Juhua turned to look and saw it was Qingmu, carrying a large, flat sieve on his shoulder as he came toward the river.
She smiled and asked, "Qingmu, what are you washing the sieve for?"
Qingmu smiled. "To dry the moldy bean dregs. Why'd you bring him out all by yourself?"
So Juhua told him about how Banli had pulled the dog's ears. Banli, completely unaware his mother was talking about him, was still grinning foolishly at Qingmu. His uncle often teased and played with him.
Qingmu chuckled. "This little one is going to be a handful. You'll have your hands full from now on. I can tell he's much more active than Hulu. Juhua, you shouldn't be so quick to pick them up. They're not light anymore, you know. Even though your wound has healed, you still need to be careful. You can't get too tired, and you definitely can't do heavy lifting. And isn't holding a baby heavy lifting?"
