In the instant she fell backward, Jiang Sheng thought of many things.
For example, if she dies, who will take care of her brothers?
For example, the second brother definitely cried the most, the fourth brother was in tears, the eldest and fifth brothers stubbornly refused to shed a tear, and in the end the third brother beat them all to tears with a stick.
For example, she hasn't had enough candied hawthorns yet, and what she loves isn't the hawthorn itself, but the fragrant and crispy sugar coating on the outside of the hawthorn.
Finally, I thought about how it's a shame that my brothers haven't gotten married yet.
The plump little girl closed her eyes in mid-air, peacefully awaiting her death by falling.
However.
The moment she landed, she only felt a slight bump, without the pain of hitting her head or breaking any arms or legs. Instead, she felt something soft and warm, like the new cotton quilt that Aunt Zhang had laid out for her.
Even the panicked brothers fell silent.
Did it fall back into its mother's womb all at once?
She must remember what her mother looks like before she becomes a homeless beggar.
Jiang Sheng quickly opened her eyes, but instead of seeing the gentle woman, she saw three large faces approaching.
The eldest brother, Xu Mo, is as pure as a gentle breeze and as clear as the moon.
My second brother, Zheng Ruqian, was upright and kind.
Fourth Brother Wen Zhiyun felt guilty and shed tears.
Wait, there's one missing brother. Where did Fifth Brother go?
Before Jiang Sheng could speak, a painful groan suddenly came from below, "Jiang Sheng...you...eat less...in the future..."
It turns out that Xiao Wu had been used as a human cushion for his younger sister at the long banquet, and was now barely breathing.
The brothers, regaining their senses, hurriedly lifted the chubby little sister up, thus saving Changyan's life.
Jiang Sheng felt extremely guilty. "Fifth Brother, you saved my life. From now on, I'll let you eat the candied hawthorn peel, and I'll eat the hawthorn inside."
Long banquet, "..."
Just imagining the scene of the fifth brother nibbling off all the crispy skin of the candied hawthorn before handing it to his sister, the older brothers all showed a hint of reluctance on their faces.
“Little Jiang Sheng,” Zheng Ruqian cleared his throat, “we’ll sell candied hawthorns in the future. Auntie said she can learn to make them, and you can eat as many as you want.”
"Really?" Jiang Sheng's eyes lit up.
"Really." Zheng Ruqian nodded. "Auntie is making syrup right now."
Actually, Zhang Xianglian was terrified of taking on the role of head chef at a shop, so she decided to try making all the pastries she had ever seen. The candied hawthorn was just a preliminary attempt.
But the temptation was enough for Jiang Sheng. As soon as Zheng Ruqian finished speaking, the girl practically tumbled and crawled out.
Some of the brothers smiled, some hesitated to speak, and some sighed softly.
Just before Jiang Sheng took her last step out of the room, she could still faintly hear her older brother's admonition, "Candy causes cavities, so eat less..."
Oh dear, I won't listen, it's just like a monk chanting scriptures.
Although her older brother is a man of his word, intelligent, decisive, resolute, and steady, he has one flaw: he often controls her and doesn't let her eat candy. He says that she suffered too much as a child, which caused her to be underweight and that she is still losing her baby teeth at the age of eleven. He says that if she eats a few more bites of candy, she will definitely have a mouthful of rotten teeth in the future.
Jiang Sheng was also frightened at first. She dreamed that she was standing gracefully with a black and smelly mouth, and several arrogant aphids were swimming on the tip of her tongue. She was so frightened that she woke up.
I didn't touch sugar for a very long time after that.
Until she met the uncle who sold candied hawthorns again, the bright red fruit beckoned to her from the sugar bin, the only sweetness and hope in those hard days surged back into her heart, and the little girl made a tough decision and stomped her foot.
eat!
You can abandon anyone but candied hawthorns!
Jiang Sheng had also prepared for the worst. If she really had a mouthful of rotten teeth, she would... she would not get married!
At worst, I'll abandon my future husband, but I'll never abandon candied hawthorns!
Jiang Sheng was smug about her cleverness. When she rushed into the kitchen, she saw Aunt Zhang stirring syrup. She was overjoyed and leaned on the windowsill to watch.
The syrup made by boiling water and rock sugar in equal proportions is reddish and shiny. When coated with hawthorn, it should be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, sweet and delicious.
But after Aunt Zhang stirred it a few times, the bright red syrup disappeared, replaced by dark yellow sugar granules that clung unevenly to the hawthorn berries.
Jiang Sheng, standing outside the window, covered her mouth.
Aunt Zhang frowned as she sat on the stove.
"That shouldn't be the case," she muttered to herself in confusion. "I cooked it according to the same ratio of sugar to water. It started as syrup, so how did it turn into sugar granules?"
Zhang Xianglian raised her hand to wash the sugar off the hawthorns, but was stopped by Jiang Sheng who rushed in.
"Auntie, no, what if it's edible?" The little girl opened her mouth and took a bite. The first sensation was a dense, gritty texture, followed by the sour and sweet taste of hawthorn. As she savored the aftertaste, the gritty texture coated the hawthorn flesh, eliminating the last trace of sourness and leaving only a mouthful of sweetness.
Zhang Xianglian became nervous, "Is it delicious, Little Jiang Sheng?"
Jiang Sheng couldn't speak, she could only nod in response: Delicious, Auntie, it's so delicious.
Even if the candied hawthorn is not made perfectly, it still tastes great.
Zhang Xianglian's panicked and uneasy heart calmed down immediately. She touched the two little tufts on the little girl's head, and a bold idea suddenly emerged in her mind.
That evening, candied hawthorns were served on the dinner table.
Xu Mo stared for a while, then suddenly asked, "Is Auntie stirring the syrup?"
Zhang Xianglian was astonished, "How did Xiao Mo know?"
"The sugar syrup used to make candied hawthorns cannot be stirred, otherwise it will crystallize." Xu Mo picked up a piece of candied hawthorn. "Ancient books mention this, but unfortunately it's only mentioned briefly and not in detail."
But for Zhang Xianglian, shrouded in mystery, that was enough.
Making candied hawthorn skewers is not complicated. People know from word of mouth that the ratio of water to sugar must be equal. But who would have thought that the most important step in making the sugar syrup is not to stir it?
It seems that the ancient saying, "The sea of learning is boundless, and there are houses of gold in books," is indeed true.
Zhang Xianglian was so excited that she didn't even eat her meal. She got up and went to make another pot of sugar syrup. This time, it didn't take long before she brought the bright red candied hawthorns to the table.
Although she was still unsure about becoming a master chef, the successful candied hawthorn and the unexpected creation of sand-coated hawthorn gave her confidence, and made her study pastry making more and more seriously in the following days.
Whether it's from the south or the north, from legends or books, as long as the general proportions and process have appeared, Aunt Zhang dares to try making it. It doesn't matter if she fails, because Xiao Jiang Sheng is waiting by the window.
In the courtyard, the mother and daughter worked together.
Outside the courtyard, Zheng Ruqian was also constantly busy. There were four shops that needed cleaning and tidying up, as well as putting up signs and procuring raw materials. There were so many things to do that he couldn't count them all.
Unfortunately, all eight hundred taels of surplus grain in the household were spent on rent.
Xu Mo was worried and decided to borrow two hundred taels of silver from Zhu Sihuan for household expenses.
Zheng Ruqian shook his head to stop him, "Brother, I dare to rent a room for eight hundred taels, so I'm not afraid of not having money to spend."
Because those who went to northern Xinjiang should be returning, bringing with them local specialties, Anshui County's net profit this year, and letters from relatives and friends.
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