Chapter 176 I’ll give you the fattest one
"Look how anxious it is," Yun Tangyin said, adding firewood to the stove. The firelight reflected the smile in her eyes. "It's the same as when I snatched the locust flower cake from you."
Fu Yucheng was putting corn kernels into the cage when he suddenly turned around after hearing this. The snowflakes on his army green cotton jacket fell to the ground. "When did I ever fight with you for it?"
He pinched a piece of corn between his fingers and passed it to Yun Tangyin's mouth, "I will eat the leftovers from you. This is called not wasting."
Yun Tangyin opened her mouth and bit a kernel of corn, her teeth rubbing against his fingertips, causing his ears to feel hot.
The kettle on the stove hummed with white steam. Fu Yucheng picked up the kettle and poured hot water into the basin. The steam blurred his eyebrows and eyes: "Soak your feet to warm them up. Your toes are frozen like red fruits."
When he squatted down to take off her cotton shoes, he found a locust petal on the shoe upper, probably rubbed off on it when she was watching a movie in the afternoon.
"Let's dry the locust flowers a little more tomorrow," Yun Tangyin put her feet in the warm water and squinted her eyes in comfort. "Mix them with flour to make steamed buns. They will definitely be delicious."
Fu Yucheng sprinkled some dried mugwort into the water. The green-brown leaves swirled in the water. "Mugwort can dispel the cold. Don't catch a cold while you're pregnant."
He suddenly remembered something and dug out a cloth bag from the cupboard. Inside was a piece of ginger with a little dirt on the skin. "This is from the back mountain. I'll make you some ginger tea tomorrow."
The rabbit in the bamboo cage was full and curled up in the corner to take a nap. The alfalfa leaves stuck on its fur swayed gently with its breathing.
Yun Tangyin threw a piece of cotton wool into the cage and said with a smile, "I'll use it as a blanket for you, so you don't catch a cold."
Fu Yucheng squatted beside her, his palms gently placed on her knees, the cuffs of his army green cotton jacket stained with grass debris: "When spring comes, I will build a new cage for it. I will make it out of pine wood. It won't prick your hands."
Suddenly, the sound of snow being swept could be heard outside the courtyard, accompanied by Zhou Desheng's loud voice: "Brother Fu! Tomorrow's morning training is cancelled. Go help chop firewood for the cafeteria!"
Fu Yucheng lifted the cotton curtain and replied, "I understand!"
When I turned around, I saw Yun Tangyin filling the clay pot on the stove with locust flower cakes, which were neatly wrapped in oil paper. "This is for you. Heat it up and eat it tomorrow morning."
She stuffed the clay pot into the cupboard and suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right, let's send some to the cafeteria tomorrow so everyone can try it."
Fu Yucheng added a piece of coal to the stove, and the flames cast dancing shadows on the wall. "I was just about to tell you, Director Wang's grandson keeps asking for food, so bring some more tomorrow."
He suddenly took out a piece of rock candy from his pocket and stuffed it into Yun Tangyin's mouth. "I just asked Zhou Desheng for it. Hold it in your mouth to stop you from coughing."
The rock sugar slowly melts on the tip of the tongue, and a sweet and cool feeling spreads across the throat, with a hint of the soapberry fragrance of the army green cotton jacket.
The snow started falling again at night, making a rustling sound as it hit the window paper.
Yun Tangyin leaned in Fu Yucheng's arms and listened to him talk about interesting things during training.
Yun Tangyin laughed so hard that she hiccupped. Suddenly, the little guy in her belly kicked her, landing lightly on her heart like a feather.
"Look," she grabbed Fu Yucheng's hand and placed it on her belly, "the baby is smiling too."
Just as Fu Yucheng put his palm on it, he was kicked by the little guy again. He suddenly held his breath, and the surprise in his eyes was like sparks exploding in the stove: "It really moved!"
He lowered his head and put his ear to her lower abdomen, the collar of his army green cotton jacket rubbing against her fleece, "You're saying hello to me."
The moonlight shines through the ice-flowered window, weaving a silver net on the ground.
Yun Tangyin touched Fu Yucheng's hair and suddenly found a white hair on his temple, like a little snow.
