In the moment that Jiang Sheng fell to the ground, she had many thoughts.
For example, if she were to die, who would take care of her brothers?
For example, Second Brother would definitely cry the most, Fourth Brother would have tears streaming down his face, Eldest Brother and Fifth Brother would stubbornly refuse to shed tears, only to be beaten into tears by Third Brother.
For example, she hadn't eaten enough sugar-coated haws yet, and it wasn't the hawthorn she loved, but the crispy and fragrant sugar coating on the outside.
Lastly, she thought about how her brothers hadn't married yet, what a pity.
Little Nuan Nuan, with her plump and round cheeks, closed her eyes in mid-air, calmly waiting for her fall.
However...
The moment she landed, she only felt a softness beneath her, without the pain of hitting her head or breaking her arms and legs. It felt like a new cotton quilt Aunt Zhang had made for her.
Even her panicked brothers fell silent.
Could it be that she was suddenly thrown back into her mother's belly?
Then she must remember what her mother looked like before becoming a wandering beggar.
Jiang Sheng quickly opened her eyes and didn't see the gentle woman, but instead, she saw three close-up faces.
Eldest Brother Xu Moqing had a calm and clear demeanor.
Second Brother Zheng Ruqian was upright and kind-hearted.
Fourth Brother Wen Zhiyun looked guilty and teary-eyed.
Huh, but one brother was missing, where did Fifth Brother go?
Before Jiang Sheng could speak, a painful groan came from beneath her, "Jiang Sheng... in the future... eat... less..."
It turned out that Fifth Brother Chang Yan sacrificed himself to cushion her fall, and now he was struggling to breathe.
Her brothers regained their senses and hurriedly lifted the chubby little sister, saving Chang Yan's life.
Jiang Sheng felt deeply guilty, "Fifth Brother, you saved my life. From now on, I'll give you the sugar coating of the sugar-coated haws, and I'll eat the hawthorn inside."
Chang Yan remained silent.
Imagining Fifth Brother finishing all the crispy coating of the sugar-coated haws and then handing it to his sister, the expressions on her brothers' faces showed a hint of reluctance.
"Little Jiang Sheng," Zheng Ruqian cleared his throat, "from now on, we'll also sell sugar-coated haws. Aunt Zhang said she can learn how to make them, so you can eat as much as you want."
"Really?" Jiang Sheng's eyes lit<translatedup.
"Really," Zheng Ruqian nodded, "Aunt Zhang is already boiling the sugar syrup."
In reality, Zhang Xianglian felt panicked about taking on the role of the master in the family's shop. She decided to recreate all the pastries she had seen, and the sugar-coated haws were just the first attempt.
But it was tempting enough for Jiang Sheng, and as Zheng Ruqian finished speaking, the little girl practically crawled and rolled her way out.
Her brothers had smiles on their faces, some had words on the tip of their tongues, and others let out a soft sigh.
Just before Jiang Sheng took her final step out of the room, she faintly heard Eldest Brother's advice, "Sugar is bad for your teeth, eat less..."
Oh well, she wouldn't listen, just like a monk reciting scriptures.
Although Eldest Brother was resolute, intelligent, decisive, and steadfast, there was one flaw—he often prevented her from eating sweets, and he even said that she had suffered too much hardship in her childhood, resulting in a stunted growth. At eleven years old, she was still losing baby teeth. If she ate a few more bites of candy, she would surely have rotten teeth in the future.
Jiang Sheng was initially startled when she had a dream of herself standing tall and elegant, but with a black and foul-smelling mouth, and several arrogant aphids darting around on her tongue. It frightened her enough to wake her up.
For a long time after that, she didn't come across any candy.
Until she encountered Uncle, the seller of sugar-coated haws again. The bright red fruits beckoned to her from the candy barrel, and in the midst of those bitter days, the only sweetness and hope surged back into her heart. With determination, the young girl stomped her foot.
She would eat it!
She couldn't abandon anyone, but she certainly couldn't abandon the sugar-coated haws!
