The renovation of the courtyard was completed two days ago. Su Yan was making fruit preserves in the kitchen of the courtyard, with Su Lei helping her. Grandma Li went back to cook dinner.

"I need to earn money. If I don't earn money, where will you get a big house to live in? Where will you get your tuition fees?" Su Yan took the fruit out of the salt water and said, "If I go to school, you have to be good and be a strong man, help Mom and the others share the burden, okay?"

Su Lei nodded first, then said, "Sis, what if I miss you?"

"I'll come back during winter and summer vacations, and I'll come back whenever I have free time. Are you worried that I won't see you?"

"I'm scared," Su Lei said. "I heard from my classmates that Guangzhou is very chaotic, with many thieves, human traffickers, and gangsters. It's very dangerous."

Upon hearing this, Su Yan stopped what she was doing.

She looked at Su Lei with suspicion and asked, "How would your classmates know about this?"

Besides, Guangzhou and Lanzhou are a huge distance apart, and they wouldn't broadcast such things that would corrupt children on television.

“There’s a girl in my class whose family is very rich, but other classmates say that her brother made his money in Guangzhou by working in the underworld and that he’s not honest, so nobody plays with her. She plays alone and gets bullied by other girls, but she fights back.”

Su Yan paused for a moment before asking, "Does Xiao Lei also reject her like the other classmates?"

Su Lei thought about the question seriously for a moment, then shook his head and said, "She is her, and her brother is her brother. Just because her brother is a bad person doesn't mean she is a bad person too. Sister, do you agree with what I said?"

"You're half right."

"Why?" Su Lei looked at her, puzzled.

Su Yan explained, "Do you have any substantial evidence to prove that her brother is involved in organized crime? Hearsay is not valid unless you see it for yourself or confirm the rumor through some means. Otherwise, what's the difference between this and throwing mud at someone?"

Su Lei looked like he understood but didn't quite.

His sister's words were so profound.

Su Yan patted his head. "Alright, digest this on your own. I need to get busy."

She started by making canned yellow peaches, and also opened a new pot specifically for making snacks.

Put the yellow peaches and rock sugar into a pot, add water and a spoonful of salt, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes. While the cooked yellow peaches are still hot, put them into jars, seal the lids, and let them cool. They will taste even better if chilled before eating.

The other canned fruits were prepared in the same way, but Su Yan added less rock sugar and some honey according to her own preference, and then sprinkled a little dried jasmine on top after turning the heat down to low for 5 minutes.

Soon the air was filled with the sweet aroma of jasmine mixed with rock sugar and fruit.

It took more than an hour to prepare all four flavors, and Su Yan set aside a little of each for her family.

After it cooled down, Su Lei couldn't wait to fill a bowl with canned yellow peaches and start eating them.

Su Yan served a bowl to Grandma Li and Grandpa Li, while Hu Zi grabbed a piece of yellow peach and ate it. She left the rest for Li Juan, planning to take it to her tomorrow so she could try it.

"Grandma and Grandpa, how are you feeling? Is it sour?" she asked eagerly.

Grandpa Li shook his head and said, "It's not sour, it's delicious!"

He wasn't a picky eater, but he knew that his granddaughter's cooking was exceptionally delicious. For example, this canned fruit tasted even better than fresh fruit!

Grandma Li was busy talking when she gave a thumbs up.

After finishing a bowl of canned fruit, she praised without reservation: "Ayan, your canned fruit is absolutely amazing. It's exactly the same as the one Grandma used to eat when she was little. The only difference is that you added jasmine, which makes it smell wonderful. The way you made it is quite unique."

"So, do you think it's better to add jasmine or not?"

Su Yan has two versions of the fruit canning recipe.

One option is to add jasmine flowers, and the other is not to add them. The cooking time and sugar content also need to be adjusted.

Only the peach and grape flavors had dried jasmine added; the mixed and orange flavors didn't. This was so that everyone could taste them and decide which flavor to make.

Grandma Li tasted the canned oranges in Grandpa Li's bowl, and after savoring them, her brow gradually furrowed.

Su Yan's heart jumped; she could hear it pounding.

After a long silence, Grandma Li finally gave her evaluation: "I prefer the fragrance of jasmine, but it tastes good even without jasmine. They each have their own flavor, and I can't find fault with either. It depends on the general public's taste. Why don't you send it to the food factory now, let them taste it tonight and discuss it, and then go over tomorrow to hear what Director Yu and the others have decided?"

Su Yan's thoughts were the same as her grandmother's, and she couldn't find any fault with either of them.

“Okay, I’ll send it over now,” she said.

Grandma Li couldn't help but sigh, "It's been so many years, I haven't tasted this flavor in ages. Ah Yan, do you have a recipe? Otherwise, how come everything you make tastes so delicious?"

Su Yan replied innocently, "Grandma, what recipes could I possibly have? I just have to think of them myself."

Grandma Li, noticing the changes in her daughter, wisely refrained from asking further questions and changed the subject, saying, "Your grandpa and I are going back to Lijiapin in a couple of days. We can't lose our roots, so the house needs to be rebuilt. We're going back to celebrate the New Year."

Upon returning to Lijiapin, Su Yan's first thought was of Wei Wu on the mountain. She hadn't seen him in a long time and wondered how he was doing.

“Then I’ll go back with you, and I’ll go up the mountain to find medicinal herbs while I’m at it,” she said.

She probably won't be going back to Lijiaping much in the future, so she has to tell Weiwu no matter what, and can't keep him waiting for her.

Having agreed to return to the village, she packed Li Juan's dinner and canned fruit and left.

Su Lei wanted to go with them, but Su Yan refused because he hadn't finished his homework.

She first delivered four cans of fruit to the food factory. Yu Dahai happened to be at the factory at that time. He was overjoyed to see that Su Yan had delivered the samples so quickly.

"You're moving at a speed like you're flying, Boss Su." He took the can of fruit from Su Yan's hand. "Wow, it's quite heavy! You've worked hard, wait for me a moment, I have to treat you to a meal at a restaurant."

Seeing his exaggerated expression, Su Yan couldn't help but laugh and refused, "There's no need to go out to eat. You can invite me after you're done with this busy period. I made two kinds of fruit preserves. You can taste them with the factory staff tonight and discuss whether to make jasmine or the original flavor, and whether there are any adjustments needed. I'll come to see you tomorrow and you can tell me everything."

Yu Dahai responded and nodded, saying, "Okay, then you can go back now."

After Su Yan left, he immediately and energetically convened a meeting at the factory.