiger-head boots quickly."
The salty aroma of pickles wafted through the kitchen as Yun Tangyin was putting pickled cucumbers into ceramic jars.
"These pickles need to be sealed for three days," she sprinkled a handful of salt on the jar, "and then serve with wheat porridge. I'm sure Nian'an will have a couple more bowls."
Jiang Jianhua was steaming buns, kneading the dough until it was smooth in her hands: "I steamed a few extra buns with brown sugar filling to save for Xiaolan, she loves sweet buns the most."
When the steamer was opened, white steam wrapped in the aroma of wheat came out and condensed into tiny water droplets in the morning light.
Fu Yucheng was carrying a hoe and was going to the fields. He stopped when he passed by the fish tank and said, "These fish need some new water."
He added a ladle of well water to the jar and said, "Nian'an, come with me later to pick some lotus leaves to put on the bottom of the jar. They'll look nice."
Nian'an immediately raised his little hand to follow. The tassels of his tiger bellyband swept across the edge of the jar, bringing up a string of water droplets.
When Xiaolan walked in with the rabbit basket on her back, she happened to see Fu Yucheng teaching Nian'an to pick lotus leaves.
"My mother asked me to bring some freshly picked eggplants," she said, placing the bamboo basket on the stone table. The eggplants in the basket were purple and wet with morning dew. "These eggplants are very tender and are best fried."
Fu Yucheng took it with a smile: "It's just right, make eggplant sauce, it tastes better with steamed buns than meat."
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