The next day, a light drizzle fell from the sky.
“Brother, that’s not right.”
“Little brother, you’re wrong—mine is about to come apart.”
Xu Anyan was woken by the noise of the two children. When she opened her eyes, she saw the two little ones sitting on the inner side of the heated bed, playing with a Nine Linked Rings puzzle.
Hearing the rain outside, she immediately understood—so that was why they weren’t practicing horse stance today.
At that moment, Dabao saw their mother wake up and quickly crawled over, excitedly saying, “Mother, look! I solved it.”
Xiaobao refused to be outdone, lifting his chin proudly. “Mother, I solved mine too. Look!”
Xu Anyan sat up and took a look—well, they really were fast. Next time she’d have to find something harder.
“Dabao, did you and your brother eat yet?”
“Not yet. Father said we should wait for Mother to wake up and eat together.”
So Xu Anyan got up and took the two children to wash up and eat.
The autumn rain brought a chill, and the weather was gradually turning toward early winter.
Seeing that the rain was getting heavier and they couldn’t go out, Xu Anyan took out the scrap fabric she had obtained a few days earlier from the dressmaker’s shop. She planned to make animal pillows for the two children.
As for the fabric, she would use the original owner’s old clothes—since they couldn’t be worn, they might as well be “recycled.”
She turned to the children and asked, “Dabao, Xiaobao, what animals do you like? Mother will make one for each of you.”
Dabao immediately said, “I like tigers!”
Xiaobao quickly followed, “I like wolves!”
Xu Anyan wanted to say she couldn’t make something realistic—but she could manage something at least vaguely shaped.
She then took out two faded ruqun dresses from the cabinet, along with a brownish-yellow summer shirt and a gray spring shirt, preparing to cut them up.
These clothes were old and had been set aside by the original owner.
After cutting the fabric, she began sewing. She left a small opening, stuffed in all the scrap fabric pieces, and then stitched it closed.
When she finished, Dabao and Xiaobao looked at the small “tiger” and “wolf” in their hands. The two exchanged glances, both looking like they wanted to ask something but didn’t dare.
Dabao pointed at his tiger. “Mother… is this a tiger? Why does it look so strange?”
With her brother leading the way, Xiaobao also pointed at his wolf. “Mother, my wolf looks like a puppy.”
Xu Anyan felt a bit guilty—this was her first time making cartoon-style stuffed animals.
She wasn’t good at it, but she could always force the truth a little.
Straightening her expression, she calmly made up an explanation. “Of course they are tigers and wolves. How could Mother possibly lie to you?”
The two children immediately nodded. “We believe Mother.”
In the afternoon, the rain grew lighter, showing signs of stopping.
Holding an oil-paper umbrella, Xu Anyan went next door to the Wu household. She wanted to learn how to pickle sour cabbage that day.
Before she even knocked, the door was opened from inside. Madam Wu was holding a basket covered with coarse cloth. Seeing her, she smiled.
“Xiao Yan, are you here to see Xiaoyu?”
“I’m here to see Sister Zheng. Madam Wu, are you going out?”
Madam Wu looked pleased. “Yes, I just finished two embroidery pieces of plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum. I’m going to deliver them.”
“Then please go ahead. I’ll go in and find Sister Zheng.”
“Alright. Xiaoyu is free right now—you two should chat more.”
Madam Wu left with her umbrella, and Xu Anyan walked into the courtyard.
“Sister Zheng,” she called.
As soon as she spoke, Zheng Yu came out from the main room. Seeing her, she quickly said, “Sister Xu, come in quickly. Don’t get caught in the rain.”
“Alright.”
Just as she reached the corridor and put away her umbrella, Zheng Yu pulled her toward the house. Xu Anyan hurriedly stopped her.
“Sister Zheng, I won’t go inside. I came to ask what ingredients are needed for pickled sour cabbage.”
“Oh, it’s simple. Just prepare a jar, cabbage, and salt. Call me when you start pickling—I’ll come help.”
“Alright, thank you.”
“No trouble at all. Oh, I still have a lot of cabbage in my backyard. I’ll bring you a few heads—you don’t need to buy any.”
“That won’t do. I must pay you.”
Seeing her seriousness, Zheng Yu didn’t insist further. “Alright, let’s go get the cabbage.”
So the two of them each carried two heads of cabbage back to the Xu household.
Zheng Yu, upon hearing that Xu Anyan already had jars and salt, came along to help.
Under Zheng Yu’s instructions, Xu Anyan boiled a pot of water. While waiting, they removed the outer leaves of the four cabbages and cut them into quarters.
Once the water boiled, they blanched the cabbage for ten to twenty seconds and then removed it to drain.
According to Zheng Yu, this made the cabbage crispier.
Xu Anyan thought to herself that this was essentially high-temperature sterilization.
Then they coated each leaf with salt, especially the thicker stem parts, applying more salt there and less on the leaves.
They packed the salted cabbage layer by layer into the jar, salting each layer as they went. Once finished, they placed four bricks on top to press it down.
Then they carried the jar to the storage room together.
Originally, she had wanted to put it in a side room, but since the smell of pickles was strong, she chose the storage room instead.
“Sister Zheng, is that it?” Xu Anyan asked.
“Not yet,” Zheng Yu said. “Tomorrow morning, the cabbage will release water and soften. You’ll need to pour out the water, press it tightly again, then add boiled and cooled water until it completely covers the cabbage.”
“After covering it, press it with bricks again and store it in a cool place for about twenty to thirty days. Then it’s ready.”
Xu Anyan thought it was finished, but Zheng Yu continued.
“At first, there may be bubbles and white foam in the jar. That’s normal—just scoop it out with a spoon.”
“Alright, I understand. Thank you, Sister Zheng.”
She had thought it would be complicated, but it turned out to be quite simple. Next time she could do it herself.
They worked for about an hour and a half before finishing. Seeing that it was getting late, Zheng Yu took her leave.
After Jiang Huan finished work and came home, Xu Anyan and the two children were walking in the courtyard to digest their food.
She knew Jiang Huan usually ate lunch and dinner at the county office, so she never prepared dinner for him.
When Dabao and Xiaobao saw their father return, they immediately ran back into the house, grabbing their new toys and rushing over.
Dabao raised his little tiger high. “Father, look! This is the little tiger Mother made for me!”
Xiaobao immediately stuffed his little wolf into Jiang Huan’s arms. “Father, look! This is the little wolf Mother made for me!”
Standing nearby, Xu Anyan looked utterly resigned. These two little troublemakers were definitely here to ruin her.
Jiang Huan glanced at Xu Anyan but said nothing. He was completely speechless. These two foolish sons—how were these tigers and wolves?
Clearly, they were neither.
He then said seriously to the children, “Don’t take these little animals outside casually.”
The two children looked confused. “Why?”
Because your mother’s craftsmanship is… not something to show people.
Hearing this, Xu Anyan quickly interjected, “Just listen to your father.”
“Okay…”