"You have white hair now." She plucked out the white hair for him, her fingertips stained with some hair dandruff. "Is it because of too much training?"
Fu Yucheng stood up and added a piece of coal to the stove: "I'm not old. When the child grows up, I can still teach him how to shoot."
The rabbit in the bamboo cage had woken up at some point and was clinging to the bars with its front paws, looking at them.
Yun Tangyin punched him on the chest, her laughter mixed with the sound of falling snow outside the window.
When it was almost dawn, Yun Tangyin was woken up by the cold and found that Fu Yucheng was not around.
She put on her clothes and stood up, and saw him squatting in front of the chicken coop, holding a newly laid egg in his hand, and the old hen clucking at his feet.
"It's freshly laid, still warm." He stuffed the egg into her hand and said, "I'll make you a soft-boiled egg."
When Fu Yucheng brought the soft-boiled egg over, a thin layer of frost formed on the edge of the porcelain bowl.
"I added some brown sugar," he scooped a spoonful of milk into her bowl, "Director Wang said pregnant women should drink more milk to supplement calcium."
Yun Tangyin was eating eggs when she suddenly saw a red date at the bottom of the bowl. It was as round and plump as the one in the chicken soup she drank at her second sister-in-law's house yesterday.
"Did you put it there on purpose?" She looked up at him, the smile in her eyes like the flames dancing in the stove.
Fu Yucheng added a piece of firewood to the stove, his ears reddening a little: "Second sister-in-law said that red dates can replenish blood, so I'll give you some."
He suddenly remembered something and took out a cloth bag from the cabinet. Inside was a piece of floral cloth with small floral patterns on a light blue background, the same one he bought last time.
"It's for swaddling clothes for the baby." He stuffed the flowered cloth into her hands, his fingertips stained with flour. "I passed by the supply and marketing cooperative yesterday and saw the new ones. They're even prettier than the last one."
Yun Tangyin touched the small floral patterns on the cloth and suddenly laughed out loud: "Have you bought up all the cloth in the supply and marketing cooperative?"
Fu Yucheng scratched his head, the collar of his army green cotton jacket rubbing against his red earlobe: "Prepare some more, just in case it's not enough."
The snow outside the window has stopped, and the sunlight makes the snow look white. The icicles under the eaves sparkle in the sunlight, like a string of crystals.
Yun Tangyin spread the floral cloth on the kang. The daisies with a light blue background glowed softly in the morning light, like the scattered sunshine of spring spread on cotton wool.
"It'll be just right for two swaddling clothes," she said, measuring the cloth with her fingers. Suddenly, she looked up and smiled. "When the baby is a month old, wrap him in this and show it to Mom. I'm sure she'll praise you for buying it."
Fu Yucheng was adding firewood to the stove. When he turned around after hearing this, the tip of his nose was stained with soot, and the front of his army green cotton jacket rubbed against his white face. "Mom will definitely say that I'm partial, buying only for the children and not for you."
He suddenly pulled out a piece of rouge-red silk from the cabinet. The edge was embroidered with lotus flowers. He had bought it last time he went to town. "I'll make you a padded jacket with this. It's perfect for spring. It will look very pretty with your pair of black cloth shoes."
Xiaolan's voice came from outside the yard, like a small stone thrown into the silence of the early morning. "Sister-in-law! Brother Fu!"
She rushed into the yard holding a bamboo basket, the red string on her braid was entangled with fine snow, "My mother made some sticky rice dumplings and asked me to bring you some!"
The steamed bean buns in the bamboo basket were emitting hot steam, and the yellow glutinous rice skin was covered with red beans, like a handful of broken agate.
Yun Tangyin stuffed a piece of locust flower cake into Xiaolan's hand and watched her stand on tiptoe to look into the bamboo cage. The rabbit was nibbling on the alfalfa that Fu Yucheng had just added, and its three-petal mouth moved rapidly.
"It seems to have gained weight," Xiaolan reached out to touch it, then timidly retreated. "My mother said that rabbits are more likely to give birth when they are fat. Sister-in-law, how many do you think it can give birth to?"
Fu Yucheng threw a carrot into the cage: "At least three, and I'll give you the fattest one."
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