"well!"

Liu Erhong sighed first.

"She's conflicted. She's been saying for the past few days that she wants to talk to you and get your opinions."

Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to casually reveal other people's affairs.

Having been alone for two lifetimes, and having experienced more brotherhood than anything else, Jian Dan is really not good at this. However, it's also clear that she's conflicted and hasn't made a decisive rejection, meaning she's still wavering.

That means Tan Yajun wasn't entirely without feelings for Liu Jiefang.

Right, right?

I simply think my reasoning is flawless.

"Sister Ya-jun, are you unable to stand his pestering anymore?"

Liu Erhong glanced at her, somewhat speechless.

"The way you put it, that person seems like a persistent leech?"

"Well, no, not at all."

Although Liu Jiefang was also a victim of the incident that happened when Tan Yajun first moved in, it was ultimately his family's fault. After that, he probably wanted to atone for his sins and began to quietly help Tan Yajun deliver firewood.

Tan Yajun refused many times, and for a while she seemed to understand, which at least gave her some peace and quiet.

It only lasted for a while. Later, for some reason, they started again, even more outrageous than before. They not only took firewood, but also helped them with their work under the cover of darkness, turning over the garden.

Having lived with Tan Yajun for so long, Liu Erhong had seen all of this.

"That is to say, he kept it hidden and didn't make a fuss so the whole village would know. That day, when the mountain goods seller came, the village office was always bustling with people. Then Sister Yajun said to him not to come anymore, no matter how much gratitude or hatred there was, it should be settled."

I was there too. Ya-jun was very calm that day, and her tone was more firm than ever before.

He probably understood what was going on, but he didn't say anything. He just stared at Sister Yajun for a long time without saying anything, and then he left.

He didn't come for several days in between, and we thought he had just given up.

Then, the day before yesterday, he came again and said he wanted to date Sister Yajun. He added that if she agreed, he would go back and ask the village chief's aunt and the third grandmother to act as matchmakers and propose marriage.

I was stunned. We haven't even started dating yet, and they're already talking about proposing marriage?

Although she knew that at this point, nine times out of ten it was arranged by parents or matchmakers, and there wasn't much time to get to know each other before marriage, this was still too rushed, wasn't it?

Just as I was about to ask something, Tan Yajun came running back with a basket on her back.

"Hey, have a taste. It's called 'Big Piece Candy.' I tried it, and it's not too sweet. Hmm, it's crunchy and delicious."

"Really? This is more expensive than fruit candy, right?"

"It's alright. After a busy year, shouldn't we eat something good for the New Year? I bought a pack, I'll freeze it and eat it slowly when I get home."

Here's a simple package for you; just freeze it.

"Click"

Without any hesitation, she took a bite.

"Hmm, it's really crispy. Come to think of it, I don't think they were selling it when we came here last year?"

"No, no, I think you need wheat or millet to make this stuff. I reckon if we hadn't made money this year, this family might not have been able to make it. They'd be worried about throwing sugar into the grain and then not being able to sell it. They'd be heartbroken."

(Big chunks of candy, also called stove candy or Guandong candy, is a type of maltose. Every winter, vendors outside would hawk it, and trucks would come from the village to sell it. Big chunks of candy are made from malt and millet. When frozen, it's fine and crisp when you bite into it. But if you bite into it slowly or it softens a little, it becomes really sticky. It always sticks to my teeth, and it's painful to think about [crying]. Although I didn't really like it at the time, I would always buy some and have a couple of bites.)

Does anyone know?

She had eaten this once in her previous life when she went to Northeast China for a mission. It was -30 degrees Celsius outdoors. Standing in the snow, she took a bite and it was crunchy and delicious. It was very cold, but she still remembered the feeling of the cold wind rushing into her lungs.

She never expected to have the chance to eat it again. Although it was different from the finely processed version of later generations, this one still had the fragrance of grains, which unexpectedly suited her taste.

"Sister Yajun, do you still remember which stall it was?"

Eating sweets puts you in a good mood, and Jian Dan immediately forgot about the previous topic, focusing all her attention on the candy.

"Do they still have any? I'll go buy some too; my kids should like them too."

The three of them walked forward, laughing and joking. The process of making this candy was quite complicated, so what they brought were all finished products. The stall owner hadn't expected to encounter such a big customer; he had been worried about not being able to sell them, since this thing was considered a luxury item, and few people would be willing to buy it for their children.

"Young man, are you really going to take them all? I don't have much, but it's still about ten pounds,"

He made more than ten kilograms of sugar, using a lot of grain and sugar. He hesitated for several days before finally making up his mind.

"Yes, I'll take them all. Could you please pack them into several smaller bags for me so they'll be easier to carry?"

With the money in hand, the stall owner felt much relieved.

"Hey, hey, no problem, no problem, but,"

After thinking for a moment, he cautiously added a sentence.

"However, this stuff is delicious, but it can't be kept for too long. Once the weather warms up, it won't taste the same."

These women don't look like typical rural girls or young wives; they resemble the educated youth from their village more. If they don't know what this stuff is and buy it only to have it spoil, it would ruin his reputation.

If he were to ruin his family's ancestral craftsmanship, and word got out, he would be too ashamed to face his father at his age.

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