That's what they say, but Xu Yan has never done it before, and the fire in this earthen stove is also not easy to control.

By the time she thought it was about right, a layer of paste had already formed on the bottom.

She hurriedly and frantically ladled the food out, startling the two little ones who tried to help.

"Third Aunt is fine, you all stand further away so you don't get burned," Xu Yan said.

After she ladled out all the jam and poured a ladle of water into the pot, she took a bite of the jam with chopsticks.

Surprisingly, even though it was covered in a layer of staleness, it tasted pretty good, sweet and sour with a strong bayberry flavor.

She nodded and gave herself a thumbs up.

Turning her head, Xu Yan saw Da Bao and Xiao Bao looking at her expectantly, so she gave them chopsticks to try some as well.

Then the two kids' eyes lit up instantly.

"It's so delicious!"

"Delicious! Delicious!"

Seeing how much they liked it, Xu Yan immediately took out some bread and spread some sauce on it for them.

When Xie Zhuo returned, it was just time to make dinner, but he didn't cook. He came in, said a few words to Xu Yan, and then planned to ride his bicycle out again.

“I’m going into town, and when I come back I’ll just get takeout from the state-run restaurant, so you don’t need to cook,” Xie Zhuo said.

"Are you alright?" Xu Yan pulled him aside and looked him up and down.

"No," Xie Zhuo laughed, his eyes filled with pleasure, then glanced around.

Da Bao and Xiao Bao were still in the kitchen enjoying bayberry jam, their laughter audible even outside the gate. At that moment, they were the only two people in the yard.

Xie Zhuo reached out and gently put his arm around Xu Yan's waist, but as Xu Yan was about to get close to him, he stopped him as if he remembered something.

Xu Yan clicked his tongue.

"You're dirty," Xie Zhuo smiled at her, then kissed her lips before Xu Yan could speak, "I've been thinking about you all afternoon."