The Sweet Litte Fulang (SLF)

Chapter 188 - Silk flowers

After eating his milk fruit at noon, Xiaoling fell asleep. Since it was difficult to sit comfortably outside with the cold, Lu Gu and Shen Yan gathered around a brazier in the main room to work on their needlework.

With New Year's Eve only a month away, preparations were in full swing. Unlike the previous year, their family had another little one to celebrate with. The last time Shen Xuanqing went to town, he brought back some fine cloth to make new clothes, shoes, and a tiger hat for Lingjun. It would be his first New Year, and they wanted to dress him in new clothes from head to toe.

Ever since winter began, Guai Zi spent most of his time at home. Shen Xuanqing now hunted only in the nearby front mountain, leaving in the morning and returning the same day.

Guai Zi lay on a sack in the corner, napping peacefully. But as soon as the brazier was lit, he bit the sack and tried to drag it closer to the warmth. Lu Gu was worried the dog might singe his fur, so he tugged the sack—and the lazy dog—back to the corner.

"You're not light anymore," Lu Gu said with a chuckle as he straightened up.

Shen Yan glanced at Guai Zi and laughed. "No wonder he's gotten so fat."

Guai Zi let out a low, half-hearted growl from his throat, as if to protest her comment, but he remained curled up, too lazy to move.

"Lazybones." Shen Yan's almond-shaped eyes curved with amusement as she scolded him affectionately.

Just as they were chatting and laughing, Guai Zi perked up, got to his feet, and barked toward the door. Lu Gu glanced outside the main room and saw Shen Xuanqing approaching with a bamboo basket in hand.

"Second Brother." Shen Yan didn't get up but bit off the embroidery thread in her hand as she finished her stitch.

Lu Gu put down his needle and thread and smiled as he saw Shen Xuanqing walking briskly through the cold wind. He stood but didn't go outside, knowing Shen Xuanqing would come in quickly.

"Is he sleeping?" Shen Xuanqing asked as he set down the bamboo basket.

Lu Gu smiled and nodded. "Just fell asleep. Have you eaten yet? There's rice left in the pot."

"I wanted to get back early, so I just ate two butter cakes in town," Shen Xuanqing replied, brushing off some snow from his clothes.

"I'll bring you some food anyway; it should still be warm," Lu Gu said, heading toward the kitchen.

Shen Yan took a look at her embroidery. She was satisfied with the butterfly she had stitched today and set her work aside. "Second Brother, what did you buy?" she asked curiously.

Shen Xuanqing moved the bamboo basket closer and opened it. He unwrapped a coarse cloth to reveal an assortment of bright silk flowers and a headband. "Here you go, the silk flowers you asked for. And I bought winter pears, roast chicken, and two small silk flowers for Lingjun. The rest of the flowers you can divide among yourselves."

He took out the two smaller silk flowers, one in pale yellow and the other in soft lilac, and handed them to Shen Yan. She smiled brightly. "These will look so good on Lingjun! But his hair is still too short, and if I clip them on, he'll just pull them off. The other day, he yanked out some of my hair when he grabbed the flowers on my head. Maybe I could sew these flowers onto soft cloth strips and tie them around his head like a headband?"

Shen Xuanqing chuckled, thinking of how mischievous little Lingjun was. If his hands weren't tucked into the swaddle, he was always grabbing at anything within reach—whether it was someone's hair or sleeves. "That's a good idea," he said with a nod.