Jiang Sheng had also prepared for the worst. If she really ended up with rotten teeth, then... she wouldn't get married!
Even if it meant abandoning her future husband, she would never abandon the sugar-coated haws!
Jiang Sheng felt proud of her cleverness and rushed into the kitchen, where she saw Aunt Zhang stirring the sugar solution. She was overjoyed and leaned on the windowsill to watch.
The sugar solution, made by boiling water and rock sugar in the same proportion, should have been bright red and shiny. When coated with hawthorn, it should be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, fragrant and delicious.
But after Aunt Zhang stirred it a few times, the bright red sugar solution disappeared, replaced by uneven yellowish sugar crystals clinging to the hawthorn fruits.
Jiang Sheng outside the window covered her mouth in shock.
Aunt Zhang frowned at the stove.
"This shouldn't happen," she muttered in confusion. "I boiled the sugar solution in the same proportion, and it was sugar solution at first. How did it become sugar crystals?"
Aunt Zhang reached out to wash off the sugar crystals from the hawthorn fruits, but Jiang Sheng, who had rushed in, stopped her.
"Aunt, don't. What if we can still eat them?" The young girl took a bite, and at first, there was a fine sandy texture that melted into a combination of sourness and sweetness from the hawthorn. The lingering taste of the sugar crystals wrapped around the hawthorn flesh, pushing away the last hint of sourness, leaving only sweetness in her mouth.
Aunt Zhang became anxious. "Is it delicious, Xiaojiang Sheng?"
Jiang Sheng couldn't speak; she could only nod in response. Yes, it's delicious, Aunt. It's really delicious.
Even though it was a failed attempt at making sugar-coated haws, the taste was still excellent.
Aunt Zhang's panicked and uneasy heart suddenly calmed down. She gently touched the two little buns on the top of the young girl's head, and a bold idea emerged in her mind.
That night, the sugar crystal-coated haws were served on the dinner table.
After staring at them for a while, Xu Mo suddenly asked, "Aunt Zhang, did you stir the sugar solution?"
Aunt Zhang was surprised. "Xiao Mo, how did you know?"
"The sugar solution for making sugar-coated haws shouldn't be stirred. If it's stirred, the sugar crystals will form," Xu Mo picked up a piece of sugar crystal-coated hawthorn. "The ancient books briefly mention it, but unfortunately, there aren't many details."
But for the clouded Aunt Zhang, it was enough.
The process of making sugar-coated haws wasn't complicated. Even the common people knew that water and sugar should be in the same proportion. However, who could have imagined that the most important step in boiling the sugar solution was to avoid stirring.
It seems the saying "the sea of learning knows no bounds, and the books hold treasures" is indeed true.
A surge of excitement filled Aunt Zhang's heart. She didn't even eat her meal and immediately went to boil another pot of sugar solution. This time, it didn't take long before she served the bright red sugar-coated haws on the table.
Although she wasn't certain about becoming a master, the success of her candied hawthorns and the unexpected outcome of the sand-coated hawthorns gave her confidence and fueled her determination to study pastry-making more seriously in the days to come.
Whether it was from the south or the north, from legends or books, as long as there was a rough proportion and process mentioned, Aunt Zhang dared to try making it. Even if she failed, Xiao Jiang Sheng was there, waiting by the windowsill.
Inside the courtyard, the two women worked together with all their might.
Outside the courtyard, Zheng Ruqian never stopped either. There were four shops in total that needed to be tidied up and cleaned. They also needed to put up signs and replenish the raw materials. The tasks were too numerous to count.
Unfortunately, all the remaining grain in the house had been used for rent—eight hundred taels in total.
Xu Mo was worried and decided to borrow two hundred taels of silver from Zhu Sihuan for household expenses.
Zheng Ruqian shook his head and stopped him. "Big brother, I dared to rent a house for eight hundred taels, so I'm not afraid of not having money to spend."
Because the people who had gone to the northern borders were returning, bringing with them the special products of the northern region, the net profit of Anshui Prefecture this year, and the letters from relatives and friends.
