Chapter 384 Coaxed Back
He didn't say anything, so she explained to him on her own to relieve his boredom.
"Don't underestimate the simplicity of making candied haws. There's a trick to making the outer layer of sugar crisp and thin."
She winked mysteriously at Jiaying and said, "I worked as an apprentice at a snack stand for a year and learned it from the boss."
"The first step in making hand-rolled candied haws is to make the syrup, which is the most crucial step. First, add sugar and water to the pot according to the ratio of half a pound of sugar to one pound of water."
"During the cooking process, you must pay full attention to the heat. Just like syrup, you must cook it just right. Even a little more or less won't do."
"The level of effort involved is comparable to refining an elixir."
The sugar water rolled like soap bubbles under the baking flames.
Ye Xiaoman stirred the pot with chopsticks from time to time to allow the sugar juice to melt evenly and prevent the edges from burning.
The rest of the time, she rested her hands on her knees, staring intently at the pot.
Jiaying looked at her profile. Her cheeks were round, her eyelashes were drooping, and her nose was slightly upturned. She looked honest and well-behaved. There was no sign of the rebelliousness that such a person might have when she went crazy.
When the color of the syrup gradually turned brown, Ye Xiaoman said happily, "It's done."
She took out a bunch of strawberries that had been skewered on bamboo sticks from the basket and tilted the pot slightly. Instead of poking the strawberries directly into the boiling syrup, she skillfully turned the strawberries over and dipped them into the boiling sugar bubbles on the syrup.
The candied haws made in this way will not melt the delicate fruits. Instead, a thin layer of sugar shell will form on the outside, locking in the freshness and sweetness of the strawberries. The mixture is moderately sweet and sour and very delicious.
She made one skillfully and stuck it on the straw target to cool.
Jiaying was watching from the side and couldn't help asking, "How do you know when the syrup is ready?"
Jiaying was finally willing to talk to her, and Ye Xiaoman was overwhelmed with emotion.
"You asked about the second key point of production. Listen carefully, this is the most important secret of the candied haws manufacturing family."
She smiled and sold the circle: "Please bring me some cold water."
Jiaying walked back to the room, picked up the kettle on the table, poured a bowl of water and brought it over.
Ye Xiaoman used the tip of her chopsticks to swirl around in the pot, dipped some syrup, and then put the tip of her chopsticks into cold water to quickly cool the sugar.
She raised the chopsticks in front of Jiaying and said, "Try it."
She was still sitting on the low stool in front of the stove. Jiaying bent down, opened his mouth, and tasted the sweetness of the chopsticks.
Ye Xiaoman said: "You bite it."
Jiaying did as he was told, and the candy bar crunched and crackled between his teeth.
Ye Xiaoman shared her experience: "Just bite it. If the candy tastes crispy, it means it's done. If it tastes sticky, it means it needs to be cooked more."
As she spoke, her hands did not stop, and while the syrup was still at its best, she quickly coated all the fruits in the basket with sugar.
I made more than a dozen candied haws for Jiaying.
The melancholy in Jiaying's heart after he finished eating the last candied haws in the storage space under his sleeve dissipated.
He did not refuse the straw target handed to him by Ye Xiaoman.
The candied haws stuck on it look like a straw stick held by a peddler.
Ye Xiaoman looked at him gently and said, "Have one. It tastes best when it's freshly made."
Jiaying was sitting on a stool in the yard eating candied haws. Ye Xiaoman was smiling, holding her head and watching him take bites of the candied haws across the round table. Jiaying ate very elegantly.
He had his hair loose, and when he lowered his head to eat, his long hair would hang down, and he had to straighten his neck from time to time to prevent his long hair from getting on the food.
Ye Xiaoman said, "Let me help you tie your hair up."
Jiaying lowered his eyes, neither saying yes nor refusing.
Ye Xiaoman thought he agreed.
She walked behind Jiaying, took out a wooden comb from her storage bag, and helped him comb his hair.
His black hair is like a waterfall, and his hair is smooth and feels like silk in my hands. It is a beautiful enjoyment to help him tidy up his appearance.
Ye Xiaoman took off the silver hairpin on her head, put it in her mouth, grabbed the two strands of long hair on Jiaying's temples and put them behind her head. She twisted and fixed them with the silver hairpin, and inserted the silver hairpin diagonally. The remaining long hair was draped behind her, which looked beautiful and no longer hindered her eating. It was perfect.
She turned to Jiaying and admired her masterpiece.
Jiaying looked at her like a noble young master, and after finishing the last candied haws, he licked the candy on his lips, still expressionless.
But according to Ye Xiaoman's observation, the way he looked at her was much softer, and he seemed to be in a good mood.
She poured Jiaying a glass of water and asked in a nice voice.
"Given the current situation, collecting the ship's deeds is the only way to get ashore."
"Some nearby landowners are unwilling to hand over the boat deeds, so I think it's necessary to use force to persuade them."
"Would it be convenient for you to go out with me to quell the riots recently?"
Jiaying gracefully picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea.
Under Ye Xiaoman's expectant eyes, he finally spoke with restraint:
"Um."
…
Ye Xiaoman and Jiaying stood shoulder to shoulder, followed by Yue Mushan and a group of younger brothers, standing under the banyan tree at the entrance of the village. In front of her, a group of villagers fell to the ground, screaming in pain.
These villagers all have human bodies and spider bodies. They usually use spider webs to catch birds and insects for food. When food is scarce, they will also attack the residents of the Blood Sea. They are the bullies in the surrounding area.
They spoke harshly and arrogantly to Ye Xiaoman's surrender, so Ye Xiaoman was the first to deal with these troublemakers.
As soon as Jiaying made a move, they were kneeling within three moves.
Ye Xiaoman blew on her nails and looked at her fingers. "Are you willing to hand over the ship deed?"
"Aiyahey." The spider man who fell in the front, like a beetle with its cover turned over, kicked and beat several black velvet spider legs in the air, and finally turned his body over and stood in front of Ye Xiaoman.
The spider-man, who looked like the village chief, pointed at Ye Xiaoman with a bruised nose and swollen eyes and shouted, "We will not surrender, because we look down on you!"
Ye Xiaoman raised her eyes: "Oh?"
Spider-Man: "You are just a coward who only relies on men. Why do you think you can be our boss?"
The other spider-men also started to make noise.
"That's right, if you leave the Holy Son, you will be a weakling in the Qi Refining Stage."
"Come on, challenge us one-on-one!"
Ye Xiaoman stretched out her hand, and Yue Mushan immediately handed a parchment scroll to her palm.
She unfolded the parchment, cleared her throat, and began to shake off the Spider Village Chief's privacy.
"If my information is correct, you were poor, frustrated, and weak when you were young. You only achieved your current status because you relied on your handsome face to marry the daughter of the previous village chief and rely on your father-in-law's influence to achieve this position of superiority."
"It's a pity that you don't know how to be grateful. After you became rich, you began to despise the status of a son-in-law. After your father-in-law died, you poisoned your wife, seized the family property, and started to eat up the family fortune. You even changed your child's surname back to yours."
Ye Xiaoman put her hands on her hips and asked confidently, "People like you are freeloaders, but why should I be criticized by so many people?"
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